I can't even tell you how badly I wanted one of these when I was in high school. Got my license in '84 and dreams of a GTI vanished as my parents took me to pick up my first car....a '78 Ford Fiesta Sport, but it was still a fun little car.
I graduated high school in 1985, bought a used 1980 Rabbit that summer. A buddy of mine drove a new 1984 Rabbit GTi our senior year and when I drove his car after driving mine I new I had to upgrade. I still remember shifting from first to second gear and the car had such great torque the front end just lifted up and it took off! I finally bought a used 1984 the summer of 1988 and to this day it has stayed my favorite car.
Sadly my 1984 VW Rabbit GTI was stolen in 1995 and was in mint condition. I still miss it today, and it was my mechanical best friend. I hope you are still around on the road somewhere today old friend.
+watershed44 Seriously? After 20 years it never showed up? That's pretty crazy - my guess is that was stolen because somebody liked it and not because for a late night joyride. So in that respect, there is still a small chance that it is hidden in a garage somewhere or perhaps has moved on from owner to owner. Would you have any way of identifying it if you saw it (assuming the VIN# was changed?)
Bailey&Stella Productions Yes I still have the original dealership order/sales form and the correct VIN as well. There are certain small (hidden) things that would allow me to ID it even if the VIN had been changed.
Bailey&Stella Productions Sure these stories pop up on TV from time to time, but I don't keep thinking the car will magically appear two decades later. I'd be just as happy to know what happened though.
In my old age I’ve grown to love the cars of my youth. The GTI the Supra the Saab 900 SPG to name a few . I’ve enjoyed every generation of GTI’s. I much prefer it’s German understated looks to its boy racer competitors.
I owned an 84 GTI from 1997-2001. This was one of the most fun cars I've ever owned and driven. Not sure I'd love it today as much as I did 20 years ago, but my memories of the car are fond.
I hate fwd. But for some reason, i keep going back to vw over and over. I'll sell a gti, buy a rwd or awd car, sell that and come back. I swear every other car i own is a gti. I always regret selling them, but vw engineers frustrate me sometimes.
Back in 1984 I had a Dodge Charger with the 2.2 "high output" engine with manual transmission and a buddy purchased this exact "Rabbit-Golf" GTi so I got to drive both. Even if mine had more power the GTI was superior because it had an excellent transmission, good suspension and better quality. It looked slightly strange to my eyes as I was a foreign students used to the European models firstly by the name but what stuck in my mind was the vinil soft dashboard while the European models had the usual hard plastic. Actually if you exclude the bumpers I liked the US model more with the square headlights and those rims (If I recall correctly they brought those rims in Europe in the convertibles) Thanks for the memories.
My parents had a 1981 Rabbit "S" which was the precursor to this car. I drove it through high school and college. Wunderbar! I owned three GTIs since then.
Wow did this bring back memories! I bought an '84 brand new. It was red and had 15 inch gold BBS rims, sunroof and AC and stereo. I loved that car so much and probably will always be my favorite car. The seats were awesome and the car was so fun to drive...and probably seemed much faster than it really was. No power steering was NOT fun lol! Sadly I was so young and did not keep it and that is one regret I'll always have. Thank you Motorweek for all of your awesome videos!
I had a 77 Rabbit before I had my GTI . Rabbits used to surprise people with their acceleration and quickness at the time . I remember seeing a Rabbit magazine ad at that time that proclaimed in big letters " Zero to 50 in 7.5 seconds ! " Cheap to operate and way functional , it set the standard for hatchbacks. I loved the GTI but I lusted for the oh so cool Sirocco !
I had one of the first GTIs in the US. Got it in November ‘82, white with black trim on fenders and hatch, and the lower black stripes. Got my first ticket within 2 weeks through the world-famous Long Beach traffic circle passing the Circle Porsche Dealer! Light, small, & quick! 💿🏁
My mom had a 82 rabbit. It was black. I’d do anything to have it. I remember riding in it and the way it sounded. One thing I love and remember the most is the sound of the transmission when u drive in reverse.
I bought mine new in 1984, my first new car. I think I paid about $9800 for it, or maybe $8900. I can't recall. I had it for 19 years and put at least 250K miles on it. Hard to be certain as I broke a couple of speedometer cables. I was the only person who ever changed the oil every 3000 miles, except for one emergency oil change when I was on a trip. The car was still tight, compression still great and it never used a drop of oil up to the time when I finally gifted it to a coworker who said he was going to restore it. Everything was in good or better condition, but it was starting to need reconditioning. I had maintained it well, and put in new shocks and struts a few times. Red with red interior. What a great car. I still miss it.
First car was an ‘84 GTI. Bought it for $500…fixed her up and sold it for $5k. I’ve always missed that car…so I got a ‘21 MK7.5 GTI…and absolutely LOVE it so much.
My daily driver for 5 years in the early 90's. Such a blast to thrash through SoCal canyon drives.Felt muuuuch faster than what the 90hp 4 banger actually was......miss that little black hot hatch
Wow, thanks for posting this. My first new car was a black 83 GTI that I ordered when I was 19. Great memories (except for the tickets). Keep the oldies coming!
Loved my 83 , she was the cleanest one around when I got it in 92. Up to that point I drove rabbits, the GTI was the one to get though. Mk1s are a blast!!
@@ohguy1991 I liked rabbits but had no idea about gtis. Until some dude took me downtown for a ride and we found a mustang to play with. Couldn't touch us from light to light , once we hit 60 he would start to pull on us but it's time to stop for the next light. We went like 4 times , my jaw was further and further on the ground I hadda have one.
