Who daily drives a mk1?

As per title, just curious as to how many members daily a mk1 these days?

Given price rises of everything at the moment and for the foreseeable, and being a single income household, I shall probably have to sell my current daily car (2002 audi a3 1.8t) it's a lovely little car, but a toss up between that and my mk1 is no contest.

My commute is sort of 9 miles each way on A roads (isle of wight) and do probably 4-5k a year, which the mk1 should have no real issues with, my biggest concern is winter and salt on the roads etc and the damage it can cause.

So who here dailys a mk1? And if you don't, what do you daily?

I don't drive my daily (Diesel Fester) daily anymore….

Would have thought IoW ideal for a MK1, how often do they actually grit the roads?

Underseal, waxoyl and regular wash down and should be fine.

Me on the most expensive ferry in the world (per mile travelled) visiting a few years ago

If daily driving between march-ish and november-ish counts then I do in my mk1 cabriolet. I don't really have to commute these days but definitely use it a lot. Only broken down once, otherwise reliable, fun to drive and keeps up fine with traffic.

I used to run it all year round and didn't worry about salty roads etc - it's held up pretty well so far - but certainly not a concours car

I'd say go for it!

My other daily is a mk2 golf which I also run year-round in all weathers

Early-1800 nice, it's a great place down here. Ferry companies are a joke, prices are absolutely ridiculous and the service you get (particularly wightlink Portsmouth-fishbourne) is shocking.

Roads are pretty decent now, not too bumpy and nice, twisty country roads which makes the commute a blast, though at the moment Cauliflowers or something are being harvested so there's a fair bit of mud about. I'd be surprised if the gritters had been out a dozen times this year. Trouble is with cleaning is time, got a 3 year old and one in the oven so whilst I've said to Mrs karlos I need to get under and clean whether I'm allowed when the time comes is another matter! I'd be happy cleaning underneath before and after winter and a coat of waxoyl before bad weather sets in.

saladman no my car is far from concourse, its pretty solid, there are some areas that could use some attention and the paint is original and not great. Currently has no headlining, no carpets so it's a bit noisy but it's quite civilised to drive. Worst case is we have a nissan as a family car so if weather was really bad could use that if Mrs karlos didn't need it. Nice, what model mk2? I've had a few mk2's, would like another one day but I doubt that'll happen,  lucky enough to be able to keep hold of the mk1.

have a mk1 cabriolet do not use it at all
at present but drive my mk2 daily

Karlos1987 Current mk2 daily is a 1987 GL auto which is a real cruiser. Good for carrying ladders too  

My mum had one of those - same colour as well! Drove it once at 18 when they were away. Nearly put it through a dry stone wall. Was considerably quicker than my 1043cc Polo.

nicci21paul nice collection, mk2 looks tidy, is it a gti? I must admit, I'd have to find some split window doors and small bumpers being a typ19.

saladman nice, is that polar silver? That's an almighty ladder!

paceman my first car was a 1043cc polo mk2f coupe, H598DDL. It was slow and unbelievably wallowy in corners. Should've been a cool kid and got a 1.2 nova!

A couple of my previous mk2's and my mk1

Karlos1987 yep Polar Silver and we had to improvise with the marigolds on the ladder for safety ha

paceman The GLs  are the best kept secret IMO - power steering, central locking and generally not ragged to bits like most GTis. Thought I would swap the auto box out for manual but after a week of driving it I was a fan.

Seems like we've started a bit of a mk2 party so here's a few more:



Better shot of the GL




Swapping to this 'rolling resto' to daily drive soon - It's been sat for a year and I can't bear to see it suffer. Then I can give the GL some loving while it's off the road



My first mk2 bought in 2014. Driven it to Italy and back and daily drove until I gave it to my sister - who now daily drives it. It's a 1.3 so cheaper to tax and run than a GTi. We've never washed the outside but have had the interior valeted a few times. I had to clean off hairspray residue from the headrests and makeup from the indicator stalk etc when I bought it 

Karlos1987 Nice grille on SOO - what model is it?

saladman , that's a nice collection of mk2s. Is the gti 8 or 16v? I've never really understood vw's confusion between gold and silver in the 80's. Polar silver is a cool colour, but its gold..  my parents had an 86 b2 passat when I was young, it was silver but the name was something gold!

