1990 Volkswagen Golf GTi Cabriolet - 89k miles

The current owner of this Golf GTi Cabriolet is a car nut and son of a former car mechanic; and has a small collection of beautiful cars. He travelled from London to Yorkshire to buy this exceptionally good example from a lady owner who’d had the car for 11yrs. He chose this one because he reports that she kept it garaged, serviced, used it only for holidays, and taxed it for just 6 months each year. The previous owner to her bought the car in 1993 and kept it for 13yrs. The first owner had the car for a standard corporate period of 3 years from 1990-1993. This Golf has had a total of just 5 owners, including the current vendor, which makes it a special GTi.

This car looks the business in black. It is serious, elegant but above all quick. Plus the current owner has only used the car for high days and holidays in the time he has had it. It is in fact one of those cars that when you start to look into it closer, you quickly see how original it is. Even the body is right and original with some age-related scuffs and burrs and touch ups but nothing too bad, correct door lines and no signs of rot.

It even has original etchings of number plate to windows, lots of original stickers around car windows (eg radio security notice), Original key sets are all present and correct. Lots of original bills, MOTs (including the most recent until May 2020), tax discs, owner’s wallet with papers and service records.

There are just 3 modifications from standard fittings - all fully reversible. The Rivage alloy wheels (in great condition), with new Pirellis that have done less than 2000 miles are the current owner’s choice and fitted with rim protectors. The twin-lights grille has gone in favour of a single light variant. And finally a Golf ball gear knob has been fitted. But you'll see from the Gallery that the original wheels (with tyres), twin-light grille and gear knob are included with the car. So no worries there.

When the current owner bought this car, he was looking for something that had a solid and reliable originality with no rot and that is what he got. It is a well cared for car that oozes years of respectful use – this is confirmed by impressive service papers.

The outside of this car does appear to confirm the car as original and well-cared for. It is not a pristine restored example that could feel ‘too clean’, it is used but only carefully. The panels all look sharp and fit well, and there appears to be no rot or major scrapes. The original black paint has a reasonable shine to it and all of the badges and details are correct – even the Karmann designer signs. As with most 'original' cars with older paint, a through 'mop' of the paint would probably do wonders - something that can be done one summer's day, or cheaply provided by a good valeter. There are no signs of any worn out pieces of trim or door seals. It all clicks and shuts correctly. Even the boot area that gets maybe rougher use than other places has a clean and respected condition to it; minor scratches but again nothing major. The front and rear bumper corners, the nearside wheel-arch plastic-extension and the bonnet leading edge do have some signs of DIY/aerosol touch-up on them - but again expected on a car that is now nearly 30 years old and not that hard to fix either.

At the back of the car there is a tow bar fitted as an original factory option with original VW metal tags. However the car is not known to have ever towed anything during the current or the previous owner’s tenure. The powered black roof is a smart and elegant topping to a good-looking car.

The inside of a car often reflects how it has been used and looked after. This Golf presents really well with that comfortable sense of a proper place to sit and drive.

Everything is there, not frayed or worn out but gently used and correct. The interior is exceptionally good - the cloth-covered seats present especially well with clean and unmarked vinyl finishes and no tears or wearing. This sense of a proper interior is confirmed by the fine finish of the dash and top, all unmarked with no cracks or scuffs. Even the headlining of the roof is remarkably clean.

The fully-working original Blaupunkt stereo is also there, which is great to use and sounds wonderful too! It does have minor LCD bleed on the bottom of the display screen but is otherwise fine.

The underside of a car is another area that gives away the true condition of the vehicle. On this Golf the underneath appears to show this is an original car with no rot issues. Yes there is some surface rust around on the floor pan and suspension arms, which would give the new owner the opportunity to wire brush this away and add some new protection, but does not give cause for alarm. There is some oxidisation on the bottom of the engine sump but minor, and some evidence of possibly an old oil leak, but again not much. The surfaces and chassis rails are all good and appear solid with no globs of under-seal, everything is easy to see and you can waxoyl or seal for the future with no problem. Leads and pipes under here look good and appear free of damage or leaks, suggesting good long-term maintenance of the car. Rubbers and protective seals also look undamaged. The exhaust too seems solid with no signs of rot or splits. All electrics work too, as far as we can tell, with no signs of any problem, including the roof that not only works, but is, by all accounts, smooth and quiet in operation.

The current owner says this car has ‘never missed a beat’. It just keeps going! Always starts, goes for long distances with no problems and has an exciting turn of speed, with good pulling power too. In fact the first thing this owner did after buying the car, was to take it to the nearest accredited VW specialist and give it a full service and a change of cambelt - less than 1000 miles ago. The under bonnet area could do with some tidying up and smartening but it does appear to confirm the car’s history – it is original, unmolested and sensibly used.

Just 4 previous owners in total with clear evidence of careful use and a lot of care makes this a very special Golf in so many ways. It is unusual now to find cars with a history like this. The current owner went looking for a car that did not have any rot or signs of mis-use by flash kids with a heavy right foot! The search was worth it, including the travel from London to Yorkshire to get it. 

The service history with VW Garages in the service book is marvellous. The services shown range from 1st service at 5500 miles in 1992, to this May 2019, at 89,000 miles. This is a real stamp of approval. This evidence is backed up by past MOTs, all invoices for work done, and parts replaced. It is confirmation that this is a suitable car for any discerning enthusiast 

The car comes with a fresh MOT until 29th May 2020 with NO advisories!

This is a nice late Golf Cabriolet in a good colour with exceptional history. It goes well, appears to have few downsides and is by all accounts a joy to drive after almost 30 years of careful use. In fact anyone investing in this car, will possibly see some growth in Golf capital values in the years to come. The things to do are minimal and in our view not costly either. Mainly small aesthetics and little areas for further tidying – so not much. They’re great cars, fun to drive and reliable. And this is the time of year to be thinking about a Cabriolet too as the sun comes out (we hope!).

If you want to view the car, which we always recommend, it is with us here at The Market HQ, near Abingdon, South Oxfordshire - give us a call and you pop along and have a look at it yourself - we don't think you will in any way be disappointed by it. 

Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.