(First posted 6/2/2013) It was the beginning of 1992, and I had started my career and found myself with a regular income stream. Reality hit quickly, however, and I realized that after paying rent, taxes and student loan payments, there wouldn’t be enough money left to buy that slightly used E30 M3 I coveted…
Even so, I did have enough left over for a used but well-maintained 1986 VW GTI! The little car was being sold by the (now defunct) Subaru dealer in San Carlos, CA, where it sat on the front lot just begging me to come and check it out. It did not take long for me to sign on the dotted line, hand over the keys to my Isuzu, and take this little gem home.
Finished in Diamond Silver with a charcoal interior, it was exactly what I wanted. It had about 58,000 miles on the odometer, came with a full service history (remember when dealers left all the documentation in the car?), wore a good set of Pirellis and was in immaculate condition.
It was altogether different from the various cars I had owned previously. The performance was excellent, the handling was phenomenal, and it just felt like a real driver’s car. The close-ratio five-speed never left you hanging; in 5th gear the engine was turning at about 4,000 rpm at 80 mph, but the gaps between gears were small and the 1.8-liter, 8-valve engine had plenty of torque to accelerate at any speed without downshifting.
One hundred-two horsepower, 2,300 lbs, four-wheel disc brakes, 26 city/31 hwy mpg, and one of Car and Driver’s 10Best Cars for 1986. Like other Golfs of this era and the Rabbit before that, mine was built in Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, but basically was the same car you got in Germany. While looking for photos for this article I came across both the original window sticker and the build sheet for this car. The options that the first owner had paid for at the San Francisco dealership were Silver Paint ($140), CA Emissions ($85), 4-Speaker Radio Prep ($145), Heavy Duty Cooling Package ($75) and a Sunroof ($350). Why this car (which did not have A/C) needed a Heavy Duty Cooling Package in Northern California is beyond me but then again, it never did overheat…
While those may not seem like many options, most of the good stuff came standard in the $9,630 base price, including 14” alloys, a trip computer, those excellent faux-Recaro seats, split-folding rear seats, intermittent wipers (front and rear) and more. It was pretty much a complete package from the start.
The first thing I did after I bought it was to call a friend to join me in a jaunt to Los Angeles (about 900 miles round trip) on which the car did great. We went down I-5 (boring, but fast) and came back up 101 (not so boring, but also fast!). The week after that trip I took it in to get the timing belt changed–the receipts did not show it having been replaced, which made me a bit nervous. With that done, it was now really ready for commuting and fun.
The trip computer proved to be great: You could toggle through such various items as oil temp, ambient temp, distance driven, and average and instant MPG readouts, which made getting to work (or anywhere, for that matter) on as little gas as possible an enjoyable pastime. The gas I saved driving to work I later used up on the weekends, barreling over Hwy 92 to Half Moon Bay or heading to Tahoe. Later that fall when I went back to visit my college buddies in San Luis Obispo, I met my future wife, which doomed me (in the best way possible – she is reading this!) to four more years of long drives back and forth. Did I mention the car was fun to drive?
I recall changing the muffler as well as the upper-strut mount bearings when they started to become noisy, but both were quick and cheap repairs. The previous owner had installed one of those tinted sunroof wind deflector things that were popular then. I didn’t mind it, but I did learn not to park it facing downhill if it was raining, as the water would accumulate in the deflector and eventually seep through the sunroof seal and into the cabin, soaking the seats.
Another issue that most of these suffer from is the driver’s-side seat bolster wearing out. While many cars have a thick foam bolster, the VW bolster actually has a metal frame inside the bolstering foam–great for holding you in the seat, but it also made for an early wear point. When mine wore through, somehow I thought to look for patch material for jeans (like the stuff your mother used when you were a little boy and had worn through your Tuffskins). I actually found a pack with an assortment of colors, and amazingly enough the charcoal-colored material was a perfect match. I super-glued it on, and it held up great!
