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“Golf Mk2 GTI 16v 5 door ”

written by jimmyboy99 on 30/11/2009

Golf Mk2 GTI 16v 5 door



I really can't praise the car enough. It's 18 years old and still looks fantastic in it's original oak green. I've always wanted one since I was taken to school in a white 8v gti when I was 13 by a mate's mum. I was hooked from that day, it seemed very fast, much cooler than any other car I had been in.



So some 21 years later I decided it was time to get one! It's debatable but I've bought the rarest colour and it's done 135,000 miles.



So what can I say about it, firstly the awesome handling, it's got 185 tyres but it sticks to corners like nothing I've ever driven and it's also very sure footed, it let's you know in plenty of time when it's losing grip even in the wet. I don't drive it like a lunatic, but on a quiet country road, very little can keep up with it through the bends if you put your mind to it.



The engine is great, there's that huge which is better 8v or 16v debate going on, mine has a jetex exhaust on it, but is entirely standard apart from that. Once you get over 4k rpm, it just takes off, not disimilar to having a turbo and it gets faster and faster towards the red line. Sure there are faster cars out there, but I'm sure mine must be hitting 60 in about 7 seconds and the way it does it, always puts a smile on your face.



It's utterly reliable, when I first got it, it had been standing in a garage for a year, it started and then cut out at a roundabout! Not a good start I thought, but it made it home over 300 miles away and a quick look on a VW owners forum, a clean of the throttle body and it's been fantastic, always starts rain or shine, cold or hot and I'd happily drive it abroard without any worries about it breaking down.



Sure it's had a couple of problems, a power steering rack that dropped all it's fluid, knackered shocks, but all acceptable on a car that's done 135k miles. I constantly get asked if I want to sell it, which is nice.



But I won't part with it for anything, a brilliant car and VW made a car that was built to last, look around for Ford's or Vauxhalls that haven't been restored of the same age, and if you can find them, they will be largely in pieces.



Finally, if you drive sensibly, it's also remarkably economical, on a recent trip from bournemouth it registered 36.5 mpg (I know the MFA is optimistic!) and used a quarter of a tank in the 140 mile trip.



I'll shut up now, but this is a seriously good car and is as close to perfection in a hot hatch as I think you can get.