RE: SOTW: VW Citi Golf
Discussion
Doesnt grab me massively but then I want a MK1 or 2 with a 20VT engine and three doors, this has too few valves and too many doors, however, my thinking would that it would be a good 1st car, reasonable amount of interest value in it, hopefully with a 1.3 not too bad for insurance and it sounds like it was fun to drive so, actually I think its a winer for someone, just not me !
I think a lot on PH miss the point of SOTW and only get ecited if its very cheap, RWD and houses a a V8, oh and preferably a BMW badge, I think SOTW is to bring us some interesting cars from the cheaper end of the price spectrum, ok I like the value barge as much as the next man but we cant just have a full fat diet of aging German barges, we need the oodd sorbet to clear the pallate, I like the variety, I like not knowing what we are going to get, I say keep it ecclectic !
I think a lot on PH miss the point of SOTW and only get ecited if its very cheap, RWD and houses a a V8, oh and preferably a BMW badge, I think SOTW is to bring us some interesting cars from the cheaper end of the price spectrum, ok I like the value barge as much as the next man but we cant just have a full fat diet of aging German barges, we need the oodd sorbet to clear the pallate, I like the variety, I like not knowing what we are going to get, I say keep it ecclectic !
MrDarkBlack said:
My pleasure. 
I can only assume that you are referring to the bumpers, as exterior adornments? As besides that, there are few external changes to the original. Ok, the rear lights changed but then they didn't last long on the origianl Mk1. I used to refer to these, as another poster did above, as a SHlTl Golf. When I was in SA, I could hardly believe that people were shelling out money to buy these brand new, when they could have bought a very low mileage, 2 year old car, Golf 3/4. Not sure if it's still the case, but when I was there, the attitude was "new is better", even though it was based on model that had ceased production decades ago, in other countries.
On a pure marketing level, I take my hat off to VWSA. The amount of money that they must have made on these models alone must be astounding. Tooling costs more than taken care of way before they ceased production some 25 years later.
I was indeed referring to the bumpers only. I personally never thought that these worked particularly well on the CitiGolf (perhaps that's because I'm blinkered by how good they looked on the cabrio over here and couldn't see them working on a five-door car - well, an interpretation of the cabrio bumper, anyway).I can only assume that you are referring to the bumpers, as exterior adornments? As besides that, there are few external changes to the original. Ok, the rear lights changed but then they didn't last long on the origianl Mk1. I used to refer to these, as another poster did above, as a SHlTl Golf. When I was in SA, I could hardly believe that people were shelling out money to buy these brand new, when they could have bought a very low mileage, 2 year old car, Golf 3/4. Not sure if it's still the case, but when I was there, the attitude was "new is better", even though it was based on model that had ceased production decades ago, in other countries.
On a pure marketing level, I take my hat off to VWSA. The amount of money that they must have made on these models alone must be astounding. Tooling costs more than taken care of way before they ceased production some 25 years later.
MarJay said:
Buy it, but 1.8T lump in it. Have lots of fun.
I don't see the issue really? Ok its not as fast as many previous sheds, but it is surely interesting?
Different engine mounts, so some welding required.I don't see the issue really? Ok its not as fast as many previous sheds, but it is surely interesting?
More interesting to put a G40 engine from the Polo of the same name in - it will bolt straight up.
I had a Mk1 back in the day. Narrow, light, even with the 1.3 engine it was a match for most things on truly twisty roads.
The key thing to look for is rust around the trailing arm / torsion beam bearings at the rear of the cills. If those rust the whole suspension can fall off whilst driving (as, ah-hem, I discovered on mine...)
I've hankered after a Mk1 Golf for a long time. I'm actually interested in this one
Whilst my first car was a 2 door Mk1 with the stripes, archs, wheels, brakes, struts, grill and interior all from various (probably crashed) GTis i should reminisce fondly however i don't. I've owned 4 VWs in total and they have all been junk (including a 16v mk2), i kept buying them as a young fella cos i thought they were good (and in the nineties they had a good image) but as soon as i knew better i moved on and haven't owned one since. I can't have just been unlucky having owned 4 they were all completely unreliable, heavy and had dreadful build quality.
