Good morning! We’re starting this week off with a couple of convertible Volkswagens. Why not? It’s the height of summer, so you still have plenty of time in the year for open-air adventures, and with their little four-cylinder engines and manual transmissions, these two won’t use too much gas getting you there.
On Friday, we looked at two clean survivors that would have been right at home at any car meet worth its salt. The teal Olds Cutlass got lots of love in the comments, but in the end, it lost by a narrow margin to the Audi 5000. From the sounds of it, the Audi’s manual transmission and better road manners gave it the edge, though several of you said it was a tough call.
The manual in the Audi is what puts it over the top for me. If I’m going to go through the hassle of insuring and maintaining another car, and shuffling around cars in my garage to fit it, it has to be something special to drive. And until I can’t push in a clutch anymore, that means a stickshift.
The VW Golf Cabriolet, or “Cabrio” for short, is a weird car. It’s a convertible based on a hatchback, retaining the hatchback’s basic profile and roofline, with a teeny-tiny trunk below the convertible top. It has full B-pillars and a roll bar connecting them, which, combined with its popularity among well-heeled young female drivers, gave it a rather uncharitable nickname I’m sure you all have heard. And although the Golf on which it is based is in its eighth generation, there have only ever been two generations of Golf Cabrio: the first, and the third. Today we’re going to look at one of each, similarly equipped, in similar condition, and with similarly surly sellers.
Image: Craigslist seller
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8-liter OHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: LaPorte, IN
Odometer reading: 140,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
In the beginning, the VW Golf (Rabbit here in the US) was only available as a hatchback, with two or four doors. But in 1979, a convertible version was introduced, designed and built by longtime VW collaborator Karmann. Originally known as the Rabbit Convertible, its name changed to the Cabriolet in 1985, when the Rabbit was replaced by the second-generation Golf here. The Cabriolet stayed in production all the way through 1993 with only minor changes, notably to the bumpers. That doesn’t matter in the case of this 1985 model – its bumpers are missing in action.
Image: Craigslist seller
The Cabriolet’s drivetrain is the same as the Golf’s, VW’s sturdy EA827 four-cylinder and a good old-fashioned five-speed stick. It makes eighty-something horsepower, which is enough for a small and light car like this. The seller is tight-lipped about its condition, other than to say that it runs and drives well. They just say they’re “not looking to answer a bunch of questions.” Okay, but if you want thirty-four hundred bucks, you’re going to have to give us a little more information.
Image: Craigslist seller
The early Scirocco steering wheel in this car is giving me all sorts of nostalgia. The steering wheel was the one part of my old Scirocco that I saved before it went to the junkyard, and I installed it on my ’85 Golf. It’s VW’s best steering wheel design, hands-down. Turning this one will take a little more muscle than you might be used to; like a lot of older VWs, this one doesn’t have power steering. The rest of the interior is a little ratty around the edges, but considering the car’s age, it’s not terrible.
Image: Craigslist seller
Apart from the missing bumpers, there are a couple of minor concerns with the outside. The hood is primer gray, the front valance is bent at a funny angle, and there are a couple of rust spots here and there. The top is in good condition, though, and I like the white wheels on it.
Image: Facebook Marketplace seller
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter OHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Plainwell, MI
Odometer reading: 182,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
The Cabriolet, like genius and madness, skipped a generation. An all-new Cabriolet, with its name shortened to Cabrio, debuted for the 1995 model year, and remained in production until 2002. In 1999, it was facelifted to look more like the new fourth-generation Golf. You may remember the commercial for this car, featuring “Pink Moon” by Nick Drake. I always liked that commercial, and yeah, I think I’d rather keep driving on a night like that than go to some dumb house party too.
Image: Facebook Marketplace seller
The third-generation Golf came with a few different engines depending on the trim level, but the US-market Cabrio was only available with one: the often-derided “two-point-slow” four-cylinder. It may be down on power from the VR6 engine in the GTI, but it’s a lot less complicated and lower maintenance. Besides, watch that commercial again. Fast isn’t the point of this car. The seller says this one is fun to drive regardless of power level, but like the other seller, they are “not going to answer a bunch of questions.” Is there something about these cars that makes people grumpy? Or is it just selling a car online in general that does that?
Image: Facebook Marketplace seller
The Golf got fancier inside as time went on, but the third generation was before it really started putting on airs. This one has leather seats, but I think this is before the soft-touch plastics that disintegrate and get sticky came along. It’s missing a radio, but that’s easy enough to take care of. I like the wooden shift knob. Those always feel good in your hand.
Image: Facebook Marketplace seller
The outside looks good, but the photos aren’t great. An in-person inspection would give you a lot better idea of its condition. Obviously it has been lowered, which may or may not be a problem. If it rides OK, then I guess it’s fine, but my guess is that it rides rougher than it should. Me, I’d probably raise it back up to stock height regardless.
VW stopped making convertible versions of the Golf after these two, focusing instead on the New Beetle drop-top. And even that is gone now. Every year, more fun cars disappear from the market, and that’s a real shame. Everything is so serious these days. But at least cars like these are still available, and not even expensive. Which one of these would you pick for a bit of fun?