It’s important to note at the outset that today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Golf is a “GT” and not a “GTI.” Let’s see if that distinction and an amazingly clean presentation can command a price that could have you saying “aye, aye, aye!”
Even in death, the Chevy Volt seems to get little respect. Or maybe it’s just that in our current state of affairs, few of us see much value in a highly efficient mechanism for “getting out and going places.”
Don’t get me wrong. There still was a good bit of value left in yesterday’s 2012 Chevy Volt Premium. At least, that’s what the votes inferred. At an asking price of $6,200, fully 75 percent of you felt that should things ever get back to normal, this would be a good choice for those long commutes we all are presently denied. That earned the car a respectable Nice Price win.
You can always pick out the car person in a crowd by shouting “Golf!” The car geeks will almost invariably reply with “GTI!” or maybe on Pirate day with “R.” Most other non-car people call themselves out by saying something dumb like “front nine?” or “the windmill hole is so hard!”
Volkswagen’s Golf has secured its place in automotive history and here, at the cusp of the introduction of its eighth generation edition, it’s kind of sad to think that the U.S. may, in fact, get the car no more. Volkswagen hasn’t yet shared the definitive answer, but it’s looking like the GTI and upcoming R models may be our only path to the Golf baller lifestyle as lesser models make room on dealer lots for more Tiguans and Atlas models.
That would be too bad because some of the best editions of the Golf have been mid-level hand-me-downs like this 1987 VW Golf GT. This is almost the GTI of the year prior, having sport seats, snowflake wheels and a more aggressively tuned suspension than the base car.
Beginning this model year, however, it was all rolled into this I-less model as the GTI became the GTI-16V. That upgrade came by way of a 137 horsepower DOHC engine in place of the 105 horse 8-valve under the GTI’s hood. The GT was slotted in with the 8-valve to take up the slack.
This GT has that 1.8-litre four, and yes, despite the dropped I it does rock Bosch K-Jetronic port fuel injection. That’s paired with a five-speed manual gearbox and a suspension that will lift an inside wheel in corners as though in an earnest attempt to pee on a tree.
Other differences between the GT and the previous year GTI is the lack of red trim both inside and out as well as a dimple-free shift knob.
Despite those omissions, this GT still looks the part and you’d have to get up close and personal to tell it’s not a GTI. It’s also remarkably immaculate, with shiny paint, clean wheels, and solid plastic trim that seems to have held up to its considerable years and miles.
According to the ad, those miles are 199,500 and there’s no way all this car’s kibbles and bits have all made it that far looking as good as they do. The seats are leatherette with striped cloth inserts and honestly, they look brand new. So too do the door cards and headliner, the latter having a manually-operated sunroof that’s said to work without issue.
Popping the hood presents us with an un-modified engine bay and an appreciably clean compact four. The seller claims the engine and transmission to both be in excellent condition and notes a cylinder compression test done 6,000 miles ago that showed decent pressure in all the pots.
The car comes with a clear title and the claim of a one-owner history. It was offered up on eBay a few months back at $8,500 but it’s difficult to say whether it sold then or if this is another try at a new, lower price.
That current price tag is $7,250 and I think it’s safe to say you won’t find a cleaner Mk2 GT on the market at any price. The question is; if you’re jonsing for a hot hatch of this era, wouldn’t you rather go for the more powerful and slightly cooler GTI 16V?
What do you think, is this GT enough, and more importantly, enough to command that $7,250 asking? Or, in this case, do the “I”s have it?
You decide!
Houston, TX Craigslist (although the car appears to be in Miami, FL) or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Aaron Savella for the hookup!
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