Recalling my earlier attempts at driving in the snow with my previous car, I made sure I had a good set of chains for this one whenever we went to Lake Tahoe. It did very well in the snow but, like most people, I absolutely hate dealing with chains and usually waited until the CHP checkpoint was in sight before pulling over and putting them on. Nowadays I have snow tires (and sometimes I even swap wheels/tires several times in a season) but back then, chains was it.
I’d had this car for about two years , during which I managed to put about 60,000 miles on it. Even nearing 120,000 total miles, it was still running great and looking good, and I had no real reason to change rides again. However, the decision was made for me…
My good friend and neighbor, Don, with whom I regularly prowled the local car lots and watched races on TV, suggested we visit the Blackhawk Motor Museum in Danville, which is on the other side of the San Francisco Bay. (By the way, if you are in the area, it is well worth a visit; the cars are in absolutely fantastic condition, and the displays are rotated often.) As it was a rainy Saturday and I had nothing else to do, I agreed.
We hopped into the GTI and got on the flyover ramp to head onto the freeway. The design of this particular ramp is unusual, in that the exiting cars essentially have to make a hairpin turn at the end of their exit, and then come back toward the cars heading down the ramp at speed onto the freeway.
As I mentioned, it was a rainy day, and a black Lincoln Town Car that had made the hairpin turn was accelerating out of it when the driver lost control on the wet road and immediately sent it directly across the painted divider into our lane. We hit him broadside on his rear wheel at about 40 mph, which sent him spinning across the other lanes and over the embankment. The GTI, however, was done for. It protected us well, crumpled as I suppose it was built to do, and left each of us with really nothing beyond a stiff neck. The Town Car (which turned out to be a livery car) had some dented sheet metal and a bent wheel. In the end, we got a ride home from the police officer on the scene, hopped in Don’s car and still made it to the museum!
The GTI was a write-off but the Town Car’s insurance company paid up quickly, so the search was on for the next car…A shame really– it was a great car that I’d piled a lot of miles on in a relatively short time, and I had really bonded with it. I believe I even still have its keys knocking around here in a drawer somewhere, since I come across them whenever we move. I always look at them, and then tuck them back into a box.
Happiness is a car or motorcycle that leaves you with nothing but good memories. Now, if only women were capable of the same . . . . . . .
While I never had a GTI, my first car ever was a goldenrod 1985 VW Golf Wolfsburg Edition.
It was a slushbox and the proportions were odd (I’m a mish-mash of big & tall) but I grew to love the car. It had a sliding metal sunroof and very little else in the way of options.
Dinged the driver’s side fender one 4th of July and had to go to a scrapyard for another one. Couldn’t find a golden fender so used one from a silver Golf. It looked odd but it got me where I wanted to go.
I miss the car. It was sold to some old guy and later ended up in the same scrapyard where I got the fender…crushed. My heart was broken but alas, there wasn’t much I could do.
I’d love to own another example one of these days but they’re very scarce.
Thanks for stirring up memories of my first car ever.
My second new car was the original 1983 GTi (from the first generation Golf (Rabbit here in the US) ordered from a local dealer for a “great deal” at $400 under sticker (some dealers were getting a thousand over). It was silver with the red accented interior. Loved it, having had nearly identical experiences as Mr. Klein regarding the pure pleasure of driving it. I drove it until marriage and then the hassle of moving a childseat in and out of the back compelled me to sell it and buy a 1987Jetta. Nearly identical in appearance from the windshield forward to this author’s car, the second generation of the Golf/Jetta platform. (Ironically in the fall of 1983 just months after my GTi purchase I took my first trip to Germany and discovered the “Neu” Golf already there which would not be released here until 1985, thus driving home the concept of planned obsolescence). That Jetta was a great car as well, albeit without the stouter engine and 14 inch tires it did not perform nearly as well. I finally moved my wife into that four-door and bought another used 1983 nearly identical to my original. I say nearly, because the late 1983 had a few upgrades, mainly the bumpers had been moved closer to the body (remember the Five MPH bumper standards that forced them out about six inches from the front and rear?) and the speedometer was no longer limited to 85 MPH (another lame federal standard).
I drove that for several years, then when the time came to sell it I placed a classified advertisement in the paper (another clue to my age) and immediately the phone began to ring. I sold it in a day, but even after removing the ad continued to get calls for a few more days. The common theme among the callers? “I had one and sold it and want to get another.”
Agreed.
I bought a new 1986 GTI in april 1986. It replaced my Alpine white 1980 Scirocco. Although not as handsome as the Scirocco, the GTI was light years ahead in design and driving. Mine was tornado red with radio prep and sunroof. Although not manufactured by Recaro, the seats were designed by them. They were unbelievably supportive and I loved the upright high seating position. A big departure from the Scirocco.
The Gti was cavernous inside. Flip up the rear seat cushion and fold down the seat back and it would swallow anything.
The engine was quick and very torquey….Great car, but ended up trading it for a 1988 GTI 16V. Everything the 86 was and more.
Its great VW still makes a contemporary GTI that doesn’t stray from the original concept.
Below is my current 1981 VW Scirocco S
I too started out with an 83 white GTI and had an absolute blast driving that car all over southern British Columbia and northern Washington. While it didn’t look as sharp as my previous 80 Scirrocco S, the extra power was well worth the trade off…amazing what 90 horsepower could do with the right gearing and low weight! After 3 years I traded it in on an 86 GTI, white again and while it was slightly larger and a little more sofisticated it still hadn’t lost any of the GTI “mystique”. Again a blast to drive!
I too met my future wife when I had it and she then bought an 87 Jetta Wolfsburg. We just returned to VW after 25 years when we bought a new Golf TDI 6 speed stick, in white, less than a month ago!
I had a Tornado Red ’87 as a demo back when I was selling VW. When I had it, I would get up on Sunday at the crack of dawn to go hooning on abandoned prairie byways.
Have scanner and radar detector, will travel, really travel.
They eventually took it away from me because I hit the mileage limit, and got a Fox instead 🙁
I really wish I could a buy a brand new one of these
(yes I know, no airbags, ABS or stability control makes it a threat not only to life and limb, but the free world itself!)
I’m mostly an aircooled guy but I’ve owned a mk1 Jetta GLI and three mk2 Jettas. I loved them all. They are just all around great driving little cars.
My ’88 Jetta in particular had 340k on it when I sold it and it still ran like a champ. It never got less than 30 mpg, no matter how I drove it. Oh how I miss that car…..
My first new car was a black 85. I remember that mine was loaded with what few options were available (air, sunroof, stereo) and stickered at about $12K.
The car was a blast to drive, and I had a lot of fun with it. Your story and pictures reminded me of some things I forgot about – I loved the trip computer, and it was geared pretty short for highway driving. One other odd trait, Reverse gear seemed awfully tall, and whenever I released the clutch in reverse, the car would vibrate, sending the plastic dash into a vibrating fit. But all in all, when everything was right with it, it was a very satisfying car.
Alas, my experience was not quite so happy. I amassed a bit of a warranty folder, mostly fuel injection and water leaks in the body. After two years I had reached the end of my warranty and had tired of making a monthly car payment. I sold the GTI (along with its full service folder) and bought the anti-GTI: a 66 Fury III sedan with 20K on the odo.
Nice writeup. I hankered after one of these in my teens, or (more feasibly) the similarly kitted out but less powerful “Golf Driver” which I might actually have been able to afford to insure! … never got behind the wheel of one though, and always slightly regretted that
I totally sympathise about the premature demise, a similar fate befel my first “grown-up” car too…
basically was the same car you got in Germany
except for those strange headlamps! I couldn’t figure out what looked wrong at first but those rectangular lamps really alter the car’s character from the (familiar) mk2 Golfs I remember (and occasionally still see) over this side of the Atlantic. It might simply be a matter of familiarity, but personally I think our GTIs’ quad headlamp front looked better. I wonder why they changed it for sale in the US?
