Hey everyone, I hope you are all well.
Today is the 3rd post talking about the cars bought and sold on the TV show Wheeler Dealers (one of my inspirations) with the Legends Mike Brewer and Ed China behind the wheel.
Back in 2003, Mike decided that he should look for a little hot hatch, and he thought, what a great idea it would be to buy the original hot hatch, the Mk1 Golf GTi.
Photographer: Jeremy from Sydney, Australia (https://www.flickr.com/people/126433814@N04)
Photo Source: Link
The Golf name, in general, has been a part of the VW lineup since 1974. The Golf has been the car that other manufacturers aim for, as they were the best, bringing VW's build quality to the people, at a much lower price.
2 years later, VW added the sporty version to the lineup thou, to be honest, they weren't very enthusiastic about the idea. They created the GTi, which was originally supposed to be a limited run, of 5000, but they ended up making 420,000 by the end of the original run.
Source of photo: Link of photo
The little 1.6 (though back then it was big) fuel-injected engine could reach a top speed of about 114mph, though the one in Mikes car was the later 1.8 Engine, which would top out at 114mph, do 0-62 in 9.2 seconds all with its 110 bhp 4 cylinder motor.
How much Did Mike pay?
Back in 2003, he paid £650 for an MK1 with issues. He had a budget of £1000 total to invest into the car.
What needed to be done?
- Brake master Cylinder needed Replacing
- Gear linkage needed a refurb
- Interior Airvents x 2
- New Rev counter
- New Ammeter
- new clock
- Replace front spoiler
- New stickers for the doorsills and around the rear window
- The VW badge was painted black
- A set of Pirelli alloys to replace the steel wheels
The GTi grill was painted too
He did all that for £515 which was over budget, which meant this car owed them £1,165.
How much did they sell it for??
£1,550 which means they made £385 on the car.
How much are they worth now??
It seems that these cars have gone up a lot in value since 2003!
A 1983 1.8 GTi car that needed attention went for £4500. It wasn't the best spec and looked quite boring compared to the others.
I'd say, an average condition GTi with average miles is around the £10000 mark, the mint ones are being priced at between £17000-£20000.
So imagine how much they could have made if they kept it for 18 years and made it mint.
Wow!!
Previous 2 cars sold, Click the links
The £600 1985 Saab 900 Turbo Wheeler Dealer: What are they worth now. #2
The £700 1983 Porsche 924 Wheeler Dealer: What are they worth now. #1