Tag: Modified

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1974 BMW 2002

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Having just looked at a few modded fails, I think it’s relevant to remind ourselves that not all modified cars are in bad taste! And where better to start than one of the most popular classics that people like to customize; the BMW 2002.

A few months back I took a look at a wild Zender-bodied example that pulled it all together rather well, if a bit extreme:

1973 BMW 2002tii Zender Widebody

Today’s example is one year newer and a lot more tame, but no less shouty. This example has undergone the knife and come out sporting Turbo-style flares, an M42 DOHC inline-4, and a host of other mods all draped in Porsche’s Miami Blue. Does it pull it off?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1974 BMW 2002 on eBay

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Get crazy with a BMW E36 M3 LTW… Supercharged.

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We’ve had a few E36 M3 Lightweights here, and their rarity has kept these most of these cars starkly original and away from their true home, the race track. Yet while some collectors choose to keep their unobtainium-enhanced M3s as out-of-the-box as possible, today’s seller has taken a decidedly more irreverent tack. He’s gone and done what most adventurous souls do to normal E36s, and bought a Dinan supercharger system and upgraded brakes, suspension, exhaust, and thrown in an aftermarket stereo and some angel eyes just to really piss the purists off. Most, myself included, might not see the point in buying a car that was special because it had no stereo only to put one back in, but it’s obvious this guy sees things a little differently. Adherence to good taste notwithstanding, the objective facts are that this is about as fast and rare as E36s get.

1995 BMW M3 Lightweight for sale on eBay


From the seller:

I have my very fast 1995 M3 Lightweight for sale. Rarely driven 21,411 highway miles. 10/10 interior/exterior. Limited Edition–LESS THAN 40 REMAINING IN THE USA. M3 LTW specs:

Lightweight Aluminum Doors
Underchassis X brace
Top Tower Brace
adjustable GT wing
Lightweight Racing Carbon Fiber Interior

http://www.usautoparts.net/bmw/models/m3_ltw.htm

High Performance Mods

Dinan Stage 3 factory installed performance package:

Dinan Supercharger
Dinan Stage 3 Computer
Dinan Cold Air Intake

StopTech Big Brake Kit
UUC Shortshifter
UUC Clutch and Flywheel
Sachs Racing Coilover Suspension
Racing Headers
Remus Racing Exhaust
BMW Factory Radio w/ CD changer (Not originally included in the LTW)

Umnitza Angel Eyes with Glass Lens
Euro tail lights and blinkers
Gold mirror tint all around.
18″ Gold BBS LM wheels on Michelin Pilot Sports
+Original Lightweight Wheels

The red flags are the opposite of what usually raises eyebrows… 21k highway miles? What was the supercharger for then? And well done modifications… but why modify it? At least it comes with the original wheels, but it’d be a bit of work to get this thing back to stock. The Buy-It-Now of $65k seems a bit optimistic, considering the reason these cars are so much more than your everyday E36 M3 is the exclusivity, and that’s been partially negated by “improving” it. Modifications and low mileage or no, I don’t see this being worth too much more than a normal LTW, which is to say around $40k. And even if he doesn’t think so, I think a bone-stock LTW at $40k is cooler than this one at $65.

-NR

Gorgeous 1985 VW GTI for sale

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80s German cars are wonderful in their simplicity, and accordingly, are best modified with restraint and cleanliness. Today’s GTI is a fantastic example of these concepts. Plenty of work has gone into making this GTI quick and beautiful, yet it remains so subtle and unostentatious that the uneducated would still pass it off as an ignorable 80s econocar. But the details make it special for VW fans, from the single-round headlights to the badgeless grill, the shaved moulding to the BBS RMs, not to mention the extensive work under the hood. It’s Volkswagen enthusiasm at its finest, resulting in a car that epitomizes the clean styling of the 80s while going the extra mile to make it special.

1985 Volkswagen GTI for sale on eBay


A complete description from a very invested seller:

Up for sale is a clean Volkswagen GTI 16v. As you can see in the photos, this car has been taken care of. Please take the time to appreciate some of its features:

Engine: 4cyl. 2 Ltr 16v (refreshed by Dynamic Racing Solutions about 45k miles ago). 1.8 16v head, ported. Always used high end oil like Motul, Redline, or Lubromolly.

Intake Manifold: European 50mm.

Transmission: 5 speed manual (3.67 RP, Velocity bolt-on LSD upgrade) Rebuilt by Transaxle Engineering in Southern California (Less than 200 miles!)

Exhaust: Techtonics stainless steel, with a Borla Muffler (2.25″)

Wheels: BBS RM 15″

Tires: Kuhmo Ecsta XS (almost brand new in front, little wear in rear)- Super grippy tire, used by SCCA.

Interior: Two sought- after stock Recaro seats in great condition. Replaced headliner in excellent condition. Black leather Momo steering wheel. Sparco shift knob. Modified to “Power On” toggle switch and “Push-to-start” button: eradicates ignition switch problem. Car has late-style instrument cluster which shows a lower mileage, actual mileage is higher and is shown here. I will include the original stock instrument cluster with the car. The rear seats were not included when I bought this car, therefore, they are not available when it sells.

Exterior: 16v front splitter, Bonrath mono-wiper, rear wiper modified to lay down, shaved moulding, Bonrath front badgeless grille. Euro H4 headlights (single round conversion. Fender flares removed. Rear badges deleted. 16v roof antenna. Euro rear smoked tailights.

Shocks: Bilstein Sports

Springs: H&R sports.

Brakes: Upgraded to Volkswagen Corrado 11″/ Ferrodo pads.

Other New Parts installed within 200 miles: Spark plugs, oxygen sensor, water temperature sensor, distributor rotor, parking brake lines, fuel filter.

Things to be aware of: The hood latch lever inside the car has become loose, and does not work properly. It is possible to open the hood from outside the car. There is a scratch located on the driver side fron fender, which is visible in the photos. Considering the age of the car, these are minor flaws which the new owner can attend to.

Final Comments: It would cost thousand of dollars to replicate this build. This car is not your typical POS, that is converted into a nice car. This car has been in our family for over 15 years, and was bought from the original owner, who kept it garaged in his home in La Habra Heights, CA. This car is currently driven approximately 5-10 miles a week, and is always garaged. THIS CAR IS A MUST SEE: VERY UNIQUE.

I do love this GTI. Though I love fender flares, their removal furthers the clean theme, as does the single wiper, shaved badges, etc. The mechanical work is equally impressive, and the refreshed engine and new transmission with LSD make the 223k miles a little less worrisome. I do think the seller is falling into a common trap though of thinking that money on mods directly increases the value of the car. While this GTI is great, I think the $9k Buy-It-Now would be too much for this car. Conversely, the $5k starting bid is probably a bit low, however, and I would see $6k, maybe $7k making this a great buy for a VW enthusiast.

-NR

When the doors open up, they open UP – Modified 1993 VW Corrado

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You know how post on a Corrado here on GCFSB, we comment on how great it is to see unmodified examples? Well, here’s why. Like the clean lines of a forward-thinking, early-90s German sports car? Why not totally obscure them with a two-toned paint job and lots of vents! Like that sports car with the utility of a hatchback? Why not fill the whole trunk with two 12-inch woofers! Like being able to step into your car like a normal human? Why not throw some Lambo doors on it so you have to contort and squeeze in through half the normal aperture! Everybody’s got their own tastes, some just include underbody neon lights.