Weren’t the rectangular lamps the same ones as worldwide Jettas got?
Yep, the round headlights are nicer IMO as well. They are still a very popular upgrade here. The later GTI’s (91 and 92) got them as standard.
The regular Golf’s in 1985 had just regular square headlights here, then in 86 the Golf got the same one as my car. Oddly enough the Jetta always had the larger lights from 85 on. Kind of weird as to why the Golf and Jetta had different lights in 85.
I think that it had to do with marketing efforts at the time. The GTi was given round headlights to keep the sporty appearance, Golf was the mid range line and the Jetta some what upscale since it was a notchback. Eventually someone made the decision to standardize everything.
Quite possibly. I was reading the other day that that was why early British (RWD) Escort Twin Cams had square headlights. The development team wanted big round halogen lights, which worked better than the square lamps, but Ford of Britain had made the square headlights a part of the high-end trim packages and thought it would be a marketing mistake to have the TC (the most expensive model by a fair bit) have round lights that looked more like the ones on the cheaper models.
Also, the Mk 2 Golf was introduced just about the time the NHTSA finally relented on allowing replaceable bulb headlights rather than sealed beams. Perhaps VW was unsure until the last minute if the feds were indeed going allow the new lights and went with the square lights (and associated grille) so it would be easier to stick with the older rectangular sealed beams?
If I am not mistaken VW has discontinued the GTi hatch coupe and only sells the squarish sedan?
I think all these GTis were built in Pennsylvania which is a story unto itself.
No, they still sell the GTI in both 2door and 4door along with the 4door Jetta GLI.
I had a 1980 GTI last of the German ones ( but was odly titled as a us built one which I never brought up come registration time) it had the 1.6 litre engine and I put headers on it and an aftermarket throttle body and a racing clutch. It was quick for the time handled like it was on rails great on the highway and even though it sipped premium fuel got excellent mileage. I miss the recaro seats that were so good for long road trips. The 1992 jetta turbo diesel (also a german built) I now have is fun to drive but no where near as fast or tight in the twisties but at 50-55 mpg I can live with the slower acceleration when it comes time to hit the pumps especially at $1.35 a litre for diesel around here lately.
I presume you mean 1980 Rabbit, as the first US market GTI was model year 1983, and was 1.8 litre. That was a car that was anxiously awaited, and I rushed to the dealer to test drive one when it got here. But I was very disappointed. had briefly owned a 1.6 Scirocco which was a great driving car (when it ran), and I had also driven quite a few first gen Rabbits (US and German made) and later drove a couple of Mk II GTI’s … 8V and 16V … and liked those. So I don’t know if there was a big difference between MK1 and Mk2 Golfs, or it was just that demo car or maybe just me? I recall it feeling harsh and stiff, noisy and not very quick.
There was also a Rabbit S in 1982 I believe that may have had the 1.6. Body-wise it had pretty much the same trim bits as the ’83GTI (blacked out trim, red stripes etc).
83 and 84 GTI’s were lighter than the 85′-on with pretty much the same engine. My roommate had one in college and I remember driving it then. It was quick, very go-cart-like, but definitely less refined than the Mk2’s. So a bit noisy and stiff make sense, but it should have felt pretty quick as well…
It sounds like he meant the European-spec model, maybe.
The early U.S. Rabbit GTI was not exactly a hot straight-line performer, being maybe 150 lb heavier than the European cars and less powerful. (The Rabbit GTI was down about 18 hp from the 1.6-liter GTI and 20 hp from the European 1.8.) The 0-60 times were around 10 seconds, which wasn’t terrible by 1983 standards, but nearly 2 seconds shy of the non-U.S. car that the reviewers all desperately wanted.
The GTI was sold in Canada before it became available in the States. Didn’t have the Euro high-powered engine though.