You've never washed the 1.3?? In 8 years?! Doesn't look that dirty though to be fair!

SOO was a 1.3 c, it was an absolute basketcase when I bought it (£150 t&t). Needed some welding, new wing, bonnet, slam panel, tailgate, interior and loads of other stuff. Luckily, not that Luckily the red mk2, a 1600 driver which was the cleanest mk2 ive had, had been rear ended about a year previously so bought it back and stripped it and had loads of bits left over. Was a lovely car when I sold it but had developed electrical issues, ie, smoke came out of the dash and most of it stopped working. That got stripped, but now has vr6 wide track and a BAM 20vt in it. Not roadworthy I don't think though

I used to drive mine daily about 20 miles a day, never had a question or qualm about it.  Took them on occasional road trips of 1400 miles, and 700 about once or twice a year.  Loved driving the things and getting attention from folks.

Unfortunately I have been the recipient of two collisions where my beloved Cabbies were both totalled with in a year of each other.  It only took me about 13 years to get them into OEM condition…..



Getting them there was fun, and once you get them back to OEM specs there isn't anything that it can't do except for breaking the sound barrier.



As much as I love the mk1 Driven them since oct 1980, till 2021, I am too old to start a new project.

1981 VW MK1 VW Rabbit (Westy) Diesel 1980-2001.
1990 VW MK1 Cabriolet 2003- 2006
1992 VW MK1 Cabriolet 2006-2021
1993 VW MK1 Cabriolet 2006-2020

Briano1234 that's a long time driving mk1's, kudos to you. Shame that mk1 ownership ended in such a negative way for you. Could you not find a decent example that doesn't need much work? Hard to find now being they're all in their 30's at least mind you.

Well, I don't doubt it could do it (without some work), more theimpact daily use could have on the structural integrity, though I guess it's better rotting out enjoying it than rotting out not using it. Works and runs much better for being used too. having said that, there was a nice pool of coolant directly under my radiator when I left work earlier.. got me home no bother. Any suggestions for decent radiators? Not sure I trust the euro car parts cheap jobs.

Karlos1987 said

Briano1234 that's a long time driving mk1's, kudos to you. Shame that mk1 ownership ended in such a negative way for you. Could you not find a decent example that doesn't need much work? Hard to find now being they're all in their 30's at least mind you.

There isn't a thing wrong with ending in a total, I sold it for as much as I paid for it.  It is going on to help others in keeping their cars operational.  

Karlos1987 said

Having said that, there was a nice pool of coolant directly under my radiator when I left work earlier.. got me home no bother. Any suggestions for decent radiators? Not sure I trust the euro car parts cheap jobs.

The last one I bought for my Cabby was a totally aluminum Radiator.  Ir was about the same size in length and height, but It also had a thicker core.

I was hoping that it would last as long as my brass and copper one I bought for my Rabbit Diesel less than a year and a half of ownership..Cost less than a new plastic aluminum one from VW at the time.

I was looking the other day and noticed that the price has risen on them….

Briano1234 well there is that, it lives on in others cars. it's still pretty devastating when something we get attached to is taken away from us In such a way, even if it is effectively just a transportation tool.

When you say totally ally radiator, do you mean the type that are described as a race radiator? I have looked at them, they vary around the £120-£200 Mark whereas an oem hella is around £60 posted,  not that they're in stock anywhere mind you

yep,



I have a big aversion to plastic parts on cars… I hate them.  I did notice that my temps were a tad lower after putting it in.  

After the first one in my 81 Golf split up the sides of the tank because of the fubared way they mounted it, bolts at the bottom, and the STEWPID "Clip/Wedge" at the top.  

The only thing that I did have to change was to grind off the bosses on the front of the radiator, as I didn't need them.

Not the Mk1 sadly, but three more Mk2's , The Gtd is just great with a pokey Turbo engine and zillions of MPG. Gti is a naughty 8v…16v is a 16v but stroked and tuned

Karlos1987 said

saladman , that's a nice collection of mk2s. Is the gti 8 or 16v? I've never really understood vw's confusion between gold and silver in the 80's. Polar silver is a cool colour, but its gold..  my parents had an 86 b2 passat when I was young, it was silver but the name was something gold!