@@MrTheHillfolk Imagine if you pulled a Marty McFly and grabbed an MK2 16V GTI from 1991 with the 2.0 engine [or a 1995 MK3 VR6] and raced that same Mustang lol.... (Showed just how underpowered and behind Detroit had gotten with their engines and tech when both Germany and Japan could do more with far less.) Sure, the Mustang got more powerful too to be fair in each of those years, but the contest got the closest again when the GT took a step backward dropping down to a more modern 4.6 OHC motor that initially didn't perform up to the standards of the old 5.0 OHV H.O. engine of the Fox body. Therefore a VR6 GTI/Corrado could make a race out of it with a similar year Mustang of that generation...
@@joncouncil4454 The vr6 with a turbo is kinda nice. Even grandma could run a low 12 easy. Yea nobody ever talks about the 4.6, hmm ... And no doubt they have been getting heavier thru the years so they need more power from the start.
I bought a 1983 GTI in Silver. It was the first new car I ever bought and it was a lot of fun to drive. Takes a lot more money these days to replicate that kind of fun... just got a 2023 RS5...
Seems like there has *always* been a price-premium to pay for the GTI... Even today, it's more expensive than its rivals -- Focus ST, MazdaSpeed 3, etc. My Mom bought a Diesel Rabbit in '82. It had the "Wolfsburg Package" on it -- an appearance package that gave it the same blacked-out fender flares and bumpers and other appearance parts of the GTI (minus the red-trimmed grille and GTI logo, of course). But that thing had NO power whatsoever. Those old Diesels were made only for fuel mileage (she regularly got well over 50 MPG on the highway, and over 40 around town). 0 to 60 could be timed with a calendar, not a stopwatch. :-)
It's German, they make some of the highest wages in the world. GTI is still made in Germany, I think. All the other Golfs are made in Mexico and have been for a long time. VW was a pioneer in Mexican manufacturing.
Agreed! In 1985 I bought my first new car. It came down to the 1985 Dodge Charger 2.2 and the GTI. The GTI came in at over $1,000 more and the Dodge won out. I still love hatches, so fast forward 31 years, and it came down to the Focus ST and the GTI. They were discounting the ST by $5,000 along with 0% financing, and once again the VW lost out. Maybe someday I'll own a GTI.
Oh yes, absolutely slow! My girlfriend's mom had an '83 Diesel Rabbit, with manual trans. She could go for almost 3 weeks between fuel stops, but to quote my late grandma, "it couldn't pull a greasy string out of a cat's ass"!!! 😂
@@johncollins7423 Your grandma should've seen what these bad boys could do by the 21st Century. Had a 2001 Golf TDI with 122K miles, thrid owner. Car got an honest 52 MPG with a 5 speed (with the A/C on it dropped to 50) Over the next 250K miles (Yes you read that right... that's 250,000 miles, enough to drive one way to the Moon literally) I had to replace the turbo, do two timing belts, injector rebuilds, and the like. So, I chose to upgrade all of those items. Bosio Injectors (oversized), new Injector Pump rebuild (High flow performance mods), special Hybrid turbo rebuild to my standard GT1749V (turned it into a GT1856V), upgraded intercooler, ported and polished three-angle valve job head along with a Colt Cams stage 2 performance camshaft when I got it pulled and rebuilt, finally topping off with a heavy-duty clutch and single mass lightened flywheel and a larger downpipe. Then, a ECU reflash performance tune to take me up to 19.5 psi from the stock 13.5 psi. Very modest increase. I tell you what. That same car even made a 90's era Mustang GT driver do a nasty glare at me when she tried to pull on me and couldn't...lol with a car that plainly said it was a TDI and showed it with the trademark puff of black smoke just before boost got up to full. Many people had to do double-takes when they saw that car move. Oh, and the ebst part. Getting 49 MPG while doing all of this.....
Owned a black '83 GTI. Had -2" Eibach springs, a couple light engine and exhaust mods, sound system and euro bumpers. Traveling down the 91 FWY in Riverside, CA one afternoon at 70mph and the steering rack decided to let loose and saw my life flash in an instant. Luckily nobody was near me and was able to stop without any incident or damage, but was stuck in the middle of the freeway until a tow truck arrived. Regardless, that was the most fun I've ever had owning a car. 5am trips to Oceanside for dawn patrol with my buddies and everything in between was awesome. Sold it for $1750 and looking back was the regrets of my life. Oh well, she still lives my memories.
My gosh that is a super fast car for it being an early 80's, I know there aren't many cars from that era that would go from 0 to 60 in less than 10 seconds.
But but the Grand National, the Porsche 928, C4(sorta), Mercedes w126 500 SEC, Lil Red truck, but in general I totally agree. I hate modern cars as well. smart phones with a set of wheels. The golden age was the late 60s best design, best engines, and more. In general for a commuter I would say the early 80s with the rabbits, w123s, and such.
Oh my gosh!!! That was EXACTLY the same GTI I had in 85! I got an '83 GTI in those same colors. It was a great, fun little car. BUT...... top speed was only about 88 mph. Milege wasn't as good as they state; the best I got was 28-29 or so. Then again, I DID have A/C in mine. Took it racing a few times on SCCA-type courses, it would lift it's inside rear wheel on hard corners! Put some Bilsteins in it to no avail. In the city is where it SHINES, zipping around the Loop in Chicago was a breeze, quick little sucker off the line, too. MotorWeek, thanks for the memories!!!
There may have been something off with your GTI if the top speed was only 88 mph. I had a 1984 (brought it in 1988 with 39,000 miles). It took a while, but it reached 104 mph on a top speed run I took one day. Even in the magazines out at the time (Car and Driver, Motor Trend, Road and Track), all listed top speed between 104 to 108 mph. I totally agree driving around town or the city is where it was the most fun because it was just so loud revving out on the highway!
