1987 Volkswagen Scirocco 16V

While we look at collector-grade automobiles more often than not, it’s always nice to ponder driver-quality cars too. I’ve made the conscious decision several times to not buy the nicest example of a car that I could find, instead trying to rehab a car that had been languishing and might otherwise have been forgotten. I’m now on my fifth example of this, and while economically it might not be the best plan there is something rewarding about salvaging a car and bringing it back from the brink. However, usually such examples are priced accordingly; I bought my 1984 GTi for $300, for example, and the same amount bought me a 200 quattro Avant about a decade later. Once I paid a staggering $800 for a Golf with nearly 200,000 miles on it, and the seemingly decadent V8 quattro set me back $2,000. All gave me lots of automotive joy – not the get in, nothing is wrong type, but if you cue the Sarah McLaughlin and sad puppy dog eyes roll across the screen, I can see the hope in salvation of nearly every car. There’s always something that’s good, right? In the case of today’s quarter-million mile Scirocco, there’s a lot that’s good:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1987 Volkswagen Scirocco 16V on eBay

Year: 1987
Model: Scirocco 16V
Engine: 1.8 liter inline-4
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 268,000 mi
Price: $3,500 Buy It Now

1987 Scirocco 16v

Located in New Orleans

-16V CIS Engine – Close Ratio Trans Box
-Power Steering
-A/C
-BBS RA Wheels

Engine:
Motor runs strong – starts up every time. It will need some servicing and tuning to get it perfect. Idles a little off. A/C will need to be serviced with R-12, but the A/C compressor kicks on – etc. Heat works. Borla exhaust on rear of exhaust only. Other than the exhaust, the engine is stock and unmolested. No new wires ran or aftermarket anything.

Transmission:

Clutch feels good, but the shifter linkage will need to be adjusted and the some of the shift linkage bushings will need to be replaced. (I have the bushing kit)

Wheels /Tires/ Suspension:

-15×6 BBS RA Wheels
-Yokohama Tires (balding) – I have 4x brand new Toyo T-1R Tires – 195/45 that I will have mounted and balanced on the car if I get my asking price.
-Eibach Coilovers

Interior:

Dashboard is cracked. Driver seat bolster is torn. The good is the vents and door panels are in great condition. The center console is in great condition. E-brake needs adjustment. Rear bench seat is in great condition. The rear side panels and parcel shelf are also good. The carpet is a little dingy – and worn in a few spots – stockinteriors.com has new carpet for $125.

Exterior:

At some point the car was repainted. It was repainted a bronze metallic. The original color was dark silver metallic. The engine bay is not painted – its original dark silver. The rear spoiler is in good condition. There are no cracks in any of the glasses. The paint overall is decent, there are a few places that would need to be addressed to be perfect. The body work performed when the paint work happened is OK, but not great. However, the body is relatively straight making restoration a little easier. From what I can see underneath the car, there is some surface rust, I suspect you will find a little more. There may be a few little holes to take car of in the floor pans, **hole repair – NOT floor pan replacement** The left taillight has a crack in it.
-Hella H1 / H4 Headlights
-Stock badging

Car is located in New Orleans (before people ask – not even in Louisiana during Katrina)

I am asking $3900 OBO

Call anytime – 504-957-2970

We’ve seen some Scirocco 16Vs trade for heady numbers, but this won’t be one of them. The respray and multiple items non-functional or in need of update will give collector purists adgeda, but if you can look past that the interior looks pretty solid overall and outside is certainly passable for a driver. I especially like the GLI-spec BBS RA wheels and though not a correct color, the metallic brown suits the design pretty well and from a distance the car looks pretty slick. Outside of the color, suspension and wheels, the bones remain largely stock with only some inoffensive bolt-on items. All in all, this looks like a decent driver-quality 16V and comes to market looking better overall than some tired original examples we’ve looked at. However, then there’s the price – $3,500 seems a bit rich for what’s likely a project vehicle that will need regular infusions of cash. The string that connected all of my project vehicles was that they were all quite cheap, at least initially. But for the right person unconcerned with mileage or originality, this could still be a fun driver.

-Carter