The Mk2 Golf GTI is the ideal hot hatch | Buyer's Guide | Ep. 305

Hagerty’s Marketplace Editor Colin Comer gives a deep dive into the second-generation Volkswagen Golf GTI. Colin gives a brief backgrounder on the ever-dependable Golf and covers all the details of buying, owning, and maintaining its performance variant, the classic Mk. 2 GTI.

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Episode chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:50 Driving impressions
03:54 Design overview
05:18 Engine discussion
06:43 Exterior issues
09:44 Interior issues
11:04 Getting under the car
13:58 Final thoughts

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[toothferrin]

😮 Finally some love and recognition for the mk2! I love my 16v! It’s got 325k miles and is still daily driven.

[HumbleMechanic]

Another BANGER!!! OF all the generation of the Golf, ive never owned a mk2.... Maybe it's time

[badboy.vic.o]

The 16v Mk II is a bucket list car for me. If I can find one that's been unmolested and as close to stock as possible, I want it. I've admired them since they came out.

[remmingtonsteele]

This was an AWESOME video !
I owned a 1986 GTI for 16 years and still miss it dearly . Thank you .

[toothferrin]

You guys hit the nail on the head with this video. Every couple seconds I was saying, “That’s what I say about my car all the time”. Well done!
Not the fastest. But the funnest.
Has all the things you want out of an old car.
Fricken engine mounts. I’ve done it 3 times.
And on and on…
So good! This is my newest favorite video on YouTube. Sorry Jason Cammisa

[PeteTW]

Best car I ever had. Bought it new in November 1990 and I still have it today.

[Flylifeforever]

My first actual GTI was the MK2. I bought it in excellent condition back in 2000. I couldn’t believe i actually owned one. I eventually sold it. I wish I hadn’t. Now I own an Mk7 2021 autobahn edition. Love it! I do miss the mk2 😢❤great video!

[thesuper]

Put 240k miles on my 85 GTI, both street and autocross. Replaced the engine once, but still had the original transmission. Favorite of all the cars I've owned.

[emstudios]

Just bought a 91 16v with 83, 000 original mile as a fist car in the same tornado red, these cars deserve the love and it’s good to see they didn’t think they were worth 50k like some people on vortex, and they are not

[booncha]

Great video, always wanted one of these cars . Colin is a car guru and knows his stuff . Had the pleasure to meet him when I bought some old Bronco wheels and parts from him..great guy ! The kind of guy you could talk cars with for days

[wakjob]

One of the best cars I ever owned was an '87 Golf GT... man, I miss that car!!!
Ironically, I got my fastest speeding ticket in that car ;-)
P.S. Dear Hagerty, this guy and series is fantastic... keep it up!

[blackericdenice]

3:20 this guy is 100% in my book. When he said the car is easy to hop up. I was expecting him to say something stupid like cold air intake. The first thing he said was hotter cam shaft. Very few people will ever say cam when talking about increasing hp. I’ve got to make a video about this.

[mihaisirbu]

This is actually a very good buyers guide. You can also apply 90% of this video to a MK3 Golf since it looks almost identical underneath and has similar problems, and a lot of things are shared ( you can use MK3 seats in the MK2 and vice versa, it's plug and play ) and the rust spots are basically the same although the MK3 is a bit more prone to rust than the MK2. Anyway, the best generations of golfs remain the first three.

[PhsykoOmen]

Ive recently had a growing interest in the Mk2, I really like the profile and the front it just looks like a real beast hiding under family hatch disguise. Love it, id get one if I could find one.

[JoshuaNewhook]

My dad had a '92 GTI 16v in Montana Green. I wish we still had that car...

[TheHansoost]

Had a '92 for a few years. My son had bought it used and drove it for a few years, and I bought t from him when he went to university. It was a 1.8 litre 16 valve and was a bit of a mess cosmetically, but it ran really well. It was fun to drive. Over the years he and I drove it, I was forced to learn quite a bit about auto repair and general maintenance. I replaced the clutch shortly after he got it and again after I took it over, 2 timing belts, transaxles, various seals, a head gasket, all shocks and struts, brakes front and rear. I'm not complaining. I liked that old beater. It was fun to drive and pretty easy and relatively cheap to work on. Good looking car too though mine was a bit of an eyesore. Got rid of it when it had something like 385, 000 km on it. It could still pick up speed on a fairly steep incline in top gear. Body and interior were well past their due date. Great little car overall.

[zTheBigFishz]

I had a Montana Green Mk2 16v w/factory BBS basket weaves. It was a great car.

[ironkcoony]

When the first GTI came out, a lot of lawyers and Doktors bought them as city cars for their wife’s since it was the most expensive of the Golf lineup. After discovering what they actually bought they took the GTI for a spin and left the mercs and bmw for their wife’s.

[haphmiler]

Estabrook park in Milwaukee! Love driving through there

[donswier]

Had a '90 8V GTI (looked identical except it had teardrops) from 1993-2000.
So well balanced, awesome for road trips and hauling bulky items.
Sold it with 200k, no engine issues or clutch jobs.
Some trim was cheap (the mandated, door-mounted belts), the A/C had some issues. Wheel bearings are weak (SCCA events a contributing factor??)
Not a hot rod, but a classy all-rounder.
Favorite generation!