1993 Volkswagen Corrado for sale on eBay


From the seller:

93 Volkswagon Corrado LAMBO DOORS

hey well sad to say i have my volkswagon for sale with a baby on the way i have to part with it and get more of a family oriented car. I have had the car since 06 i got it with 86,000 miles on it. The car now has 118,000 miles on it the car was just painted last summer with black metalic on top and red on the bottom. The interior is pretty much stock but i have racing buckets seats that will be included in this auction along with the original set of rims and tires. I have put around 13,000 to 15,000 into this car i have receipts for absolutely everything i not only made it look amazing but i have also maintained everything along the way.

list of upgrades
new paint black/red
Lambo doors
high performance exhaust
body kit
bullet fenders
carbon fiber hood with working hood scoop
rims black and silver 18′ with three new tires the one didnt need replaced
bucket seats red and black have not been put in the car but come with the auction
kenwood flip screen dvd brand new
underbody red lights and interior red lights that have sequence lighting
halo lights
euro tail lights
euro fog and turn signals
2 12inch square kickers with 1,000 watt kenwood amp
k and n air filter
I have tons of odds and ins for this car if you need more i can get more
all mechanical stuff is done by a foreign car mechanic in southern IL name of the mechanics shop LAZY 8 i can get all the receipts for the thousands of stuff i have maintened over the last couple years. whoever buys this car will not be disappointed i am only saling because i need a four door car

No bids at the $6,500 opening price, but somewhere between that and the $8,000 Buy-it-Now, it could be yours! I’d pay $6,500 for a very clean and original Corrado, but my personal tastes would force me to spend another few grand on this undoing all of the modifications so that I could have a clean, 120k-mile VR6 Corrado.

-NR

Attention to detail: Extreme E30 for sale

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My uncle, a Chevy guy, took me to my first car shows. Over time, he has grown to appreciate my love of European cars as I have his love of Chevys, though neither of us would switch our allegiance. Our mutual respect stems from a similar outlook on cars and customization: personally, we keep it simple and unique. When it comes to judging others, we agree that everyone has their own taste, so there’s no real point in ripping on another guy’s custom car just because you would have done it differently. Which brings me to today’s 1985 325is, a fun car in its most basic form, and a wild car when tweaked by a fanatic. If I had a 325, it almost certainly wouldn’t look like this, but I appreciate the attention to detail and dedication to a single aesthetic. Red and black to the extreme, it reminds me of the extreme 7-series I wrote up a while back, though somehow more appropriate on the more toyish E30.

Modified 1985 BMW 325is for sale on eBay

This is a incredibly well customized 325iS – a particularly sought after model BMW for this vintage. Original M20 built stroker engine. Tastefully done in its original “Show Car” Red and custom black accents/highlights (replacing chromed elements) and original Black interior. Every aspect of this car was well thought out during its build, and not overdone. This car is the product of many years of devotion and passion of custom tuning and customisation. Originally acquired about 3 years ago as a salvage title vehicle, the car was immediately repaired and repainted and had in excess of $13K invested to get it in its current state. (Salvage title due to front end collision: fender repair, bumper & hood replacement was all that it needed repair wise – no frame, suspension, trans or engine damage was sustained.). Because the owner is a true car lover, this vehicle was not hot-rodded except for 1 or 2 moments to “see what it can do”.

Well known throughout the San Fernando Valley and 2 Bimmerfests, this car is now on the market. No need to purchase and customize a 325iS yourself – it really is ready to go, leaving you little desire to customize one yourself. There is only one minor paint chip in the right fender, a small crack in the dash (both shown in the photos below). The true mileage is unknown as well due to the odometer being inoperable.

This cars impressive list of features includes:

Powertrain:
Original M20 Built Engine
Recent Valve Job for Performance
Ireland Engineering 272 Street Performance Cam W/ New Valves
19LB Bosch Fuel Injectors
Re-Surfaced / Port and Polish Head
Custom Intake With High Beam Inlet
Bosch Fuel Pressure Regulator
Bored Out Throttle Body, Intake, Intake Outlets, Head Inlets, Exhaust Outlets
Custom Headers, Full Exhaust System, Catalytic, And Custom Muffler. One Of A Kind E30
Platinum +4 Spark Plugs
ECU Chip
3.73 LSD Differential (Factory W/ IS Models)
Approximately 230HP

