2007 Volkswagen GTi Edition 30

This car had two owners in its first two years, the first probably being VW themselves. When the third owner bought it in 2010 he kept it until earlier this year, maintaining a good service history throughout.

It was bought by our vendor, a dealer, but with a view to making it part of his own collection. As such he embarked on a minor restoration, having two new front wings fitted and new paint to rear quarters and sills to eliminate any future worries about the Mark V’s weak spot – bubbling arches.

He also invested in a full service that included a new cambelt, auxiliary belt, a cam follower and water pump. This was performed before it was due, back in the summer, and in the last few days the ‘service now’ warning has appeared on the dash – this will be reset before sale.

Now our vendor has been offered a car he’s long lusted after - an Escort Cosworth – so the GTi must go, along with one or two others.

It’s in excellent condition. It’s showing 114,500 miles yet it runs as quiet and clean as something with a tenth of that figure on the clock, as you’d expect from a well-serviced modern VW. It’s showing the odd minor sign of age in the interior, but all in all you’d struggle to find fault – especially once you reached a twisty road and put your foot down.

Now you know it’s had some attention to body and paint, you go looking for the evidence – but it’s almost impossible to detect. The replacement of the front wings and fresh paint has been done to a high professional standard with both the glossy finish and the gaps to adjacent panels looking totally ‘factory’.

The wheels have been refinished in the correct VW Shadow Grey, and each one wears a smart new logo’d centrecap. Red-painted calipers peep through. The tyres are new or nearly new 225 /40 18s.

The lamp lenses, door mirrors and glass all look immaculate, with the rear lamps slightly smoked – another difference between the Edition 30 and the standard GTi.

Overall, it’s looks extra fresh, with none of the road-rash and parking dings you might expect from a VW hatchback with a six-figure mileage. This one has been to the beauty parlour and is looking ravishing as a result.

These half-leather tartan seats are the business – every later GTi should have had them really, rather than the all-cloth tartan option or the full leather. The back seats look like they’ve barely been touched and the front ones are showing only a bit of mild weathering to the leather side-bolsters, revealed as soft creases.

There is a little wear to the gearknob and the steering wheel (still one of the great steering wheels on any performance car – so satisfying to hold) while up above, the headlining is just beginning to let go for a few inches around the back of the overhead console.

Otherwise, everything works in here including the surprisingly luxurious spec for heating and ventilation: switchable dual-zone climate control with adjustable seat heaters. Over to the left is a brushed aluminium strip with the Edition 30 logo, just in case your passenger hadn’t clocked anything different on the outside.

In the boot you’ll find a clean space-saver spare in an immaculate-looking spare wheel well. The tool set that sits in the wheel still contains the jack, wheel brace, towing eye and so on.

It starts and runs like it did when it was new, with a perfect even tickover and no smoke to worry about. It revs smoothly and without much hint to the power that makes it such an exciting drive – boost arrives with a gratifying surge and you can revel in the Golf Mk 5’s famous poise and handling balance.

The engine bay is almost as pretty as the outside of the car, a testament to the vendor’s extremely thorough deep-clean and valeting process. Fluids are fresh and up to level.

Lie down and grab a torch, and you’ll find a sound hull with just the beginnings of some lift and flake from the underseal along a few edges. Likewise, what was once shiny black paint on suspension components is just beginning to show the odd spot of surface rust.

We spotted a few minor cracks in some of the plastic undertray sections and there’s the odd fixing missing, while the exhaust looks sound but not new.

There’s a recent vehicle history check (earlier this month!) revealing no skeletons in the closet, and showing only a plate change to a private number in 2008, and then back off again in 2010.

Service history consists of a well-stamped book and a number of receipts, with most of the ink marks coming from the same independent specialist in Bedford. The last of these was performed at 106,000 miles.

The recent service and mechanical work and the replacement wings and paint appear on recent invoices totalling at least £1700. In there you’ll also see the cost of a new VW key, cut and coded so that the car comes with a pair.

The MoT was due in October so the vendor has just submitted the car for a new test, and it will come with a full 12-month ticket.

It’s hard to have much more fun for the money. Hot hatches are all about fun, something the industry seemed to forget as the 1990s became the 2000s and every hot hatch got weightier, wider and more lavishly equipped. But the fifth Golf GTi changed all that by showing that a well-optioned, well-built hatch could still be a hoot to drive. And this one, with 30 extra brake hootpower (sorry!) is even better.

We’re estimating it will sell between £7000 and £10,000 but it’s a no-reserve sale, so be vigilant and you might bag a bargain. Dare we mention something more serious than a bit of fun? Modern classics are appreciating, especially German ones. Mark 5 Golf GTis cost more now than they did two years ago. And if you want to use a dirty word like ‘investment’, ask yourself which cars consistently outperform the others. That’s right – those in the best specification, and if it’s a potent limited edition, better still.

So here’s a super-smart Golf GTi Edition 30 three-door that the vendor’s already treated like his pride and joy when he invested in some professional refurbishment. It’s not a second-hand Golf any more, it’s a youngtimer – and a true classic.

Viewing is always encouraged and as stated this car is located at THE MARKET headquarters near Abingdon; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.