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1989 Volkswagen Golf Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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Never hugely successful in the U.S. despite its overwhelming popularity abroad, the Volkswagen Golf shut its U.S. production plant in 1988. All Golfs from 1989 on were imports from either Germany or Mexico. The Jetta was a much more popular Volkswagen model in the U.S., probably because it was longer than the Golf (though just as wide) and offered a trunk compared to the Golf's hatchback, making it a more suitable family car.
However, the Golf couldn't be beat for affordability, and although billed as a starter car, many owners have kept their Golfs for decades without much maintenance. The 2-door base hatchback, along with the 2 and 4-door GL hatchback both house a 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder, 100-hp engine and 5-speed manual transmission. Firm suspension and a powerful engine combine to give drivers a bit of pep and thrill on the highway, and the Golf's curve-hugging skills and acceleration proved to be a big hit, giving owners much more bang for their buck than expected.
Above all, at 27/34 mpg, the 1989 Golf got great fuel economy, a standout feature for many owners. Along with the tight handling, drivers also love that they feel safe in this workhorse, powered by an engine that never dies and unburdened with costly repairs. The Golf is a great friend of the wallet, both in initial cost and upkeep. Some drawbacks are the hard-to-find parts, a cheap plastic interior that suffers with age, and peeling paint.
Published Aug 9, 2022 by CarGurus Editorial Team
User reviews for 1989 Volkswagen Golf
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by Anonymous
Feb 03, 2015
I am a big fan of the oldschool VG golfs. I love the aesthetics of owning one. Been stoked eversince I bought it off a import car shop. Just one of those things. all round my opinion is going to be very basis Feb 03, 2015
by Mktwo G
Jun 12, 2012
gti 16v totaly awsome fun, bullet proof engines light bodys one of vws best ever cars.. had a lot of these & il nevergrow out of them.. good ones are rare & hard to find, had to rebuild mine from the ground up but i dont care i have so much love for these cars & theve earned it...Jun 12, 2012
by Matthew P
Feb 28, 2012
great old school car, always turned head for its condition. only cost me 400 and had be garaged stored for 6 yrs the day i got it went straight to the mot station and passed with out any worked needing to be done :) sold it 2 yrs later for £1000Feb 28, 2012
User rating:
by Anonymous
Feb 03, 2015
I am a big fan of the oldschool VG golfs. I love the aesthetics of owning one. Been stoked eversince I bought it off a import car shop. Just one of those things. all round my opinion is going to be very basis Feb 03, 2015
by Mktwo G
Jun 12, 2012
gti 16v totaly awsome fun, bullet proof engines light bodys one of vws best ever cars.. had a lot of these & il nevergrow out of them.. good ones are rare & hard to find, had to rebuild mine from the ground up but i dont care i have so much love for these cars & theve earned it...Jun 12, 2012
by Matthew P
Feb 28, 2012
great old school car, always turned head for its condition. only cost me 400 and had be garaged stored for 6 yrs the day i got it went straight to the mot station and passed with out any worked needing to be done :) sold it 2 yrs later for £1000Feb 28, 2012
by Kristijan G
Oct 18, 2011
Performance,Build Quality,Appearance,Cost of Ownership,Fun Factor,Fast,
acceleration, braking, handling, both interior and exterior styling,this car is fun to
drive, maintenance,it has a 195 horsepower,it goes 260 km/h,it has a very strong
and good racing sound.....Oct 18, 2011
by Prashalin N
Oct 13, 2011
16V GTi, great condition. GTi brand known for good balance of looks, power and
handling. car is agile and holds its own on the bends. maintenance is relatively low
for a performance vehicle of this age and is helped by the great original build
quality. great thing about the mk2 golf is how its looks do not fade over the years.
this is a great car to own and driveOct 13, 2011
by Arkaitz L
Feb 14, 2011
es la ostia el cacharro 300.000 km y aun asi no se muere...el jodido Connor McCloud de los coches.21 años y rezando por que dure otros 9 minimo ... ;) por lo menos eso espero.... suerte a todos !!!!
Performance : Lo que le pises
Buid Quality : Algun que otro golpe ya tiene ...
Appearance : To tuning
Cost : Minimos
Fun : Pos claro!!!Feb 14, 2011
by Karl H
Jul 01, 2010
I love the look of this car with the quad headlamp grille from the GTI. The car is a
blast to drive, around town, up the mountains, down windy roads, and even off-
road. It seems that I have replaced almost every component on the car but its
only because the car has tons of miles, it was neglected, sat outside for years, and
was not maintained. Jul 01, 2010
by Kevin I
Oct 13, 2009
I love this car just for the shape of its framework, I
love those sharp edges. It's fun to drive. And it was
cheap to buy,hopefully I'll drive lots of years with it. I'll
only sell it when he's totally broke down Oct 13, 2009
by Jon M
Sep 24, 2009
toimii iha jees, ei kiihdy mihinkää, jarrut o paskat, ohjaus o
vähä nii ja näi, kukkii ku mikäki, korjauksii tarvitaa melkee koko
aja, näyttää ulkoot joltai romukasalt mut hei se o just sitä
tunnelmaa, sisält iha jees kunnos oikee kustom pehmopenkki
kuskil;), auto makso joku 600e et ei ollu paha :D ja ylipäätänsä
iha vitun jees ajaa vaik se nyt o vähä romu:PSep 24, 2009
by Anthony C
Jul 29, 2009
Mi nuevo juguete sera llevado al extremo solo para callar unas cuantas lenguas que dicen que los vw no corren, ya nos veremos en un año a ver como sigue el proyecto mal llamado PIRUJO igual a golf jejeje, saludos.Jul 29, 2009
by Kristina S
Jun 13, 2009
moj golfić duja-dvojka-dvica je najbolji ali vrime mu je za penziju.nece u palm springs al eto..........jadan se naradija,boja mu sve svjetlija i svjetlija,siceviu se raspali,nanosa se terta,trpija ranzorazne šofere,ceste i države.mali crveni je zaslužija mir.Jun 13, 2009
by Andrew B
Apr 21, 2009
Slow car, very heavy without power steering. Good build quality though, and very tough. Not a bad looking car, if not a little dated now. Wasn't really very fun to drive, cost quite a bit to maintain as well. Don't think I'd recommend it.Apr 21, 2009
by Erik G
Jan 17, 2009
My first ever rally car. A 1989 VW Golf MK2. As of now it is almost completely standard in terms of performance. It's a standard 1,8 CL engine with a standard gearbox. The exhaust is a 2" custom built with a 180 cell race-cat. The car have a full roll cage and competition seats and belts, but otherwise it is a mostly standard interior. We use 15" Silverstone competition gravel tires with Compomotive rims. All in all a basic rally car with most parts standard.
However, later this spring my dad and I will start modify the car to compete in another class where bigger modifications are allowed (such as engines, gearbox and so on). We will have a tuned 1,8 GTi engine which will generate around 170-180 hp, together with the Golf 16V gearbox. The gear box will still be mostly standard but later in my rally career we will put together a better Dog-box type gearbox. Also a real differential will be put on and a shorter and more accurate steering. The interior and dashboard will be completely ripped out and a custom built dashboard (hopefully with lots of carbon-fiber) will replace the old one. A bigger exhaust will replace the one we have now and some good looking exterior parts will be put on (such as a rear wing). I will try to update with new photos when the building starts and when the new car is finished.
Jan 17, 2009
by Christian O
Dec 23, 2008
i like my car, but it's getting old and need some repairation.
i repaired the brakes, the steering, and the cooling system. now i found two rust holes under the car i have to take care of, and some paintwork. Dec 23, 2008
by Wayne R
Oct 15, 2008
I like the mk2 golf gti coz it is old school and they ar nice to look at when they have been done up also the performance on them ar good and they are fun cars to race plus you can not beat the way they are built really funOct 15, 2008
by Mal R
Sep 17, 2008
everyone who has seen my car knows it suits me to the groud! (for now) its nippy for the age it is, it haddles beta then some cars my friends own but its no wear near as quick as most. ive had to fix few things but it doesnt bother me. ive got a huge exhaust being fitted this week n a huge sound system being finished off nxt week. i recommend mk2 golfs as first cars but 1.3 just isn't fast enough so if your going to get 1 n can afford the insurance make it a 1.6.Sep 17, 2008
by Kenni D
Sep 01, 2008
Lyden fra den bagpotte. de gode bremser. G60 forkofanger. at den starter hver dag også køre den jo bare super :) der er ikke noget bedre end at sætte sig ud i dendejlige Golf og starte bilen, høre dens lyd også køre en tur.
