Archive for Volkswagen
Clean 1984 VW GTI on Samba
If you have noticed my last few posts have come from Samba. Samba is typically a good site for finding rare German autos. Typically you have to sort through several rust buckets before you find something interesting but lately the site is on fire. Case in point, this very clean MKI GTI.
Clean MKI GTI for Sale:
From the seller -
“Very clean and unmolested GTI for sale. 112,311 original miles. Original west coast car with no rust at all. Original paint in good shape. Left fender was repainted long ago. Interior in great shape. Headliner replaced. Nice stereo. H/R coilover suspension. Cross drilled rotors. Lower front stress bar. 15×8 Snowflakes with 195/45-15 Toyo’s. New waterpump and thermostat, timing belt and tensioner, lower timing belt cover, new oil pan. Has factory windage tray and oil cooler. G-grind camshaft. Neuspeed throttle body with correct adapter plate. Nice tig welded stainless cat back exhaust with a Borla muffler that sounds great. Everything works with no issues. Great heat. Runs and drives great. Current Pa. inspection.”
Just a great looking car in wonderful condition. I can count the times I have seen a MKI without a rip in the driver’s seat and a taut headliner on one hand so I commend the owner on how they have cared for the car. This GTI also comes with some neat bits including cross drilled rotors, a hot cam, and a Neuspeed throttle body.
My favorite upgrade is the 15×8 snowflakes, at first glance I thought they were widened stock flakes with a larger lip. Turns out an outfit by the name of RML is making these reps which really complete the look of the car. You can find more info on these wheels here.
All of this at a $6k asking seems like a fair deal, having restored a MKI GTI I am certain the owner has far more cash into this car. But these cars are not investments, they are a labor of lub, and I lub this GTI.
~Aaron.
Euro-spec 1978 GTI for sale
We all love a good GTI, especially the first generation. The Europeans got the revolutionary hot hatch a few years before the States, and also benefited from an even greater sense of “less is more” with the Euro version. Of course the US bumpers weighed down the ends a bit, as well as a clunkier, rectangular light setup instead of the classic Euro quads. Today we have an imperfect-but-enticing Euro-spec GTI for sale in the SF Bay Area, in need of a little work but with a lot of great bits providing the foundation for a great A1 GTI.
1978 VW Euro-spec Golf GTI for sale on Craigslist
A list of mods from the seller:
2.0L Audi 3a Bubble Block8 Scirocco valve headScirocco Intake ManiDual DownpipeTT Race HeaderTT Low temp fan switchHigh-flow catReplaced Vaccuum LinesTDI 5spd transmissionStrong ClutchWeitech TX Height and Dampening Adjustable CoiloversNuespeed Fr Tie barNeuspeed Fr and Rear Sway BarsStainless Steel Braided Brake LinesBrand new bfg tires on oem 14×6 Snowflake rimsHave all fender flares (currently off the car)Euro Duckbill front spoilerFenders Rolled for 15×8 Widened Steelies (not included)Euro Bumpers (not running rear)Euro Quad Headlight SetupEuro TaillightsEuro Cluster (kph, speedo is not hooked up)Euro Gti Grill badgeEuro Golf Gti hatch badgeBlack interiorRadio Delete PanelGlass in great shapeCurrent Registration
Clean 2004 R32 for sale
Now, I may have made my case for a used RS6 being more worth your $32k than a new R32, but my same reasoning makes me anxious to make some more money so that I can be realistically in the market for the original R32 at new base-level Golf price. I like the MkIV R32 so much more than the MkV anyways. Same engine, same AWD, but much better looking. They’re around for up to $25k still, but the market has come down enough to be able to find nice ones under $20k if you’re patient. This Reflex Silver example has covered just 39.5k miles and, despite a few wheel nicks and small scratches, is the total package. Not many miles, overall beautiful condition, and good price make this a tempting prospect.
“It will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.” – Wayne Campbell
-NR
1992 RHD VW Cabby for Sale
Over on the Vortex there is a right hand drive Cabby with a full 2.0 ABA swap for sale. These cars are usually not my bag, in fact it is one of the few VW’s I have not owned. While they are agreeable little cars they are just a bit too cutsie and economical for my taste. I need a little more grunt and aggression in my cars and this Cabby may do the trick.
Rebuilt from the ground up this car comes with a laundry list of upgrades. Mechanically this Cabby is a shell of it’s former self, the rebuild addressed the engine with the swap, suspension, electronics, interior, and exterior upgrades. The motor itself is a thing of beauty, color matched to the car. Then there is the matter of the RHD swipe, the owner actually sourced the needed parts from a wrecker in the UK to convert the car. Why not? My favorite part of the whole package is the Votex rack for those Home Depot runs.
RHD Cabbie on the Vortex:
From the seller’s post -
“1992 VW Cabriolet Triple Black Right Hand Drive $6500 FIRM.
Engine Trans:
Early 1996 OBDII 2.0L ABA complete swap
Passat aba intake manifold
Mk3 transmission & clutch
Mk3 Starter
FULL CE2 wiring & ECU/fusebox
COMPLETE re-gasket of engine before swap
NEW ABF Alternator/serpentine setup
NEW waterpump
Everything color matched
All new mounts
NLS Oil pan skid plate
NEW CLUTCH
TT Race header with flex pipe
NEW TT 1.75 full exhaust
NEW Magnaflow muffler
Autotech short shift kit
Autotech Shift Weight
Mk3 coolant bottle/systemInterior:
Recaro Power seating
Re-Wrapped rear seat
NEW Tweed Door Panels
Momo Shift boot
Momo Shift knob
Momo Pedals
Momo Suede Rally Wheel
Momo Hub
Fire extinguisher
Power WindowsBody:
VR6 Spoiler
Smoked X-hair E-codes
Smoked Signals
Smoked Marker Lights
Badgeless Grille
Kamei Eyebrow (grille spoiler)
BRAND NEW TOP
New top insulation
New Headliner
ALL NEW Weather stripping
Kamei Hood Scoop
MHW Smoked Tail LightsSuspension/wheels:
H&R Ultra Low Coilovers (NEW)
Bonrath Drop Caps
Bonrath Early Strut bearings
Full Poly eurathane bushings throughout
NEW OEM corrado steelies with center caps (also OEM)
BRAND NEW Kumho 195/50/15′s
Spacesaver spare & tire change kitElectronics
All of the wiring is MK3
MK3 stalks
MK3 cluster
MK3 ignition
MK3 wipermotor
Pioneer am/fm/cd player
All Pioneer speakers throughout
MTX 400w amp
some sort of speaker box in trunk (pounds)Extras:
Full Right Hand Drive swap (imported from UK & installed)
SUPER RARE OEM Votex Roof Rack
Tinted windows (20%)I’m sure I’ve missed alot of things…price is firm or I’ll keep it, I don’t NEED to sell.”
It’s a good thing this car is not on the left coast, the temptation to buy would be unbearable. $6.5k is more than fair for this Cabby, I am guessing the owner has far more than that into it. Has anyone in the NJ/NY area seen this car in the flesh, if so can you attest to the condition? Is it as advertised? The VW community on the Vortex seems enthusiastic about the car and the fairness of the price which is always a good litmus test.
~Aaron.
Award Winning Corrado on eBay
A couple of weeks ago I was complaining about how hard it is to find a “nice” Corrado. As if on queue, another one has surfaced on eBay. I typically prefer stock examples but this seems like a well cared for car, with some questionable “upgrades.” Since there are more Corrado parts available than cars to put them on it would not be hard to return this car to stock form. Even with the tacky bits this car has won trophies at Waterfest, that is not an easy thing to do with the even most pristine example. This tells me that the VW community endorses the condition of this car so I will put my bias aside.
From the seller’s post -
“MINT CONDITION Volkswagen Corrado G60 . 2 owners, new tires.