Just for the record, the standard '83 Rabbit was also re-engineered to drive more like the standard German Golf because Carl Hahn at Volkswagen AG and Jim Fuller at Volkswagen of America were out to de-Americanize the Rabbit as quickly as possible after it had been re-engineered for production in Pennsylvania to drive like a Chevrolet.
I bought a used 1975 clean VW Rabbit 2dr dark orange. I had the cylinder head worked over, performance camshaft, single side-draft carb., headers, Ansa exhaust, shifter kit, bosch performance ignition. Lowering springs, 20560r13 performance tires on 6 inch wide wheels, large sway bars. Loved that car. Then I bought a 1976 Scirocco a few years later and did even more to that. That was good days. Would have loved a GTI but was too expensive for me then.
LOVE IT! I watch the first episode of MotorWeek quite often, since it was included with my 30th Anniversary DVD. I'm definitely excited for more Throwback Thursdays!
Who ever disliked this...really? Still driving my almost og 83 gti. The only thing I've changed is the shocks and the wheels and rear beam to scirooco to hold disk brakes all around. No matter how hard you try...you won't beat me off the light. Always fun to drive on a cool fall day...
These cars were a blast back in high school in the late 80's. I can't believe the speed times listed here. They even look faster in the video. They sure felt faster. Then again, I remember them being bigger, too. Those 2 people in it look like they are crammed in there. I don't remember that.
I am a middle-aged man on my second GTI, a 2019 MK 7.5. It is my favorite car to date and it made me wonder why the hell I didn’t buy one 25 years ago. Random: I was always amused by the single turn signal indicator VWs sported from the 50s through the 80s.
I had a 83 white with blue interior which was my first car in high school (1986). Mine was also stolen from my HS student parking lot. Ended up getting an 84 with much less miles. Loved them both and recall watching this video before.
@kurtschmoelz I bought a brand new one in 1984, same blue interior as yours but with diamond silver exterior. No, AC, no Radio, because I was young and could only afford the most basic car nothing more. I loved that car. Best car I have ever owned, reliable, a blast to drive. Stolen in Oct 1995 from a shopping center strip mall parking lot next to the car dealership I worked at, and never recovered. I think it was shipped to Mexico, or somewhere in Central America, I wouldn't be surprised if it is still on the road today. I still miss that car, and wish I could buy a brand new one exactly like it today!
I owned an 84 rabbit GTI with with no air conditioning. I assume they all came with manual transmissions. The one thing I remember about the car was it had power brakes and manual steering. You could feel in the steering wheel when the inside front wheel was starting to lose traction. The first time I experienced it was going about 60 mph on an on-ramp.
I bought mine new in Germany in 1984 through the US military Auto Sales programs that allowed us to buy US-made cars for hassle-free shipment back to the 'States when our tour was up. I drove it all over Europe, 93,000 miles, shipped it home and STUPIDLY sold it. It's in Florida somewhere, last I checked, and I miss it so much. I now own a 2019 Golf GTI Rabbit Edition in Cornflower Blue, and love it. It's better in every conceivable way than my '84, but I would still love to have it back. What a great car.
I had a Mk 1 and Mk 11. The Mk 1 was really clean and with 175K miles, it ran like new. Not even a rip in any of the seats... not too shabby quality wise.
We've already got a years worth of Throwbacks planned out... plus a special "12 Days Of ThrowBack" for December. Thanks for the positive feedback. Next Thursday will be 93 CALLAWAY SUPERNATURAL.
Cars were so slow, but so much easier to wring out back then. They are so fast nowadays, that it takes a lot of the fun out of them. You can't safely go flat out with a modern performance car for more than a few seconds without getting into triple digits.
The GTI and 944 are the two best cars to have come from that year: both mega-fun 4 cylinder examples of perfect balance & handling, and quality for the money.
My Dad had a Rabbit (I do not know what year as I was only 3.) But I do remember it was tan (got a pic of it. Next to Mom's Plymouth Reliant) It had a 5 speed manual. We used to hop(e) into it when he heard a freight trains whistle and watch it chug by.
Still have one of these...the South African model which I bought brand new in 1995(they still made these,in this beautiful shape, until 2008 if I am not mistaken).I will never drive anything else...there is just no reason to.It is a fantastic "drivers" car which has never broken down on me and has survived 5 theft attempts.
Intresting you could already get A/C in cars this small back then in the States. In Europe, in 1983, A/C was only available as the most costly option in a Jaguar XJ or a Mercedes W126 S
+FrightfulAccountant It was all because the 50's and early 60's competition between car companies in the US. In the golden era of the US motoring they fought with each other with offers like standard A/C, power windows, automatic gearbox etc. People quickly used to it and it was hard for a company or importer to sell anything without these things at least as an option since then. There was no such thing behind European car history, in the 50's companies still didn't recover well after the war and the competition was never aimed so much on the comfort, so people there didn't have such demands.
The AC was not very good on VW/Audi products back then.....small evaporator/small condenser (not very well integrated add-on HVAC then)...very difficult to get them to blow ice-cold on hot days in traffic....unless going down the freeway. The AC compressor bracket commonly cracked/broke back in the day. and, on the Rabbits, the whole cowl-steering column would shake many times when the Compressor came on when the engine was loaded-up in stop and go driving. The American built Golfs were absolute Garbage, Car & Drivers' test vehicle.... a 16 valve one.........the lazy UAW works in Pennsylvania forgot to add seam-sealer to the floor/firewall......in the rain,the GTI became a rolling swamp!
yeah i've got one of these, manufactured may '83 .the interior is so old the vinyl dash and door cards are dark brownish red. there's rust in the rear right wheel arch and threshold drivers side under the carpet, but it's still as charming as the day is long!
