Real Road Test: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk3 - is it sooo boring?

Well, is it? Many people consider the Mk3 GTI a bit of a damp squib, before the even more lowly Mk4 GTI. I decided to find out for myself. This example was bought for a Cheap Car Challenge in Classic Car Buyer magazine. How does it stack up?
HubNut store (closed until 14th October) can normally be found via hubnut.org
Classic Car Buyer issues can be found at shop.kelsey.co.uk along with other marvellous titles, such as Classic Jaguar, Retro Cars, Fishing News and Ships Monthly.

[@Termiic]

Mk3 golf is one of the most UNDERRATED now-classic cars of that period. Particulary in the way it is constructed and built. It is one of the most repairable, cheap, practical and affordable cars EVER. With just enough tech and none of the bullshit.

[@tyt5216]

Oh please don't make people realise how wonderful they are, I'll be trying to get one cheaply in the near future! Jokes aside that is very true

[@Termiic]

@@tyt5216 oh, so jokes aside? :))) Would you buy iced latte for 8 euros when you can have new brake discs for 10? ;) Aaaand we can retrofit everything form towing hooks, to cruise control to air condition. Everything is known, tried and tested!

[@tyt5216]

@@Termiic Hahaha I'd rather get a new brake discs than a cup of latte! Absolutely, I think mk3s would be my life long daily driver if I manage to get one :) I hope I'll find one with a decent bodywork and drivetrains…

[@misterads123]

I had a VR6 highline model. Completely standard and it handled like a boat! Now, this was in my younger years and I decided it needed lowering and some gentle modding. It was a leggy 160k black one but once it was lowered, it was a hoot. Really solid engineering, a great noise from the great VR and full leather that smelt lovely. Still miss it to this day! Bloody great cars. Well done Mr HubNut!

[@rickydub6950]

Exactly, a vr6 on decent suspension is a completely different animal 👍

[@Tacko14]

I remember the 4x4 vr6. It went so fast without effort, it was ridiculous. I went through town at 75mph until I noticed. Scared the life out of me. Not for the handling, it felt safe, but for the beckoning jailtime

[@sandman7891]

"Giorgetto Giugiaro stylist of the Daewoo Matiz" can't believe he ever introduced himself that way.

[@y4nnickschmitt]

I can't believe how some cars he designed are so timelessly gorgeous like the original Golf and others are ehh not.

[@cooper109]

Bloody hell hes got those sandals on again

[@nickjh1968]

Yeah not a great look is it?

[@HubNut]

Hey, those are my NEW IMPROVED sandals!

[@cooper109]

HubNut they are sooo not cool ... love your vids keep up the fab work !

[@chrisdale2121]

@@nickjh1968 Not sure it's the sandals - it's men's feet in general that are unappealing. Unfortunately, sandals highlight the problem and somewhat demand the need for sock coverage. The socks and sandals debate is another kettle of wildebeest altogether....and please don't get me started on flip flops, or as Ian is due to find out shortly - thongs!

[@nickjh1968]

@@chrisdale2121 Thing is Chris, this is Hubnut, so I suppose this choice of footwear is pretty predictable..I can't see him as a Nike Air kind of guy😁

[@energymc22]

I drove a mk3 8v around ten years ago and was pleasantly surprised. I thought it would be rubbish but to be fair to it, it felt fine, and faster than I thought it would be with that engine. Interior quality was good for it's time, even had an oil temperature gauge in the digital display. Sure, a ZX or 306 surely handled better but I'd rather have a Golf than a lot of other cars of the era

[@YegoYTP]

i can't really think of a car in its class from that era that id rather have, except from probably a Ph1 306 XSi. The MK5 XR3i's are worth a fair chunk of money but they were also quite crap. Especially in 105bhp guise.

[@jo05dk]

The MK3 is, by some margin, the Golf i like the least. ..but even i have to admit that for 500£, a MK3 GTI in what seems to be good condition, makes a lot of sense.

[@PlanetautoUK]

JohnnyNr5 that’s our thoughts, massive fans of the Mk2 and 1

[@RexWaldron]

I remember that contemporary road testers often favoured the 8 valve GTi over the 16v because of the more useable (in most conditions) mid range pulling power of the 8v. Looks a very useable piece of kit for £500! Very HubNut 😀👍

[@LGaragem]

I like this car, honestly, I like every generation of the Golf.

