VW Golf GTI 25th Anniversary: PH Carpool

Golf-mad PHer bids a public farewell to his much loved 25th Anniversary GTI

By Dan Trent / Monday, 20 January 2014 / Loading comments

Name:

Matthew Mellor/Louise Ellison

Car

: 2002 VW Golf GTI 25th Anniversary 1.8T

Owned Since:

May 2012

Previously owned:

Golf GTI Mk4

Why we bought it:
"We'd hacked around in an old 2.0 8V Mk4 for a while and we loved the car but wanted something newer, quicker, cleaner and a little bit more special so to speak. Basically we wanted an R32 but at the time I was doing a 90 miles a day commute making R32 ownership a little impractical, so we settled on an anniversary, it just had to be red..."

Engine tough, other parts sadly less so

What we wish we'd have known:

"The 1.8T engine is reputed to be bombproof, and that it is, it's just everything else around it that seems to have a 10-year shelf life."

Things we love:
"The subtlety of it, the fact that it looks like any other Golf but you can still tell there's something a little special about it. The interior, all the little things like the black headlining, brushed trim, the wheels and of course, the drive."

Things we hate:
"The interior, the black headlining, the brushed trim and the wheels! Anni' parts command a small fortune on eBay/forums and a lot are discontinued at the dealers and as such any journey is completed on egg shells as to avoid any potential wear to items limited to this model!"

Costs so far:
"A new clutch/flywheel/slave cylinder about a month after buying it, regular servicing costs, tyres, and a few little bits such as the Eibach springs just to sit it a little lower to the ground and give it a more purposeful look. Other than that we've been pretty lucky really. A few engine items such as sensors are the only continual expense due to its age/mileage."

A sought after special for the GTI crowd

Where we've been:

"Well driving it back from West Sussex was a road trip in itself what with traffic. We've been to various VW weekends such as BugJam and that's about it really, most of the time it's being used for daily duties or sitting on the drive. Every mile we have completed however, has been an absolute blast!"

What next:
"It's for sale! I've got an M135i itch to scratch and so now that my signature has graced a dotted line I'll be giving her a spruce up and sticking her up on the PH classifieds. It's a sad fact as it's been a very faithful little hot hatch but I just can't resist some Bavarian metal!"