If proof were needed that the humble Mk2 Golf is now one of the fastest appreciating modern classics – this is it. At a stonking £15k, a low mileage five-door 8v GTi has set a new benchmark for second generation Golf values. Another Mk2 GTi is currently on ebay for £10,000 – so what’s going on?
News of a low mileage concours VWs spreads fast among the enthusiast community, so when these two near mint Mk2 Golfs came up for sale recently social media sites were buzzing.
The 1990 five-door Calypso Green 8v with just 22,654 miles on the clock is being advertised here by Surrey-based Fast Classics for – yes, that’s right – £14,995. That’s in excess of what really nice Porsche 911s were making a few years back! According to the blurb, it’s got its original dealer tax disc holder (not that you need it), factory rubber mats and still retains the feint yellow paint markings on the rear lenses. It was supplied by Whites Haslemere and the car proudly boasts their original sticker in the rear window.
The less common teardrop alloys all look spotless, as does the interior which features a period Panasonic radio cassette player in the dashboard. As you would expect, the seats themselves look barely sat in and there’s a fully stamped up service booklet and lots of documentation to prove its history.
The Alpine White three-door (below) recently appeared on ebay here. This one’s a 1992 with just 56,300 miles on the clock and again comes with a full service history to back up that pitifully low odometer reading. Apparently the vendor has just purchased an Audi A2 that requires work, and the Golf has to go to free up garage space.
The car was delivered to Charles Barber VW in Northwich, Cheshire and remains in completely original condition, despite having had four previous owners. It’s being sold as a classified advertisement by someone in Woking, Surrey.
From the photographs it certainly looks like one the cleanest big bumper Mk2 GTi’s we’ve seen and we think you’ll agree it looks great in Alpine White as opposed to the more common Oak Green or Black. Again, there’s even the original tape player, complete with stacked centre console storage for tapes when not being played. Stuff like this all adds to the overall provenance of the car.
The engine bay itself looks equally pristine and would respond well to some careful detailing. Indeed, a weekend wheels off session would get this 24 year old car looking pretty much like brand new.
With that in mind, £10,000 for what’s not far short of a spanking new three-door GTi sounds like a bit of a bargain. After all, the starting price of that model new today would set you back a lofty £26,895. Even if you didn’t want to concours it, it would still be a lovely thing to own.
Regardless of whether these cars sell or not they will undoubtedly push Mk2 Golf values forever upwards – and that’s also bound to have a knock on effect on lesser examples and ones needing a bit of TLC. And surely that’s a good thing?
Ian
The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage