Original paint, matching numbers, blue and yellow California plates, never been in an accident–and it doesn’t cost an arm or leg? This 1985 Volkswagen Jetta seems too good to be true, especially for Facebook Marketplace.
According to the ad, this Volkswagen has been meticulously maintained by a certified factory Volkswagen technician for the last 10 years. Replacement parts? Only Volkswagen …
I think I'd take this over the Civic . . . though I wonder if all the door locks and window regulators work on this example?
Would totally drive this one as well. I had an ’86 Golf at one time. The red looks similar if not the same. (I’m assuming it was the same, but you know what happens when you assume....)
But why do German cars of this vintage look so good on basket weave wheels?
Super bonus points for the asymmetrical Neuspeed upper rear strut brace.
And it has a "save the manual" sticker on the rear window. "Gooble-gobble, one of us!" and all that.
It's a nice example, looks well maintained/preserved.
Tasty example and a reasonable price for what that is. I would think a VW lover would snatch it right up for a little less coin.
Regarding Colin's comment about the basket weave wheels: correct!
Wow. Yeah, someone does need that. Not this someone, I swear.
Seven grand doesn't seem all that unreasonable for that car.
I swore I'd never own a German car. There are always...exceptions. 5 years from now, we'll all be kicking ourselves for not buying mint $7,000 Jetta.
In reply to Appleseed :
Yup.
While now known as a dedicated Miata/Honda guy Andy Hollis had a Wolfsberg Jetta 2 door.
Colin Wood said:But why do German cars of this vintage look so good on basket weave wheels?
All cars look good on basket weave wheels
Beautiful car. Theses Jetta's were very well built and a blast to drive. Someone is going to enjoy this ride.
My dad passed down his 1985 Jetta 2 door stick base to me when I went away to college. It had 110k miles on it and got damned near 40 mpg on the highway. I beat all 80hp out of it frequently and wished for a little more pep, but it truly never left me stranded and really drove like a small German car.
I got rid of it around 150k miles for a then nearly new 1992 Olds Cutlass Calaise coupe with the quad 4. While the Olds was much faster, I never felt it had the soul of the VW.
Somewhere in the house there are a couple of pictures of a young guy and his brand new '86 Jetta GLI in gunmetal gray with the red stripes on the bumpers and body trim. God I'm old.
As noted with a whopping 102 HP it wasn't fast but wow was it fun on twisty roads and I'll second the accidentally great gas mileage (No trouble averaging 32 mpg). I kept it for 12 years, taught my then brand new wife how to drive stick in it and she loved driving it too. Two kids in car seats and everything else that goes with kids eventually meant parting with it for the first of several Ford Explorers.
We had one of those and it reinforced my 10/100 theory of VW so perfectly it made me laugh.
It was a great car, and we liked everything about it. Until it was about 9 years old and a little over 100k, which is when it started. By the time it was 10 I was constantly working on it, and it was nickel and diming me so bad we started car shopping. Within a month we bought a new car, and on the way home the Jetta gave us the finger one last time by blowing a head gasket for no good mechanical reason that I could tell.
A friend bought a new white Jetta GLI back in 1987. It was a really nice car, but it seemed like the radio was getting stolen out of it at least once a month.
Per Schroeder has entered the chat....
Oh man...if that was a 2 door I would be on a flight out tonight! Euro headlights, 16V swap, now you are talkin.
I bought an 85 Jetta GLI brand new. Guards red or whatever VW called it. Family car driven everywhere. Quick for its day. Everyone in the family could drive a manual. Our other car was a 78 Fiesta S that I turned into an itc car.
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