VW Lupo GTI: Spotted
Prices for the Lupo GTI have been on the rise - so is it still worth spending what you'll have to pay to get into a good one?
Here's a thing: while our backs were turned, it seems the Volkswagen Lupo GTI has got rather expensive. It wasn't too long ago that a good'un could be had for as little as three grand; however, these days, if you're after a low-mileage example, you'll have to spend more than double that.
Perhaps blame can be laid at the door of the Up GTI, reinvigorating interest in pint-sized hot VWs. Or perhaps it's simply that the Lupo has become a much-loved cult hot hatch in some circles; the sort of car people once had a strong penchant to own and are now able to afford.
We can't really blame them. The Lupo is a terrific-looking thing, after all, with all the miniaturised aggression of a terrier who knows he's about to be castrated. With its projector headlamps, chunky alloy wheels, central twin exhausts and fat bumpers, it looks like a contemporary Audi RS would were it hit with a shrink ray.
What's more, the Lupo's power-to-handling ratio is of the sort that makes us such big fans of the Suzuki Swift Sport - that is to say, enough to have fun with, but still not so much that you can't use every last ounce of it on a British B-road. It's a car whose neck you can wring with abandon, its diminutive size and relatively thin soundproofing making you feel as though you're doing a million miles an hour when you're barely knocking on the door of 60.
Trouble is, does all that good stuff make it worth the price? This one, for example, actually looks like one of the better-value Lupo GTIs out there at the moment. It's on privately for £5,500, has covered just 59,000 miles, has had two owners since it was new, and seems to have been maintained meticulously. What's more, there's a sheaf of history with it, and the owner (well, the owner's brother in law) has written an essay of an advert detailing every flaw. Just what we like to see.
Nevertheless, it's still an awful lot of cash for a car with just 125hp - especially when a Renaultsport Clio with similar mileage shouldn't cost you any more. And you can't even man maths your way out of this one - it's hard to imagine values rising any more than they have done for the foreseeable future, so you can't pull the investment card when asked why you've dropped so much money on a tiny, relatively old, Volkswagen.
But keep in mind that the Lupo will likely still feel tight and reassuringly solid long after the Clio's interior - or that of a Swift Sport - has started to fall to bits. Remember, too, that the Lupo will sip fuel, and that should help take a dent out of your extra outlay. And then, finally, let your eyes come to rest on its cheery little face. How can you resist?
SPECIFICATION - VOLKSWAGEN LUPO GTI
Engine: 1,598cc 4cyl
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 125@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 112@3,000rpm
MPG: 38.7 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 178g/km
First registered: 2002
Recorded mileage: 59,000
Price new: £12,980
Yours for: £5,500
See the original advert here.
I’am glad for the resurgence in these type of warm hatches. My Mums got a R56 Mini Cooper with the small 15” alloys and a massive 120bhp and i sometimes prefer driving that down a good bit of bumpy cambered b-road than my Corsa VXR Nurburgring. Thrashing the life out of it and not doing more than 60 whilst making decent progress is satisfying, not the mention the supple Suspension and Tyres soaking up the worst bits of road.
Loved the big car feel in something so small; was also my first car with Xenons - felt I could see rabbits at the bottom of their burrows they were so bright
Shame there aren’t any equivalents today, had hopes for the Up GTI but wasn’t to be
25062007077 by bangerturner, on Flickr
Image(104) by bangerturner, on FlickrMine was a late 6-speed black on black car with full heated leather seats, glas sunroof, AAC and factory GPS (!). Completely stock bar some H&R springs.
Also they came with decent options like xenons as standard already. Not bad for a supermini of the early '00s!
To drive they are truly special. Of course they are not fast compared to todays turbocharged warm hatches, but the steering feel of them is just great!
IMO they are the height of the old bread of truly small NA hot hatches before the new era of rather big superminis with turbo's engines arrived.
Yes the Swift Sport is a great car and for some may be the better deal, but I urge you all to have a go in a Lupo GTI and see for yourself!
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