Exterior:
New Paint Job W/ Original BMW Red
E36 M3 Custom Full Body Kit With Rieger Front Lip
Smoked Smiley Headlights
Black Window Trim
HID Lights 6K Lows 3K Fogs
LED License Plate Lights
Euro “Uber E30″ Plates
Painted Black Bumper Trims
Black Kidney Grills
ESM Wheels 16” With Yokohoma Parada Spec II Tires 70% Thread Life
Eibach Springs
Bilstein Heavy Duty Shocks & Struts
Front Strut Bar
Rear Strut Bar
Matte Black Hood Stripe
White CCFL Angel Eyes On Lowbeams Only
Original IS Trunk Spoiler
Black License Plate Filler

Interior:
Race Seats (NRG)
Short Shifter (Ralco)
Aluminum Pedals
Black Interior (Originally Grey)
Only 1 Crack In Dash!
In Dash Multi Media Unit W/ DVD Player
New Speakers
Momo Hub W/ Momo Replica Steering Wheel
Additional Gauges

It’s got to be hard to sell a car like this, both because you put so much work into making it as you envisioned, and because it must be a slim market for something this customized. But, with a Buy-It-Now of $6,500, a 230hp built M20, it could be a great starting point for someone to create a new vision, like perhaps taking it down a notch. Regardless of taste, it’s a heck of a well-done E30.
-NR

Mean Machine: Crazy-Clean Corrado G60 for sale

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I haven’t written up (or lusted after) a Corrado in a while, but that just changed. Many thanks to reader/seller Wes for sending in his ad on VWVortex for his 1990 Corrado. It’s the best kind of Corrado: well taken care of, low mileage, with some tasteful add-ons that make it fast and furious, but not Fast and Furious. Gorgeous in black with a clean cloth interior, it comes with oodles of parts and two sets of wheels, as if just getting a Corrado this nice weren’t enough.

Seriously, Wes: you did this thing right.

1990 VW Corrado G60 for sale on VWVortex


Wes has a great description of the car, and follows up with a list of parts whose mere length shows how thorough he and his mechanic were:

More Details:
Engine/Transmission:
All new OEM mounts (front, rear, and transmission)
New Thermostat, Coolant Temperature Sensors, Fuel Filter, Bosch Spark Plugs, Distributor Cap, Gasket, Rotor, Slave Cylinder, OEM Oil Pan, OEM Oil Pump (2010), Ignition Switch.
Redline MT90 Transmission Fluid
Diesel Geek Short Shift Kit (Left to Right Reduction not installed, but have parts and still have original shifter)
Later OEM Shift Weight
268/260 Cam
Autotech Shock Therapy 10.4mm Spark Plug Wires
EuroWires Ground Kit
New Rod Bearings and ARP Connecting Rod Bolts (2009)
Aluminum Idler Pulleys
BBM Adjustable Belt Tension Cap
Autotech Sport Windage Tray
Eurospec Rally Cylinder head. Ported and Polished with +2mm oversize valves.
Tectonics Adjustable Camshaft Sprocket
BBM Aluminum Crank Pulley
3.5 bar FPR
ARP Head Studs.
30 lb Injectors.
Scientific Rabbit Stage III Ported Intake Manifold.
Techtonics High-Flow Catalytic Convertor.
Techtonics 2.5” Aluminized Exhaust with Borla Muffler and JRE Black Powder Coated Tip
Powder Coated Valve Cover
BBM Stage IV “High Rev” Chip
ARP Head Studs
Low Temperature Thermostat and Radiator Fan Switch
J-Caps Coolant and Oil Caps
I also have a ported throttle body that I never got around to installing.

Brakes (done in August, 2009):
ATE Super Blue Racing Fluid
Autotech Stainless Steel Braided Brake Lines
Zimmerman Cross-Drilled Rotors Front and Rear (new bearings in rear)
Mintex Pads Front/Rear
Painted Brake Calipers

SuperCharger (Work done May, 2008):
BBM Howitzer Intake
BBM Intercooler Tubes (Built in ISV reroute)
OE Spec Rebuild (Case was painted Black)
GT70 Intake Porting
RS/RSR Porting, Stage IV
BBM Super Wide Belt Conversion
68mm Power Pulley
RSR Outlet Kit
Forge Blow Off Valve

Roof Rack:
Thule 400xtr Rapid Aero Foot Pack
Thule 43″ Rapid Aero Load Bars
Fit Kit 94
38″ Fairing
Thule 544 Lock Cores, 4 Pack (Not Installed)
Yakima 7012 Basketcase Roof-top Luggage Carrier
Yakima Universal Mighty Mounts
2 Volkswagen Barracuda Bike Holders
Hella 500 Driving Lamp Kit with custom light bar. (Lights are not wired up).

Interior:
Heater Core Replaced in 2010.
European Manual Seat Belts
MOMO Anatomic Short Shift Knob
MOMO Performance Shift Boot (Short/Black)
MOMO Race 3000 Steering Wheel with MOMO Hub Adaptor
Neuspeed 2 Gauge Center Console Panel with VDO Boost Gauge and VDO Oil Pressure Gauge
Redline Accessories Emergency Brake Boot (Later model leather covered Ebrake handle)
Keyless Entry Module
Lloyd Heavyweight Carpeted Mats front and rear
VW Aluminum Pedal Covers
DDI Aluminum Gauge Rings
DDI Corrado Door Sill Covers
Duostyling In-Dash Air-Fuel Gauge
Black Headliner
No rips or tears in any of the seats.

Stereo:
Kenwood Excelon KDC-X991
Alpine SPX-13REF Component Speakers in Doors
Alpine 4×6 Euro-Fit Speakers in Rear Towers
Boston Acoustics S45 4” Dash Speakers
Polk Audio MM651 6.5” Speakers in Deck Lid (Also have uncut deck lid)
Rockford Fosgate T112D4 12” Subwoofer in custom enclosure.
Polk Audio PA200.4 Amplifier (Normal Speakers)
Polk Audio PA400.1 Amplifier (Subwoofer)
Amps in Custom Enclosure in Trunk
Stereo Capacitor (Forget how many farads)

Exterior:
2 Grilles (OEM and Badgeless)
3 Spoilers (Black, Slate Grey Metallic, and Red)
Hella Clear Turn Signals
DDI Wide Angle Side Mirrors
Eurocullen Smoked/Clear Side Marker lights.
European Headlights with Manual Adjusters and EuroWires Headlight Relay Harness
Roof Strips replaced in 2009 with brand new pieces.
Resprayed OEM Black in 2008. No Dents or Dings in bodywork.
90mm Euro Chin Spolier (also have US 50mm spoiler)

Suspension:
H&R Height-Adjustable Coilovers
VR6 Strut Bearings
Eurosport Front Upper Stress Bar
Eurosport Front Lower 3-point Stress Bar
Eurosport Rear Upper Stress Bar
H&R Front 28mm Sway Bay.
Wheel Bearings, Tie Rods, Ball Joints, and Control Arm Bushings were replaced by previous owner in 2004.

Wheels:
4 TSW Trophy 16×7, 4×100 et40 Painted Porsche Slate Grey Metallic with 205/45 ZR16 Sumitomo HTRZII
4 Enkei SC05 17×7, 4×100 et40 (Enkei Tuning Stickers are removable) with 205/40ZR17 Yokohama S.Drive Tires
Various size H&R Trak wheel spacers and lug bolts.

Extras
Comes with the boxes of extra parts that every Corrado owner ends up. Tons of screws, bolts, nuts, clips, etc. and other stuff like an alternator, extra throttle body, probably a CO Pot in their somewhere, and on and on. There’s a set of fiberglass side skirts that are new and unpainted that I never got around to putting on the car also. There’s a few boxes worth of stuff. Bentley manual and Owner’s manual also included.

I think that simply a clean Corrado G60 with 112k miles that looks great wouldn’t be too far off the $6,800 asking price. Add in the well-thought-out mods and myriad extra parts that come with it and this is a fantastic deal. It nearly makes me drop all E28 dreams and snatch this G60 up. Anybody looking for a nice price on a fun Corrado should stop what they’re doing and call Wes immediately.

-NR

Heathen Speed: Modified 1988 BMW M3

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We’ve had all manners of E30 M3 on this site. Low-mile museum pieces, high-mile (relative) bargains, restomod beasts like Evan’s post this week, and crazy tuner cars for those who like a little rice with their schnitzel. As I consider myself a true believer in the cult of BMW, I think S14 belongs in the E30, along with a factory color and some nice OEM+ wheels. That said, today’s M3 breaks most purist rules in a unique and kind of awesome way, leaving me both uncomfortable and excited like flirting with a bad girl at church.

The seller’s list of sins:

1988 BMW e30 m3
ONLY 158K
Has a M52 Motor e36 M3 cams Excellent Compression
GT35R ball bearing turbo
V-band External 3″ downpipe 42lb injectors
Super sequential blow-off valve HKS
OBX Wastegate Kit 44mm w/ V-band External WG
Treehouse Wiring Harness ADapter
TRM chip
Power Steering
With 5 speed transmission
UUC Stage2 lightweight flywheel with less then 10,000k since install
RACING DYNAMICS Thick Sway Bars front and Rear
LSD Rear- 2.93
D2 RACING RS Coilovers: 36 levels of adjustable damping plus Height
Stainless Steel brake lines
Upgraded Rotors.
RACING DYNAMICS Steering wheel
SPARCO Sport Seats
Alpine CD Player
car had a Reconstructed title now has a clear title

Sure, there are some flags: previously-reconstructed title, no shortage of miles, and the turbo may well have been installed by the dude in the picture. But I still think this M3 is kind of awesome. The flat black and the hood louvers might suck on their own, but together they’re kind of Mad Max badass. The list of mods is actually fairly complete; this wasn’t some “slap a turbo on a bigger engine” job, but a thorough attempt to make a seriously fast E30. The overall weirdness factor makes the BMW 39 wheels look awesome and less out of place than they usually do on E30s. With bidding at just $4k with 5 days to go, this is not going to be a $20k M3, and that alone is remarkable.

It’s no preservable piece of history, but with a reconstructed title, it was never going to be. In the church of BMW, this is the crazy girl making obscene gestures from the corner. A relatively affordable, crazy fast, odd-but-hot E30 M3 that can be hooned with little remorse; sounds enjoyable to me.

-NR

1989 Volkswagen Vanagon with Subaru 3.3 flat six

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It seems to be a growing trend to take a run of the mill, underpowered Volkswagen Vanagon and swap a Subaru engine in it. We featured a Volkswagen T2 Transporter with a Subaru 2.5 RS motor last month, however, here is a different beast. A Vanagon with the Subaru 3.3 liter flat six motor. While the body has high mileage on it, the owner has clearly invested the time and money to make this a special van.

The seller states:

1989 Volk Wolfsburg 3.3 liter Subaro 6 cyl 235 hp. Over $35,000 invested to build this one of a kind van!

70,000 miles on Subaru motor, approx 15,000 on all new suspension brakes and transmission

Interior upgrades:

Speaker upgrades
New carpet
Newly upholstered front seats
Absolutely no rust, an original california car!

Exterior:

Tinted windows
Keyless entry with alarm

Mechanical:

All upgrades done by EuroTech San Diego, The Vanagon Subaru Engine Conversion Specialist.
Big brake upgrade: Cross drilled front rotors with audi 200 turbo quattro front break calipers and Mercedes ML 320 brake rotors. Rear disk brake conversion using Audi 200 turbo quattro break calipers and rotors. Both front and rear brakes have akebono ceramic brake pads for improved braking and low dusting.
Stage 2 heavydut clutch
Short shifter kit, Go westy
White face gauges
Taller 3rd and 4th gear ratios
HID headlight conversion
17′ Audi wheels. Custom machined center caps
Tires, 5,000 miles

I’m not a van guy, but I like off beat vehicles and this one fits the bill. While Porsche made a version of the Vanagon called the B32 with a flat six, the Subaru engine would no doubt last a good while longer and quite possibly could deliver better gas mileage. If I had a family to haul around, SUVs be damned. This refridgerator-esque van is just what the doctor ordered.

