RE: VW Golf Mk 1: You Know You Want To
Discussion
What people tend to forget is just how much VW moved things on AT THE TIME.
I remember driving my brother's brand new MK 1 VW Derby (a Polo with a boot for the uninitiated) and thinking just how good it was compared to the dross that Ford and Vauxhall and others were touting at the late 70s. It was like chalk and cheese.
VW really raised their game with the Polo and Golf .... and all the others had to wake up and smell the coffee.
They did us all a favour in the long term.
I remember driving my brother's brand new MK 1 VW Derby (a Polo with a boot for the uninitiated) and thinking just how good it was compared to the dross that Ford and Vauxhall and others were touting at the late 70s. It was like chalk and cheese.
VW really raised their game with the Polo and Golf .... and all the others had to wake up and smell the coffee.
They did us all a favour in the long term.
My mum had a 85b gl 1.6 mark 2. From new . Super car.
i remember it being what car, car of the year 85!
it replaced a very late fiat 127.
my cousin ran the stockwell vw garage at that time , and i still remember going round to the stock garage around the back: filled with mark 2 scirocco storms , and mark 2 golfs gti's on p slots...
was replaced after 7 years with zx volcane 2litre. Another great car. Very underrated. Pi**ed all over the mark 3 golf.
my dream golf would be a mark 2 gti on an A plate.
i remember it being what car, car of the year 85!
it replaced a very late fiat 127.
my cousin ran the stockwell vw garage at that time , and i still remember going round to the stock garage around the back: filled with mark 2 scirocco storms , and mark 2 golfs gti's on p slots...
was replaced after 7 years with zx volcane 2litre. Another great car. Very underrated. Pi**ed all over the mark 3 golf.
my dream golf would be a mark 2 gti on an A plate.
dbdb said:
My mother had a VW Golf in the early 1980s - it is the car I learned to drive in. It was a 1.3 litre CL inn blue with a bluish interior, registration ELV 234Y.
I really disliked the car; it was horrible to drive, uncomfortable and none too reliable. She replaced it with a Peugeot 309 SR which was a better car in every respect.
This particular one is in lovely, original condition though, which is refreshing to see.
A mk1 Golf with the registration ELV 153Y was local to me in Huddersfield around '95I really disliked the car; it was horrible to drive, uncomfortable and none too reliable. She replaced it with a Peugeot 309 SR which was a better car in every respect.
This particular one is in lovely, original condition though, which is refreshing to see.
Amizade said:
Lowtimer said:
The mark 1 GLS was a carb 1.5, with a mighty, throbbing 70ps. I used to *dream* of having one of those.
Lol...It was superb... metallic blue...seemed fast enough at the time. Even after I & my father rebuilt the engine after I blew the head gasket.Even the mk1 GTI I had many years later wasn't massively better.
Oh and the brakes were scary on both...
paulshears said:
I've got one... a 1.3 Driver
With plenty of GTi bits on it.... Looks nice
My youngest son has a 1.3 Driver - used as a daily driver for a few years but now restored and used rarely
He bought it when he was just 16 and I used it occasionally and subsequently taught him to drive in it.
Wonderful car - yes, very basic and tragically slow (60bhp doesn't get you very far, even with well under a tonne to haul around). However, it was entertaining to drive and meant that you had to plan well ahead in order to make good progress. A Weber carb made a huge difference to the way it ran - the original Solex was just awful.
Not surprised that the early non-GTi Mk1 Golfs are starting to fetch good money - there are far fewer than the halo GTi model. Still got a long way to catch up with the values of Fords of the same era though...
kambites said:
I don't really understand the obsession with the mk1 Golf. Sure the GTi is, with hindsight, iconic but the "normal" car was just another boring hatchback with little to recommend it compared to its competition.
What utter tosh the - mk1 golf was a game changer compared to other small family cars when it came out (1976?).paulshears said:
I've got one... a 1.3 Driver
Ahhh, I came so close to buying one of those at 18. White, with a fairly subtle bodykit and BBS wheels. Think it was on a Y plate. Already 10 years old then, and the gears weren't overly keen on changing. Numerous promises to fix the box never amounted to anything so I walked away and into a Mk3 Escort 1600. This would be my colour for a Driver. Haven't ever seen a GTi in this hue:
Non-GTI Mk1s really deserve more attention than they get.
Ive had my 1.5 GL for seven years now and it was my first car.
Very chuckable actually and can cock the rear wheel as readily as a GTI. Feels basic on an almost comedic level, but also hugely enjoyable to drive, and being the big block engine with a lot of shared ancillaries and the four speed manual, it will really motor towards the ton, although 3,500 rpm at 70 can get a bit tiresome and the brakes are terrible. In fact I'd say it helped me a lot in my formative driving years to learn how to really handle a car on its limit, because the 'limit' - thanks to skinny tyres, long suspension travel, spongy brakes, no power steering - is so easily overstepped at slow speeds that you have to adapt to it early on and 'pushing on' (as much as a sub-100bhp car will allow) never really gets you into huge trouble because it quickly becomes predictable. It's just a lot of fun really even in standard non-GTI guise - featherlight weight obviously being a huge contributing factor.
Mine is completely standard and will be staying that way as it will only ever go up in value.
There's a lot to be said for the less popular trim lines and after all these years it's still the most practical car in my fleet... Time for some shameless plugging!
With my dad's GLS:
Ive had my 1.5 GL for seven years now and it was my first car.
