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1989 Mk1 GTI Cabriolet

Hello! I shall give you a little bit of a back story as to how I got my Mk1.

For a few months, I had been considering getting a vehicle so that I could get to see my parents (who are getting on a bit) a bit more frequently. For a number of years I'd been using the train to do so, but travel time and the timetables have been a major obstacle to frequent visits. I'd not owned a vehicle for about 7 years, having made a lifestyle choice to not need a car, after getting shafted by an insurer.

Last Christmas, I decided to hire a new vehicle for a week. I got so annoyed by all the distractions by the 'safety' features (e.g. lights flashing in the wing mirrors as someone passes, it telling me what gear it thought I needed to be in, various bleeps and pings, and general nagging via 'technology'), that I quickly went off the idea of getting a car.

The second car that I ever owned was a 1990 Mk2 VW Polo 1.3 Parade (the special edition before the 'facelift'). I know it wasn't a Golf, but it was so much fun, to go haring around the back lanes to and from work every day. Good fun in snow, too! I had it for years, put 95000 miles on it, and always regret having part-exed it, when I bought something newer. It had been my favourite.

Just over a month ago, a friend of mine offered to sell his Mk1 Golf GTI Cabrio to me. He'd had a fair bit of work done to it mechanically, and it ran well. I had a drive in it. I was immediately overwhelmed with nostalgia. I had to have it!

I've owned it now for nearly 3 weeks, and I think I've now acquired a new obsession  :)  I've been checking out all sorts of info on the internet, mainly because my priority jobs are to get the cabrio top sorted, and also do something about the gear linkage. In the process I came across you lot in these forums. It's also because of these forums that I contacted Chortle last weekend, who invited me to pop over with the car, so that he could have a look and give me some advice. Top guy.

I'm looking forward to getting stuck into giving my Golf all the tlc that I can   :)  

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Welcome firebeard, post up some pictures if you, add image tab or use tapatalk on your phone and upload them from there..

Th Gti cabriolet is a good choice, Lots of plastic trim keeping stone chips and rust at bay, good MPG if driven carefully, use super leaded in a GTi and get the timing set to that type of fuel. Regular service and oil changes will keep it running sweet for some time.

keep an eye on the fuel filler neck and fuel tank as dirt, water etc in the fuel will kill the expensive fuel injection system in no time…

Looks like you are sorting out the roof which is a good plan to keep it water tight especially if it's kept outside.
Start up a project thread as keep us updated on how things pan out.  :thumbs:

1988 Mk1 Golf GTi Cabriolet 1.8cc DX, K-jet. Daily drive. 317,000 miles and counting
1978 Mk1 Scirocco GLS 1.6cc FR, Webber carb. Weekend toy.

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Nottingham Newbie

You are welcome mate.
But there’s no saving that rear window frame mate. Lol.
At least the tailgate lock seal is done. That’s a start.
Make your list and tick it off as you go.
You’ll soon get it in the condition it deserves to be.
Welcome to the joys of classic car ownership.




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"Making Cabbies More Beautiful One Roof at a Time" 
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