[@kjross73]

I got one of these new in 1996 as my first company car, I did 80,000 miles in a year in it. It was a very decent car, the only thing I hated was the ride on the old concrete motorways which tended to loosen the fillings somewhat! I even took it to the south of France. Within the UK there are not many places I did not go in it including the very North of Scotland and Cornwall. I would have another tomorrow.

[@SPTSuperSprinter156]

How many years did you have it? 80,000 a year is serious going. Edit: read again and I’m guessing a single year?

[@kjross73]

@@SPTSuperSprinter156 I only had it a year then it was replaced with a Passat.

[@Thisistrulyoddtv_Mark]

Wow that’s high mileage my car is 11 years old and only just got 70 thousand on it now

[@kjross73]

@@Thisistrulyoddtv_Mark I was a technical sales rep covering the whole of the country, I was also single so being away and getting home late didn't matter. I could not do it these days.

[@darwenrover8910]

When the Golf GTi became like Elvis Presley in his later years

[@stevegreen9460]

only real diffrence i can see is the head lights were bad looking, like volvo 240 lights. if thay had stayed with double round headlights each side im sure it would have been more loved like the others. notice on the mark 4s even thow its one head lamp unit thay put twin round lights each side again. its like the golfs hallmark, like bmws twin head lights or the merc star on the grill. just cant not have them.

[@ohshitnotanotherknob]

What, lots of sequins?

[@thepofmeister]

Dashcam Lancs LOL! The Everything Burger!

[@paulstandeven8572]

@@ohshitnotanotherknob It's the double-clutch sequintial gearbox he can't stand

[@faviodezi9553]

@Jayme Fortune Yeah the VR6 is such an icon but if you're looking for a retro looking daily that is cheap to run and not so expensive to insure just get the GTI.

[@thomhix312]

@HubNut this was a good review of a model of golf I wasn't too sure about (as they are fairly unpopular there simply isn't as much info around about them in use) but again another great no bias and informative review. Thank you!

[@skodakatie7341]

I find the Golf to be an attractive car, throughout its evolution, this one in particular is in very good condition for its age, a true testament to legendary German build quality!!.

[@tyt5216]

Well said!! My dad absolutely abused his mk3 back in the day yet never broke down. I just wish he had treated it better and handed it down to me…

[@Perkelenaattori]

I had a 1995 Mk3 1.4 with the classic steering wheel and it was a decent car and I drove it for 10 years. It felt upmarket compared to the other same sized hatchbacks like the Astra.

[@jamesswift217]

I've always liked these, even if they are boring. They do the job which is all they were really made for. I do prefer the MK4 personally as I had one and it was a tank

[@stitcha123]

Mk4s are massively underrated. Which is good for me, plenty of cheap motors!

[@Bmovie5000]

I love my MK4 GTI VR6... loads of fun and lots of parts available.

[@mtozzy11]

I know I'm abit late to the party with this one but going back through your old videos and catching up. My first car was a mk3 golf vr6 manual in that same green. Loved that car I got it in 2002 with 32,000km on it and sold it in 2004 with 104,000 kms. I sold it to buy a 2001 VW Bora V6 4motion manual (Helga) with 26,000km on it. Helga now has 216,000kms and It's a car that I won't sell or get rid of. But that mk3 golf started my love affair with VW, I've had 1 golf, 1 Passat, 2 amaroks, 3 crafters and 2 Touaregs. All been stellar cars.

[@johncollymore1697]

GREAT video - and excellent commentary as always. Good views forward out of the windscreen. Nice driving, as always - and very entertaining. You should ask VW Milton Keyes for a drive in the 1994 Golf Ecomatic - an amazing drive system too far ahead of its time. The engine cut out if you lifted, and it had a manual trans with a two-pedal system and auto clutch! All very mechanical. VW Milton Keyes used to have one in their collection - I wonder if its still there? And still runs?! Very characterful - and fairly HubNut-ish. Keep up the good work.

[@asm1]

My Brother had a Mk3 16v in this colour on an N plate from new for 5-6 years, so this brought back memories, Thanks for that. He loved it, never had problems and much like this example, got around well. According to one of the Car chedck sites, it was last on the road in 2014 with 200+ thousand miles on it, so somebody had a fair bit of driving in it after my brother !

[@DevonSalad]

I loved my one of these in Canyon Red. Favorite little feature was the fact you can set the intermittent wipe time to whatever you want to a limit. If you turn it on to intermittent, off, then on again, the time you left between the two turn-ons becomes the interval!

[@martinhall5980]

Being a £500 golf man myself, I like that you liked it Ian.

[@glenndub-lad8103]

I own a mk3 golf gti 8v brilliant motor never skips a beat nd keeps of going brilliant motor

[@SPTSuperSprinter156]

Liked for George purring at the end. (spoiler etc)

[@biffick99]

Enjoyable video and thanks for including George at the end. My cat, " Whiskey " is a bit envious of George's stardom though!

[@sg8539]

Great review of a bargain useable fast hatchback with proven reliability and pedigree. Brilliant dash binnacle ergonomics, seems to have aged well and punchy engine. £500 you cannot go wrong. Thanks Ian great video as usual and hi to George.

[@rhspek]

Brought back happy memories of my Vento VR6, which I owned for about ten years and a ton in miles. Not so much space under the bonnet, but that VR6 was really nice.

[@ssilvaxxx22]

Thats strange, I thought this was the best looking golf ever. Especially in a dark grey colour.

[@GlamStacheessnostalgialounge]

And I thought and still think it's the worst looking one. But to be fair, the 90's probably had the ugliest car designs by far, followed by the early to mid 2000's and today.

[@carlos_al]

@@GlamStacheessnostalgialounge the ugliest one is mk5, by far.

[@y4nnickschmitt]

@@carlos_al Agreed. The MK5 lost the elegance of the mk4 and just got fat. And when saying ugly, that simply refers to it being the least attractive. Since granted, no Golf is truly ugly. That more Fiat Multipla territory.

[@caprirob]

I owned a very late model Mk3 Gti - it had good A/C and everything worked but it was a hard car to like. Clutch was heavy, interior plastics poor and performance was disappointing. This was maybe 10 years ago and I’ve had no interest in any VW since. Great test and review as always though - brought back memories 👍

[@bedfordlegend3320]

I owned an Indian Red Mk3 8v GTI for 9 months, cost me £800 and it was a reasonably good car. Sure it was bigger and heavier than it's predecessors but it also came out into a market where hot-hatches were largely uninsurable so developing a fire breathing car was probably a false economy anyway. Like your review, I found that rather than out and out speed it packed a decent midrange punch which made it quite nimble in the real world (Rather than traffic light sprints) and quite enjoyed driving it. It wasn't the most reliable car I've ever owned as it lunched on fuel pump relays and headlight bulbs but it never left me stranded either. In the end, rust on the inner sills killed it and it went for scrap. I still think the Mk4 Golf was by far the worst car to carry the VW badge, and the one most humiliated by the arrival of a far better Ford rival in the Focus.

[@aldman]

Great review as always Ian...And Thank's for the George moment

[@FinalLegion89]

I'm one of those weirdos who actually quite likes the motorway so the mid-range punch got me excited!

[@robc5955]

Needs some proper VW antifreeze, ahem - but otherwise lovely, my much older brother bought a polo in the 90’s and I remember going with him to the garage and sitting in one of these in the showroom - it was love at first sitting, I’ve kind of admired VW ever since and have had a few. I know people don’t like them, but personally the ones I’ve had have been reliable long lasting and relatively easy to service and fix (some jobs aside) I’d love this one and like hubnut had a look on various www alas mostly modified wrecks now. Lovely video as ever.

[@Si1983h]

I love Golfs, I’ve daily driven a MK4 GTI 1.8 20vt with just shy of 200BHP for the past six years. I paid £1600 for it with 85,000 miles on it, I’ve just passed 135,000 miles in it and it’s cost on average £350 a year in maintenance including timing belt change, ABS pump and brakes, tyres, fluid changes etc, cheap fun motoring (apart from fuel consumption, it drinks that). I’m just about to do another timing belt change on it and I’ll try and go for another six years in it. It’s a 1999 model but still looks clean and drives great. I wouldn’t mind finding an ABF engined (2.0 naturally aspirated 16 valve) MK3, they push 150BHP in stock form and like to be revved out, could be a fun car.

[@wernerbloemwagen6878]

I also owned one of these in the JETTA body shell - bought it brand new in 1994 and drove it to 410000km's with no problems except CV joints - very reliable!

[@BNStudios1]

Brings back so many memories as the first car we owned when I was a child! We had a 1996 2 door 1.8 SE in Maroon which would be incredibly rare these days! Lots of memories of sitting in the back seat...

[@IOWPCV]

Ah George ! Bless him . Was never a fan of that model but I'm glad it impressed you more than I assumed it would.

[@luceya1985]

My MK3 didn’t have power steering and was a bit like driving a tank. When I moved to Germany I brought it over with me and it would happily buzz along the Autobahn 300 miles and back to Berlin. It ultimately ended up in a scrapyard in the Ruhr and I still miss it to this day!

[@vwestlife]

The Mk1 Golfs (Rabbits) that were built in the U.S. did have square headlamps, as well as the first few years of the U.S. built Mk2 Golf. But it was a popular modification to install "European-style" round headlamps -- until the 2000s when the trend reversed and then everyone was scouring junkyards for the square headlamps and matching grilles to put on the later Mk2 Golfs that never came with them originally.

[@JackPriddle]

They used that 2.0 8v engine right Into the mk4 era.. Which I currently have in my mk4 estate, its not particularly fast but it does have great torque.

[@andrewgardner9615]

Mk4 8v was a gti in UK but just sold as a 2.0 golf in Europe.seemed similar to drive to the Mk3 from what I can remember.

[@heinrichwolf4869]

I think I own the real Hub Nut version. Mine is a white '92 three-door 1.8 Automatic (75 bhp) with no extras at all. It has 116,000 km (72,000 mls) on the clock and absolutely no rust. I bought it from an elderly lady a few years ago for 1,000 Euros. Although it's hard to get fuel consumption under 10 l/100 km (28 mpg), it is still one of the least expensive cars to operate I ever owned. And even here in Germany, they become more and more rare.

[@jonp5641]

That is a great car and a lovely colour. I always liked the mark 3 Golf. Back in the days when VWs were more reliable and better built than they are these days. What an absolute bargain for £500! I have always wanted a GTI but have been scared off by the insurance costs.

[@jamesbraithwaite478]

I had a MK3 1.8 GL that I bought for £100 a few years back. Apart from the fact you had to pull the handbrake to almost vertical, it wasn't bad.

[@leejohnson3209]

I had a tired old MK3 estate. I loved it. With the seats down I could get 2 amps 2 guitars and a drum kit no problem. Mine had rear speakers in the doors with tweeters. Best sounding stereo I've heard. She got a bit too full of holes in the end. But the diesel engine was bullet proof.

[@johnnorth9355]

Mk 3 Golf - the ultimate rental car back in the day when I was travelling on the continent. The looks seemed much more special then than they do now but they were bullet proof.

[@ivan747100]

A relative of mine once owned a 1995 Jetta 3 VR6 automatic - this car didn't have a driver's airbag - it only became standard fitment for the following model year. A trick of the central locking is if you use the key to open the driver's door instead of the remote immobiliser fob - if you hold the key in the unlock position, it rolls down ALL 4 windows - and you can also do the reverse by turning the key to the lock position & ALL 4 windows roll back up again. Came in very useful when the car had been parked in the sun all day, to let cool air in without having to turn on the ignition first & then only roll the windows down one at a time.

[@Graham_Langley]

My current '06 Mazda3 Sport does the same trick with the remote. Problem is it doesn't do the sunroof too.

[@mrb6094]

Mk3 are alright. Two of my friends have had them. One had an 8v and 16v (in that green, which I recall is Dragon green) GTi's and the other a VR6.

[@jon-paulgrainger1303]

LC6P

[@ewaf88]

I borrowed my friend's for a few months back in 1992. After my 1.0L Citroen AX it was a revelation :) I actually liked it a lot.

