Volkswagen Golf I Cabriolet > Reviews (1)

I Bought this little Vee dub from a guy I used to work with. He had been given a company car, and with only parking at home for one car, he parked his golf convertible at work.....for about two years it sat on the tarmac going nowhere. I couldn't bear it any more, so I bought it off him and restored it back to its former glory. Would I have done the same with hindsight? Probably. Although it was a challenge at times, and not cheap, I did get a good price for this modern classic when I eventually sold it summer 2006.

The car is Black with black recaro interior, leather steering wheel, and black painted BBS alloys. The car looks really smart especially after I junked the original vinyl roof and replaced it with a new black mohair one.

Getting the car back on the road was just another project for me. Although amazingly it started after having been sat there on the tarmac for two years. I'm not sure how it was possible but it was. A few niggly bits needed replacing. The fuel filler neck was rusty, the windscreen wiper mechanism siezed, the door seals mouldy, and here was the first shock, the golf Convertible with the exception of the engine, is not a very common car, and finding spares for it is not easy. These spares are possibly available from a VW garage (at extortionate cost), or from breakers (at a not quite so extortionate cost). But it will cost more than you think.

I owned the car for 18 months and didn't really do much mileage in that time. Proably about 5k miles. It was reliable and didn't let me down. Although I found myself using it less and less, and losing sleep thinking about whether or not someone was about to slash my new roof. Probably best kept in a garage.

Good points of ownership.

Reliability. 10/10, never broke down, not bad when you consider it was sitting for two years. Good engine.

Looks. The car is first and foremost a looker. It is not remotely practical, having little room in the back and a tiny boot, but in black with black BBS alloys and a nice hood, it looks ace. Draws admiring glances from many onlookers.

Engine. The 8 valve 1781cc Gti lump (the bottom end of which still prevails in VW range), is bullet proof, and torquey. Not a sports car though, and because the body is convertible it is reinficed and much heavier than the Mk1 hatchback. Expect 0-60 times of about 9-10 seconds. Good fuel economy too 34mpg easily achieveable.

Driving was excellent fun, and the car was very chuckable. It would tend to drift if pushed, but was very easily controlled, and the GTi engine was a willing partner. Direct non PAS steering helped wih the 'feel'

Bad points

Electrical gremlins. I had serious electrical problems with this car, problaby due to the fact that was sat still outside for two years (memo to self, don't buy another car that's been sat still for ages). The power hood stopped working, the dash lights failed. The trip computer was intermittently working. One day fine , the next not. Annoying.

Scuttle shake. This was my first convertible, and it will probably be my last, as I just don't like the instability of an open top.

The scuttle shake makes the car feel like it's about to disintegtrate. The lowered stiffened suspension didn't help I'm sure.

Suspension. One of the previous owners installed Jamex lowered springs and dampers. These made the car look great, but going over speed bumps was not much fun. As the chassis is not very stiff, it also accentuates the scuttle shake. The wheels are skipping over the bumps and the body is shaking away, and the overall effect is not very composed. I put on some Dunlop SP01 tyres which were nice and supple and helped the ride, but it was still too harsh. If you have one of these, test others' lowered cars before buying to check what you're getting yourself in for.

Brakes. These really are out of the 80s. My first car was a vw polo country (the boxy estate one) and it didn't have servo assisted brakes. I used to have nightmares about pushing the brake pedal and nothing happening, in fact come to think of it I still do :) Well the golf was a bit like that, but perhaps not as bad. However there a serious amount of effort is required to stop the car.

Maintenance & Upkeep

Buying and running any european car is a piece of cake nowadays. Buy a haynes manual, some basic tools and get yourself down to GSF or similar for the consumables. It really is the best thing you can do. Once you've tackled the fear of getting your hands dirty, you'll happily do it again knowing that your saving hundreds of pounds and also showing your car some love.

When I bought the golf I carried out a full service; Cam belt, All filters (fuel oil air), oil change, brake fluid change (and front braided brake hoses to try and sharpen the soggy brakes), all four tyres needed replacing (having been sat around for years they had developed flat spots and had the affect of unbalanced wheels at speed. Not very nice. I also changed all the suspension bushes at the front with polyurethane bushes, put on a new exhaust and naturally bought a new battery. it went int he garage once to have a new wheel bearing installed, and to fix an electrical problem. Cheap as chips to run, and if something does go wrong, it wont cost a fortune to fix.

Overall

These cars are really easy to work on, minimal effort required to service and keep on the road. Just change the oil and filter every 7.5k miles/6 months with semi synth and she'll be fine.

Nice car, a bit on the heavy side, but I'm glad to have been involved in her life. Overall an absolute stunner and a classic car for sure.