The VW Citi Golf...

[JK8]

Links please Links please Links please Links please Links please Links please Links please Links please

Its still just rumours, guys that work at the plant in PE have confirmed it, but we still waiting for VW to announce it.

 

[Paul_S]

Thank you, my prayers have been answered, pity it's going to be another 30 years before we actually stop seeing it on the roads...

My estimate is that you're not going to see many of the new/current Golf MK1s on the road in 15 years. It doesn't take long for most people to thrash and trash their vehicles.
I rarely see 1980's Ford Escorts, Ford Sierras, Mazda 323s, etc. on the roads but I guess it also depends on where you live or travel.
You'll obviously get the old grannies who take forever to wear their vehicles out and the car enthusiasts who maintain and restore the vehicles but they're few and far between.

 

[hj2k_x]

And theres a 1.4TSi model... if its R150k I think VW will steal the market again!

R150k?

What about the low-end to replace the Citis that go for like R65k new?

 

[JK8]

R150k?

What about the low-end to replace the Citis that go for like R65k new?

I dont know any of the details but in UK they have a 1.1l, that should be around 80k???

 

[ToxicBunny]

If its more expensive than the Citi Golf VW will fail.. and as for that pic of the possible replacement... that thing is FUGLY.... but at least it will be safer than the ShytiGolf

 

[Velenoso]

My estimate is that you're not going to see many of the new/current Golf MK1s on the road in 15 years. It doesn't take long for most people to thrash and trash their vehicles.
I rarely see 1980's Ford Escorts, Ford Sierras, Mazda 323s, etc. on the roads but I guess it also depends on where you live or travel.
You'll obviously get the old grannies who take forever to wear their vehicles out and the car enthusiasts who maintain and restore the vehicles but they're few and far between.

VW Beetle?

 

[Paul_S]

VW Beetle?

The old VW Beetle is a different story:
1. 21,529,464 Beetles were manufactured before production stopped in 2003.
Compare that to less than 7 million VW Golf MK1s.

2. There were only a few combinations of Beetle engine and body types so you can often swap parts between models that are more than 20 years apart. Most of the changes were detailing changes. You can take a 1980's Beetle engine and bolt it onto a 1950's gearbox without any modifications. There were 5 basic engine types for the Beetle.
With the Golf MK1 there were over 20 different engine types! That means a smaller pool of commonality to pick spares from.

3. There is a huge after market community overseas that still manufacture and sell Beetle parts and accessories. Want a brand new floor pan, cylinder head or head lights? They're still available and at prices that make me weep when I compare it to Mazda,Ford,Toyota prices. Brand new cylinder head from Brazil = ~R1200.

4. The VW Beetle has a cult following overseas which one cannot say about the Golf MK1. Huge shows, meetings, swap clubs, racing clubs, etc.

 

[Velenoso]

The old VW Beetle is a different story:
1. 21,529,464 Beetles were manufactured before production stopped in 2003.
Compare that to less than 7 million VW Golf MK1s.

2. There were only a few combinations of Beetle engine and body types so you can often swap parts between models that are more than 20 years apart. Most of the changes were detailing changes. You can take a 1980's Beetle engine and bolt it onto a 1950's gearbox without any modifications. There were 5 basic engine types for the Beetle.
With the Golf MK1 there were over 20 different engine types! That means a smaller pool of commonality to pick spares from.

3. There is a huge after market community overseas that still manufacture and sell Beetle parts and accessories. Want a brand new floor pan, cylinder head or head lights? They're still available and at prices that make me weep when I compare it to Mazda,Ford,Toyota prices. Brand new cylinder head from Brazil = ~R1200.

4. The VW Beetle has a cult following overseas which one cannot say about the Golf MK1. Huge shows, meetings, swap clubs, racing clubs, etc.

I hope you're right.

I love the beetle, I had a Karmann in fact. At least it looks good.

The Golf 1 is ugly as sin.

 

[Fazda]

I hope you're right.

I love the beetle, I had a Karmann in fact. At least it looks good.

The Golf 1 is ugly as sin.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder old man, and your eyes and mine see things totally differently!

As for massive following...do your homework on Mk1 Golfs oversease peeps...they are TOTAL cult cars based mainly on the GTi, but not limited to it.

Saying that Golfs have no following overseas just because you don't happen to like them is like a Muslim sitting in Mecca and asking why people got so uptight abought Christians (you get my drift.....)

 

[Stokstert]

Thank you, my prayers have been answered, pity it's going to be another 30 years before we actually stop seeing it on the roads...

And earlier someone told us they don't last that long, but I agree with you they easily last 30 years. They are everlasting like the Beetle.

 

[Fazda]

Ho Hum....being older than Methusela does have its advantages at times...I can very clearly remember the launch of the Golf 1 in 1978, and the way all the guys were saying what a relief it would be to see the end of the Beetle with its drum brakes and crap handling in the wind........they are all very quiet now, whilst 45 year old Beetles are a common site on any road in any country you wish to think of.