[@stevenwatson3963]

I had a mk1 GTI, and then a mk2 GTI over 25 yrs ago, both were awesome cars to drive and they both became 3 wheelers when ragged round islands.Great memories.Thanks for the mk3 review.

[@Rouxenator]

Astra Mk4 for me for the money. Took one from 30,000km to 235,000km in a decade and way more fun.

[@ls6882]

Golf VR6 is where it's at Hubnut! Cheers for this video. Childhood memories of my mum's Golfs through the 90's were brought back to me!

[@MillerCorner]

As a Golf cynic, don't take it lightly when I say I'm a fan of the Mk3 GTI. Driven this one and it's undeniably...Just good, just nice. Fan! 👍🏻

[@seymourbeaver753]

Ah,GTI memories scaring Nan giving her lift to collect her pension,for some reason she got the bus back.

[@dreamopeth]

I've owned 2 Mk3 Golfs, one was a 16v ABF model in mystic blue and the other was a VR6. They are prone to rusty sills big time, the gear boxes tend to need replacing or refurbishing after 150k miles, electric window motors failing are a common problem to. I was lucky to find a 16v model and it was great fun to drive with 150bhp. The VR6 I'll never forget, just a beast and awesome sound.

[@jasonjay7650]

I had a MK3 gti 16 valve and it was a cracking motor.. very reliable and a solid drive...

[@kkiwi54]

I had mk1, mk2, and mk3 GTIs. What I disliked about the mk1 (noisy, cramped) was fixed with the mk2, and what I disliked about the mk2 (heavy steering, no ABS) was fixed with the mk3 :) Btw I used to drive a wide variety of new cars at the time (company demonstrators) and when I got back into my Golf at the end of a day I usually found the driver's seat to be more comfortable than whatever I'd just been driving :o

[@TheColinSlack1]

I had a Mk 3 Golf in dragon green, not a gti but a VR6, it was a fantastic car. Infact thinking of buying another for a weekend car.

[@Mark-qs5fc]

The US models had a very unusual seat belt reminder. Same engine was used in the Jetta and regular Golfs in US. I remember the US models didn't come with a glove box because that's where the passenger airbag lived at.

[@saintfunny]

Getting away from my parents cars, I had one of these, it was very adequate, it was Mystic Blue. The mid range pull was superb.

[@Billy_Street]

I bought a late 93 early 94 pre airbag Mk3 Gti project car a few years ago. Hooned around in it for “testing” purposes after its recommission for longer than necessary before selling it as I loved it. Quite possibly the only FWD car I missed. Best bit I paid less than 99 quid for a mot’d low mileage gti, ok ok I had to do some welding, but that’s the fun! 👍🏼

[@gryfandjane]

You kindled some memories with this one. I owned a ‘98 GTI for several years... with the VR6 engine... and thoroughly enjoyed it until trading it in on a MINI Cooper S in 2010. It had some glitches and foibles, but nothing I couldn’t repair myself. I remember it fondly!

[@DougsCars]

A buddy got the VR6 one as a high school graduation gift (yes, new) and it was quite fun back then.

[@Project7YT]

Cool in depth video. love my mk3, combines cheap purchase price with cheap replacement parts and overall a decent drive.

[@PlanetautoUK]

It’s not a Mk2 Valver, however the Mk3 has grown on us in recent years and as you say it still retains the original Golf shape - we’d happily add one of these to the collection, not driven one yet, great overview.

[@Pmjs]

I used to own a VW Corrado 2.0 16V 94M in Tornado Red. My favourite Golf's are mk2 GTI&Driver. My Passat 1.9TDI130 SE 2003 &Passat 1.8T 150bhp Sport 99T are my favourite VWs.

[@ahoneyman]

Having done a few 500 mile days in a Mk3 Jetta you are spot on about the comfort. The car is quiet and the seats are supportive. The back seat is more comfortable than you think on trips. There is enough room so you can move a bit so your bum and legs don't go to sleep. The power is adequate rather than exciting and the ride is well controlled and doesn't pitch or drift even in crosswinds. These two factors make it easy to drive long distance.

[@petrichor649]

Drove one to the Alps, it was easy to drive for hours and as you say the midrange is great.

[@Nikki_Holland]

A new video and the gorgeous George appearing, what could be better.

[@another3997]

If I were being slightly tongue in cheek, I'd say it would be even better if Former Mrs Hubnut made an appearance too, as I thought she seemed really nice. But that would be both immature and slightly sexist. Always good to see George keeping Mr H under control. 😁

[@davidwilson2155]

I had a mk2 jetta back in the late 80"s, was a fantastic motor & was very happy with the size of the boot, it was just the 4speed 1.3 but pulled really well & was so smooth on long journeys!!

[@james011974]

I had a 93 one. I bought it in 00 and had it 3 years. Not one problem with it and it was very economical. I replaced it briefly with a Celica and 2 weeks later was back in the Gti. Just felt more together and competent to me. 10/10 👍

[@rydermike33]

A simply splendid 500 'noter', with added George. Wonderful.

[@Dan-hq2js]

Had an amazing colour mk3 golf "electronics green" I think it was with the gti arch flares. It was however a 1y n\a diesel with about 70hp , truly hubnut. once you get over the sea of black you do start to notice qualities like how comfortable it was to drive with nicely weighted controls , smooth changes. Being less sporty it has comfier seats than the gti and the weight and ride quality made it feel planted and safe. It didn't feel really slow either and returned amazing MPG the best mpg of any car Ive had , it saw about 167k before the rot got it. I bought it for £200 ran it 3 years and had only two issues front engine mount bracket failed ( common fault) and the original starter packed up. For me it was the bulbous mk4 when golfs started looking overweight, but its mk5 on that don't really look like a golf to me anymore. If you get on ian I have a started motor off a 1y diesel... Apparently they're like rocking horse poo!

[@nicksss1843]

My grandad had a N reg Golf GTI automatic estate in ‘Pearlescent Silver’ brand new. It had a sport button in the centre console too. Hated it as a teen but would absolutely love to have it now!! Lots of happy memories

[@golfhammer7153]

Good honest review, enjoyed it very much. I owned one of the last mk3 Golfs on an R plate 1998 with a 1.6 engine. Drove all over Britain and most of Europe in the 6 years I owned it. Never let me down once, it’s was so good my son had it for 3 years after me as his first car. I upgraded to the mk4 which I must say was a vast improvement in quality and drive, but was never as exciting as the old mk3. Go on buy one they are great (especially for £500) 👍

[@mfbfreak]

My parents had a Seat Toledo mk1 with that 115hp 2.0 engine, coupled to a 4 speed automatic. The automatic made it slower than it needed to be, but with the manual it was sub 10 second to 100km/h IIRC. While the engine didn't have that much power, it did deliver what it had in a very relaxing way, and at no point was there not enough power. It would have been nice and wafty, if it weren't for the somewhat firm suspension.

[@SPTSuperSprinter156]

"While the engine didn't have that much power, it did deliver what it had in a very relaxing way, and at no point was there not enough power." that's ultimately what matters. no point having loads of horsepower if you have to rev it to the moon and back to get any out of it. Yes 90's Honda I'm looking at you.

[@garethonthetube]

We had a 1.4 Golf SE Mk3 which was a poor man's GTi lookalike. All you got from the GTi was the plastic wheel arches and the speedo. No electric windows or sunroof. It was still running nicely at 129k and 12 years old when we sold it.

[@faviodezi9553]

Always loved the MK3 when I was a kid back in the 90s so I got myself one couple years ago. Bought it mainly for the looks and nostalgia but I was surprised with the low and mid range torque and its driveability. Installed new bushings, an H&R suspension and some Toyo Proxes TR1s and now it runs like a dream. Such an underrated car, if you're hesitant to pull the trigger get one while they're cheap.

[@bennyhannover9361]

The Mk3 GTI was also available from end of 1994/5 as a 2.0 16 valve with a 150 hp engine and off course the legendary super expensive VR6 with 174 hp and VR6 4x4 with 190hp (237 km/h) which was a 55,000 DEM car at that time.

