Spending enough time on the internet as an American car enthusiast, you tend to find a recurring narrative about European and Japanese cars: the one saying that such carmakers tend to keep the really exciting and sporty models to themselves, the greedy jerks.
So it shouldn't surprise you that the 1995 Volkswagen Golf TDI Estate we've found for you today had to wait a good long while before revealing itself to the world on the auction website of Youtube automotive savant Doug DeMuro. The type of cars sold on DeMuros's website, Cars and Bids, tend to be unmodified versions of vehicles ranging from the 1980s and up, a time period DeMuro refers to as the "modern era."
But not everything that passes through Cars and Bids is totally stock. From the looks of things, it really doesn't take much modification at all to make one of these old VWs that perfect blend of aggressive and sensibly European appeal. VW may have had its reasons for keeping the high-end TDI models out of North America, given how diesel passenger cars almost never sell well there, but there are still lots of virtues about this tuned ride that Americans can appreciate.
Not the least of which is the engine. The combination of a peppy 1.9-liter turbodiesel engine and an easy-shifting manual transmission makes for an experience unlike one most Americans have ever experienced. One reserved for the mostly German, French, and British drivers these cars were initially sold to. Until now, that is.
Most online car ads give a short description of what they have on offer, usually containing the bare essential information, and ended with a "No lowballers, I know what I have,". But Cars and Bids gives you the honest thoughts and opinions of Youtube's favorite auto journalist, as is the case with this Golf.
Photo: Cars&Bids User: eurodreamimports
"Although we got the Mark III Volkswagen Golf here in North America, we never got this version – the station wagon – as the Mark III was only offered here as the Golf hatchback and Jetta sedan," says DeMuro in his description penned exclusively for this car. "Not only will this turn heads at Volkswagen meets, but it's also exceptionally practical – and that's especially true with the fantastic combination of a 5-speed manual transmission and a turbodiesel engine for added fuel economy."
The minor modifications to the suspension and front facia of this VW could have easily been taken to the extreme. But there's something extraordinary about a car that makes a million-dollar look without doing much at all. For what it's worth, the 16-inch AZEV wheels, lowering springs, a front lip extension, aftermarket headlamps, and smoked front turn signal and fog light lenses were really all it needed to make an impact.
We really dig the VW emblem delete on the front grille. Such a modification only works on a handful of vehicles. Evidently, the mid-90s Euro-spec VW Golf Wagon is one of them. There's also a convenient tow hook if you decide to hitch an airstream trailer to the back of the car, or as our Euro brethren would call it, a caravan.
Judgments regarding European automotive babble aside, what strikes us the most about this little Golf is not how much we're wowed by the modifications. Instead, it's how the car's been so expertly preserved by owners in Europe and the US. The gnarly 90s appropriate graphics on the cloth seat covers is one of those little touches you just can't find in modern cars. Unless you drive a 2021 Mitsubishi Mirage, which might as well have been made the same year as this Golf.
Photo: Cars&Bids User: eurodreamimports
What's also fantastic about this particular Euro-spec Golf wagon is the fact it hasn't been thrust into taxi service and seen over 300,000 miles (482,803 km) roll through their odometers, like so many of its sibling cars did. With only a third of that mileage on the odometer, there's still plenty of life left in a car like this. And with all the correct mods all taken care of, there's a lot to like about what we've found in papa Doug's online automotive candy store.
The account tied to this imported Volkswagen goes by eurodreamimports name, based out of the New Jersey suburb of East Rutherford. If this German tank on wheels from the mid-90s and brave the rough streets of North Jersey, just think what it could do for you. Considering how god-awful both the Jets and Giants are this season, this car might be the toughest thing in North Jersey. Considering it's current bid sits at just $6,900, whoever will buy will practically steal it.
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