My new red sportline...

After a super intense hunt for a new cabby we managed to come across this little beauty

It was an interesting hunt in which I learnt so much from a few kind people off of this club. We had previously owned a white MK1 golf clipper and decided for our next venture we wanted to try and get something a bit more special. We knew we wanted a GTI and decided we would go for a Rivage or a Sportline. This is easier said than done as we found out, they are so hard to come by (decent ones anyway). Our search lead us to this site and the forums and it has lead on to us making some really good friends. I have to say I was shocked at how Friendly most pople are in the MK1 world.

I put a thread up in regards to high mileage models on the forum and was surprised by the friendly replies we received and advice offered. To mention a few, Golf Cabrio (Mike) Hairyarse (Andy) and most especially Chortle (Carl). All of these guys were able to offer great help and advice and my hunt for the right car woud not have come to fruition if it wasn't for the help these guys gave.

We began to look at Rivages to start and found a couple that were Cat cars so wasnt interested. Chortle went to view a Rivage for us which we were very close to buying but it all fell through sadly last minute as I had the feeling that the car wasn't the right one for us and to be honest needed a bit too much to be done to it for us to consider taking on. We were also very close to asking Chortle to view a sportline which I had found out might be for sale but it was just that little bit too modified for us. Im more of a purist!

I was beginning to give up hope in finding an example as any really good honest examples that came along were snapped up before they were even advertised or they just didnt come up for sale. I have found through this experiance that its very hard to find people who are willing to actually part with their cars! Finally though through a little bit of chance I text this guy who had a Rivage he sold about a year ago and I thought I would text him and ask if he had the new owners details so I could ask if the new owner would consider selling. Surprisingly he got back to me the same evening and said sadly he didnt have their details but sent me a picture of this so called little gem he had locked away….Little did I realise he had sent me a picture of the car I would eventually own!!! Karl (the owners name) said it wasnt for sale but i decided to give it a try anyway…everything has a price right…after hours of sweet talking he decided that actually he could do with the spare cash to invest in his new business and we agreed on a value we were both more than happy with!!

Carl (Chortle) went to view the car again for us (they all seem to be for sale up north) and cast his expert eye over the vehicle and gave it a shining report!! Carl, being an expert in roofs told us it looked to be the original roof and there wasnt a thing wrong with it. He said it looked to be a very honest and decent example and didnt think we would be unhappy if we were to buy! I honestly dont know what we would have done without the help of Carl, so thank you again. Carl went on the friday and because of other commitments meaning busy weekends we had no choice but to go up and collect the car on the saturday.

It took 4.5 hours to get up and 4.5 to get back so we had a very long day driving. It was soooo worth it though. We arrived and there it was sitting on a drive shining and smilling at us. I knew it was the right one as soon as we see it, just had that feeling. The family were lovely and had been completely honest about any faults they knew the car had. We took it for a test drive and were amazed with the condition of the inside. It looked as though it hadnt been sat in. The Recaro seats were firm and the drivers side bolster was still in strong stead. Mechanically it seemed sound but I am most certainly not mechanically minded so I took the opinion of Carl and also trusted that Karl had told me all he knew about the mechanics whilst in his ownership.

I drove the car home on the 4.5hr trip and loved every split second. I drove through brilliant sunshine and also hit a huge wall of torrential rain and the golf passed every test with flying colours!!! I was in love!! haha.

So here are some of the cars statistics…

K reg Sportline (genuine sportline, as stated on V5)

108,000miles verified with all old mots!!
Full service history with 19 stamps and some years it was serviced twice
5 owners (thats low)!!
Extensive folder of receipts with over £500 spent just last year refurbishing the engine
All original interior in great condition
Original BBS Rims
garaged for most of its life and i dont intend to change that. I will have it garaged during winter months
Flash red paint is original and in great nick with only a few touch ups needed.
Engine ticks over beautifuly and it has started first time every time I have used it.


Things I would like to put right…

Find an original radio to keep as spare for shows but install an up to date system for everyday use.
It has an appauling bulkhead clutch cable repair so this I intend on putting right
It has coilovers fitted so I will most certainly be replacing these back to original suspension
Radiator could do with a flush through
couple of minor paint corrections but they are so minor that they are not visible to the eye
new gear Knob
Rear bench has a small mark on it so I might consider getting that replaced
It has VDO's installed and I would most definately like to have these removed and get the roof switch back to where it should be
The MFO function doesnt work so need to look at this
most importantly get it ready for some summer shows!!!

I am so lucky to have found such a nice example and can assure you I will be taking good care of this one. I have already a decent agreed value on the car through Adrian Flux!! Also I fully intend on using it!!! so many of these cars sit dormant in peoples garages not being used and getting the love they deserve!

Will add some more photos below and will also keep you updated with any work I get done or complete myself!!

Cheers

MariaMk1 - Welcome to Sportline ownership !  

Great to see you have already had so much help of members and had a taste of what the club is about.

I made the hard decision to sell my Sportline at the back end of last summer to finally try a tin top, but if you take a look at my links below, I followed the same path as you, white clipper, then onto my Sportline (which I really miss) then now the tin top.

That looks like a great buy, its a registration I do not recognise, as me and some of the other sportline owners track through movement of cars, cars for sale etc.

As soon as you get a chance, if you could register it on www.golfgtisportline.com that would be great. The website is owned and run by a member on here Shughy , and if you are lucky he might have some original gear knobs available and some other bits - for anything sportline , parts, advise etc he is your man.

chortle is an absolute gent, I have been on the club since 2009 and as well as others, I class him as a great friend, he helped me put a replacement hood on my sportline, should be some pics on my thread link below, and is just a genuine top bloke!

The car looks a cracker, in 2012 when I got mine it was 6 owner car with 95.000 miles and I sold it on just over 100,000 in the end, and 108,000 miles with 5 owners is a cracking find now, it looks like a genuine looked after car and you will love it ! :-)

Where are you based?

I am the regional host for the Southwest, and if you fancy any shows with us this year, it would be great to meet you and see your cracking car.

Cheers

Rich

Looks like you bought yourself a corker there, top work 

nice to see the forum members helping source a car.. Everyone on here seems more than willing to help everyone.

richyhill said

MariaMk1 - Welcome to Sportline ownership !  

Great to see you have already had so much help of members and had a taste of what the club is about.

I made the hard decision to sell my Sportline at the back end of last summer to finally try a tin top, but if you take a look at my links below, I followed the same path as you, white clipper, then onto my Sportline (which I really miss) then now the tin top.

That looks like a great buy, its a registration I do not recognise, as me and some of the other sportline owners track through movement of cars, cars for sale etc.

As soon as you get a chance, if you could register it on www.golfgtisportline.com that would be great. The website is owned and run by a member on here Shughy , and if you are lucky he might have some original gear knobs available and some other bits - for anything sportline , parts, advise etc he is your man.

chortle is an absolute gent, I have been on the club since 2009 and as well as others, I class him as a great friend, he helped me put a replacement hood on my sportline, should be some pics on my thread link below, and is just a genuine top bloke!

The car looks a cracker, in 2012 when I got mine it was 6 owner car with 95.000 miles and I sold it on just over 100,000 in the end, and 108,000 miles with 5 owners is a cracking find now, it looks like a genuine looked after car and you will love it ! :-)

Where are you based?

I am the regional host for the Southwest, and if you fancy any shows with us this year, it would be great to meet you and see your cracking car.

Cheers

Rich

Hey Rich, Beleive me, I am one happy new member to the sportline ownership club so thank you for welcoming me!!

Firstly I would like to apologise for not mentioning Shughy as Hugh was also so helpful when it come to asking questions about what is right and what is wrong in sportlines. He was more than happy to answer any questions so thank you too Shughy !!I actually managed to get on Shughy's website and register my car!! Im one step ahead!! The only reason I took so long to get a thread on here was because I was having a problem with me piccies uploading! !I have more to upload which I will try and do!

I can understand you wanting to try out a tin top and selling on your sportline as literally any MK1 is a car worth trying and are all much loved. All said I cant ever see me passing this car on…my partner bought it for me the day before valentines and it most certainly now has a place in my heart!!

Its good to hear that I have discovered, an unknown to you guys, new sportline which can now be registered and become one of the few MK1's known that is left!!

We loved our white clipper previous to this and we knew that we would one day own another!!

You mention chortle , glad he has a gleaming reputation on here as he most certainly deserves it!! I would recommend anyone that needs help or roof advice/repairs to speak to this guy!! his knowledge amazed me!!

I plan on trying to do some of the work on the sportline myself but anything expert will be done by an expert…its not really the car to learn a trade on now is it!! lol!

Im based in Surrey Rich in the southeast….im guessing im not too close to you??

jusdubbin said

Looks like you bought yourself a corker there, top work 

Cheers jusdubbin, I like to think so! Its nice shiny paintwork is backed up by a good solid running engine too! Im just worried now that because I love driving it soooo much im going to add too many miles too it! haha! I cant leave it alone! Our poor discovery is feeling a bit sorry for itslef!!

Kenneth Cartwright said

nice to see the forum members helping source a car.. Everyone on here seems more than willing to help everyone.

Honestly Ken, I cant thank everyone enough!! Most people I spoke to were more than happy to help!!

Thanks for the great feedback. Its good to know that this goes on.
Welcome to the club. We're not a bad bunch all told!
Shall we be expecting you at our AGM at Stratford on Avon?