den kunne dog godt bruge servostyring og håndbremsen funker ikke for godt, venstre baghjuls leje skal nok skiftes på en tidspungt. men alt i alt en lækker bil som førstegangs køber :)Sep 01, 2008
by Glenn S
Aug 24, 2008
this was a great new car... executive driven Demo (owners wife) Wolfsburg Edition.. 5 doors and allot of fun... i wish i would have bought a 3 door in hindsight... probably would have had less friends bumming rides all the time.. $7000 in warranty work in the 2 and a half years I had the car.. and not a problem for VW to stand behind it... DON'T BUY A VW BUILT DURING OCTOBERFEST....Aug 24, 2008
by Paul N
Aug 17, 2008
I bought this as a near standard 3dr Gti 16v to use as a track hack having replaced the M3 with the Porsche. The Golf is great fun, especially on the track. Now stripped, caged, bigger brakes, stiff suspension and a cage it handles really well. The body has had no attention and is still solid, quite amazing for its age. Aug 17, 2008
by Johnny J
Jun 18, 2008
Golle har holdt til min kørsel i 8 år indtilvidere... det siger jo altJun 18, 2008
by Carrie E
Apr 20, 2008
Felt like a tin can on wheels but was v.reliable :)Apr 20, 2008
by Michael T
Mar 30, 2008
beautifull solid car reliable great handling love to drive it, good brakes bad acelleration bad economy Mar 30, 2008
by James P
Mar 27, 2008
ebay bargain, only one previous owner from newMar 27, 2008
by Vincent D
Mar 26, 2008
107HP
Digital dashboardMar 26, 2008
by Zeljko D
Mar 20, 2008
Very good build quality. Efficient, fast and fuel saverMar 20, 2008
by Robin R
Jan 13, 2008
It was a golf 1.3 cl but with the headlights of the Gti and a go faster stripe down the sides. Jan 13, 2008
by Astrid O
Jan 10, 2008
Good car. Cheap spareparts. Jan 10, 2008
by Kerry A
Jan 06, 2008
Bog standard bottom of the range golf, bought off of my mate who got it from ebay and 3 months after buying it, it failed the mot with a minor bit of welding to be done, once i have got this sorted this will be my work car.Jan 06, 2008
by Sarah R
Jan 05, 2008
GTi hold their value and even with the older models, you will still get value for money. the newer ones tend to be over priced in my opinion.
if you are going to get one get a mark 2Jan 05, 2008
by Rich L
Jan 04, 2008
best car ever made for the publicJan 04, 2008
by Tim F
Dec 28, 2007
Good as the first carDec 28, 2007
by Kieran R
Dec 24, 2007
What a car , And getting rarerDec 24, 2007
by Raymond R
Dec 23, 2007
Its white and if you only knew where she's been you would worship her! Pictures not real...Dec 23, 2007
by Andy C
Dec 19, 2007
Added extra's include a dvd player and good sound systemDec 19, 2007
by Anonymous
Mar 05, 2007
My first car was a 1989 Volkswagen Golf. It was reliable and affordable to drive. Eventually I got the paint job redone, bought 17 inch rims for it, and tinted the windows; this made it truly one of a kind. I get compliments on it all the time!Mar 05, 2007
What users have asked
My 89 VG Golf is having problems Idling.
I recently just got a 1989 VW Golf. I'm massive fan of the car and it's look. but I've been having some trouble lately. So it starts up fine and runs. but when its started up. it has a hard time staying idle or sounds almost sounds like the engine is bout to cut out, and then revs back up again. Anyone have a clue what the problem could be. (however sometimes I run it and it's just fine.) But I've stop driving it after hearing the initial idling problem Also I'm just sort of lost of what everything is under the hood. if anyone can help point out stuff for me that would great! Also I chatted with the guy that sold it to me and asking what type of oil it uses and he told me 5w 30. however I can't find out if that correct or not. ( Just want to keep sure b4 going out and driving it some more)
2598 views
HELP, with restarting the 1989 VW GOLF!
I am having a question with the Diesel model of this car. When the car is cold it starts right up! No Problem. But after I have been driving a while and shut it off, it will not start back up, at least not until it is cold. What should I do?
245 views
How many years did they make the 1989 Golf body style? Is the Rabbit the same engine?
Looking for a wiring harness for the cooling fan in the engine, need to go to the junk yard, If I new how many years this would increase my chances finding the right one and what I need,
110 views
Top Comparisons
Have you driven a 1989 Volkswagen Golf?Compare this car
1989 Volkswagen Golf Pricing
Original MSRP
$8,785 to $11,030Price range
N/AAverage price on CG
N/AYoY price change
N/ATrims & specs
Audio System
AM/FM radio
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent
Audio System
AM/FM radio
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent
Audio System
AM/FM radio
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent
Audio System
AM/FM radio
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Tires and Rims
Wheel type: aluminum alloy
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent