With scrap metal prices falling through the floor, usually inexpensive cars from the ‘90s have never been so cheap. So if ever there’s been a time to buy a bargain banger VW from this era, it’s now. And you never know, it might even become a classic one day…

The wholesale price of steel has dropped by roughly 80% in the last three years, largely as a result of the global economic slowdown in China and the consequent glut of cheap steel on the world market. So, while a few years back you might have been given £300-£400 for a severely down at the heel Polo, Passat or Golf, today that same car might only be worth £80 to the scrappy. That means that all of a sudden there’s been an abundance of very cheap cars in the classifieds.

We’re talking predominantly about vehicles that are already knocking on the pearly gates of that huge car park in the sky. Cars that are probably going to fail their next MoT or have a mechanical issue where the cost of repairs would likely outweigh the value of the car. It could be something as simple as a leaky radiator, or the fact that it needs new brakes all round. Or even a cambelt.

Of course there is always the option of breaking a car for spares – and there’s plenty of people doing just this and selling the bits on ebay. But you need the technical nous to undo everything, the time to do it – and of course the space to store all the parts. And not everyone has all three.

The beauty of saving a ’90s Volkswagen from the scrappy is that keeping an older car on the road instead of trashing it feels so right from an environmental perspective. It’s always better to fix something rather than end up with a heap of unusable metal. It’s a poke in the eye to everyone who believes in consumerism and falls under the well known principle of Bangernomics…

The other added bonus is that you can now get the parts for all these older VWs ultra cheap. So, if it needs lots doing, the only significant cost factor is likely to be the labour charge putting everything right. And if you can do all the work yourself then you are on to a winner.

So what vehicles tempt? Well, a quick look on AutoTrader quickly revealed a few likely candidates. We’ve always considered the Mk3 Golf underrated and the examples we found lurking in the classifieds reflect this opinion. How does £90 for the blue 1992 J-reg 1.8 CL below sound? According to the advert it starts and runs but has a short MoT, which provides a clue to why it is so cheap. Heck, they might even take a crisp 50 quid note if they’re really desperate.

Any early Polo lovers out there? Well, the red ’93 1.0L we spotted below might interest. Apparently, it’s got a hole in the fuel tank but it’s MoT’d until November. And guess what, it’s only £110. If you’re after a 6N, then how about a dark metallic green five-door 1.4CL on an R-plate for a similarly derisory £150? It’s not MoT’d and it’s being sold for ‘spares or repair’ but it’s all there, looks solid and could be a relatively easy car to get back on the road again.

If you are searching for a family car, there’s even more good news. We found this once highly sought after 2000 2.3 V5 Passat for a paltry £299. Someone’s nicked the trims but bodily it looks pretty sound. We suspect it’s out of MoT and inevitably there will be a few jobs to do – but at this price? According to the description, it’s even got air conditioning and leather pews.

All these vehicles are dirt cheap and will possibly be collectable in their own right one day. One thing’s for certain, Mk3 Golfs represent something of an undiscovered future classic so if you’re looking to take up Bangernomics, one of these would make a perfect place to start.

It’s just a case of getting in there before the scrapman…

Ian

The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage.