What is it about MK1's...?

Random thought struck me earlier today.

I've been lucky enough to have had a wide range of cars inc most of the usual from GTR's to STI's to M3's etc but keep coming back to the 'wee MK1's'

Cant see me getting them ever out of my system - frankly having dropped more £££ than I want to consider must be some rationale/justification for this… and now with the now rare* selection of parts and increasingly short supply of spares/decent shells getting worse!

I remember 98' when I discovered VW Vortex which alarmingly is now some 17 years or so… means I'll always have a MK1 stashed away somewhere..

Looking forward to the AGM - hope a lot of people get their cars out the air bubble and tally up some miles.

now… back to ebay.de to find that elusive part that I cannot afford/justify… !

 

I can't quite put my finger on it either, I've had nearly 50 cars now yet for 27 years it's the MK1 that's always been there.

Compared to what else is out there for the money you could get something much faster, better handling, safer, more refined, more reliable - looking on abilities I don't even think it's e best Golf, a decent Mk5 or Mk2 would be much better dailies.

And yet it's the only car out of all the ones I have that I find myself strangely attached to.  I had put it down to just the length of time I had kept it and was probably looking at it with rose tinted glasses, but this last month I realised what a place they have in the hearts of others.

Rather than just go to VW shows, I have just also done a couple of big Classic days where cars are displayed in town centres, and this has opened up a complete new audience, people who genuinely don't see a MK1 from one week to the next. The response has been phenomenal, classic Ferrari's and Jaguars were getting far less attention than my little car, last week in Coventry at times there was a queue forming for people to take pictures.

All of the above!  

In the 3 and a 1/2 years I've owned mine, I'd like a pound for every time someone looks at it, smiles, points or comes up to me to ask questions like what is it. 

I'd have at least one or two more paid for!    

Sent from my mobile phone. 

I think it is not just mk1 owners but it's something that classic car owners cannot put down to a single thing, Ive had quite a few different classics over the years, and each marque has its die-hard owners, but for me it's always been mk1 golfs…you just have an affinity with a certain marque…I guess it's for life…

I reckon it's cos its a classic but you don't need a beard and have to smoke a pipe to own one!
They get attention cos everyone either had one or knew someone who owned one or wanted to own one.
I've just bought another so maybe my view ain't the best 

borednow said

I reckon it's cos its a classic but you don't need a beard and have to smoke a pipe to own one!
They get attention cos everyone either had one or knew someone who owned one or wanted to own one.
I've just bought another so maybe my view ain't the best 

hehehe….. but you have a beard and smoke a pipe (all be it an E pipe!!)  

I've always known I wanted one, when we were kids my friends were putting Lambo's and Porsche's on their walls, I was putting MK1's was up there.

It's just nothing like any other car out there, it's a box, a lot of cars were made as boxes, but MK1's seems to still have that sex appeal that the more sleek round classic sports cars have, but different enough to make them stand out. I still walk back to my car after being in a local Asda and look at it, and think "god that a good looking car, and it's mine"

I have been driving almost 10 years, 8 of them have been spent in a MK1, I wouldn't want it any other way!

coming up for 3 years of ownership maybe its more,

but i always liked them and i'm a bit of an aesthetic freak, i like things to look right and the mk1 does NOT have a bad angle in my opinion.

bit like the delorean (same designers) another car i will one day own.

i get more looks in my beat up golf than i did in my TT or other fast motors, had people follow me home wanting to buy it as well.

its simple, rugged and has started every day since i got it.
try doing that in a 32 year old corsa.
it costs me approx £1.60 a day in ownership (thats everything) can't complain at that.

for me they are just pure fun to drive. and by drive i mean drive. modern stuff drives itself with power everything. every drive left me with a smile on my face, and when mine is back on the road im sure it will have the same effect

Hi

The mk1 GTIs are just nimble little pocket rockets that you can actually enjoy on today's roads in any weather a modern GTI has to do almost twice the speed to maybe get the same smile factor & even then they seem to float along the road.  Mine is a well exercised standard 1.8i & it goes well & brakes the 800kg perfectly even the standard wipers work well

 Being in a mk5 gti for 4 years was a great transission getting out of my  mk1 gti 16v four door and plus many others  … but as we do we sell a comfortable ride and go back to where we started again …. car paid off !!! so i can afford a gti now .
Being in a remote area on earth in perth western australia is very difficult to obtain anything ! ok these days we get mint groups touring music now and other great artists  ! but the car scene has never been here  .
There would be a hand full of gti here  now  , not sure of  how many but under 30 !  But my point is  , a mk1 has never let me down  , i have driven a swallow tail 500klm non stop from perth city to albany back in the day and was amazed when i was 26 years old .anyhow we can all go on about our experience  .
here is my early mk1 swallowtail








 

For me there's a few reasons why I love mine so much, firstly, I was a mechanic for a while back in the day and I can work on virtually every part of the car and know that's it's done to a reasonable standard and not rushed through in a hurry in a local garage (let alone paying £70 an hour), secondly definitely the iconic shape, few cars are so distinctive nowadays, that boxy little shape is awesome and shouts that it means business !, yeah mine's a tad modified with harder/lower suspension wider wheels pokier engine etc etc but for me that just adds to the huge fun it is to drive, it's like it's on rails and is super responsive when you nail it, had my first one 25 years ago and still remember the buzz I got, going from modified Vauxhall chevettes with escort engines in was an eye opener at the time, Mine's covered 4k miles since the rebuild and still every time I open the garage it puts a massive smile on my face

hubbadubba said

For me there's a few reasons why I love mine so much, firstly, I was a mechanic for a while back in the day and I can work on virtually every part of the car and know that's it's done to a reasonable standard and not rushed through in a hurry in a local garage (let alone paying £70 an hour), secondly definitely the iconic shape, few cars are so distinctive nowadays, that boxy little shape is awesome and shouts that it means business !, yeah mine's a tad modified with harder/lower suspension wider wheels pokier engine etc etc but for me that just adds to the huge fun it is to drive, it's like it's on rails and is super responsive when you nail it, had my first one 25 years ago and still remember the buzz I got, going from modified Vauxhall chevettes with escort engines in was an eye opener at the time, Mine's covered 4k miles since the rebuild and still every time I open the garage it puts a massive smile on my face

Your car sir is a stunning example!!!