Wow! Many, many mk2 VW owners here. Let me join the party. I had a 1990 GLI 16v (bought around 2001 with 70k miles, replaced my mk1 1984 jetta gl). Fun car. Despite having only ~135 hp/135 lb ft torque, it felt really fast, especially second gear. Had lots of power, even up to 100 mph. Got several tickets on HWY 1 driving between home in Marin and school in Santa Cruz. High power band peak made the engine feel similar to a Honda vtec. Quite a bit of torque steer too. By that time the gti/gli had real recaros, and nice 15″ bbs wheels… which I’m sure many of us remember.
Car was a bitch to maintain. Mine had brake problems, idle problems, engine mount failure, and cooling system problems. Parts were difficult to source, particularly for the 16v engine. Little things like the vacuum lock system and janky door handles were irksome as well. Was actually pretty happy to dump it with 92k miles for like $1500 (wouldn’t pass smog, huge oil leak). Next car was a base model ’97 tacoma…. haven’t looked at german cars since.
I really wanted one of these when I bought my 1986 Jetta but I couldn’t justify the extra cost for the extra 12 hp. Besides, you could upgrade the motor very easily to give a lot more power than that for not much money.
I also told my young self that the German made cars were so much better and in the case of the Jetta and the American base Golf, the interior of the German car was quite a bit nicer. The irony was my German Jetta was a lemon and the stealership, like all VW stealerships, was pond-scum and did everything possible to not fix my car.
Still, my Jetta was one of the nicest driving cars I can recall. The seating position and control relationships were fantastic and the car felt airy and bigger than the specs would suggest. Sure, it was only 90 hp but the torque as so good you didn’t really want for more power. The handling was sparkling: no power steering to numb the feeling of car on the road. It was really amazing how nicely the car drove and the trunk as huge.
Looking back, a used GTI would have been a better buy but I do note that the used price of today’s COAL was hardly cheap for those days.
The GTI was on the list when I bought my last car and I feel at just under $30,000 for a stripper (and I always buy strippers) the car is a screaming deal for the performance it offers. I darned near bought one, except the dealer, big surprise, was pond scum and tried to add a $700 “clean up fee” on top of the PDI. I was so disgusted, I walked, found my cream-puff TL and saved myself $20k for a car that also has very nice performance.
I actually will be in the San Francisco area next week. Have to try to make it to the Blackhawk Museum. Thanks for the tip!
Yep, it’s in Blackhawk Plaza over in Danville off the 680, look it up for their hours. Take some pix, there will be some gorgeous cars there.
my only automotive regret in life was fall of 1992 first year out of college. always lusted for a GTI, had a chance to buy a 92 16v montana green metallic one. I passed bought a a new 1993 acura integra. I did not like the color of the gti wanted a black one but they were hard to come by. acura was a great car put 170k miles on it, not near as much fun as a gti or 1st generation acura. but a decent long term car as most hondas are.
You know, as much as I liked the GTI and would have loved a new ’92 16v, I think at the end of the day you ended up with the better car. The first gen Integra was great, but the second gen was just so smooth and refined for the day. I know that I looked at a few early gen2 models while I still had my GTI but they were just our of reach.
Was this the era of Golf that played “La Cucaracha” when you opened the door? I seem to remember a friends doing that, i almost fell over dead laughing.
Not La Cucracha but there was a three-tone chime that was EXACTLY the same as the one at McDonald’s that denoted that the fries were done cooking!
My middle daughter, probably 3 or 4 at the time, and I made a little song out of it. Whenever we would get in the car she would sing, “Volks-wa-gen, Volks-wa-gen”.
Yes, my 1990 gli played la cucaracha, or close to it. Also had annoying auto-seatbelts connected to the door.
I had this “same” car, down to the color (only difference was mine also had “UBSM” which I translated to “Upper Body Side Molding” to help with parking dings) for 14 years. Mine played the first 5 notes that sounded like the start of “La Cucaracha” but never played the end part (bugs you, you keep waiting for it to finish). I bought it “freshly” used, only 9 months old, from a fellow worker who bought it new and then moved to Chicago where he figured he no longer needed a car.
I loved the car, only thing I regret was that I let go of my ’78 Scirocco (a car I loved even more) when I bought it…but the GTI also had AC, which I figured came in handy in central Texas. One thing it lacked was power steering, (an option) which I really came to regret when I broke my collarbone during a bicycle accident; having combo of manual steering and a 5 speed wasn’t the best, especailly with the then “wide” 60 series tires (which are nothing now, but in ’86 were considered wide especially on a small car).
I had many of the experiences that the author mentions in mine, including the problems with the seat fabric deteriorating (which in mine was due not only to the metal frame in the seat, but the constantly deteriorating foam in the seat, I was always vacuuming up foam dust under the seat. I rebuilt the seats twice (once when the seatback release lever cable broke inside the seatback) with NOS fabric I happened to get lucky enough to find from someone in Massachusetts, got good at working with hogring pliers; even then the seats evenutally went (even after replacing the foam) after a time. Probably not many exist with seat fabric that is intact (but VW fabric seats never seem to be very durable). I also liked the odd seat recliner (also on my Scirocco) that tilted the whole seat down.
Of course owning it so long, I did quite a lot of work on it, like replacing the suspension (put progressive rate springs, but non-lowering), clutch, cooling system (it even had a cooling mount for the oil filter), and alternator (easy to replace brushes and voltage regulator, but had to be done pretty often).
Near the end of my ownership, it was in a fender-bender (guy hit me in parking lot at work) where they totaled the car, but really the damage was minimal; the adjuster looked at the AC condensor which was slightly canted to one side, but he didn’t realize that was “normal”)…I got a fender, hood, radiator core support from a salvage yard and a friend who was good with body work brought over some metal to “pursuade” the bent unibody pieces back to where the bolt holes would line up, and I got it back to “normal”, though I never painted the panels so it looked a bit like a “harlequin” model.
In the end, I sold the car myself, with no problem, actually had many people interested in it as it had a 1 year only engine controller (between CIS, and CIS-E then Digifant) which you could change timing on to get extra power (but had to use premium fuel to avoid knocking) so it was easy to sell despite the multitoned body panels. I actually sold it to a guy who worked at a VW repair shop in town, who needed a car for his wife, though the car didn’t look like much, it ran well, but as I’d replaced it already
with my current (2000 Golf) it was time to move on. Guess the Scirocco started things, I’ve owned nothing but VW cars for 32 year now (only 3 though in that whole time…all watercooled, though (my Father had a ’59 Beetle though before me). Now my 2000 Golf is about the same age now as the GTI was when I let her go, but I plan to keep the Golf as long as I can.
My uncle had an 84 gti from 85 to 92 I spent alot of time going to racetracks near and far in that car The door chime was da doo doo doo da doo doo doo. I also remember at least two of the three grab handles pulling out in my hand during my uncles crazy on ramp antics. He had issues with the fuel injection dash fitment issues and that crazy vibration while in reverse. The worst thing about his car was he could not keep a stereo in it. The factory one was stolen about two week after he bought the car and six or seven alpine cassette players went missing during the seven years he kept it on the road. After 92 he parked it behind the barn as he was tired of keeping it running.
My wife and I will celebrate our 24th anniversary soon, and we took our honeymoon from home in San Diego to Banff NP via Las Vegas in my bought-new ’83 black GTI
I have a 92 GTI 16v. Purchased used in 2000. Srsly the most fun car I’ve ever driven (different, but similarly a blast was an 87 Chevrolet Sprint Turbo I owned 92-2013, I switched between the two many yrs). The seats are still magic and cradle my bad back well. Added KW coli overs a couplecyrs back along with Neuspeed Sway bars, all new runner bushings, tie rods etc. Rides beautifully AND handles like it’s on Rails. Momo Race steering wheel, Zender rear wing.. It’s got all the goods. Recently ordered a GTI 16v key fob with the light, I have been holding on to some center VDO gauges many yes and plan to finally install them. It had some cooling system problems years past, and a bad idle stabilizer valve at one point.. But really not a trouble prone car. I am more concerned with the overly complicated 93+ models. Power windows, power sunroofs, and garbage I just don’t want, or have to repair.
I loved my ’86 that I bought in Carlsbad while I was stationed at Camp Pendleton. I still remember running that thing flat-out in 5th gear at 115 mph on the 15 between Escondido and Temecula. Also had a chance to take it down the Oakville Grade, a ride my friend insisted 20 years later was still one of his top 5 scariest…
Great little car, loved it to pieces.
My first new car was a 86 GTI. Although I will give it all the accolades it deserves for driving dynamics and utility and that firm – crisp feeling that Japanese cars of the era did not (yet) have, mine was riddled with problems. I can’t even remember all of them, but had a wheel nearly fall off at 1000 miles (more a dealer prep fault than VW but still…), leaky sunroof that could never be aligned correctly, A/C compressor, fuel pump (twice), speedometer cable, ECU (twice), exhaust all fail before the 2 year warranty was up. I seem to recall, though it’s been so long I can’t be sure, that my car was assembled in the VW plant in Puebla, Mexico and that 86 was the first year. It was all covered under warranty of course, but I dropped that Toronado Red GTI like a hot potato for a 89 CRX. Gave VW one more try in 2000 with the Jetta VR6 which was OK, but still had a ton of nagging problems that meant trips to the dealer.
I had a brand new ’85 GTI that was equipped with the extremely rare optional power steering and cruise control. My GTI had so much going for it; perfect steering feel, excellent driving position, comfortable seats even though they were firm, excellent brakes and handling.
Unfortunately my GTI suffered from shoddy workmanship. Being built in VW’s Westmoreland, Penn. plant. A plant well known for building VW’s of questionable quality. German built VW’s of that era had substantially better build quality than the ones built in the US and later Mexico.
I really loved my GTI, but the unfortunate number of trips to my dealer to fix a myriad of never ending problems led me to finally divorce myself of my GTI. It was a bitter sweet story but the car had to go.
I gave BMW a try back in 1994 and purchased a nice looking low mileiage 1991 535i but that car nearly bankrupted me with repairs.
I’ve been a Lexus fan since 2006. I currently drive a 2006 Lexus GS 430. I’ve put nearly 200K and never once has my Lexus failed me.
I’ve always wanted a GTI. My first car was an 82 Nissan Stanza hatchback, back then the Stanzas came loaded and it was peppy and comfortable. I got this car in 85 when my dad gave it to me when I was a high school Jr. I drove this car until my jr year in college when this started to break. My younger sister had a brand new 89 Celica. Dad was a traveling salesman and came across an 87 GLI still on a dealers lot in early 89. I drove it & loved it but decided on a Honda Civic Ex sedan. It was a beautiful little car but I got the automatic and always regretted it, painfully slow. Always wished I had gotten the GLI, fast forward to 2014, drove GTI and still love it buy wife & kids didn’t so I bought something else. But soon I’m gonna get my GTI regardless of what they think.
My first new car was an black 86 GTI in Oct 1986.
Of the 20 or so cars I’ve owned or leased, this is my favorite. Not the fastest, or the most reliable (though it had very few problems over 145k miles), but it was a fun car at a fun time in my life.
If you can, please post a picture of the window sticker on yours, thanks.
Nice article. I had a ’86 Golf diesel while I was in college in the early ’00s. While not quite on the same level as a GTI, I loved that car nonetheless.The 50-55 mpg fuel economy helped with my weekly 500 mile commute for my weekend job. What always stood out to me was the amount of interior room that small car had. The strut towers eventually rusted through, which sent it to the junk yard. If I’m ever in the market for a car, I’m going to take a close look at another Golf.
I had a 1.3 litre Golf mark 2 and loved it! I used to dream if having a GTI!
Having missed all these COALs the first time around, I’m enjoying them now. Jim, your California trajectory is remarkably similar to mine, although with a 20 year difference.
I mentioned in my comments for one of your earlier COALs that I went to Cal Poly about a decade ago. While in SLO, I met my future wife too, so I’m back all the time, as I have family there now. After college, we moved up to the Silicon Valley and now live in Half Moon Bay. And I get up to Tahoe whenever I can, though that tends to be in summer rather than the winter. So all your old haunts are mine too!
The picture of your GTI all loaded up at the gas pump reminds me of myself with my old Saab 9-3 or the various iterations of Subaru Outbacks I owned.
Too bad the GTI met a premature ending. I would have swiped that dangling license plate as a memento for my man-cave.
Thanks Scott, glad it’s enjoyable! We try to get back to SLO but nowadays it’s obviously not convenient anymore living in CO, last time I was there was a few years ago, maybe our oldest will go there in a few years, who knows. The in-laws live in the OC, so that’s the usual destination. But there’s another 18 years of Bay Area cars (25 or so I think?) to come so stay tuned!
The second picture is in the driveway to my apartment at the time in San Mateo right off the 92 at the Hillsdale exit. Apts were on the North side of the freeway, they are still there (the ones with the tennis courts). You drive by it anytime you go to the 101…I spent a lot of time in HMB too over the years, loved that little fish shack right on 92@Main I think (South side of 92). I started in San Mateo, we moved all around the bay and ended up in Belmont just a couple of miles away before we moved away in 2010…
The snow shot is the parking lot at Boreal on the North side of Lake Tahoe. It was completely clear when we parked that morning. My now wife is bundled up behind it…
The accident was at the Broadway exit off 101 in Burlingame, heading north you’d exit right across from the Porsche dealer, then do that loop with that super tight turn to get over the bridge to town. I was heading onto 101 North from Broadway, the Town Car was exiting. You can probably picture it now.
The other pix are in the OC, I helped move Allison back to college a couple of times. I don’t recall why my snowboard is on top at the gas station though…I still have that board. It weighs about 3x what my current one weighs. Avalanche Kick 165, Damian Sanders edition!
I still can’t believe how MUCH I drove in those days. And that regular drive to SLO was mind-numbing, especially around King City and the low speed limits and high enforcement in those days. No cell phone, no satellite radio, just distant FM and CD’s in the pull-out Sony brick.
A friend of mine had one of these. I think he bought it new in 1986, and here’s a picture of him with his new car, taken in ’86:
(This picture is also posted on the Cohort.)
Very little need for yet another ‘we loved our GTi’ response … but here is one anyway ! As a UK family with two (back then) smallish kids, we bought a slightly used 1.8 litre, 5 speed, 8 valve Mk2 GTi, which in Euro spec had, I think, about 112 real (DIN) bhp. Needed a 5 door, would have liked power steering but although theoretically available it was rare, so ours needed both hands to park.
But where it mattered, on the road, as most owners say, lots of good memories. Such a nice balance of torquey performance, handling, practicality, fuel efficiency, build quality – it just did everything well.
One oddity, does anyone else remember ? Ours had the Digifant injection, considered by hardcore GTi buffs to be less responsive than the previous K-Jetronic setup. But its idle stabilisation system, quite a novelty at that time, could provide amusement, say in a multi storey car park with sloping ramps: you just aimed it up a ramp, with your foot off the gas pedal, and the car would ‘drive itself’ up.
Acoording to a contact I made at VW, one UK owner found this so un-nerving that he traded his in !
We had an 78 Rabbit, I think it was a 78. Best driving car I ever had.
I thought it was a great follow up to the Beetles.
Now I want a diesel.
Jim Klein, Thanks. And thanks to all the commenters.
Back to the future.