I never had a GTI, but I still have my family's original 1981 Rabbit. I was 7 years old when we bought it. It needs a restoration, but I'm never giving it up. I hope to make it as nice as this GTI someday!
*I bought a brand new 84 Rabbit GTI in diamond silver with the blue interior..That car was a blast to drive.. my car also came from the factory without a/c, sunroof, or stereo. But mine had the cool front vent windows. I loved that car but it was stolen in Sept 1995 in Glen Mills PA it had a rear fog lamp mounted to the rear bumper..theft occurred at the shopping center parking lot next to David Dodge. never recovered and i still miss it today.*
I had a black 84 with a blue interior which I drove in Germany. I ordered it there and I always love the fact that it came all the way from Pennsylvania to germany. It was geared lower than a German GTI so I could get them off the line at a stoplight. Of course they could go way faster than I could on the Autobahn. I put in a stereo I bought at the PX. Driving that car on German backroads was an absolute blast. I wish I still had it..
So in 1983 I went to an autocross. A local VW dealership brought in a new Scirocco and GTI for us to test drive after the racing had ended. I got out of the GTI shaking from the thrill and said to my friend "my car is dead!" The next day I bought a black 1983 GTI like in this video except it had the blue interior.
In 1983 my best friend Sam Winston jr purchased a white GTI in Pasadena CaLifornia when he turned 16 ! I remember one time we jumped the car about 50 feet on this famous street in south Pasadena , it was straight to a drop down angLe and i sat in the back right in the center and Sam drove and his sister Missy was riding shotgun , when we jumped down the road we were at 60 mph and Landed perfect ! ! !
I had the exact GTI but with the coldest A/C imaginable. I drove it over 300,000 miles and never and I mean never had a single part go out, no mechanic ever touch it at all. All I did was to change the oil every three thousand miles, tires and brakes twice that's it. I sold it to a kid going to college in Missouri for $1500 dollars and till this day twenty five years latter, I still kick my self in the ass for sell it, it was the best car i ever owned and I had the Toyota Supra, Celica GTS, Camry, Tacoma, three Tundras, Honda Accord, Crx, Prelude etc. Not a single one of the Japanese vehicle could stand in the same ring with the best automobile ever produced the Great 1983 VW Rabbit GTI the very best!
AC was not an option in Canada, maybe German engineers thought we lived in igloos. I switched to Honda and the dealer acted like they did me a favor selling me the car, bunch of snobs. Never again.
Takes me right back to 1983. I struggled to choose between this and the Scirocco. Went with the Scirocco instead. We do have an original '89 Cabrio thought, which is essentially the same car. Beautiful unicorn!
No drive by??? Will cruise 65-70 hahaaa.... in the last 80's I ran mine from Cincinnati to Indianapolis every weekend and almost never went under 80, usually hovering around 90. It would run about 105. Back then that was moving along at a decent clip. What a great great car.... I'm 57 in April... You know one thing I absolutely loved about my 4 GTis? The way the engine oil pan hung out off to the side underneath the spoiler. And just the sounds they made... The tactile feel.... when I went upmarket after 4 of them to my first A2, a Jetta 16V I truly missed them but I was OK with it. After A2 you might as well go all the way to MK5 and 6 because I stopped caring. I went on to SAAB and BMW, all 80's stuff for the most part. Currently DD a 535is with 190K miles.