[@lleifior2]

1986 - I'd just come off a 5 week Police driving course, where the only limits adhered to were signed speed limits. I came off it and wanted something a bit quicker than my 1300 Astra. Called at the local VW dealer (who was quite snobbish) and he refused me a test drive on the grounds that "you'd probably find it too quick for you" went down the road to the Vauxhall dealer and bought an Astra 16v GTE. Lovely early car. Put me off VWs for a long time and in 2006 bought an ex-demo Mk5 Gti...lovely car to drive but started to rot around the upper wings early on in its life. Very sharp motor to drive though

[@rustino666]

I owned one of these for 9 years and it served me very well. Certainly not the most exciting car but quick enough for a daily driver and very dependable. I didn't like the cable operated clutch though and I had the same problem with the sagging headlining, which was also disintegrating along the top of edge of the front windscreen. Mine was a three door which I think is far better looking than the five door - true of every generation of Golf in my opinion.

[@ciaranburke3243]

Nice kitty, I owned mk 1 and 2 and had many enjoyable miles in both!!

[@shand1967]

Many years ago I borrowed a friends Mk3 Golf estate with the same 2.0L engine, in the same shade of green as that GTI. My abiding memory is that the lusty mid-range torque was epic and was a great motorway car. Of that era I would have still preferred a Rover R8 though.

[@twocvbloke]

Has the same power as the original, but heavier? So basically like me trying to do a 100m sprint racing against myself from 20 years ago? :P

[@Chriswizzv12]

It’s got an extra 5 hp over the original mk1 1.6 GTI.....yeh I know that’s pretty poor 😂

[@Masseffectinator]

@@Chriswizzv12 But also more displacement. That brings more tourque. So...yeah it's definetly better. 1.6 against 2.0...

[@Chriswizzv12]

Mrqbasic yes that’s true, I actually thought the 8V mk3 engine was actually quite suited to that body and I have had the 1.8 in mk1-2-3 forms, K-jet and Digi variants

[@richardcallison1637]

That looked a lot of fun. I have to admit, I was never a fan but saying that, I don’t think I’ve ever even sat in one so on that basis, I will consider this video the be my conversion! The prices will probably go through the roof now.... Great video!👍👍👍

[@Robutube1]

I've owned a Beetle, several non-sporty Golfs and Polos and currently have a Passat in disguise (2L diesel Skoda Superb on a 13 plate). Apart from the cost of extras (like a radio!) and spare parts I can't really complain about any of them. There's no excitement but they win on reliability and build quality. Not very hubNutty I know, but great for a non-petrolhead like me :-).

[@glenoxman7904]

The 3 door was my first 'proper' car, I loved it and could never understand the hate for the MK3. My mate had the VR6 variant, that car was a beast!!!

[@terencehawkes3933]

Very good history of the Golf. That actually looks like it is a nice car.

[@bonzobanana1]

I've had one Golf in my life a mid-range 1500cc mk1 if I remember rightly. It was an ok car, it had some reliability issues later in ownership despite low mileage and driving it was quite boring, other people's cars always looked more interesting. I'd come from a Mini previously though and that was such great fun to drive, zapping around corners and felt like you were going fast even when you weren't due to the low seating height. I replaced it the Golf with a Cavalier Mk3 and much preferred the Cavalier although still not as much fun as the Mini. The little hatchback I always fancied was the Chrysler or Talbot Sunbeam. Always wondered what a small rear driven hatchback would be like to drive.

[@tomhughes3292]

If you do buy a mk3 the 16v had 150hp instead of 115hp, beware of the plastic that covers arches and sills when i took the plastic off my 16v i could fit my fist through the holes in the sills. Had to scrap it in the end because of the rot, shame as it was a lovely car, that green is called dragon green by the way and it was a great colour in the sun. Anyway just be aware of rust issue on these. great vid as always, cheers.

[@chinnyvision]

My first Golf was a mk3 on a lowly CL spec. Very little to go wrong. Some oil leak niggles around 120,000 miles but that was about it. The mk4 may have been more comfortable but anything marked Bosch mind pretty much failed. And then there was the night the passenger window fell into the door due to VW skimping on the clips that held it to the mechanism.

[@markbriggs5531]

That looked like a cracking good car for very little money. I bet that headlining and the inevitably word drivers bolster could be sorted by a professional upholsterer for £200 to £300 and you'd have an almost mint car. I had a 1993 VW Passat CL Estate and was impressed by the equipment (VW were starting to kit their cars out) and the styling. It was a little dull inside but a good car. Today I'm so impressed with VW. I have no idea who styles them but to my eyes some of the best looking cars on the road and funnily I rather have one than an Audi. Thumbs up for another excellent road test.