90HP and nearly 10 seconds to 60 mph... We have come a long way baby since the 80s!!! That interior is so Spartan! $8600 for this puppy! The Rabbit GTI did look good compared to the lackluster competition back then. I wish VW would bring back the Rabbit name because Golf just sounds so dull. I would have gladly driven this car in high school so thanks for the flashback #Motorweek!
I owned a 1980 VW Rabbit with mechanical fuel injection. What a disaster that was; it was always hard to start when it was hot. To matters worse, I lived in the Arizona desert! I now own a 2003 Golf and love this car.
I really miss those Motorweek days. Why? Because then was when they got down to brass tax (i.e. the stats) on the numbers. I appreciated the performance details that seems to be less important in today's episodes. I hope one day soon, Motorweek will put the stats at the top of the list with more details as what made them so popular in the first place -remember your roots. What's my all-time favorite episode? The episode that showcased the 1987 Saleen Mustang review (that would be an awesome episode for a Throwback Thursday). My brother and I had the privilege of test driving that version of the car, and we both ended up buying the sleeper 5.0L LX (at the same time back in late '86), ordering both from the factory. Those were fun times. Other cars that were considered were the CRX Si, Civic Si, and the Cavalier SS, and I just missed out on the 1986 Mustang SVO. A great year (actually 85-87) for performance cars.
My 1983 rabbit gti started out looking like this one in the video. Now, not so much 😊. My rabbit has been working out and on steroids the past 25 years 😅
drove college roomate's 87 GLI for a couple of years in the late 80's. There is a 90 degree turn road near campus and I can always get one wheel in the air while going around that bend. That was a great car though.
I had one in black and it was like a little rocket off the line I remember the Perreli P6 and the manual shift had a golfball looking shift knob Lots of fun and I leased it which meant I gave it back, I should have bought it out. Also Fun with its Crank handle Moonroof
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Proud owner of an 84 first car over 25 years ago and still have her.
I sold these in 1983 when they first came out. They were a blast to drive.
I can't even tell you how badly I wanted one of these when I was in high school. Got my license in '84 and dreams of a GTI vanished as my parents took me to pick up my first car....a '78 Ford Fiesta Sport, but it was still a fun little car.
lucky you, i had a shitty pinto.
@@Necrocancerr Frstiva is a late 80’s car, Feista in a German hatch from late 70’s. Both great, but different
lol got my license in '95. This was 83 GTI manual was my first car.
I’ve wanted a GTI for decades but life always got in the way, finally got one 2 months ago and it is everything I wanted.
I graduated high school in 1985, bought a used 1980 Rabbit that summer. A buddy of mine drove a new 1984 Rabbit GTi our senior year and when I drove his car after driving mine I new I had to upgrade. I still remember shifting from first to second gear and the car had such great torque the front end just lifted up and it took off! I finally bought a used 1984 the summer of 1988 and to this day it has stayed my favorite car.
Very beautiful this VW Rabbit and GTi, 1985-1988 is my favorites
Sadly my 1984 VW Rabbit GTI was stolen in 1995 and was in mint condition.
I still miss it today, and it was my mechanical best friend. I hope you are still
around on the road somewhere today old friend.
+watershed44 Miss my old GTI. Sold it a couple years ago and just saw it on craigslist - wrecked. Loved that car.
+watershed44 Seriously? After 20 years it never showed up? That's pretty crazy - my guess is that was stolen because somebody liked it and not because for a late night joyride. So in that respect, there is still a small chance that it is hidden in a garage somewhere or perhaps has moved on from owner to owner.
Would you have any way of identifying it if you saw it (assuming the VIN# was changed?)
Bailey&Stella Productions Yes I still have the original dealership order/sales form and the correct VIN as well. There are certain small (hidden) things that would allow me to ID it even if the VIN had been changed.
Good luck...I know you have moved on, physically at least, but sometimes you hear about people being reunited with their long lost vehicles!
Bailey&Stella Productions Sure these stories pop up on TV from time to time, but I don't keep thinking the car will magically appear two decades later. I'd be just as happy to know what happened though.
In my old age I’ve grown to love the cars of my youth. The GTI the Supra the Saab 900 SPG to name a few . I’ve enjoyed every generation of GTI’s. I much prefer it’s German understated looks to its boy racer competitors.
Reminds me of my first car, an '81 Scirocco, damn I miss that little bastard. $650 and479k miles yet still managed to reach 70mph. Never Forget.
I have to say for 1983 this car has some pretty impressive stats even in fuel economy.
36 hwy is as good or better than today's gti.
I owned an 84 GTI from 1997-2001. This was one of the most fun cars I've ever owned and driven. Not sure I'd love it today as much as I did 20 years ago, but my memories of the car are fond.
Just bought an EXACT model as this, absolutely beautiful car, she's gonna get some serious love the whole rest of her life
god i wish I could buy that car new right now
Same here! i own a 2020 but this would be more valuable for me Hands down!
Just did…1984 with 55k mi. Cannot wait for it to arrive.
I'd still love that Rabbit GTI. I drove a Silver one, new from a dealer, man it was a lot of fun!
I once owned an '84 GTi and, in a fit of idiocy, sold it. Of all the cars I've ever driven, she's the one I most miss.
Ned Pike would you perhaps live in the state of washington i just bought an 84 gti and just though theres a slight chance i bought your old gti.
I still own my 1983 Gti. Will never sell it.
The European version looks 100 % better inside and out
I hate fwd. But for some reason, i keep going back to vw over and over. I'll sell a gti, buy a rwd or awd car, sell that and come back. I swear every other car i own is a gti. I always regret selling them, but vw engineers frustrate me sometimes.
Ned Pike yeah, I was dumb enough to sell my 86 GTI 16 Valve. Probably the dumbest car sale I’ve ever done.
@D it doesn't matter. It's the design that bugs me. I've never had reliability issues regardless of german or Mexican made.
Back in 1984 I had a Dodge Charger with the 2.2 "high output" engine with manual transmission and a buddy purchased this exact "Rabbit-Golf" GTi so I got to drive both. Even if mine had more power the GTI was superior because it had an excellent transmission, good suspension and better quality. It looked slightly strange to my eyes as I was a foreign students used to the European models firstly by the name but what stuck in my mind was the vinil soft dashboard while the European models had the usual hard plastic. Actually if you exclude the bumpers I liked the US model more with the square headlights and those rims (If I recall correctly they brought those rims in Europe in the convertibles)
Thanks for the memories.
My parents had a 1981 Rabbit "S" which was the precursor to this car. I drove it through high school and college. Wunderbar! I owned three GTIs since then.
Made in the now closed UAW Pennsylvania plant.
Wow did this bring back memories! I bought an '84 brand new. It was red and had 15 inch gold BBS rims, sunroof and AC and stereo. I loved that car so much and probably will always be my favorite car. The seats were awesome and the car was so fun to drive...and probably seemed much faster than it really was. No power steering was NOT fun lol! Sadly I was so young and did not keep it and that is one regret I'll always have.
Thank you Motorweek for all of your awesome videos!
Love these throwbacks! John Davis always had swagger
I had a 77 Rabbit before I had my GTI . Rabbits used to surprise people with their acceleration and quickness at the time . I remember seeing a Rabbit magazine ad at that time that proclaimed in big letters " Zero to 50 in 7.5 seconds ! " Cheap to operate and way functional , it set the standard for hatchbacks.
I loved the GTI but I lusted for the oh so cool Sirocco !
Exhilarating 0-60 in 9.7 seconds, how times have changed! 😂
I had one of the first GTIs in the US. Got it in November ‘82, white with black trim on fenders and hatch, and the lower black stripes. Got my first ticket within 2 weeks through the world-famous Long Beach traffic circle passing the Circle Porsche Dealer! Light, small, & quick! 💿🏁
My mom had a 82 rabbit. It was black. I’d do anything to have it. I remember riding in it and the way it sounded. One thing I love and remember the most is the sound of the transmission when u drive in reverse.
John~~~Throwback Thursday is a GREAT idea! Bravo!
I bought mine new in 1984, my first new car. I think I paid about $9800 for it, or maybe $8900. I can't recall. I had it for 19 years and put at least 250K miles on it. Hard to be certain as I broke a couple of speedometer cables. I was the only person who ever changed the oil every 3000 miles, except for one emergency oil change when I was on a trip. The car was still tight, compression still great and it never used a drop of oil up to the time when I finally gifted it to a coworker who said he was going to restore it. Everything was in good or better condition, but it was starting to need reconditioning. I had maintained it well, and put in new shocks and struts a few times. Red with red interior. What a great car. I still miss it.
First car was an ‘84 GTI. Bought it for $500…fixed her up and sold it for $5k. I’ve always missed that car…so I got a ‘21 MK7.5 GTI…and absolutely LOVE it so much.
My daily driver for 5 years in the early 90's. Such a blast to thrash through SoCal canyon drives.Felt muuuuch faster than what the 90hp 4 banger actually was......miss that little black hot hatch
Wow, thanks for posting this. My first new car was a black 83 GTI that I ordered when I was 19. Great memories (except for the tickets). Keep the oldies coming!
I met an older chick in the NIGHTCLUB I worked at in 83...we went on a "car-date" in her 83 GTI : ) Never left the parking lot. The 80s were great.
Loved my 83 , she was the cleanest one around when I got it in 92.
Up to that point I drove rabbits, the GTI was the one to get though.
Mk1s are a blast!!
Nice throwback. It's amazing how differently cars were perceived. Please keep these coming.
I owned two 84 GTI's... One from 1989-1992, the other from 1995-1997. Loved em both, wish I never sold either of them. Huge mistake.
"9.7 seconds 0-60 time is exhilarating" wow!
I'm 1983 that was pretty quick. my 1983 5.0 4 speed Mustang did it in 8 seconds, scorching!!! lol
@@ohguy1991
I liked rabbits but had no idea about gtis.
Until some dude took me downtown for a ride and we found a mustang to play with.
Couldn't touch us from light to light , once we hit 60 he would start to pull on us but it's time to stop for the next light. We went like 4 times , my jaw was further and further on the ground I hadda have one.
@@MrTheHillfolk Imagine if you pulled a Marty McFly and grabbed an MK2 16V GTI from 1991 with the 2.0 engine [or a 1995 MK3 VR6] and raced that same Mustang lol.... (Showed just how underpowered and behind Detroit had gotten with their engines and tech when both Germany and Japan could do more with far less.) Sure, the Mustang got more powerful too to be fair in each of those years, but the contest got the closest again when the GT took a step backward dropping down to a more modern 4.6 OHC motor that initially didn't perform up to the standards of the old 5.0 OHV H.O. engine of the Fox body. Therefore a VR6 GTI/Corrado could make a race out of it with a similar year Mustang of that generation...
@@joncouncil4454
The vr6 with a turbo is kinda nice.
Even grandma could run a low 12 easy.