Very chuckable actually and can cock the rear wheel as readily as a GTI. Feels basic on an almost comedic level, but also hugely enjoyable to drive, and being the big block engine with a lot of shared ancillaries and the four speed manual, it will really motor towards the ton, although 3,500 rpm at 70 can get a bit tiresome and the brakes are terrible. In fact I'd say it helped me a lot in my formative driving years to learn how to really handle a car on its limit, because the 'limit' - thanks to skinny tyres, long suspension travel, spongy brakes, no power steering - is so easily overstepped at slow speeds that you have to adapt to it early on and 'pushing on' (as much as a sub-100bhp car will allow) never really gets you into huge trouble because it quickly becomes predictable. It's just a lot of fun really even in standard non-GTI guise - featherlight weight obviously being a huge contributing factor.
Mine is completely standard and will be staying that way as it will only ever go up in value.
There's a lot to be said for the less popular trim lines and after all these years it's still the most practical car in my fleet... Time for some shameless plugging!
With my dad's GLS:
soxboy said:
I had a mk1 1.3LS in metallic blue as my first car, HOX279W. It had a head gasket go and an appetite for throttle cables thanks to the replacement Weber carb (which helped with performance, honest!). Great car that took me all over the country, got rid as started 'proper' job.
Even the mk1 GTI I had many years later wasn't massively better.
Oh and the brakes were scary on both...
+1 to throttle cables. Also, the bulkhead to the rear of the pedal box rusted through & fell apart on driving down to Southern Spain - fixed by welding in half of a road sign! Also on that trip, the ignition died & I put in a rocker switch to start it..... but early one morning going on a motorway in Spain, I started the car from a service station, forgot to put the key in to disengage the steering lock & accelerated & when I went to turn left, the steering was locked... resulting in a quick stop before hitting the barriers!!Even the mk1 GTI I had many years later wasn't massively better.
Oh and the brakes were scary on both...
alexandthegolf said:
In fact I'd say it helped me a lot in my formative driving years to learn how to really handle a car on its limit, because the 'limit' - thanks to skinny tyres, long suspension travel, spongy brakes, no power steering - is so easily overstepped at slow speeds that you have to adapt to it early on and 'pushing on' (as much as a sub-100bhp car will allow) never really gets you into huge trouble because it quickly becomes predictable.
All very true.The formative cars of my early driving career were all tremendously slow by modern standards. After doing lessons, and taking the test, in a 1200cc Datsun Sunny, the first cars I had use of were:
- a 50 bhp VW Type 2 camper
- a 49 bhp Mark 1 Golf 1500cc diesel
- a 35 bhp flat-twin Citroen Visa
- the aforementioned 1100cc 50 bhp 1100 Golf, which in comparison to all the others felt a fast car
- the first car I actually owned myself a 54 bhp Chevette.
All manual steering, all underbraked by modern standards, skinny-tyred, and with a wide variety of layouts and on-limit cornering characteristics. And I had lots of fun in every one of them.
My first car was a 1.1 L. KSH 391 P. It was Lofoten Green with orange interior.
I took it green-laning one day and blew the near side suspension turret into the underside of the bonnet. The rust just tore through.
It was a dog but when it went well I felt something that I fooled myself was freedom.
I took it green-laning one day and blew the near side suspension turret into the underside of the bonnet. The rust just tore through.
It was a dog but when it went well I felt something that I fooled myself was freedom.
Whiters said:
Ahhh, I came so close to buying one of those at 18. White, with a fairly subtle bodykit and BBS wheels. Think it was on a Y plate. Already 10 years old then, and the gears weren't overly keen on changing. Numerous promises to fix the box never amounted to anything so I walked away and into a Mk3 Escort 1600.
This would be my colour for a Driver. Haven't ever seen a GTi in this hue:
My 1.1 was in that shade of green, though sadly I think PNP928Y has long since died.This would be my colour for a Driver. Haven't ever seen a GTi in this hue:
t like this!
I'll join the queue of PHer's that owned one as their first car. I had a mint mk1, 3dr in black with the 1.1 engine. Four speeds.
I had a great old time with it and the 1.1 would happily sing. I once travelled 500 miles in it, five up. Fond memories
The design, proportions and stance of the car really stand out. I find the subject of 'what makes a classic' really interesting. The golf is obviously a classic - all models. I wonder if cars like the current Fiat 500, Clio v6, Supercharged mini will all be coveted in the same way, 30-40 years from now.
I had a great old time with it and the 1.1 would happily sing. I once travelled 500 miles in it, five up. Fond memories
The design, proportions and stance of the car really stand out. I find the subject of 'what makes a classic' really interesting. The golf is obviously a classic - all models. I wonder if cars like the current Fiat 500, Clio v6, Supercharged mini will all be coveted in the same way, 30-40 years from now.
Hi guys, I just wanted to update the forum to say that Saffy's new owner (and extended family) came and picked her up last weekend - and drove her the 470 miles home without a hitch!
It was lovely to see someone come all that way to find a car that had been described to a "T" - his words "She doesn't have any rust at all" - my reply - "that's why I said so in the advert".
I know that sounds like willy-waving but it's not; I think I should feel rightly proud that not only did I sell saffy to enthusiast but said enthusiast got even more than he was bargaining for and the look on his face was priceless. Both parties well chuffed and nice people to boot.
Cue: warm feelings inside, gone but not forgotten and one step closer to my Turbo.
It was lovely to see someone come all that way to find a car that had been described to a "T" - his words "She doesn't have any rust at all" - my reply - "that's why I said so in the advert".
I know that sounds like willy-waving but it's not; I think I should feel rightly proud that not only did I sell saffy to enthusiast but said enthusiast got even more than he was bargaining for and the look on his face was priceless. Both parties well chuffed and nice people to boot.
Cue: warm feelings inside, gone but not forgotten and one step closer to my Turbo.
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