Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Modified A1 Volkswagens not your thing? Not worried about getting there particularly quickly? Looking for Ice-Age acceleration and 50 miles per a gallon? There’s only one solution – a Rabbit diesel. Many of these Rabbits lived a hard life, but today’s example looks absolutely brilliant in Ocean Blue; aside from some minor details and refreshing, it’s one of the best we’ve seen lately. Take a look:
For a country that loves its trucks, it’s curious we have so few options when it comes to new compact trucks. The Japanese have been in the game for quite some time, but even their offerings have grown to the point of not quite compact of late. There have been rumblings that Ford is going to get back in the game with an updated Ranger and GM is about to unleash a new Chevrolet Colorado for those who many find their full-size offerings a bit too much. Beyond compact pickups, there was another option years ago, the car-based truck.
Still available in some markets from certain manufacturers, these type of trucks were mainly used for light hauling and delivery duties. Volkswagen decided it would try its hat at its own version of the El Camino formula by offering US customers the Mk1 Rabbit Pickup years ago, known as the Caddy elsewhere. Offered for a few years alongside Rabbits and GTIs, these small trucks have a dedicated following, with many folks tuning them or adding GTI trim. This diesel version for sale in Oregon is in splendid, original condition, having been owned by one family its whole life.
GTI values are climbing like Yvon Chouinard: untethered and towards a future of helping well-to-do people be subtly cool with expensive recycled utilitarian objects. If you’re ready to make as good an investment as can be made when betting on soon-to-be classic “normal” cars, this may well be the one to buy. Purchased 3 years ago at an estate sale, the owner has taken the time to take care of all the little things and make this 25k-mile GTI look like it’s exactly that. In the face of all the tuner Mk1s and crazily-priced Caddys, I’d take this low-mile gem any day. It may not be all-original or perfect, but isn’t that kind of great? It’s here to be enjoyed, and you could enjoy the heck out of this thing for a long time and not even get close to 100k miles.
Have you ever wanted a Mk1 GTI? I have since about 6th grade. My 2.0’d Caddy is as close as I’ve gotten, but some day the original German hot hatch will inhabit my car barn (so will another Caddy). If the car barn ever happens, it would be a good indicator that I have the kind of money where I can drop $10k on a GTI and feel good about it. Considering how GTI prices have been creeping up these past few years, getting this one for that price suddenly seems reasonable. Seriously, start by looking at the undercarriage; it’s painfully immaculate. Then you pull back to the clean-but-unique exterior and tip your head in to a tastefully improved cabin, and you’re looking at a GTI that is unhyperbolically listed as “possibly best in state.” It might be the best period.
As the original “hot hatch”, it’s not much of a surprise that the Mk.1 GTi is also a popular choice as a race car. Stripped out and stiffened up, these pocket rockets get even more potent around a track and are very entertaining to drive. Best of all, there’s a serious aftermarket community that supports them and they’re quite economical to run compared to some of their other German brethren. While they’re a bit long in the tooth, the GTis are still winning three decades on and still look great. Today I’ve got two different track-oriented GTis to chose from – from mild to wild. Let’s start with the more streetable version: