1989 Volkswagen Fox Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I am the proud owner of a 1989 Volkswagen Fox GTS, That model comes with a 5-speed instead of a 4 speed transmission. The car has never left me stranded. The car is a 2 door and yes it is a 1.8L 4 cylinder with a factory 5 speed transmission, I have put a TT tuning 270 cam into it, a moddified Audi 200 Turbo intake manifold, Switched the CIS-E to Digifant fuel injection. The VW Fox wasnt the first fox. In North America and Australia, the 80 was sold as the Audi Fox for model years 1973–79. so a little history lesson.Jun 13, 2013

My father was a car enthusiast. He probably went thru a boat load of vehicles during his lifetime before i was born and we shared the many joys and heartaches of owning vehicles from the 1990's and prior. I remember the Volkswagen Fox when it first came out. Today, as I shop for older vehicles I came across an 86 Toyota Corrolla that looks like the Fox. I was in high school when my dad decided we needed a cheap commuter car since he had to drive into the DC beltway chaos. Anyway, I remember exactly because I was part of the buying process. I searched newspapers for weeks for the perfect vehicle (no Internet then). I found the Fox on sale at the Volkswagen dealership for a ridiculously cheap price. It was the demo model but I think the price was low because it had no A/C. Also, it was a 2 door, 4 speed manual transmission. It was exciting then, getting a new car with zippy miles on the odometer. Later did I realize that this car would be such a pain in the butt for me. I had to pass my drivers test in this vehicle. Problem was drivers ed was all automatic and to make a long story short, motor vehicles was deeply annoyed with me. I was so afraid of shifting in this vehicle, I sometimes conveniently avoided putting the car on 4th gear. Probably contributed to the early death of this vehicle. The clutch was a pain and hearing gears grind constantly still haunts me today. My dad took me and my sister to school in this red vehicle for much of my high school days. Being that it was only a 2 door meant they had full control of the windows which btw was manual pulley and all his cigarette smoke nullified any of the cologne I had put on. No back windows to open meant I went to class smelling like the bad kids who smoked. The Fox is a major reason why I don't smoke today. This wasn't the worst comforts of the vehicle. Toward the end of short life of this Fox, I had to get out and push this darn vehicle for my dad. There have been many, many times when I had to get out at the light and push it so my dad can "crank it" so I can hop in quickly-just to get to school. I'm not making this up when I say I saw my bus mates laughing at me for pushing this vehicle on Marlboro Pike or Addison Rd many a times. When my dad passed this car to me, it got worse. I drove many places where if the clutch/neutral jamboree failed on me, I literally had to stick one foot out the door and the other on the acceleration AND clutch while negotiating neutral in order to crank it. God forbid if it was an uphill situation. Sometimes i had to let the vehicle roll backwards in order to "pop it". think about that scene in the Karate Kid. All in all, this vehicle was great on gas but a nightmare. I'm glad the Volkswagen Fox died out never to be seen again. Jan 28, 2012

Very sturdy, excellent little car. In tune with what had first made VW great... cheap, honest transportation. Excellent suspension takes bumps, rail road tracks and pot holes beautifully. Very fun to drive, much like the classic Beetle or MK I Rabbit / Golf. Brazilian-designed-and-made but German through-and-though. Bought my white VW Fox for only $650. Car is more-than-a-bargain, since $650 won't get you a parts car, these days, much less an intact, functioning car. Running a little rich, so I'll have to tune it up. Still, runs every time. Sure, not the fastest car, if you are into speed. But she'll do 70 mph easily enough on the express way, and seems to wanna go faster (speedo says "120 mph" as maximum speed). I've always loved the sweet smell of the horse hair stuffing used in VW seats up until recently. This car feels like a VW through-and-through. Simple, cheap, honest transportation. Super gas mileage! Reminiscent of earlier air-coolers, but with the advantages of water-cooling. A/C was the only added feature available on these things, so don't buy one if you're looking for a sissy, posh ride. Rack-and-pinion steering has no power assist. There are no power windows. The Fox was never available in North America or Europe with automatic transmissions, so it's 4 or 5 speed stick only. Car is no-frills, but it's sturdy, well-made and runs well.Oct 23, 2010