Yea nobody ever talks about the 4.6, hmm ...
And no doubt they have been getting heavier thru the years so they need more power from the start.
@@joncouncil4454 Also a well-tuned 8V will rock. I've had both.
We test drove one of these in 1983. Man it was fun to throw around corners
I bought a 1983 GTI in Silver. It was the first new car I ever bought and it was a lot of fun to drive. Takes a lot more money these days to replicate that kind of fun... just got a 2023 RS5...
I had a used one in the brick red color. Loved it and drove that thing everywhere when I was in college.
Seems like there has *always* been a price-premium to pay for the GTI... Even today, it's more expensive than its rivals -- Focus ST, MazdaSpeed 3, etc.
My Mom bought a Diesel Rabbit in '82. It had the "Wolfsburg Package" on it -- an appearance package that gave it the same blacked-out fender flares and bumpers and other appearance parts of the GTI (minus the red-trimmed grille and GTI logo, of course). But that thing had NO power whatsoever. Those old Diesels were made only for fuel mileage (she regularly got well over 50 MPG on the highway, and over 40 around town). 0 to 60 could be timed with a calendar, not a stopwatch. :-)
It's German, they make some of the highest wages in the world. GTI is still made in Germany, I think. All the other Golfs are made in Mexico and have been for a long time. VW was a pioneer in Mexican manufacturing.
Agreed! In 1985 I bought my first new car. It came down to the 1985 Dodge Charger 2.2 and the GTI. The GTI came in at over $1,000 more and the Dodge won out. I still love hatches, so fast forward 31 years, and it came down to the Focus ST and the GTI. They were discounting the ST by $5,000 along with 0% financing, and once again the VW lost out. Maybe someday I'll own a GTI.
Oh yes, absolutely slow! My girlfriend's mom had an '83 Diesel Rabbit, with manual trans. She could go for almost 3 weeks between fuel stops, but to quote my late grandma, "it couldn't pull a greasy string out of a cat's ass"!!!
😂
@@johncollins7423 Your grandma should've seen what these bad boys could do by the 21st Century. Had a 2001 Golf TDI with 122K miles, thrid owner. Car got an honest 52 MPG with a 5 speed (with the A/C on it dropped to 50) Over the next 250K miles (Yes you read that right... that's 250,000 miles, enough to drive one way to the Moon literally) I had to replace the turbo, do two timing belts, injector rebuilds, and the like. So, I chose to upgrade all of those items. Bosio Injectors (oversized), new Injector Pump rebuild (High flow performance mods), special Hybrid turbo rebuild to my standard GT1749V (turned it into a GT1856V), upgraded intercooler, ported and polished three-angle valve job head along with a Colt Cams stage 2 performance camshaft when I got it pulled and rebuilt, finally topping off with a heavy-duty clutch and single mass lightened flywheel and a larger downpipe. Then, a ECU reflash performance tune to take me up to 19.5 psi from the stock 13.5 psi. Very modest increase. I tell you what. That same car even made a 90's era Mustang GT driver do a nasty glare at me when she tried to pull on me and couldn't...lol with a car that plainly said it was a TDI and showed it with the trademark puff of black smoke just before boost got up to full. Many people had to do double-takes when they saw that car move. Oh, and the ebst part. Getting 49 MPG while doing all of this.....
@@joncouncil4454 Yeah, she passed in 1993, so she never got to see the killer advances in diesel tech, for sure.
90 hp never sounded so good. Back in the day this was more than enough. Now my 600 hp weekender has me wanting even more. 😳
Remember when dreaming about owning a car was more exciting than owning a dream car? Back in 83 I was a kid. I wish I knew then what I know now.
Owned a black '83 GTI. Had -2" Eibach springs, a couple light engine and exhaust mods, sound system and euro bumpers. Traveling down the 91 FWY in Riverside, CA one afternoon at 70mph and the steering rack decided to let loose and saw my life flash in an instant. Luckily nobody was near me and was able to stop without any incident or damage, but was stuck in the middle of the freeway until a tow truck arrived. Regardless, that was the most fun I've ever had owning a car. 5am trips to Oceanside for dawn patrol with my buddies and everything in between was awesome. Sold it for $1750 and looking back was the regrets of my life. Oh well, she still lives my memories.
And with this test, a legend was born!!!!
My gosh that is a super fast car for it being an early 80's, I know there aren't many cars from that era that would go from 0 to 60 in less than 10 seconds.
The UK GTI did it in 8.7 - and that was in 1976!
But but the Grand National, the Porsche 928, C4(sorta), Mercedes w126 500 SEC, Lil Red truck, but in general I totally agree. I hate modern cars as well. smart phones with a set of wheels. The golden age was the late 60s best design, best engines, and more. In general for a commuter I would say the early 80s with the rabbits, w123s, and such.
It felt like a rocket at the time. Funny to see how slow it really was
Love these, please MORE THROWBACKS
Oh my gosh!!! That was EXACTLY the same GTI I had in 85! I got an '83 GTI in those same colors. It was a great, fun little car. BUT...... top speed was only about 88 mph. Milege wasn't as good as they state; the best I got was 28-29 or so. Then again, I DID have A/C in mine. Took it racing a few times on SCCA-type courses, it would lift it's inside rear wheel on hard corners! Put some Bilsteins in it to no avail. In the city is where it SHINES, zipping around the Loop in Chicago was a breeze, quick little sucker off the line, too. MotorWeek, thanks for the memories!!!
