Posts Tagged ‘german’

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Needs more VeeDub – 1984 Volkswagen GTI

March 17, 2010

I’ve written about the first-generation GTI in the past, so that and the recent article on Cabriolets should give you some insight into what’s exciting about these cars from a RustyButTrusty perspective. That in mind, I’m going to skip the rambling and get straight into our subject, a 1984 Volkswagen GTI available for $1500 in Austin, TX.

Check it out – with only 60,000 miles, it’s got reasonably shiny paint and looks pretty straight. How many of these 26-year-old hot hatches are there still around that can say that? If the mileage is correct (trust but verify!), you’ll be experiencing this car the way someone would have in about 1989 (after about 5 years of 12K/year driving). Seller is not very verbose in his ad, but allows that the car has only had one owner. With any luck you’ll get maintenance records and more – sounds like he’s finally giving up his weekend toy.

1984 VW GTI black left

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Insecure? Don’t Read This. Pair of manly VW Cabriolets

March 17, 2010

I never really understood why these cars were regarded, as the British might say, as a “hairdresser’s car”. They handle well, have a classic Giugiaro design, and allow wind-in-the-hair fun for you and 3 friends. They’re also the easiest remaining way to get into a Mark 1 VW. Interestingly, the market seems to agree – there are plenty of Cabriolets out there, some with performance upgrades going all the way to turbodiesel and 16-valve GTI engines. I guess that means it takes about 20 years for the market to forget who originally drove these cars. Having driven one of these (as a rental in Germany…. yes, triple-white, and no, I don’t have any issues related to that), I can vouch for the fun-factor.

Anyway, let’s move on to our subjects. On our first car, it looks like someone’s been working to erase the, um, femininity of this car, from which you can benefit. The seller has added an H/P cam, crank, and exhaust, along with suspension from Neuspeed and a K&N air filter and aftermarket wheels. Set up with the quad headlights and black paint, this car actually looks pretty aggressive. Priced fairly competitively at $3000, you can find it in Rogers, AR (near Fayetteville).

1989 VW Cabriolet black right

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Euro Ford Fever – 1987 Merkur XR4Ti plus bonus Capri

February 2, 2010

Along with the Alfa Milano and Peugeot 405 Mi16, the Merkur XR4Ti imported by Ford in the second half of the 80s is an under-appreciated alternative to more common cars in its category, such as E30 BMW 3-series or M3, Mercedes 190E 2.3-16, and Saab/Volvo turbos. It’s got unusual styling that was very modern in the 80s, keeping up with the baby Benz but making the 3-series and Swedes look very dated. Nonetheless, it did not get the same kind of popular appreciation, no doubt thanks to poor marketing on the part of Ford/Lincoln-Mercury, who were as excited about pushing high-margin floaty-boats like the Town Car and Cougar (couldn’t sell a car with that name nowadays!) as they were in the days of, say, the Capri.

As with many under-appreciated cars, good examples are hard to find. I’ve been keeping my eyes open for a clean example of one of these for many moons now, and this is the first one I’ve found which I would take seriously. Most are project cars that have blown turbos, missing exhaust components, and faded paint. The bonus of being under-appreciated is that even the really nice cars are affordable, and this one seems to be a case in point. Behold, for $2500, this solid looking example in Mesa, AZ. With only 123K miles and running great, it looks like a decent deal.

1987 Merkur XR4Ti front

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