VW Golf GTi Hatchback 1981-

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  • Economy

    Value

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Good value as I bought it for £900 with 67k on clock.

    Costs

    3 out of 5 3.0

    Insurance not too bad, economy not much over 30mpg with town driving. Spent £2.5k on it so far with suspension/brakes/wheels etc etc, and not done yet!

  • On the road

    Driving

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Nice to feel involved in driving a car again, steering heavy when parking but fine otherwise. Not much lateral support from the seats but they're comfortable. Standard brakes fade easily, best upgraded to GTI-spec by changing front discs and pads.

    Performance

    3 out of 5 3.0

    Needs uprated suspension and brakes to improve handling. Nippy enough but only 75bhp so no GTI killer.

  • Living with it

    Reliability

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Not great when I bought it. After fully servicing it, replacing worn parts and installing Weber Carb it's been spot-on.

    Image

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Classy shape looks better than Mk3. Needs to be immaculate.

    Comfort

    3 out of 5 3.0

    Sunroof helps with cooling, seats OK. Bumpy ride when suspension stiffened - only to be expected.

  • Security and Service

    Security

    3 out of 5 3.0

    No standard security, fitted alarm/immob and armour door plates to improve it. No spoilers and 14 years old so less of a target for theft.

    Service

    1 out of 5 1.0

    VW seem to be OK for parts and polite dealership so long as you don't ask them to actually work on the car!

  • Problems and Ownership

    Problems

    Engine

    After a bit of TLC no problems.

    Other

    Ownership

    Did you buy the car new?

    Used

    Would you buy the same model again?

    Yes

    Did you buy from the same manufacturer again?

    Yes