[@protestagain]

Thinking back to the mid 70's, when the Gulf came, before the GTI. The toughest then was the Golf LS with 70 hp. Real boy's dream. A few years later, I bought an -76 Audi 80 LS, with a 1.5 liter engine and 85 hp. In fact, no more than 60kg heavier than the Golf GTI, so it was just as fast to 50 mph as the GTI.

[@protestagain]

My mother bought a new Golf Mk3. Ordered with 1.8 liters and 75 hp, thinks it was at 180 nm, but when the car arrived, VW had replaced 1.8 liters with 1.6 liters, but still 75 hp and slightly smaller nm. That car had some racing sound, and the VW mechanics never found the sound source and the fault. It was not found until mother switched to an Opel Astra. The mechanics found the fault in ten minutes.

[@fcoulombeau]

Just thought I should mention the Simca 1100 Ti which came out in 1973 (1974 in the UK) and, with its 82bhp, was probably the first "hot hatch" and certainly before the Golf 1 GTI.

[@SquidgyPickle]

I stuck the engine from one of these into a T25. Vast improvement! It would do 100mph if you tried hard enough with the right gearbox.

[@jacobmoyle5478]

That’s why I’m watching the video as that’s my plan

[@matthewjenkins1161]

The Mk3 GTi was initially only available in 8v form like you have there, with 22bhp LESS per tonne than a 1.8L Mk1, which was far lighter. That is why it was slated by GTi fans at launch, but VW took the criticism on board and introduced a 16v version after around 18 months.

[@billybellend1155]

I traded up from a Rover 214si to a 2.0 Vento which had the same 2.0 engine and was a Golf with a boot. I couldn’t believe how much better built the Vento was until I got it Mot’d and it failed on underside corrosion.

[@VDPEFi]

The mk3 chassis is great because there is very little rubber in it, compared to a MK4 which felt baggy after very few miles due to the massive bushes that would wear almost immediately. I bought a mk3 cabriolet with with 1.8 90ps engine and while it was no ball of fire it would cruise at 70 using very little fuel with enough in reserve. It's an underrated vehicle.

[@neilrobson9485]

Shock horror, man says in many videos that he doesn't like vw golf's, then drives one and likes it. You failed to mention the mk3 Gti also came in a 16v option. I had a mk3 vr6 for years and loved it, now got a mk2 Golf Gti with a vr6 engine fitted as a weekend toy and I absolutely love it. Can't see me ever selling it.

[@neilrobson9485]

@gixeff 750 like an Alfa? Best comment I have ever heard 😂

[@rvborgh]

i have a relatively low mileage Mk3 Vento/Jetta VR6 with a Jetex exhaust. The exhaust sound is pure... amazing :)

[@jbz2079]

I've got no complaints about that either, a few titivations like sort the headlining and a general tidy up and that will probably go on being good reliable transport for a long time yet.

[@paulanderson79]

VW quality took a turn for the worse around 04-45. Prior to that the reliability lived up to the legend.

[@MGBetts1]

Wiper action all fine - what's not to like? 👍🏻

[@callumk5]

I quite liked the mark 3 Golf GTI. I’d describe it as “nice” which is probably damning praise for a car meant to be a bit special. I owned a diesel mark 4 which we nicknamed Das Movementdevice. It was the most adequate car I’ve ever owned, didn’t really put a foot wrong for a couple of years, but wasn’t missed even for a moment when it went. It had soft touch seat back adjusters if I remember rightly...

[@badly_dubbed2401]

Had a few mk3 gti's and a vr6 over the years. Half decent when they came out but sadly most of them suffered with dreaded rot. I've welded a good few. Those 8v engines are bullet proof on the other hand, just lack any kind of top end power. I doubt I would have another unless it was another vr6, although them engines have their own problems. Bought a Corrado G60 in 2014 and never looked back. Currently restoring a 2cv for someone, it's how I cam across your channel.

[@robtt997]

Had three Golf Gti over the years. The first one was a mk2 with Bosch fuel injection . It simply flew and I kept it for a long time . Would have it back in a flash.