This is one of those cars I’m going to kick myself later for not buying when they were cheap. Thankfully, they made a lot them so you can always find a project-grade example, but for low-mileage survivors like this one on eBay, I have a feeling it’s going to be slim-but-expensive pickings in the near future. This car is located in Wayland, Massachusetts and bidding is over $7,000. Thanks to reader Jim S. for the find!

The GTI is the car many of us wish Volkswagen would someday build again: lightweight, chuckable and blissfully simple. Unfortunately, in an era where drivers are more consumed with the quality of dashboard materials and whether engine sounds can be artificially piped into the cabin, I suspect even the venerable GTI is now a car designed primarily to evoke sensations of being a cheaper Audi rather than a raw driver’s car.

For these MK1 GTIs, the interior is usually where things get dicey when buying one as a project. Fortunately, with only 50,000 miles on the clock, this example has an excellent cockpit. I’ve always loved the color scheme, which is usually let down by rips and tears in the multi-colored fabric. Not here, and the presence of clean carpets and an original steering wheel rounds out what looks like a nice place to spend time while attacking some back roads.

Unfortunately, the seller does not give us much information about the condition of the engine. I suspect this is yet another flipper who picked this car off the original owner. Although he notes it needs a new exhaust, brakes/rotors and has inoperable A/C, the lack of info about the day he drove it off the lot or protected it from winter roads likely means he’s only owned it a short time – just long enough to put it on eBay! If it were me, I’d hold onto an example like this and never let go. Frankly, making a few grand would pale in comparison to owning such a specimen. What would you do?