I bought one of these used back in 1988. At the time it was the nicest/newest car I had ever owned. One early morning, about 2 weeks after I bought it, I was driving to work. This woman in an '85 Mustang came flying around a corner squarely in *my* lane. She was also on her way to work and was applying makeup to her face and looking in the mirror instead of keeping her eyes on the road. WHAMMO! Head on collision and instantly my "new" GTI was totaled. The whole front end was "accordianed", coolant was leaking out and the car was done for. I was shaken but ok because I was wearing my seat belt. So I walked over to her car to see if she was ok. She had blood dribbling down her mouth (hit her face on the steering wheel) and seemed somewhat dazed. I said we need to call the police and exchange information. She said "Ok, but I'm late for work and I have to get going" (while blood dribbled onto her dress). So lets make this quick!" I said ok and as I walked back to my car I heard her engine start up. The mustang was damaged, but still operational. She sped off and left me there as a hit and run. Since it was 1988, I didn't have a cellphone. There was a payphone at a gas station about 200 yards away, so I ran to the gas station to call the cops. The whole way I was repeating her tag number in my head so I wouldn't forget it _"VCA 910...VCA 910...VCA 910..."_ I kept repeating it as I ran to the station. I knew if I forgot it, I would be out $4000 which is what I had just paid for the car 2 weeks earlier. The cops showed up and sure enough the woman lived a short distance up the road from where she hit me. The cops went to her apartment and found her car parked in the parking lot with bloody tissues on the dashboard. They knocked on the door, but she refused to answer or come out. So they staked out the parking lot until she eventually emerged and then she was charged with hit and run. I eventually got an insurance settlement for the car which more than paid for it and my physical therapy afterwards. I took the money, bought an '81 Rabbit for $1200 and just drove that instead for the next 6 years.
Woow.. What a beauty !!. And a real driving machine. Beautiful car. The best you can have in the US, because if you go to europe you will get the REAL thing. the Golf GTi with 118hp. A blast to drive. Made in Germany, small bumpers.. better interior.. anyway...stop dreaming.. Congratulations to the owner of this Rabbit GTI.. Amazing !!
This and the Honda CRX, most fun you'll ever have in a car. I drove mine too hard but got 290,000 km out of the clutch and original engine. Second engine was a "crate" motor supposedly from Germany. You really should get the cross braces between the upper front struts and the lower pickup points. My strut towers caved in a full inch without the braces. At 490,000 km sad to say it went straight to the crusher. Also ruined my differential running 205 Pirelli P3's, very stupid of me.
My neighbor had an ‘83 gti a white one, dropped with coilovers and ‘15 inch konig wheels. He left at a shop to get engine work and they stole it from him and never got it back since. Till this day he tells me that’s one of the fastest cars he’s ever owned.
I fancy buying one of these and making it a Euro version of a GTi -round headlights with fogs, Perreli wheels and for gosh sakes, ridding the car of that silly rabbit badging.
Biggest regret in my life was selling my 84 GTI, exactly the same spec as this. 70,000Kms on it. I was young and dumb and needed money to move for a new job. Selling it was my only option at the time. Now they are very hard to find and worth 20x what I sold mine for :(
I had exact car with blue interior. Blue is more rare. For 90 HP, it was still fun to drive. Especially when your friends following you freaked out when the rear wheel would lift in tight corners.
It’s funny that of the dozens and dozens of vehicles that I have owned, right up and down the food chain from an Olds Cutlass to a vicious 911 Turbo, the one I really want back is my Mk I GTI. Hands down the most fun to drive car of my lifetime. Not terribly fast, but just an absolute hoot on everyday roads. A really nice Mk I is going to cost you decent Porsche 911 money today because they are so highly coveted.
A 1983 black with red interior GTI was my first new car purchase. Loved that thing. Kept it for three years until I moved to Manhattan. Great to see a pristine example.
VW fan? Be sure to have a look at this 1967 Beetle. ua-cam.com/video/Za-PwKLrImo/v-deo.html
I have a Rabbit 1984 GTI convertible. Can I get the info on that muffler?
@@MrJonnyprestidge The owner said it is a Bosal Brospeed muffler. Hope that helps!
I never had a GTI, but I still have my family's original 1981 Rabbit. I was 7 years old when we bought it. It needs a restoration, but I'm never giving it up. I hope to make it as nice as this GTI someday!
*I bought a brand new 84 Rabbit GTI in diamond silver with the blue interior..That car was a blast to drive.. my car also came from the factory without a/c, sunroof, or stereo. But mine had the cool front vent windows.
