James Ruppert
KICKING TYRES
A Mk5 Golf GTI Edition 30 would be a good keeper for under £10k
As reported by Autocar, the end of the manual Volkswagen Golf GTI is nigh. Which is a shame. The model that defined the hot hatch for several decades really ought to be something your left hand should interact with. Luckily, there will be generations of used ones to find for fun and it is never too early to start the search.
On the basis that we are buying a manual GTI for keeps, best to get one of those limited editions. Indeed, the Edition 30 was a nicely subtle package and 1500 were put in circulation, so you should be able to find one. Not massively different from the standard GTI, it runs on 18in alloys and you can spot the smoked lights and a dash of colour coding around the bodykit. Best of all, there is a golf ball gearknob, some tartan trim on the seats and red stitching on the steering wheel. The uprated 227bhp is also very welcome, so I was pleased to come across an 80k-mile 2007 example in very tidy condition and with plenty of history for £9500.