There may have been something off with your GTI if the top speed was only 88 mph. I had a 1984 (brought it in 1988 with 39,000 miles). It took a while, but it reached 104 mph on a top speed run I took one day. Even in the magazines out at the time (Car and Driver, Motor Trend, Road and Track), all listed top speed between 104 to 108 mph. I totally agree driving around town or the city is where it was the most fun because it was just so loud revving out on the highway!
The only car i wish didnt get away. What a drivers car.
Amazing how far automobiles have come. I currently own a 2017 GTI and I love the car. 225hp is a bit more than this old girl.
Just for the record, the standard '83 Rabbit was also re-engineered to drive more like the standard German Golf because Carl Hahn at Volkswagen AG and Jim Fuller at Volkswagen of America were out to de-Americanize the Rabbit as quickly as possible after it had been re-engineered for production in Pennsylvania to drive like a Chevrolet.
I bought one in 1984. Great car. Super cold AC. 90 HP but handled well.
Awesome, keep them coming. I remember waking up early on Saturday mornings as a kid to watch MW on PBS.
We take so many things for granted these days.
But all in all I wish they still built cars like this.
I was driving for two years at the time this car came to the market. Oh how I wish I could've gotten one then.
I bought a used 1975 clean VW Rabbit 2dr dark orange. I had the cylinder head worked over, performance camshaft, single side-draft carb., headers, Ansa exhaust, shifter kit, bosch performance ignition. Lowering springs, 20560r13 performance tires on 6 inch wide wheels, large sway bars. Loved that car. Then I bought a 1976 Scirocco a few years later and did even more to that. That was good days. Would have loved a GTI but was too expensive for me then.
LOVE IT! I watch the first episode of MotorWeek quite often, since it was included with my 30th Anniversary DVD.
I'm definitely excited for more Throwback Thursdays!
Who ever disliked this...really? Still driving my almost og 83 gti. The only thing I've changed is the shocks and the wheels and rear beam to scirooco to hold disk brakes all around. No matter how hard you try...you won't beat me off the light. Always fun to drive on a cool fall day...
Keep doing the throw back Thursdays! Really fun to watch!!!
These cars were a blast back in high school in the late 80's. I can't believe the speed times listed here. They even look faster in the video. They sure felt faster. Then again, I remember them being bigger, too. Those 2 people in it look like they are crammed in there. I don't remember that.
Definitely a like for this videos!! It's always fun to watch older cars, that price!! Can even buy a used GTI for that now days lol, thank you guys!!
I am a middle-aged man on my second GTI, a 2019 MK 7.5. It is my favorite car to date and it made me wonder why the hell I didn’t buy one 25 years ago. Random: I was always amused by the single turn signal indicator VWs sported from the 50s through the 80s.
I had a black 83 with blue interior back in 89 . It was an awesome car . Unfortunately it was stolen . Still miss it till this day .
I had a 83 white with blue interior which was my first car in high school (1986). Mine was also stolen from my HS student parking lot. Ended up getting an 84 with much less miles. Loved them both and recall watching this video before.
@kurtschmoelz
I bought a brand new one in 1984, same blue interior as yours but with diamond silver exterior.
No, AC, no Radio, because I was young and could only afford the most basic car nothing more.
I loved that car. Best car I have ever owned, reliable, a blast to drive. Stolen in Oct 1995 from a shopping center strip mall parking lot next to the car dealership I worked at, and never recovered. I think it was shipped to Mexico, or somewhere in Central America, I wouldn't be surprised if it is still on the road today. I still miss that car, and wish I could buy a brand new one exactly like it today!
I owned an 84 rabbit GTI with with no air conditioning. I assume they all came with manual transmissions. The one thing I remember about the car was it had power brakes and manual steering. You could feel in the steering wheel when the inside front wheel was starting to lose traction. The first time I experienced it was going about 60 mph on an on-ramp.
I bought mine new in Germany in 1984 through the US military Auto Sales programs that allowed us to buy US-made cars for hassle-free shipment back to the 'States when our tour was up. I drove it all over Europe, 93,000 miles, shipped it home and STUPIDLY sold it. It's in Florida somewhere, last I checked, and I miss it so much. I now own a 2019 Golf GTI Rabbit Edition in Cornflower Blue, and love it. It's better in every conceivable way than my '84, but I would still love to have it back. What a great car.
I had a Mk 1 and Mk 11. The Mk 1 was really clean and with 175K miles, it ran like new. Not even a rip in any of the seats... not too shabby quality wise.
We've already got a years worth of Throwbacks planned out... plus a special "12 Days Of ThrowBack" for December. Thanks for the positive feedback. Next Thursday will be 93 CALLAWAY SUPERNATURAL.
Yes,please keep them coming.
I had one of those in the 80s, it was a fun car to drive for its time, indeed!! We have come a long way thats for sure!
Crazy that a 9.7 second 0-60 felt so fast back in the 80"s.
Cars were so slow, but so much easier to wring out back then. They are so fast nowadays, that it takes a lot of the fun out of them. You can't safely go flat out with a modern performance car for more than a few seconds without getting into triple digits.
Excellent work. One of the best all time car shows.
Out of the 30 some cars I've owned over 44 years of driving, the overall favorite was the 1986 GTI. As stated "It does everything right".
I used to own a 1982 German spec GTI. It had 112 bhp and did 0 to 100 kmh in 8.4 seconds. I regret selling it for the last 25 yrs...
Came for the car review. Left with a great knowledge of rabbits.
Keep these coming!
The GTI and 944 are the two best cars to have come from that year: both mega-fun 4 cylinder examples of perfect balance & handling, and quality for the money.
This is awesome. I love Motor Week and thank you for your very informative posts. AWESOME!
I have a 83 gti in the garage, have it now 24 years love it
My Dad had a Rabbit (I do not know what year as I was only 3.) But I do remember it was tan (got a pic of it. Next to Mom's Plymouth Reliant) It had a 5 speed manual. We used to hop(e) into it when he heard a freight trains whistle and watch it chug by.
Keep posting throw backs. Love em!
Forgotten fact: US-sold Rabbits of this vintage were built in Pennsylvania.
I had one of these. They're the real deal. Fun as hell, even though mine tried to kill/deafen me.
Wish they were this in detail with their reviews today!
Still have one of these...the South African model which I bought brand new in 1995(they still made these,in this beautiful shape, until 2008 if I am not mistaken).I will never drive anything else...there is just no reason to.It is a fantastic "drivers" car which has never broken down on me and has survived 5 theft attempts.
Intresting you could already get A/C in cars this small back then in the States. In Europe, in 1983, A/C was only available as the most costly option in a Jaguar XJ or a Mercedes W126 S
+FrightfulAccountant A/C was a very common in 83'
but not here in europe where this car comes from :p
+FrightfulAccountant It was all because the 50's and early 60's competition between car companies in the US. In the golden era of the US motoring they fought with each other with offers like standard A/C, power windows, automatic gearbox etc. People quickly used to it and it was hard for a company or importer to sell anything without these things at least as an option since then. There was no such thing behind European car history, in the 50's companies still didn't recover well after the war and the competition was never aimed so much on the comfort, so people there didn't have such demands.
The AC was not very good on VW/Audi products back then.....small evaporator/small condenser (not very well integrated add-on HVAC then)...very difficult to get them to blow ice-cold on hot days in traffic....unless going down the freeway. The AC compressor bracket commonly cracked/broke back in the day. and, on the Rabbits, the whole cowl-steering column would shake many times when the Compressor came on when the engine was loaded-up in stop and go driving. The American built Golfs were absolute Garbage, Car & Drivers' test vehicle.... a 16 valve one.........the lazy UAW works in Pennsylvania forgot to add seam-sealer to the floor/firewall......in the rain,the GTI became a rolling swamp!
Formthis have airbags?
yeah i've got one of these, manufactured may '83 .the interior is so old the vinyl dash and door cards are dark brownish red. there's rust in the rear right wheel arch and threshold drivers side under the carpet, but it's still as charming as the day is long!
90HP and nearly 10 seconds to 60 mph... We have come a long way baby since the 80s!!! That interior is so Spartan! $8600 for this puppy! The Rabbit GTI did look good compared to the lackluster competition back then. I wish VW would bring back the Rabbit name because Golf just sounds so dull. I would have gladly driven this car in high school so thanks for the flashback #Motorweek!
They brought the Rabbit back for a little while in the late 2000's
whoohaaXL I vaguely recall that but it didn't last long. VW seems to be really attached to the Golf name.
America finally got used to the name Golf so Rabbit sounded to cutesy to stick
I had 5 mk2 gti 16v. One of the best cars ever
I owned a 1980 VW Rabbit with mechanical fuel injection. What a disaster that was; it was always hard to start when it was hot. To matters worse, I lived in the Arizona desert! I now own a 2003 Golf and love this car.
I really miss those Motorweek days. Why? Because then was when they got down to brass tax (i.e. the stats) on the numbers. I appreciated the performance details that seems to be less important in today's episodes. I hope one day soon, Motorweek will put the stats at the top of the list with more details as what made them so popular in the first place -remember your roots.
What's my all-time favorite episode? The episode that showcased the 1987 Saleen Mustang review (that would be an awesome episode for a Throwback Thursday). My brother and I had the privilege of test driving that version of the car, and we both ended up buying the sleeper 5.0L LX (at the same time back in late '86), ordering both from the factory. Those were fun times. Other cars that were considered were the CRX Si, Civic Si, and the Cavalier SS, and I just missed out on the 1986 Mustang SVO. A great year (actually 85-87) for performance cars.
those smoking, flat-spotted tires...that red (?) interior...no a/c! still love it! =)
Do a VR6 swap and you really have a pocket rocket 🚀
How I miss my 1985 MK2 GTI and my MK4 R32 😢
The US version of the Golf GTi was totally anemic. In Europe the same car plumped out 112 hp. The thing was a beast in its time
My first car was a VW Scirocco. It didn't have power steering either. What a pain to parallel park, haha.
I miss mine.....best first car....ever!
Had a 84 gti as my first car. A 1980s chevelle beat me 3 times. They were really slow back in the 90s when I had it. Still miss it.
86' Dodge Omni GLH-T next PLEASE!!!! This car was so much better than the Rabbit back then!
OOOOwwwwwhhh,,,I wrait wrabbits in my best Elmer Fud impersonation
0-60 in 9.7 sec was considered quick in 1983…hard to believe.
That poor bunny is terrified.
sad to know it's dead now too :(
@@bvedant It is pining for the fjords,
My 1983 rabbit gti started out looking like this one in the video. Now, not so much 😊. My rabbit has been working out and on steroids the past 25 years 😅
My dad owned one.. and I wish I could find one to own as well.
4:32 "... _with no lock or fade_ ..."
(smoke show enters the conversation)
mmmmmmmm🤔
still a bad ass Lil machine that I would LOVE to be slow in!!!
drove college roomate's 87 GLI for a couple of years in the late 80's. There is a 90 degree turn road near campus and I can always get one wheel in the air while going around that bend. That was a great car though.
I had one in black and it was like a little rocket off the line
I remember the Perreli P6 and the manual shift had a golfball looking shift knob
Lots of fun and I leased it which meant I gave it back, I should have bought it out.
Also Fun with its Crank handle Moonroof