-Paul

Affordable (?) 2006 VW GTI RSS for sale

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It doesn’t please me to say that the MkV GTI never did it for me, though I know I’m not alone in this feeling thanks to styling that was simultaneously overly bold (the front end) and completely unimaginative (the rear). The MkVI has proven that the V was a sort of ugly-duckling phase, maturing into a handsome and sharp package. That said, the MkV is remarkable for its reintroduction of energetic fun to the GTI, and mechanically is not far behind the newest generation. This platform is ripe for modification and today we have an example on eBay that has some of the most popular mods you’ll see in your European Car or local Dubfest, including a VF Engineering/GIAC turbo kit and Stasis chassis upgrades. All of this with a Buy-it-Now of under $15k, and I’m thinking this is a lot of bang for your buck.

Work from VF Engineering outlined by the seller:

GIAC “RSS” GTI

2006 Volkswagen 2.0 TFSI Golf GTI 6-speed.

Engine and Transmission:
Stock engine and transmission. No internal modifications.
VF/GIAC RSS Turbo system
GIAC Flashloader for switchable ECU program modes for different fuel qualities
Garrett GT28RS Ball bearing turbo
High flow OEM replacement “rail” pump
High flow OEM replacement FSI fuel injectors
AWE full turbo-back exhaust

Chassis:
VF-Engineering 3-piece replacement engine mount set
STaSIS Engineering Touring Suspension

Performance as measured (at the wheels) on a Dynojet 224XLC
Multiply figures by 1.15 to convert to flywheel values

336 whp, 283 wtq on 100 octane at 17 psi “Race fuel mode” (Red on dyno plot)
300 whp, 281 wtq on 91 octane at 17 psi “Pump Gas mode” (Blue on dyno plot)
(torque limited for reliability of stock engine internals)

If anyone has some info on buying modified cars and would like to share in the comments, that would be great.

My personal take is that even with 75k miles on a tuned car, I think the new VW/Audi platforms are supposed to be pretty robust and getting 300 whp on pump gas for $15k is a recipe for fun. Complaints are few from this peanut gallery and center on the exterior; it might be my perfect MkV with a quieter take on the slick white/black exterior and a TDI Cup front bumper. Plaid interior and a good old-fashioned stick shift emphasize that this is a no-nonsense car, ready for some affordable back-roads fun (not counting tickets).

-NR

1983 VW Jetta Coupe for sale

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While there’s been on/off talk of a new Jetta Coupe for the past decade or so, they haven’t produced on since the Mk2 series ended in 1989.  This is a shame as the concept pictures of more modern coupes are quite attractive, and examples from 80s are awesome but rare.  The sharp Jetta shape looks better just a little more compact, and this one for sale on VW Vortex is looking great in the Mk1 Mars Red and black.  I’ve always wanted this color combo on an early GTI, but the funky rarity of a Jetta Coupe might even be a little cooler.

1983 VW Jetta Coupe for sale on VW Vortex

The list of upgrades is too long to put here, but worth checking out on the listing if you’re interested in VWs.  Essentially, this is a thoroughly gone-over and loved Mk1 that’s better than it left the factory without being over the top modified.  There are some scuffs and scratches outside but overall it looks great with that color, clean vinyl molding, and decent black wheels. The tweed interior is as perfect as one could put in a Mk1, and the running bits are very well-chosen and sorted.  The seller is looking for $3,900, right in the middle of what I consider acceptable Mk1 range: beaters around $1k (or less), showy engine swappers closer to $7-8.  The time, energy, and care put into making this a great little coupe makes me think it’s a good price for a fun and funky alternative to more common VWs.

-NR