Engine: 8mm Plug Wires, P-Flo, 260/268*cam, HP-II Kit, BBM RS Rebuilt G60, RSR Outlet, Poly Front Mount, S+S Computer Chip, Gillette Mid Pipes.
Suspension/Braking: Neuspeed Lowering Springs, Bilstein HD Struts/Shocks, Front Stress Bar, Rear Stress Bar, VR6 Strut Bearings, AZEV 16×7 ET 20mm, Dunlop Sport 9000, Cross Drilled Rotors, SS Brake Lines.
Interior: Boost Gauge, Oil Pressure Gauge, Blaupunkt 300w CD, Kenwood 100w Sub, Laser+Radar, DG Short Shift Kit, Corrado Floormats, Vacuum Gauge, A/F Mixture Gauge.
Exterior: ABT Front Spoiler, TEC Side Skirts, Bonrath Rear Diffusor, 100 Watt Head Lamps, Kamei Grill Spoiler, Clear Signal Lenses.
Car has won 3 first place trophies at Waterfest. Runs Great Needs Nothing.”
I have seen very few mint cars in my day but I will give this seller the benefit of the doubt. Being a G60, this car will not fetch the price of a similarly conditioned VR6. Regardless, these cars are rare, even more rare in this condition. Bidding sits at less than $4k with plenty of time left in the auction. I am going to guess that the reserve is set around $8.5k and bidding well top out at a grand back of that. If you are looking for a Corrado this has to pique your interest.
~Aaron.
One Owner MKII GTI on Vortex
Over on the Vortex there is a very clean one owner MKII GTI for sale. One owner GTI’s of this vintage are impossible to find. This owner has obviously cared for this vehicle over the years adding numerous upgrades along the way. While this car is not perfect, it would not take much in the way of time or money to make this car show worthy.
MKII GTI for Sale:
GTI Video on You Tube:
From the seller’s ad -
“This car was purchased new by me in November of 1988. It has less than 100,000 miles on it. The odo reads higher because it is broken and adds miles. You’ll just have to trust me on this, I am not a liar.
This car has been babied from Day 1. Never driven hard, never wrecked, Mobil 1, always hand washed and waxed. What you see is the original paint. It also has the original clutch, it that tells you anything about how it has been driven.
THE MODS:
Neuspeed 25 mm front swaybar
Neuspeed 28 mm adjustable rear swaybar
Neuspeed front strut bar
Neuspeed lowering springs
Bilstein HD struts
OZ F1 Cups, 17″
Dunlop tires
Neuspeed short-shift kit
Neuspeed floor mats
Carello 4-round grille
MOMO Champion steering wheel
MOMO Shift knob – (can’t remember the name)
Wilwood Dyna-Lite 11″ 4-piston front brake calipers
Wilwood Brake lines
11″ cross-drilled front rotors
Euro downpipe (non-cat)
Techtonics 2.25″ exhaust with crappy DTM muffler
Techtonics Euro intake cam
Hella US MARKET half-tint tails
Alpine HU (older)
Sony X-Plod separates up front
Sony X-Plod 6×9′s in the rear deck (I also have an intact rear deck).
Tinted front turn signals and markers.
Car is wired for an amp, but there is not one included in the sale.That’s all I can remember right now.
THE GOOD:
It’s a one-owner GTI. The interior is like new, with one exception. All mods are high-quality with the exception of the muffler.
THE BAD:
No headliner on the sunroof. Remainder of the headliner was replaced with a factory unit and is mint.
There are numerous small door dings on the drivers door and rear quarter (inflicted by my wife). They can all be removed paintlessly.
There is a little bit of rust under the drivers’ rear quarter window bottom seal. I do not know what caused this. It is not really visible unless you lift the seal. Should not be too expensive to fix. It has been this way for 12 years and has not advanced, because the car has been stored indoors all that time (and most of its life).
There is a line on the drivers door where it was repainted from a long-ago ding repair. It had been hidden under a pinstripe and I didn’t even know about it until I got rid of the pinstripe years ago.
No A/C. (Is in the car but leaks freon.)
THE PRICE: $6,500.
It is what it is. If you don’t agree with it, move on. In addition, I will not sell this car to anyone I think won’t take care of it. Period.”
The last line says it all, selling a car after 22 years has to be a painful experience. At $6.5k this car is a good value, while I am not in agreement on all of the modifications there is nothing that cannot be reversed. These cars are such a pleasure to drive, the rev happy 16 valve motor makes for grins all through the power band. Somewhere, somebody has been biding their time for a car such as this to appear. This car will make a lucky new owner very happy.
~Aaron.
Restored and TDI’d 1981 VW Rabbit Pickup
Ah, the first car. Like the first love, it will always be special, though these cars are pretty special anyways. Most of the time when you mention “Volkswagen Pickup” to anyone you get a scrunched up face and inquiries as to what the hell you’re talking about. What I am talking about is an awesome little car. In addition to its unique nature, my Pickup (known as the Caddy in the rest of the world) had great steering feel, a peppy engine, and an 1800 lb curb weight that made it plenty of fun in curves. Eventually too many things went wrong and we had to sell it for something more reliable, but it went to a VW nut in Ohio, so I feel okay about it. This example, for sale on eBay and located in Arkansas, is what I would have loved to do with my little Rabbit. The ad says it’s been restored and it looks pretty nice inside and out, but the key here is a 1.6l turbodiesel. Many Rabbit Pickups came with diesels, but those are known as, well… slow. Real slow. The turbo on this one sounds like it makes it a lot more fun while still returning Prius-like gas mileage.
I’d want to correspond with the seller a bit to get a better idea of the specifics than the ad provides, and “restored” may be a slight overstatement, but it looks like a clean and solid example of a fun car. Useful, fun, and most of all unique, a truck like this is absolutely on my “must-own-again” list.
-NR
Stock ‘ish and Low Mile Corrado for Sale
Which of the following does not exist?
- The Easter Bunny
- Good tasting Light Beer
- A Low mile/unmodified Volkswagen Corrado
Normally I would say this is a trick question, none of these exist. However, over on eBay a nicely kept 1993 Corrado SLC has surfaced. The Corrado was intended to be the successor to the iconic Scirocco and was embraced by the VW community. The SLC was the second iteration after the supercharged G60 was introduced in 1990. Fast forward more than a decade and what is left of these wonderful cars have been modified, driven hard, or left for dead. This is what makes this particular Corrado so appealing.
From the sellers post -
“1993 VW Corrado VR6, 54,000 original miles. Probably the lowest mileage Corrado in the country. 5 speed, sunroof, The engine is essentially stock except for a cold air intake. Exterior has tasteful mods. Halogen halo headlights, badgeless front grill, Clear lens fog lights and clear taillights. Side marker lights are tinted. Adjustable coil overs all around, slightly lowered and Pirelli P-zero 225/35/17s on BBS wheels. Rear sway bar. There are absolutely no scratches or dings. The interior is gray cloth and spotless. Kenwood stereo/CD player with trunk mounted amplifier and sub-woofer. I-pod hook up which allows control through the stereo controls, and Bluetooth remote hands free for your cell phone. Cup holder. There are no problems with the car, runs like a top, and is cosmetically excellent. Everything works like new except for the sunroof which I have not had diagnosed.”
It would have been nice if the buyer took some higher quality photos. A car in this rare condition deserves every chance to impress would be buyers. Regardless, at $8.5 k this is a solid value, there is a dearth of Corrados on the market in worse shape for more money.
~Aaron.
1989 Volkswagen Fox with 1,300 miles
The Volkswagen Fox was introduced to North America in 1987 model year to serve as a sort of Beetle like, entry level vehicle. Based on the South American market Volkswagen Gol, the Fox was sold as a two or four door sedan, with a two door wagon appearing in the lineup from 1988 to 1990. Power came from a fuel injected, 1.8 liter 8 valve engine mated solely to a manual transmission.
The seller states:
VW Collectors and Enthusiasts take note! This is a 1989 Volkswagen Fox Coupe WITH ONLY 1300 MILES!! This vehicle comes with a CA SMOG CERTIFICATE dated 02/09/10. IT WAS inspected by our mechanic and was found to be running and driving however it has been sitting for 20 years and we would recommend anyone to have it fully inspected by your local VW dealer. The A/C was blowing cold when we tested it.
This vehicle looks like it just came off the showroom floor…it may very well the only VW Fox in existence with the low of mileage and in the pristine condition. It appears to be an always garaged vehicle. It has only been driven 35 miles since 2004 and 165 since 1996. It is a local, one owner vehicle. The owner/donor suffered vision impairment soon after purchasing this vehicle and as a result it was not used for 20 years. The exterior and interior look brand new; there does not appear to be any wear to the vehicle.
With less than a week left in a no reserve auction, it will be interesting to see what this sells for. Surely not many were keeping these stored away thinking they would be future classics. Somehow I don’t think it will fetch big bucks, which is a good thing for those out there looking for cheap, efficient, German-engineered transportation.
- Paul
Nate also posted on this car at the same time here are his thoughts:
Does extreme low mileage matter if the car is, at best, mundane? Probably to someone. This may very well be the lowest-mileage VW Fox ever. Someone donated this 1,293 mile Fox to Cars 4 Causes, and now it’s on eBay at just over $4k. They say prior to donation it hadn’t been driven in 20 years, but, impressively, it’s running and driving.
Low-mileage cars have a freshness that even the most well-cared-for old car can’t match. If someone was looking for an immaculate VW Fox, this is it. The interior and trunk are mind-boggling time capsules. The worth of this is highly subjective so I won’t wager a guess at what it will go for, but if it stayed around $5k I’d call it a steal, if only because of how weird and clean a 1k mile VW Fox is.
-NR
1972 Volkswagen K70 sedan
With regards to water cooled Volkswagens, the K70 is where it all began. This is also the first front engined, front wheel drive Volkswagen. Designed by NSU, the K70 was intended to be a smaller sibling to the revolutionary R080 rotary engined sedan. After Volkswagen assumed control of NSU, the K70 filled a niche in Volkswagen’s lineup and was marketed as a successor to the Type 4. The K70 continued on until 1973 with the introduction of the Passat. In addition to a water cooled engine, some other interesting features were inboard front brakes, rack and pinion steering and MacPherson Strut front suspension.
Here’s an excerpt from the seller’s comprehensive ad:
There are close to 500 examples in the world and only 3 in the USA. This is an exellent example of a running orginal car and the best car I have ever found. It is the ONLY running K70 in the USA. It’s my great barn find, trailer queen. I purchased it from the original owner out of New York State several years ago so this makes me the second owner. It was brought over from Belgium where it was originally purchased and converted for US import. It has a MPH speedo!
I have pored over 15 grand into this car lovingly. I didn’t skimp on anything. I would consider this car “lightly restored”. My goal was to keep it as original as possible. It has about 90% original paint and 90% original or period correct pieces.
YOU GET:
The first water cooled VW.
1 Bavarian folk music tape
1 medium box or original used parts
1 spare windshield (just in case)
Owners manual
technical support from myself and or the K70 club after joining
This car represents a unique opportunity to own what could be considered the bridge between the air-coooled and water-cooled Volkswagen eras. Of, you could view this vehicle as a more reliable alternative to the NSU Ro80. In all of my travels to Germany, I have not come across a K70 in person. Even 40 years on, this car still looks rather contemporary. After years of seeing Beetles roam the German countryside, one could imagine how advanced this car must have seemed at the time.
Also, I’m not sure what everyone’s thoughts are on the car for sale itself, but the Bavarian folk music tape sold it for me.
-Paul
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