Hello new here from Florida USA

Hello Everyone!

My name's Tom Eitnier, I'm a free-lance Photographer living in Winter Haven, Florida (near Orlando) and I have recently thought of trying to aquire an early GTI MK1 LHD car.

Seems like there's just so much more going on with the PRE 1982 MK1 GTI in the UK as is in America, we don't really even know the cars since they were only sold here in 1983 and 84 (Westmoreland made)

I myself have always known about the MK1 early cars, while I was stationed abroad in Germany in the US Army  from 1984 to 1993, one of my best friends in the army had  an early 1980 car, black with tartan interior a Kamei kit all around, lowered with BBS wheels the state of the art mid 1980's German "Autobahn" styled GTI.
(he also had this crazy *hand made?* GTI badge in the grille that lit up in red, he had a switch on the dash to turn this on with the parking lights and without his headlights on it looked very sinister in the rear view mirror of many Porsche's, Opel's  and BMW's I'm sure)

I never owned one myself, but I drove his car many times, I'll never forget the power it had on the AB and how we flew by other cars and  I'll also never forget all the crazy Golf/GTI jokes the German car nuts told back in the 80's - seems their was a constant war between GTI's and Opel Manta's.

I'm just a newbie when it comes to the pre 1982 GTI's………….but not to Volkswagen, I used to collect Beetle's I've owned everything from a 1946 to a 1960 (all Semaphore cars) and that's where most of my attention was back in the 1980's, sadly I remember going through many junk/scrap yards in Germany and seeing many early GTI's all rusted out and stripped of their parts, those German winter's weren't very nice to that inferior 1980's metal, I'm done with Beetle's, I'll always love them, but I want a car that's more modern and also got some real pep! The URGTI (as the German's call it) is I think just the right car for me now…..


Well I hope to make some new friends here in the forums and maybe if I'm lucky I may get a lead on a LHD car that  would be great

Tom

Hi Tom,
Welcome aboard.
Try using E Bay.de for your left hooker choice.
You can use google translate to convert between English and German.
There's loads of info State Side on the web too.
Good luck with your search.
We have had a couple of US spec cars on here. But think both have now been parted out.

Cheers

Chortle

chortle said

Hi Tom,
Welcome aboard.
Try using E Bay.de for your left hooker choice.
You can use google translate to convert between English and German.
There's loads of info State Side on the web too.
Good luck with your search.
We have had a couple of US spec cars on here. But think both have now been parted out.

Cheers

Chortle

Hello Chortle,

I'm lucky I speak, read and write German so I have my eyes open at the mobile.de for a car, I wish I could find a car privately, while I think now's the time to buy one before they go up in price.

I want a small/short taillight GTI , which will not be all that easy, I have noticed that some cars are coming out of Italy as well, while I need a Left Hand Drive car for the states, shipping something away from Europe won't be lot's of fun, but I have my doubts about finding anything here in the states, just like pre 1960 VW Beetles, sadly most of the cars here are junk or have been so modified and incorrectly restored it can break your heart seeing all the bad cars here and  as far as I can see in the cases of the GTI MK1's the BEST cars are in the UK and also still in Germany.

Tom

Welcome along Tom, the search for a car is the best part of the game as far as I'm concerned  

If you can speak German you're a step ahead of most people, it's hard to buy a car unseen, I did and it's a nervous wait on it coming home  :cry:

There's bound to be shipping companies that will do all the work for you but it will cost money!

Anyway good luck and keep us posted.

Really good to read your story mate all the way from across the pond!!!  Welcome to the forum bud it's a friendly place to hand out.  Hope your search goes well…. welcome aboard!!!  :wink: