Mk1 golf price guide

Can anyone explain to me the relevance of the mk1 price guide
it seems to bear no resemblance to the  prices of decent mk1 golfs on sale
in various publications, does it need updating?

I think a price guide is not much use . Im a firm believer in something is only worth what someone is willing to pay. 

tonka12 said

I think a price guide is not much use . Im a firm believer in something is only worth what someone is willing to pay. 

Ditto what tonka said.

Also think the guide is a bit out of date.  

Any volunteers to update it then?

Don't fancy it Paul??

I will update it if you want

There you go - a willing volunteer.

an update was attempted last year

this cannot just be one persons view on it

last year i started the process of updating the guide and the committee had a look into it and also copies were sent out to certain expert members so they can have there say in the prices

unfortunatley no one returned their information so nothing happened

some believe the prices should all increase equal % across the range but other think some models have increased more

The problem is no two cars are the same.just a quick browse on here shows this. You will never be able to do a price guide
It was different when they were new or recent.i gave £300 for my gti.but as it sits now i have £1500 in it and alot of time . I was going to sell a few weeks ago and was getting offers of £350 .so theres a good guide 

see also while looking into doing the guide, this also coinsided with this valuation service people have been asking about

it's a minefield

it is within the clubs interest to try and keep valuations at a sensible level, if golfs became over valued then it pushes the whole market ££££ up!!!

if the club values a car at say 5k and there is a claim placed, then the insurance value it at 2k.. then the club could be liable for the rest

so the valuation service is a no go!!!

similar with a price guide

if a rushed, wrong guide is put out there it could increase the price of everything as people will use the guide and them add there 20% on top because it's got smoked rear lights


there's also the arguement between modified and standard cars, some beleive modified motors are worth more…. this isn't really the case… but this varies depending on who is looking at buying the car

some owners beleive that if they have spend 1k on a car and 3k on modification or restoration then the car is surely worth 6k…. this isn't the case.

in restored examples then you will see a greater return on your outlay but modifcation examples are very much to the owners taste, so this can reduce your market, which can also reduce your asking price

I agree if you modify a car you do it as you want it.its your personal statement.if you buy a modified car you allways try to put your input into it. You cant value a modified car in a price guide its impossible.standard cars are differant .but then again there still only worth what somebody is willing to pay.it cant be done just say no  

jellybelly said

see also while looking into doing the guide, this also coinsided with this valuation service people have been asking about

it's a minefield

it is within the clubs interest to try and keep valuations at a sensible level, if golfs became over valued then it pushes the whole market ££££ up!!!

if the club values a car at say 5k and there is a claim placed, then the insurance value it at 2k.. then the club could be liable for the rest

so the valuation service is a no go!!!

similar with a price guide

if a rushed, wrong guide is put out there it could increase the price of everything as people will use the guide and them add there 20% on top because it's got smoked rear lights


there's also the arguement between modified and standard cars, some beleive modified motors are worth more…. this isn't really the case… but this varies depending on who is looking at buying the car

some owners beleive that if they have spend 1k on a car and 3k on modification or restoration then the car is surely worth 6k…. this isn't the case.

in restored examples then you will see a greater return on your outlay but modifcation examples are very much to the owners taste, so this can reduce your market, which can also reduce your asking price

How do other car clubs cope?

paul_c said

How do other car clubs cope?

They probably have the same issues.

I've been looking at mid eighties 911 prices and they vary wildly.
Mileage, history, dealer or private, condition etc etc.
There are so many different factors involved when buying an old car that the "glass" style car buying guide just doesn't work and the only thing you can do is go and compare cars in the flesh and study "the form"

I always think a good starting point is what things sell for on E-bay as that's open bidding most of the time, although unfortunately the number of MK1 Golfs that go through there isn't very many.

What might be helpful is if there's a way of people submitting (confidentially of course) the price that they have paid for, or sold a golf for together with the date of the transaction, exact model, year and a description of the condition of the vehicle, whether it was modified etc. then someone with the right skills can actually take that data and get some sort of guide from it.

You can publish the information in its raw form with a disclaimer, perhaps something like "this is an indication of the values that have been achieved on the open market, and is not necessarily an indication of what a particular vehicle is worth." so rather than having a definitive guide, you just have some raw data there for people to make their own minds up.

Of course this carries risks that people will submit inaccurate data in the hope of influencing the market, but you'd hope as an enthusiasts club this would be rare.

Just a thought. It would be nice to have more to go on that the good old Parkers guide, or the 2 lines in the back of practical classics.

i contacted several car clubs, GB mini's, MGB and more of the popular ones that offer a valuation service

the ones that returned information say they openly undervalue cars, agree with the insurance valuation or just refuse to value the car

some openly said that valuation service course lots of friction within the club.

all in all it's better left for the insurance and inderpendant value teams to sort out

Its just a shame if its shelved as an idea, because there seems to be much demand for it. If the currently published price guide is now perceived to be so out-of-date as to be misleading, should it remain on the site or be taken down?

It is a shame Paul 

I spent a lot of time on it and also the valuation service

But without willing experts or members to help with there expertise and findings then it is a struggle

You can't just look on eBay and knock out a guide in a hour from what on there

If there are willing people out there who would like to help write the guide then let me know I shall send out the excel spread sheet, fill it out and return it. The more that do it there more I can get an idea of what the general members think is right. I can collate and take averages things like that

Get in touch the 8 committee members can't run and do everything

Anybody want to sell their 82-83 golf gti in condition f on
the mk1 price guide for the listed price?

are you willing to help update the guide dude?

let me know you email and i will send over the file to complete

I will help out with the guide if you want .ive been in the motor trade since leaving school as a mechanic. Its up to you