1991 Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V

Nathan, the owner of this lovely Royal Blue 16-valver from the last year of Mk2 GTI manufacture, is now in his early 40s. His first car, at the age of 18, was an A-reg Golf CL. His second car, just one year later, was an 8-valve Mk2 GTI. In 2016, after a two-decade hiatus, he decided that another Mk2 was due – and that’s what you’re looking at here.

Today, three years after Nathan bought it, you wouldn’t believe that this is the same car. And if you went straight to the pics of our 16V Mk2 GTI in the Gallery without reading this story, you might wonder why we hadn't rechristened it Rogues Gallery. The rot that faced Nathan in 2016 would have had some buyers running for the hills, but the car’s low mileage (110k), it’s generally very good condition above floor level, and the rising values of Mk2 GTIs all convinced him that it was worth a punt.

It has turned out to be an expensive punt. Renowned restoration and paint specialists Frankies of Finmere in Bucks were brought in to clear all the arches of rust and to blend in new metal anywhere it was needed. A full re-spray in the original (and rare) GTI colour of Royal Blue followed.

This process alone took two months and cost over £4000 – but that was just the start. The restoration Nathan has carried out on this Mk2 has turned it into a wonder. Very little driving has been done since the rebuild.

However, with nowhere safe to park the car at work, and conscious of the GTI’s potential as both a driver’s car and an investment, Nathan has reluctantly decided to pass this highly desirable and now very presentable and completely solid Golf on to its next custodian.

This bodywork section may be called ‘On The Outside’, but the story of this car’s bodywork was all on the inside, in those areas of metal hidden behind the various bits of plastic that manufacturers like to stick onto their cars. By 2016, In just about all of these structural areas there were corrosion issues. The car was an object lesson to anyone thinking of buying a modern classic without bothering to spend too much time on problem identification.

The great news for the next owner of this Golf is that, as mentioned above, all the bad stuff has been painstakingly purged and replaced by fresh metal, and not just by any old Tom, Dick or Harry either, but by a very highly regarded restoration outfit that these days does a lot of work for Bicester Heritage.

Besides all the obvious chassis repairs, every dink and depression was pulled out of the body. There’s a tiny scuff on the nearside corner of the front bumper which has been left as it is. For more on that, see ‘What We Think’ at the end of this text. The glass is clear and unscratched, the window seals are fresh and flexible.

The suspension was completely replaced in 2016 at a cost of around £1000. The original BBS wheels remain in excellent nick and are shod with good quality tyres carrying plenty of tread.

In terms of keeping the car pristine going forward, the next owner’s job will be made easier by the inclusion in the sale of a top quality fleece-lined waterproof car cover (£350 new).

Those seeking total originality in their classics will be very heartened by the sight that greets them on opening any of this Golf’s five doors. Barring the new stereo, which is a modern digital unit with all the right features (aux-in, USB etc), it’s all exactly as it came out of the factory, right down to the golf ball gear knob.

Everything appears to be solid and unmarked. Volkswagen cabin cloth from this era generally stands up pretty strongly to both abuse and the passage of time, and the material on display here wears its 28 years well. A little effort with some upholstery cleaner would doubtless brighten up the colour bands on the seats, but there are no rips or tears anywhere, and the headlining is intact and unblemished.

Nathan does concede that the fabric on the left-hand side of the steel sunroof catches slightly when the roof is activated, That apart, he tells us that all the clocks and cabin electrics work, up to and including the tacho LCD panel for fuel consumption and temperature readouts.

The pictures tell the happy rescue tale of a car that would otherwise have met a sad fate atop the teetering pile of MOT failures in a salvage yard. Fewer than a thousand miles have been done since the total chassis refurb and bodywork respray. As a result the Golf is still effectively as fresh underneath as it was when it came out of the restoration booth.

During the course of the restoration Nathan took the precaution of replacing the head gasket. It didn’t need to be renewed, that was preventative maintenance based on the notion that he planned on keeping the car for a long time. For the same reason, a full service was carried out at the time of the restoration, including replacement of the cambelt along with the water pump and all the other associated belt-change items.

The engine bay is dry. Nathan had a sheet of cardboard under it for some time and there was no evidence of any oil or coolant leaks.

On our brief test drive we couldn’t find any faults or issues to report, but certainly enjoyed the crisp and raspy exhaust notes that followed.

There’s a hefty wedge of routine service paperwork with the car, along with the original stamped-up service booklet and MOT certificates going back to 2002. We can see from the MOT papers that sill/floor corrosion began to rear its head in 2006 and that some welding work was carried out in 2012.

The MOT runs to the end of May 2020. No advisories were recorded on this year’s test certificate.

I wonder why they’re selling it? That’s the question that flashes through the mind of most of us when we’re looking at a car ad.

It’s a fair question, and there are usually two possible answers. One is that there’s something amiss with the car that will require expensive rectification. The other is that the car has become too good to use. That second answer is applicable here.

‘It’s funny, really,’ says Nathan. ‘I’ve got a 30-grand Mk7 Golf that I’ve no qualms about driving anywhere, but I can't bring myself to put the miles on a Mk2 that’s worth a fraction of that. That’s how these important classics get you. A quick glimpse at the MOT history shows that Nathan has only done a thousand miles or so in his three-year ownership. Even the trips to the MOT station have been done on the back of his mate’s low-loader.

We asked Nathan what he would be doing to the car if he was hanging on to it. After a moment or two’s thought, the answer was ‘nothing’. He tried to source an original part to sort out the bumper scuff, but drew a blank. Rather than opting for the unsatisfactory solution of a poorly-fitting aftermarket item, he quite rightly decided to leave it ‘as is’, preserving not just the car’s originality but also its honesty. As it stands, this is a smashing and very useable car that, kept in this condition, can only continue to appreciate as inferior examples fall by the wayside all around it.

We estimate this car will sell for between £7,000 - £11,000 but is of course offered without reserve. 

We always encourage viewings. This Golf is located here at The Market HQ in Abingdon. Just click the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to arrange an appointment. Ahead of that, or at any time during the process, you’re more than welcome to ask any questions or jot down observations in the comments section below. You won’t be shocked to hear that our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section will answer general questions that are frequently asked about how The Market works.

Also please note that we have a network of trusted suppliers with whom we work regularly and successfully: 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.