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We’ve witnessed some pretty crazy market increases over the past few years. While generally it’s been the big names from Porsche and BMW stealing headlines, the reality is that the entire 1980s market is on the rise. Hagerty, for example, recently emailed me to tell me that the 1984 Pontiac Fiero has increased in value nearly 100% in the past year. As I had nightmares about that, I thought about the many other cars that used to be bought for chips that are now heading into unaffordable territory. Two years ago, we saw the Mk.1 GTi join that list when in a few weeks we witnessed back to back record sales. First to hit the market was the nearly $18,000 1983 Callaway Turbo example with 18,000 miles,followed closely by a 1984 with some period modifications and 20,000 miles for $16,000 in December, 2013. Those were enough to assume that the market was heading strongly up. Yet we also saw it flounder slightly, as very nice and original examples struggled to break – or even come close to – $10,000 again. Well, it would seem that things are back on track, because another low mile Callaway Turbo with period Zender kit has arrived on the scene, and it’s currently poised to blow the market apart once again:
Growing up, tuner VWs were the coolest cars out there to me. I spent hours rewatching the Hans Dahlback videos, and though Eurotuner was entertaining, it felt more legitimate when Road & Track did features with companies like Oettinger or HPA. Carter featured this Greek Golf, complete with Oettinger engine and full Zender bodykit and Turbo wheels. Some great translation errors like “modificated” and less than complete pictures don’t help the fear of buying a car from a country more financially screwed than the US in the Great Depression. I hope it’s legit though, as this would drop the jaws of any American VW enthusiasts. The marks against it have conspired to make the seller drop the price from $15k to $8,999 while driving it some 3km, a brutal 40% drop in what he thought he could get for it. Considering the prices we’re seeing on nice, stock Mk1s, if you can get this safely into the US for under $12k all in you’d have a great car and not a bad investment.
– NR
The below post originally appeared on our site March 4, 2014:
This Mint Green Rabbit was an estate find and the title is still in the original owner’s name giving you the chance to be just the second owner after 35 years. Its condition is almost as mint as its exterior, having covered just 46k miles in those three and half decades. It’s not perfect, with a few small rust corners that show repair/repaint attempts and a fading hatch, but overall it’s a very pretty 4-door Rabbit. Somewhere along the lines it sounds like the original manual was swapped out for an automatic transmission, a questionable choice but somewhat in accordance with its history of low use by old folks. The color, the vintage, and the condition make it the perfect car for the well-coiffed hipster or a nostalgic grandma.
Looking at what the Volkswagen Golf has become today, it’s rather remarkable when you look back at the Giugiaro-penned two box design of which it originated from. This 1977 Rabbit represents the earlier years of the Mk1. It’s a very simple car, with few options or adornments. However, you can find beauty in its simplicity, from the pressed steel wheels to the slimmer Euro bumpers. For sale in Georgia, this original VW was purchased new in Pennsylvania and is up to date on its servicing. For the vintage VW collector, they rarely come nicer than this.
If there is one car that never really made sense to me in the Volkswagen lineup, it is the Jetta Coupe. There is a cult following for these two-door sedans and many times they command a premium over their 4-door counterparts. Why? That’s a fantastic question, though perhaps it is simply the rarity of the 2-door that elevates their status. The same phenomena can be seen in the Audi 80 (4000) 2-door, which was available in several different engine and drivetrain configurations early in the production run. However, in that case it’s specifically the 2-door 80 that was used as both a basis for the development of the Quattro and, perhaps more notably, the doors and windshield of the Sport Quattro. That link adds to the mystique of the 2-door 80. But the Jetta? I’m afraid I’ve just never understood why it’s more desirable. It’s a less convenient sedan without the styling of a real coupe or grand tourer and without the functionality of the 2-door hatchback Golf. Yet desirable they are, and when presented in low mileage condition with some nice dress up items on an already rare platform like the A1 chassis sedan, it’s quite desirable indeed:
