Used Car Buying Guide: Cheap Hot Hatches

Like the Peugeot 205GTI, early Golf GTIs are cars that motoring journalists (who get to drive every new car on the market and tend to be pretty fussy about what they own) often buy, with their own money, for themselves. The Golf GTI is, therefore, another of those legendary cars that everyone harps on about and which are always cited in any debate about where, how and when modern fast hatchbacks have gone wrong (when the Mk 3 was launched, according to the journos' gospel). But there's no escaping the fact that the Mk 1 Golf, GTi or not, was an incredibly important model, with a huge and long-lasting influence on European car production.

Although it has never captured public affection in quite the same way as the original Beetle, the car it was designed to replace, it effectively created the market for small, family, front-wheel-drive hatchbacks - and the Mk 1 Golf GTi is generally acknowledged to be the first ever true hot hatch. As such, it's now very collectable, and the past few years have seen prices for good examples rise and rise. You can still even buy a new one, imported from South Africa, where it continues in production, and there are specialist companies bringing them into the UK to meet the never-waning demand for a good GTi. Mk 2 models remain cheap, but it's only a matter of time before they, too, transcend banger status to come out the other side as a classic.

The first right-hand-drive GTis to come to the UK (left-hookers were available prior to this by special order) were launched in July 1979, with the 1600 engine, fuel injection and a four-speed gearbox. Later that year, alloy wheels and a five-speed box became standard, and this model continued until October 1982, when it was replaced by the 1800 GTi with the bigger, but hardly more powerful, engine. Low-profile tyres, alloy wheels and a sunroof became standard kit on this model a year later, taking it through to the new range in '84.

The Golf Mk 2 was bigger, more refined and more modern-looking - nicely-kept Mk 2s still look very smart today. The eight-valve 1800 GTi continued to use the later Mk 1 engine and had full sports seats, alloys and wheel-arch extensions as well as the range-wide revisions to suspension, brakes, heating/ventilation and cabin. A year later, a five-door version was launched, and both this and the three-door gained twin exhaust pipes and bodyside mouldings, although alloys went back on the options list. Most buyers paid the price to upgrade from the standard steel wheels, usually going for the multi-spoke BBS items.

The hottest Golf yet, the 1800 GTi-16V, joined the range in September 1986, and this had electric windows, a standard sunroof and central locking. All GTis got a steel sunroof, a new grille and new trim in the range-wide revisions of '87, and body-coloured bumpers became standard for 1990.

The 16-valve provoked the first criticisms that the GTi was going soft by gaining power steering (the Golf was always heavy on the arms) as well as those BBS alloys as standard. The eight-valve gained power steering a year later, and the full kit list as per the 16-valve in August 1991 (electric windows, dark glass rear lights, BBS alloys); the range continued for another year until the larger, heavier and stodgier Golf Mk 3 took over.

Volkswagen didn't need to push sales by launching special editions; the 1988 Special Equipment models (eight-valve or 16-valve) have different alloys, central locking and plusher trim, but they're the only UK limited-run models. Available to special order from Germany, however, was the Rallye G60 (1989) which boasted 160 bhp, four-wheel drive, ABS and lower, stiffer suspension; these models are few and far between and usually very expensive. If you're after an investment, a standard Mk 2 GTi with low mileage, a good service history and nice bodywork is a better bet - it'll be worth a lot more in the not-too-distant future.

Links:
Guide to checking out a used car
Mug's guide to tuning: More bhp for your bucks

• Previous : Vauxhall Nova GTE/SR/SRi

• Back to Buying Guides