I loved that car but it was stolen in Sept 1995 in Glen Mills PA it had a rear fog lamp mounted to the rear bumper..theft occurred at the shopping center parking lot next to David Dodge. never recovered and i still miss it today.*
I had a black 84 with a blue interior which I drove in Germany. I ordered it there and I always love the fact that it came all the way from Pennsylvania to germany. It was geared lower than a German GTI so I could get them off the line at a stoplight. Of course they could go way faster than I could on the Autobahn. I put in a stereo I bought at the PX. Driving that car on German backroads was an absolute blast. I wish I still had it..
I sold these GTIs when they were new. All the salespeople loved them.
I had a black 85 GTI. It was my first car. I love a miss that thing.
So in 1983 I went to an autocross. A local VW dealership brought in a new Scirocco and GTI for us to test drive after the racing had ended. I got out of the GTI shaking from the thrill and said to my friend "my car is dead!" The next day I bought a black 1983 GTI like in this video except it had the blue interior.
My first new car was an 83 GTI in silver with the blue and red interior. This video brings back great memories!
In 1983 my best friend Sam Winston jr purchased a white GTI in Pasadena CaLifornia when he turned 16 ! I remember one time we jumped the car about 50 feet on this famous street in south Pasadena , it was straight to a drop down angLe and i sat in the back right in the center and Sam drove and his sister Missy was riding shotgun , when we jumped down the road we were at 60 mph and Landed perfect ! ! !
I had the exact GTI but with the coldest A/C imaginable. I drove it over 300,000 miles and never and I mean never had a single part go out, no mechanic ever touch it at all. All I did was to change the oil every three thousand miles, tires and brakes twice that's it. I sold it to a kid going to college in Missouri for $1500 dollars and till this day twenty five years latter, I still kick my self in the ass for sell it, it was the best car i ever owned and I had the Toyota Supra, Celica GTS, Camry, Tacoma, three Tundras, Honda Accord, Crx, Prelude etc. Not a single one of the Japanese vehicle could stand in the same ring with the best automobile ever produced the Great 1983 VW Rabbit GTI the very best!
AC was not an option in Canada, maybe German engineers thought we lived in igloos. I switched to Honda and the dealer acted like they did me a favor selling me the car, bunch of snobs. Never again.
Takes me right back to 1983. I struggled to choose between this and the Scirocco. Went with the Scirocco instead.
We do have an original '89 Cabrio thought, which is essentially the same car.
Beautiful unicorn!
Yes it is... but isn't. Much slower. I know because 4 A1 GTi + almost bought myself an Aigner too. All Good though!
I had a GTI and an 84' Scirocco. I liked the looks of the Scirocco better, but at 6'2" it was cramped inside compared to the GTI.
No drive by???
Will cruise 65-70 hahaaa.... in the last 80's I ran mine from Cincinnati to Indianapolis every weekend and almost never went under 80, usually hovering around 90. It would run about 105. Back then that was moving along at a decent clip.
What a great great car.... I'm 57 in April... You know one thing I absolutely loved about my 4 GTis? The way the engine oil pan hung out off to the side underneath the spoiler. And just the sounds they made... The tactile feel.... when I went upmarket after 4 of them to my first A2, a Jetta 16V I truly missed them but I was OK with it. After A2 you might as well go all the way to MK5 and 6 because I stopped caring. I went on to SAAB and BMW, all 80's stuff for the most part. Currently DD a 535is with 190K miles.
I bought one of these used back in 1988. At the time it was the nicest/newest car I had ever owned. One early morning, about 2 weeks after I bought it, I was driving to work. This woman in an '85 Mustang came flying around a corner squarely in *my* lane. She was also on her way to work and was applying makeup to her face and looking in the mirror instead of keeping her eyes on the road. WHAMMO! Head on collision and instantly my "new" GTI was totaled. The whole front end was "accordianed", coolant was leaking out and the car was done for.
I was shaken but ok because I was wearing my seat belt. So I walked over to her car to see if she was ok. She had blood dribbling down her mouth (hit her face on the steering wheel) and seemed somewhat dazed. I said we need to call the police and exchange information. She said "Ok, but I'm late for work and I have to get going" (while blood dribbled onto her dress). So lets make this quick!" I said ok and as I walked back to my car I heard her engine start up. The mustang was damaged, but still operational. She sped off and left me there as a hit and run.
