Shed Of The Week: Volkswagen Golf GTI

How a sub-grand price makes even the unloved GTI look rather lovely

You've got to feel a bit sorry for Volkswagen. There was going to be a slightly dodgy joke here about the winds of despair whistling around a lady's lower area, but it turns out VAG hasn't been VAG for the last 20 years so we won't do that one. Thing is though, behind all the me-too shouting about cheating, you can't argue with fact that VW makes good cars. And has done so for quite a while.

Shed may face an uphil struggle with this one

Good cars like this 115hp Mk3 Golf GTI.

What? Has Shed gone mad? Everyone knows Mk3 Golfs are slow, blobby and generally rubbish. But forget it's a GTI for a minute (easy enough in this case) and look at it objectively as just a Golf. At a very basic level, under £1K for a very clean and serviceable German hatch with a full MoT, low miles, new clutch and brakes and refurbed BBS wheels (worth a few bob on their own) seems like good value.

Now let's look a little further into it. Good Mk1s have already gone nuclear and MK2 prices are on the up, so if you believe in the inevitability of evolution and are looking to minimise your depreciation, there's a strong argument to be made for a nice Mk3 Golf GTI. Admittedly, you might prefer a three-door with 150hp rather than our five-door 115hp one, but do remember we are in Shedland here. And remember also the limitless aftermarket potential for improvement.

115hp means plenty of time to admire cleanliness

The beauty of this one is that it hasn't been 'improved'. That means you can continue down the road of maintaining its originality or do what everybody else does and take the left fork to Forkupsville. Worst case scenario is you've still got a clean and serviceable German hatch that won't lose much, if any, of its value during your stewardship.

Shed's bloodshot eyes have never been quite the same since he found himself watching A-bomb tests on a Pacific island, but he's getting a feeling from the pics that the panels don't quite match. It's like one of those 'what do you see here?' things on the World Wide Web.

One colour he isn't seeing is brown, which in the context of Mk 3 sills, hatches, filler caps and all four wheelarches is a good thing. You'll want to check the subframes and floors for rot too. Luckily these areas are all easy to examine.

Refurbed BBSs are a tempting finishing touch

Those who have tried both Mk2s and 3s will tend to come down on the side of the lighter 2 but a rust-free Mk3 will be pretty resilient. Shed owned a basic 1.9 diesel a few years back which he generously part-ex'd to a gardener in exchange for some tidying work on Shed's huge and profoundly illegal leylandii hedge. Within a week it had been T-boned by a minicab, writing it off. The Golf, that is. Shed shed a tear that day.

Mk3s are easy to drive and easy to work on and most parts can be cheaply sourced with a bit of effort. The eight-valve motors may not have the horsepower of the 16-valvers but they are good real-world units that will get you about the place in a fuss-free manner. The 3's Digifant engine management system has a bit of a bad rep, but it does give you diagnostability. A Golf of this vintage will often respond to the 'Italian tune-up', ie. thramping the bejesus out of it to burn unwanted deposits off the pistons, valves and plugs.

Poor idling and engine spluttering is very common but could be something as simple as a faulty engine coolant temperature sensor. Also check hoses, earths, injectors, throttle bodies, the idle stabiliser valve and the fuel filter. Electric windows break, but leaning your elbow on the door frame is a poor show anyway.

Ah, our old friend the sensor. Never mind VW getting slaughtered for their fiddling, whoever invented the sensor should be nailed face-on to a wall and introduced to the pointy end of a lambda probe.

Here's the ad.

Finished in Satin Silver with black interior.
Spec Includes.
Air conditioning, 16" BBS Split rims (freshly furbished with powder coated centers and polished rims and fitted with 4 Hankook tyres), Front and rear electric windows, ABS, Power steering, Sony CD player with USB interface, Front fog lights, Folding rear seats, Electric door mirrors, On-board computer to list just a few features of this classic GTi.
A well looked after example with many new parts, including recently replaced clutch and brakes all round. Complete with plenty of Service History and many invoices for parts replaced by the previous enthusiast owner.
Increasingly hard to find in this condition with very few examples left.
Price includes 12 months MOT and Hpi certificate.
All major credit cards accepted + part exchange welcome. We are Open 7 days a week in a purpose built indoor showroom so you can come and view our cars no matter what the weather is doing. Viewings by appointment.