I belong to a rather large car group on Flickr and the requests for "any" photos of Citis, as well as any information and what the possibility is of getting one overseas are constant.

It may do your Ego good sitting here bitching about a fantastic little car, smart money keeps one in the garage and watches it appreciate over the years...ask a friend of mine who bought a Beetle SP in 1978 and used it sparingly....cost at the time, just over 2k...today he is being begged to sell it for somewhere around 100k....you can call that simply holding its real value or a bloody good investment...depends on how much of a cynic you are.

 

[Velenoso]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder old man, and your eyes and mine see things totally differently!

As for massive following...do your homework on Mk1 Golfs oversease peeps...they are TOTAL cult cars based mainly on the GTi, but not limited to it.

Saying that Golfs have no following overseas just because you don't happen to like them is like a Muslim sitting in Mecca and asking why people got so uptight abought Christians (you get my drift.....)

I'm not even 30.

Fair enough, look I love old cars, I actually restore them and enjoy my hobby. The thing that irks me about the Citi Golf, is that people are being fooled into buying a 30 year old car, thinking it's new. So they changed the tail lights and put a plastic cover over the engine? It's still old. You can take a 1980 model, change the tail lights and a few trimmings and voila, a 2009 model.

 

[Pyro]

I was under the impression that the "up!" will become the next-gen Lupo, and that will come to SA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_up!

One cool fun bit, it's a RWD, rear engined car...

Or are we getting old tech again?

 

[Fazda]

I'm not even 30.

Fair enough, look I love old cars, I actually restore them and enjoy my hobby. The thing that irks me about the Citi Golf, is that people are being fooled into buying a 30 year old car, thinking it's new. So they changed the tail lights and put a plastic cover over the engine? It's still old. You can take a 1980 model, change the tail lights and a few trimmings and voila, a 2009 model.

When I call you "old man" it has absolutely nothing to do with age and everything to do with the way I speak!


If you follow my Flickr link you will see that I am in the restoration business as well...have a look at the Wolseley.

I don't think anybody at VW has ever tried to ciover up the fact that they are working with an old design...what it does prove, however, is how bloody good that particular design was in 1973 when it first saw light of day in Europe.

I also don't have any problem driving a car that isn't designed by a computer to implode whilst cosseting you with the feathers of a thousand ducks whilst it does so.

The Wolseley was designed in the 50's and the first production one hit the roads 50 years ago this month....the fact that the Citi was only a few years behind that (My 68 model would only be 5 years older than the oldest Golf)...and yet they are light years apart in design...even though the wolseley has only done 65000 km and it has power steering and disc brakes, you KNOW that you are driving an old car when you drive it...and I doubt if it would be any different if BMC had continued to build new ones until today...it says wonders for the VW design and its longevity....and the fact that Citis continue to sell despite their crazy prices - it is the prices that totally piss me off - the Citi is still a bloody decent little runabout which does precisely what it was meant to do...get you from A to B without any drama...I couldn't give a toss if it doesn't have airbags or ABS it is a bloody good honest car that can be maintained by the average guy on the street if he cannot afford crazy service charges...AND he can learn to do it himself wiothout relying on the bloody thing having to be computer specialist tuned by a bunch of overpaid "technicians".

 

[Rouxenator]

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

 

[Stokstert]

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Hell, we had to wait nearly two weeks for this comment to appear, normally you are much faster to smell out a VW thread.. :erm:

 

[Fazda]

Hell, we had to wait nearly two weeks for this comment to appear, normally you are much faster to smell out a VW thread.. :erm:

Dammit, I was hoping that he had missed it!!

 

[Rouxenator]

The Rouxenator never goes away
It just gets work to finish or finds something else to Rouxenate... for a while.

 

[dj_jyno]

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

That's not what CAR magazine said a few years ago. When comparing the Tata (I think) to the small cars available at that time, the Citi scored best with regard to handling. The Tazz came in second, with the Corsa Lite bringing up the rear of the trio. Note, the newest design had the worst handling.

Fortunately the bad rubbish will still be driving around in 10 years' time, effortlessly cruising past your smoking, spluttering Slopel - a cooling system that fails after 150 000km says it all (or it could just have been bad maintenance).

Dammit, I was hoping that he had missed it!!

Oh well, it was fun while it lasted...

 

[Rouxenator]

In recent years they have changed their tune with the Citi not making the runners up even. Currently the i10 is ranked best in class and if you have ever driven one you will understand why. I have recommended this little car to thee people so far and the two that bought an i10 are really impressed with it.

The Citi outperforms everything else that was introduced from 1974 to about 1980.

My Opel has never left me stranded next to the road and the way I drive it I am happy that I only needed to redo some of the pipes and water pump at 150,000km. I have seen VWs fail a lot earlier... simply because they are not all their made up to be.