Since it was 1988, I didn't have a cellphone. There was a payphone at a gas station about 200 yards away, so I ran to the gas station to call the cops. The whole way I was repeating her tag number in my head so I wouldn't forget it _"VCA 910...VCA 910...VCA 910..."_ I kept repeating it as I ran to the station. I knew if I forgot it, I would be out $4000 which is what I had just paid for the car 2 weeks earlier.
The cops showed up and sure enough the woman lived a short distance up the road from where she hit me. The cops went to her apartment and found her car parked in the parking lot with bloody tissues on the dashboard. They knocked on the door, but she refused to answer or come out. So they staked out the parking lot until she eventually emerged and then she was charged with hit and run.
I eventually got an insurance settlement for the car which more than paid for it and my physical therapy afterwards. I took the money, bought an '81 Rabbit for $1200 and just drove that instead for the next 6 years.
James is a great guy. He has a real gem!!
I drove my 84 GTI so much, I snapped the clutch cable a few times!
i had one for my first car and i loved it, ended up sliding into the curb and bending the frame.
Woow.. What a beauty !!. And a real driving machine. Beautiful car. The best you can have in the US, because if you go to europe you will get the REAL thing. the Golf GTi with 118hp. A blast to drive. Made in Germany, small bumpers.. better interior.. anyway...stop dreaming.. Congratulations to the owner of this Rabbit GTI.. Amazing !!
Saw one today , Nov5,2021 ,here in Manila Philippines thats the reason I'm watching this video.
OMG! I’m so glad I found this channel!!!😌
This and the Honda CRX, most fun you'll ever have in a car. I drove mine too hard but got 290,000 km out of the clutch and original engine. Second engine was a "crate" motor supposedly from Germany. You really should get the cross braces between the upper front struts and the lower pickup points. My strut towers caved in a full inch without the braces. At 490,000 km sad to say it went straight to the crusher. Also ruined my differential running 205 Pirelli P3's, very stupid of me.
My neighbor had an ‘83 gti a white one, dropped with coilovers and ‘15 inch konig wheels. He left at a shop to get engine work and they stole it from him and never got it back since. Till this day he tells me that’s one of the fastest cars he’s ever owned.
i am really looking for one of these
I fancy buying one of these and making it a Euro version of a GTi -round headlights with fogs, Perreli wheels and for gosh sakes, ridding the car of that silly rabbit badging.
Biggest regret in my life was selling my 84 GTI, exactly the same spec as this. 70,000Kms on it. I was young and dumb and needed money to move for a new job. Selling it was my only option at the time. Now they are very hard to find and worth 20x what I sold mine for :(
I had 2 of these..........great cars!
I had exact car with blue interior. Blue is more rare.
For 90 HP, it was still fun to drive. Especially when your friends following you freaked out when the rear wheel would lift in tight corners.
iconic,absolutely beautiful
Woaw I am working at that location now it is Siemens and intervala
I remember my dad had a rabbit and my brother had the door pop open while they were going down the road
It’s funny that of the dozens and dozens of vehicles that I have owned, right up and down the food chain from an Olds Cutlass to a vicious 911 Turbo, the one I really want back is my Mk I GTI. Hands down the most fun to drive car of my lifetime. Not terribly fast, but just an absolute hoot on everyday roads. A really nice Mk I is going to cost you decent Porsche 911 money today because they are so highly coveted.
I have 84 GTI 62k original miles. Unicorn
Looks like there are 2 unicorns in PA.
I love it!,are you willing to sell it?? I had the exact same car color year but bought it used in 84" sold it in 1992. Again are you willing to sell?
Jam I miss Pennsylvania
Grill badge is too high.
Is this sold?
Why are you buying that car? Me...." why are you my girlfriend"?
Id buy that for a dolla
"For a nickel I will"
😩😍
“ all original “ tittle is a bit of a stretch. Beautiful car but definitely not original.
A 1983 black with red interior GTI was my first new car purchase. Loved that thing. Kept it for three years until I moved to Manhattan. Great to see a pristine example.