And I'll say it again I still miss mine 😢
Good luck and many happy miles 👍👍

Congratulations on the Sportline. I am biased but I believe they are one of the best golfs ever made, and like many on here I've owned a few! They're a bit of a design icon in my opinion and it would seem prices are on the rise, so great work on tracking one down! Just added mine to the Sportline register - like you I want to keep mine original and can't see me selling as it's hard enough to get a decent one these days. Yours looks a cracker and like you say, deserves to be used!

Finally MariaMk1      

I'm really pleased you found the right car for you, so it wasn't so hard was it!  
So the only thing left is to love him, hug him and keep him safe.  

But I also do want to thank chortle , Hairyarse and Shughy amongst others for the shear time and effort you guys put in helping out a fellow member, simple outstanding!      

Some more pics….

Congratulations on your car! Simply gorgeous! One of my Faves - the Sportline (& Rivage…) Like your section on the Cat C's etc & what to look out for - great how the guys on here helped you out! Like a family  Hope you have lots of fun & smiles with it. It's also superb the help you get off this Forum, became a member myself in 2014 & never looked back! Love to the dubs & clubs 

Golf Cabrio said

Finally MariaMk1      

I'm really pleased you found the right car for you, so it wasn't so hard was it!  
So the only thing left is to love him, hug him and keep him safe.  

But I also do want to thank chortle , Hairyarse and Shughy amongst others for the shear time and effort you guys put in helping out a fellow member, simple outstanding!      

Hey Mike< I would like to thank you for your help with fining the right car too  

It didnt take too long in the end but the hunt was very intense. I literally was eating sleeping dreaming MK1 Golfs!!The experiance of finding a car, thinking it is the one for you and then realising it isnt quite what you expected/wanted was quite a difficult process.

Eventually though we managed to find the right one.

Something I find very hard about these cars is that a lot of them are owned by people who store them in their garages (and rightly so) and then they stay locked up in their garages for years to comeas they havent got time to enjoy them but cant stand to part with them. Its such a shame as these cars need to be out on the road and thoroughly enjoyed rather than collecting dust. You mention in your post…love HIM…im not quite sure mine is male, mine seems to be singing girlie vibes to me.  
Cheers,Maria.">

Deandubya said

Congratulations on your car! Simply gorgeous! One of my Faves - the Sportline (& Rivage…) Like your section on the Cat C's etc & what to look out for - great how the guys on here helped you out! Like a family  Hope you have lots of fun & smiles with it. It's also superb the help you get off this Forum, became a member myself in 2014 & never looked back! Love to the dubs & clubs 

Cheers Dean,

I seriously would have bought a rotter if it wasn't for the help of the guys on here. There are some seriously bad examples out there and unless you have an expert eye you can seriously get caught out!!

Maria I just bought a Mk6, tsi, Highline, 160bhp, dsg 7speed, estate, 2011 with almost every extra from VW.

Wasn't even thinking about changing our family car and I saw this one on my birthday back at the end of January. 

Ten days later I was driving it home!  

Go with your gut feeling remember. 



Not the best photo and it's no Sportline but my wife has fallen in love with it, just like you have.   

If you're as happy as my wife, it's a great result.
But I have another problem now and is she doesn't want me to drive it!    

Yomp said

Thanks for the great feedback. Its good to know that this goes on.
Welcome to the club. We're not a bad bunch all told!
Shall we be expecting you at our AGM at Stratford on Avon?

Hi Yomp!!

You most certainly can be expecting me at the AGM…fingers crossed…I would love to come and meet everyone! Then I can personally thank some of the people who helped me find my sportline!!  

Golf Cabrio said

Maria I just bought a Mk6, tsi, Highline, 160bhp, dsg 7speed, estate, 2011 with almost every extra from VW.

Wasn't even thinking about changing our family car and I saw this one on my birthday back at the end of January. 

Ten days later I was driving it home!  

Go with your gut feeling remember. 



Not the best photo and it's no Sportline but my wife has fallen in love with it, just like you have.   

If you're as happy as my wife, it's a great result.
But I have another problem now and is she doesn't want me to drive it!    

Hahaha!! Neil is having the same problem with me! He keeps telling me to use our family car (discovery) as he is worried im going to put too many miles on the sportline! I cant help it! Like your wife, I have bsolutely fallen in love all over again!! haha!

Your new Mk6 looks a beaut, loving the colour! All the added extras, im sure, makes it drive like being in an arm chair!! Bet its pretty quick off the mark too!!

Gut feeling is something I have discovered over the last few months and this time it has most certainly proved right!!  

just in case you cannot find one or VW are out of gear knobs, I just spotted this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-VW-GOLF-MK1-SPORTLINE-CABRIO-LEATHER-GEAR-KNOB-/262315152989?hash=item3d1333965d:g:TI4AAOSw5dNWrmoe