Value of a Golf

Anan1

My father, having been won over by an E30 BMW 325i auto, is going to sell his Golf. It's a 1996 1.8 5dr automatic, in dark green metallic. The car is unusual in that it has under 27,000 miles, backed up by a full service history and a recent cambelt change. It also has a very high factory specification, including air conditioning (ice cold), an electric sunroof, twin airbags, 4 electric windows, rear headrests, a cd/radio and an expensive alarm/immobiliser. He's in no hurry to sell, and feels that the car is worth €5,000. It's a lot for a 96 Golf, but then again the car is pretty much unique. Any thoughts?

Henry Ford III

1.8 auto is rare.

Spec. at that age doesn't add value afaik.

Mileage is attractive (tiny) but needs to be backed up by a fsh.

kaizersoze123

Mileage would actually put me off tbh. I have no doubt its genuine, but i would far prefer a 96 car to have around 60k miles on it than 27,000 which suggests it was lying idle for long long periods of time....not good for a car

unkel

Remarkable spec! I doubt very much though he'll get anywhere near €5k. Can he "help out" a friend / family member by selling it to them for a more realistic price?

Or maybe advertise it on an enthousiasts website? The Mark 3s are getting rare these days

crosstownk

kaizersoze123 wrote:

Mileage would actually put me off tbh. I have no doubt its genuine, but i would far prefer a 96 car to have around 60k miles on it than 27,000 which suggests it was lying idle for long long periods of time....not good for a car

Low mileage wouldn't bother me in the slightest - as long as the car had proof that it had it's annual services.

Anan1

The car has always been serviced annually regardless of mileage, by VW main dealers until two years ago and by an unfranchised garage since, backed up by stamps & invoices. He would much rather it went to someone we know, but there just doesn't seem to be anyone we know looking for a car at the moment.

What NCT on it ?

Anan1

hellboy99 wrote:

What NCT on it ?

I actually have no idea, sorry! I'd be pretty sure it'd pass one today, though.

If it were to have 2 years test on it your looking at €3000 - 3500, you may even get 4000 off a Golf fan as it's a rare car and has low mileage and a FSH.

JoeA3

wow, it certainly is unique, not too many Golf's with air-con of that vintage - heck, they've only just started making it a standard feature 11 years later!

Was it bought from new in Ireland? Must have been a rare special-order if so.

bazz26

To be honest I don't think even the best Golf enthusiast is going to pay anywhere near €5k for an 11 year old one.

Yes the very high spec, low mileage, service history and tlc that the car received will be very attractive to a potential buyer but the basic fact is that most people looking at cars of this age are not looking to spend alot of money. Also the fact that it is 1.8 litre petrol and an auto might put some people off.

If he is under no pressure to sell he might be able to hold out and get between €3,000 and €3,500 for it. Other than that he might be better off running it into the ground, I'd say he would find it tough going to find a 325i with that spec.

Esel

Has he had the car from new? If not, for how long? €5k seems a lot for an 11 year-old car, even with that spec, low miles and SH.

Demmo

Not going to be worth much as its 1.8 and Auto. Not very desirable and only a small market out there for that type of car.