Bad shed for me i'm afraid
Bad shed for me i'm afraid
Having grown up with British and French cars (which I still love), it was chalk and cheese in terms of build quality when we switched to VWs in the early 80s. The typical VW was more strongly made, interior trim didn't fall off, used less oil, handled more tidily, had better gear shifts than the French cars' woeful shifts, used less fuel - and had more torque and less flat spots than equivalent French and British cars - and the engines on our Mark II 8 valvers were stronger and more economical after 60k or so miles (when our previous cars were starting to smoke). Of course, other than the GTis and the 90bhp and 5 cylinder Passat, they were slow and dull and lacked emotive character, but the basic ingredients for an entertaining and honest car were there. Nowadays, all cars are good, but back then there was a difference.
The real appeal of the Citi is that it's a great basis for a project. As anyone who's addicted to projects will tell you, the biggest expense on an old car is the bodywork and the paint. Finding a "new old" shell like this would be a dream - like finding a 2 year old Mark II escort shell for pocket money.
I also drove several Citis round Cape Town and the light weight and peppy little engine allowed them to dismiss rutted surfaces in a way that a modern VW / car could only dream of. Way more fun than the equivalent modern.
And there's something else - they look sharp as a Mod's convention. They were, after all, the last mass produced car penned by Giugiaro, instead of the bloated in-house VW efforts for the subsequent models. On my last trip to Jo'burg airport, our taxi was surrounded by bloated bar-of-soap modern hatches with cissified modern styling and the occasional Citi Golf, with its "folded paper" lines, had a rare purity. They may be small and old, but they still look like a proper car, devoid of gimmicks.
The real appeal of the Citi is that it's a great basis for a project. As anyone who's addicted to projects will tell you, the biggest expense on an old car is the bodywork and the paint. Finding a "new old" shell like this would be a dream - like finding a 2 year old Mark II escort shell for pocket money.
I also drove several Citis round Cape Town and the light weight and peppy little engine allowed them to dismiss rutted surfaces in a way that a modern VW / car could only dream of. Way more fun than the equivalent modern.
And there's something else - they look sharp as a Mod's convention. They were, after all, the last mass produced car penned by Giugiaro, instead of the bloated in-house VW efforts for the subsequent models. On my last trip to Jo'burg airport, our taxi was surrounded by bloated bar-of-soap modern hatches with cissified modern styling and the occasional Citi Golf, with its "folded paper" lines, had a rare purity. They may be small and old, but they still look like a proper car, devoid of gimmicks.
It is amazing how many comments you see each week with a 1K SOTW car. Face it, for that kind of money all you want is something to get you around for at least a few months ... or if you are lucky, a year or two. This one is as good as any and I would bet it would cost a lot less to operate and be more reliable than an old barge.
Would I buy it? Nah ... waiting for next week's SOTW.
Would I buy it? Nah ... waiting for next week's SOTW.
thirsty said:
It is amazing how many comments you see each week with a 1K SOTW car. Face it, for that kind of money all you want is something to get you around for at least a few months ... or if you are lucky, a year or two. This one is as good as any and I would bet it would cost a lot less to operate and be more reliable than an old barge.
Would I buy it? Nah ... waiting for next week's SOTW.
Try the Lexus LS400 - it's been SOTW twice... I bought one 3 years ago for Shed money, its had oil, 2 springs and a set of tyres, and has transported me around 40,000 miles. Totally reliable, bulletproof, and even if it explodes tomorrow I've so had my £1000 worth out of it. Except it won't explode, because it's a Lexus.Would I buy it? Nah ... waiting for next week's SOTW.
I can't comment on this week's Shed, 'cos I'm still biased about last week's....
AdeV said:
Try the Lexus LS400 - it's been SOTW twice... I bought one 3 years ago for Shed money, its had oil, 2 springs and a set of tyres, and has transported me around 40,000 miles. Totally reliable, bulletproof, and even if it explodes tomorrow I've so had my £1000 worth out of it. Except it won't explode, because it's a Lexus.
I can't comment on this week's Shed, 'cos I'm still biased about last week's....
I can't agree more - i know a bag of sand isn't a great deal of money however bargains are to be had and that is one of and probably the main point of shed of the week; it doesn't matter if you are struggling for cash you can still own a sports car or a luxury barge etc you don't have to settle for a heap that non PHers would think is all you can get for a grand...I can't comment on this week's Shed, 'cos I'm still biased about last week's....
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