Is Now The Time To Buy A VW MK1 Golf Cabriolet | An Iconic Classic Car That's Fun and Affordable

Is now the time to buy? I certainly hope so, as that's exactly what we have done! The Volkswagen MK1 Golf Cabriolet is an icon but prices (for now) remain affordable for this great summer classic.
Great styling, solid build quality, cheap running costs, and an unrivalled image make it a perfect starter classic, and i'm pleased to say this 1989 example is now my girlfriend's pride and joy. It's quickly become a Fuel Up Classic firm favourite with anyone who gets to drive it.
Join me as I take it out for a drive and talk you through why now is the time to get your hands on a MK1 Golf Cabriolet, discuss what it's like to drive and own one and cover a few important things to remember if you're thinking about buying one.
This one is sticking around, so we will cover our ownership journey with regular updates.

[@malcolmlane-ley2044]

A trip down memory lane for me as my wife had an '87 F GTi when it was 3 years old, it was fun to drive with that torquey engine and had a great image; the down side I recall was the poor brakes due to a not quite perfect engineering solution to enable VW to make it a right hand drive car.

[@markdempsey4763]

Great video, looks a good example, such a fun car, I have an 1982 1.6 GTI tin top, love it, enjoy yours 😀

[@fuelupclassic]

Thanks, you too!

[@waynegardner2495]

Best car you can get for the money iv had lots of them I have the sportline in red and a Gti in silver

[@fuelupclassic]

I agree :) We are still loving it! Thank you for watching

[@YashvirPillay]

This is my dream car 😢

[@Vince_uk]

I love a Cabrio there is nothing more wonderful than driving an open top car especially a 4 seat one.. These Golfs have always been a cool model.

[@simonhartley2772]

Love it! Brings back great memories. I had a E plate GTi cabrio when I was 21. White with a white soft top and white alloys. I really miss that car. Would love to own another some day

[@nicojager686]

Got a red Clipper for 3 years now. Used it as a daily without problems. Now 50.000km's further it still go's smooth. This winter I"ll be using a saltbanger as I decided to keep the car for as long as possible. Great fun, mine has powersteering luckely although no automatic and with a heavy clutch I still have a workout. Love the authentic way of driving and its never boring. Just made a trip with the roof down to Berlin 600k's awsome memory's.. great purchase! Hope you have awsome drive's with it. ❤

[@fuelupclassic]

That’s great to hear :) I hope you enjoy your Clipper for many more years and miles to come. Happy motoring.

[@estebanhenriquez3491]

As a young man out of High School, my eyes were set on the gun metal colored MK4 Golf. I didn’t know much about cars but, aesthetically speaking, I liked the Golf. My dad took notice and bought me a MK2 GTI! However, like some kids, my initial reaction was distaste for what I perceived as just a musky-smelling old car. When I drove it around, I would ALWAYS get honks, questions about the car, and requests to buy it off me! My first reaction was: “Why are people so inquisitive about this car? It’s just an old car.” Boy, I began researching the history of the GTI and it dawned on me that I was rolling in one of the best vehicles Volkswagen could offer in the 90’s. Many years later, I bought a Cabriolet but sold it because it turned out to be a nightmare. I’m now looking to buy another Cabriolet, but am trying to be wise as to how I approach it. Thanks for the awesome video and greetings from Florida, USA! ✌🏽🇺🇸

[@fuelupclassic]

Fantastic! Great to hear you enjoyed the video. A MK2 GTI is certainly a legendary car and must have been great fun as a first car. I hope you manage to get another Cabriolet soon and enjoy it.

[@jesspurr]

I have nearly the exact same story- when I was 18 (in 2017), I asked my parents for a hatchback. That was all the info I gave them, and they landed on getting me a 2002 mk4 golf. I couldn’t stand the thing because it smelled musty and old and the upholstery and rubber seals were dry rotted. But people would stop me all the time and say, “oh I had a rabbit when I was a kid! Fun car!” Not knowing what they were talking about. A couple years ago, I started doing research on golfs and I wanted to sell my mk4 and upgrade to a newer GTI. At almost 23, (2022), I got a mk6 gti and I’ve loved it for a while now. But now I realize the golf and GTI are two different animals: one is fun for backroad driving and swinging around turns and the other begs to be pushed onto the highway. Flash forward to 2024, a week ago, I’ve now purchased a 1989 golf cabriolet because I truly think the value of “cute” older, convertible cars that are fun to drive (example: Miata) is going to increase. Plus, nothing beats experiencing and actually driving the humble beginnings of a vehicle that still remains iconic. Although admittedly, my driveway’s looking a bit ridiculous 😅

[@cabriolet2007]

My MK1 clipper is Automatic. So comfortable and enjoyable to drive.

[@Down-x4u]

Found my old cabbie 3 year's ago just by chance should be on the road next month 😊

[@fuelupclassic]

Excellent! Enjoy :)

[@andrewcraynor1252]

Excellent video again Mark, top work. I think people are generally more interested in affordable and usable classics 👋😀

[@fuelupclassic]

Great to hear you enjoyed it. I try and cover as many affordable classics as possible :)

[@TNPTVconnect]

For me, it's always been between this Golf and the Peugeot 205 Cabrio when it comes to modern classic usable little convertibles. Great little unassuming cabrios for summer!

[@fuelupclassic]

Both are great summer fun choices :) I haven't seen a 205 Cabrio for many years but I would love to feature one on the channel in the future.

[@seanporter6795]

Yup. Just did a complete restoration to OEM plus on a 88 Clipper Cabby. 2.0l motor, ported head, cam, exhaust, etc. super fun car.

[@fuelupclassic]

I bet it's great fun!

[@houseoffolly]

I have a 1980 Cabriolet. Probably the funnest car I've ever driven. You got some room too, unlike the cramped Miata.

[@djkenny1202]

I love the MK3 Cabrio. I looked at several Cabriolets. They were in need of too much, and over priced. Found a beautiful 2000 Cabrio, felt so sturdy and easier to see out the back. Better motor. Better equipped. Safer. Just a better car. I love my MK2 GTI 16v as well.

[@fuelupclassic]

The MK3 cabrio was never that popular here in the UK and have never really gained a great following. On the plus side, when they do come up for sale, they're usually pretty cheap too!

[@djkenny1202]

@@fuelupclassic parts are more accessible. Shared with so many MK3, and MK4. My VW mechanics recommended the later models. When my automatic fails someday, I’ll likely convert to manual. But it’s running fab and smooth with 146k. They are actually the biggest Seller, which really surprised me!

[@xoloman846]

In Europe, they are VERY expensive, around 10000$ if you want one in good condition...

[@fuelupclassic]

Interesting! That is about the same as prices in the UK. They can still be picked up relatively cheaply here (usually between £5-£10,000 depending on condition and whether it's a genuine GTI or not). The cabriolet still continues to lag far behind the values of MK1 Golf GTI hatchbacks though!

[@firstnamesecondname5341]

Kate O’Mara in Howard’s Way…. Great car and a great show of its time 😊

[@onlinebizjp]

Thank you. It's a good car👍

[@daxmcguinness4529]

I brought a cabrio with the roof thrown in and not fitted as one on was knackered. WOW was i in for a shock!. 9/9 Garages laughed at me when i asked for a quote to remove and fit a new roof - it was a NO. I eventually found someone 220 miles away who wanted it for 3 days at a cost of £1250. Never ever ever again. Unless a new roof has been fitted recently and properly

[@fuelupclassic]

That's very interesting and sounds as though the places you tried simply didn't want to take on the work. Our one (the one in the video) was also supplied with a new roof. This was fitted by my usual trimmer and took about 2 days in total, and the bill was circa £375 if I recall.

[@Down-x4u]

Place in Germany does new roof £240 and takes about 6 hours to fit

[@aprilboneski4639]

Is your VW representative of OK spec cars? I'm from the US. My 1988 has Air conditioning, power steering and three gauge cluster in the lower consol. My cabriolet has more gauges than any other car I have owned.

[@fuelupclassic]

This one is a pretty basic model, although i'm sure many options were available from the factory, air-con would have been a rare option for a UK car. Later models were pretty well specced, although I think power steering was a factory option on LHD cars but not on RHD UK market models.

[@aprilboneski4639]

Oh by the way, good review and nice example of a Cabriolet.@@fuelupclassic

[@SivalVanPoppel]

Nice,we have a white 1983 mk1 cabriolet

[@fuelupclassic]

great fun, aren't they :)

[@drewonspacegames]

Should be 90bhp in the clipper, with a 0-60 of about 10 seconds. :)

[@fuelupclassic]

That sounds about right to me :). Thanks for watching.

[@terrywareham1278]

Love it

[@elibungay8118]

I have a 90s cabriolet. Is there anyone interested to buy it? Not running but the body is good

[@konstantinkuyumdzhiev1006]

where is located?

[@Johnsharp-m3f]

I was offered one in 2003 for £500

[@fuelupclassic]

if only they were still that cheap.

[@Down-x4u]

Where's the front towing eye

[@fuelupclassic]

If I remember rightly, from 1988 onwards all of them were fitted with the 'Clipper Kit', which meant the towing eye was placed almost out of sight, tucked out of the way on the left-hand side of the front bumper. Earlier cars had a towing eye sticking out of the left-hand side and smaller bumpers, which made it much more visible.

[@Down-x4u]

@fuelupclassic7003 was on the right hand side was made a bit longer because of big bumper kit

[@-HustleUnion-]

if its the wolfsburg edition with the white leather interior and white color rims to match. if not meh

[@maverick4177]

These cars never went anywhere near Wolfsburg, they were all built by Karmann in Osnabruck “Wolfsburg” is merely a marketing ploy to make Americans think they own something unique 😂

[@maverick4177]

Automatic and not a Gti….you will regret buying that 😂

[@fuelupclassic]

Thank you, that's very kind of you to say and I hope you enjoyed the video.

[@maverick4177]

@@fuelupclassiclet me know how you get on re selling it 😂

[@fuelupclassic]

@@maverick4177 no intentions of selling, my partner is far too attached to it to even consider it :).