1981 Volkswagen Golf User Reviews

The Original The Best.... — the gti is just the iconic hot hatch.....simple... it still turns heads even now,the handling is also still up there with the greats ....not quick by modern cars stds but the handling makes up for it ...it just makes me smile ....

Primary Use: Sport/fun (spirited driving, track racing, off-roading, etc.)

The Original Hot-hatch — -bit of a cliche. I actually remember the Alfa Romeo Alfasud being around before this car, but the GTI is what really kicked it all off. 110hp was a lot at the time, especially for a car this light. The gearbox was perfectly tuned to the peaky engine and it handled superbly thanks to stock Bilstein shocks and front/rear anti-roll bars (nowadays a common feature). Fuel injection was pretty new in the UK when this came out and there weren't many other cars you could get on 3 wheels in a corner. Learned to steer with the throttle in this car ;)

Loveable Bucket Of Crap — I bought this car by mistake. It was only six years younger than me. Every time I went through a puddle I had to spray the plugs and leads with WD40 and then wait for 10 minutes before driving on. Some people used to tell me it was a collectors' item. The police were one memorably led to believe, through a combination of its age and my parking finesse, that it had been abandoned. That was embarrassing. I sold it for £100 to someone who then sold it on to an enthusiast. About six months after parting with it, it zoomed past me on the A4. I was rather proud.