1988 Volkswagen GOLF

This is the desirable 1.8-litre fuel-injected full-fat GTI model, giving high levels of performance – especially in the mid-range, which is where you want it when you are, as the I.A.M. puts it, ‘making good progress’ - plus the best fuel consumption in the range. The Bosch fuel injection system also offers bulletproof reliability, fluff-free cold starts and the very best residual values.

This example presents well but could do with some work to tidy up in a few places; it’s a drivable example that could either be used without worrying too much about the odd car-park ding or scratch or turned into a head-turner with only a modest investment of time and money. 

We accept that white can be a polarizing colour choice, but it’s a very period choice and suits the car in our opinion. It also makes the car much cheaper than it would otherwise be; a different colour might double its value, so if you like white cars then you’re onto a winner!

The Big Bumper aftermarket body kit is all present and correct and brings the Golf bang up to date, matching the contemporary Big Bumper Mk2 Golf GTI nicely. Some surface rust under the bonnet mars the appearance of the engine bay and there is some damage where water has sat on the body where the hood meets as you can see from the photographs. There is also a piece of trim missing from the offside rear quarter waistline of the car and the non-standard alloy wheels could do with refurbishing.

Let’s start with the bad news, shall we? The front seats are grubby and torn on the drivers bolster. They could really do with recovering, which might cost you a few hundred pounds but would transform the look of the whole interior. Oh, and the gear knob isn’t original but swapping that for a factory one would cost pennies via eBay.

Other than that it’s all good news. The MK1 VW Golf might not have the most exciting interior of the eighties but it was one of the most durable, which is way more important when you’re looking at a car that is the same age as Rihanna.

The Golf is a tough, simple car and despite the high mileage it starts, runs, and stops as it should. It’s been serviced recently and shouldn’t require anything other than routine work for the foreseeable future. (However, it is a 28 year-old car, so that can’t be guaranteed, obviously!)

The car benefits from a recent £800 expenditure on mechanical components and some cosmetic tidying (receipts are available) and comes with a full 12-month MOT and recent service.

This example of the Golf GTI Cabriolet offers the chance to get behind the wheel of a thoroughly modern classic car for not a lot of money thanks to a very very sensible reserve. 

The Golf GTI is rightly feted as one of the great cars of its time to drive - and an even better one to own; replacement and performance parts are cheap and readily available and prices of good cars are starting to gently rise, offering the chance to potentially own this model very cheaply indeed.

It could be enjoyed in its present condition or gradually refurbished as time and money allow. If it were ours, we’d start with getting the front seats recovered and the alloy wheels refurbished. The correct, factory fit wheels are freely available secondhand, and putting a car back to standard specification is rarely going to harm its value.

We’d then drive it for a while and go on from there as glitches and opportunities present themself.

Please ask questions and feel free to discuss the car in the comments where ourselves and the owner will do all we can to help. 

The car can be viewed in Essex, to arrange to view use the 'Contact Seller' button above, or to find out more about The Market take a look here.