You've never washed the 1.3?? In 8 years?! Doesn't look that dirty though to be fair!


SOO was a 1.3 c, it was an absolute basketcase when I bought it (£150 t&t). Needed some welding, new wing, bonnet, slam panel, tailgate, interior and loads of other stuff. Luckily, not that Luckily the red mk2, a 1600 driver which was the cleanest mk2 ive had, had been rear ended about a year previously so bought it back and stripped it and had loads of bits left over. Was a lovely car when I sold it but had developed electrical issues, ie, smoke came out of the dash and most of it stopped working. That got stripped, but now has vr6 wide track and a BAM 20vt in it. Not roadworthy I don't think though

GTi is a 16v - always wanted one and tbh thought it was poorly when I first got it. I had heard they were gutless under 3k revs but I was shocked. Still, when it's on song it's a laugh and it's a keeper for sure. Definitely prefer the 8vs for 'normal' driving though.

Re: polar silver I chuckled when I saw the v5 states the car colour as silver. I agree - it's definitely gold.

Yep 1.3 never been washed and hoping to keep it that way. Had to replace front passenger door last year for a slightly darker blue but it's starting to blend in now haha.

SOO looks lovely - compliments to the chef. Smoke from the dash sounds like fun, and at least you made something good from the cars/bits you had. Would love to do an engine swap at some point, I have a second polar silver (CL) tucked away but life needs funds more than the cars at the moment. One for the retirement if it ever comes haha.


Daytona nice collection and looks like a great place to keep them too. I feel bad about keeping my cars outside but at least they're driven and looked after-ish 

Briano1234 I'm not a huge fan of plastic, but it's an impossible to avoid, besides it's undeniably a very useful material. I've bought a nissens oem rad, I was speaking to a vw parts specialist yesterday who said a lot of these alloy rads come from China and leak from factory as they're so badly made, especially the top fill ones, which sort of put me off. Would you recommend replacing fan switch? Or should the one I've got be OK? More for sealing up and not leaking than anything else.

Daytona that's a lovely collection, I'm not sure which I like most. Those gtd mk2s have got to be pretty rare now.

saladman oh really? I've had a few mk2 8v gti's but never a 16v, I've always wanted one though, in monza blue or oak green. Though love tornado red too.

Haha nice, at least it's loved, even if it's tough love eh.

Thanks, I do miss SOO, even if it was more trouble than it was worth! Was a cool looking car and a laugh to drive even though it was dead slow. Would be interesting to see it now, there again it may upset me lol.

Maybe one day eh, what would you swap into it? I've never had the balls to do an engine swap, have thought about the AUM from the a3 in the mk1 but I think it spoil the mk1s appeal for me personally.

Karlos1987 said

Briano1234 I'm not a huge fan of plastic, but it's an impossible to avoid, besides it's undeniably a very useful material. I've bought a nissens oem rad, I was speaking to a vw parts specialist yesterday who said a lot of these alloy rads come from China and leak from factory as they're so badly made, especially the top fill ones, which sort of put me off. Would you recommend replacing fan switch? Or should the one I've got be OK? More for sealing up and not leaking than anything else.

Daytona that's a lovely collection, I'm not sure which I like most. Those gtd mk2s have got to be pretty rare now.

saladman oh really? I've had a few mk2 8v gti's but never a 16v, I've always wanted one though, in monza blue or oak green. Though love tornado red too.

Haha nice, at least it's loved, even if it's tough love eh.

Thanks, I do miss SOO, even if it was more trouble than it was worth! Was a cool looking car and a laugh to drive even though it was dead slow. Would be interesting to see it now, there again it may upset me lol.

Maybe one day eh, what would you swap into it? I've never had the balls to do an engine swap, have thought about the AUM from the a3 in the mk1 but I think it spoil the mk1s appeal for me personally.

Hi, yes the GTD with the early 1.6 and its strong turbo is damned hard to find as only a handful sold before the horrible Mk3 and its poor turbo diesel arrived.
Mine has 78k miles and one owner before me, and is in lovely original condition. Here's another shot.
Marcus.