Rubbish Cars?!?

[scirocco16vr32 at gmail.com (Chris Bennett)]

http://www.hecklerspray.com/hecklerspray/2006/01/rubbish_cars_we_1.html





 Take a ticket and get in line for the amount of cars we've covered in
this section that aren't really rubbish at all.

No exception here, then.

Open Your Mind:

To get your brain in first picture the Volkswagen Scirocco as a retro
Smart Roadster ? only with the VW you can actually break the speed
limit before your legs get DVT. The old Volkswagen Scirocco does look
a touch yesteryear, even if you can find a pristine one parked in a
lay-by somewhere. Its very 80s styling gives off an impression of
preemptive disappointment. This is great fun for you (the driver) at
traffic lights, being as every suped-up Corsa owning whippersnapper in
your sights is sure to come a cropper.



The basic model Mark 2 Volkswagen Scirocco came equipped with a
willing 1.3 litre engine. If you spent more you got more - namely a
meaty, grabbing, visceral 16v 1.8. If you think we are overselling
here, you've clearly never even seen the 16v close up, let alone
driven it. Imagine the first sip of an ice-cold beer during the height
of summer and you're skating close. It genuinely is that satisfying.
Forget about buying a used 16v though. They cost a bomb and most have
been thrashed to shit. If you own a 16v and disagree with this
statement you are waiting on the biggest garage bill in history ? you
just don't know it yet.

Karmann Ghia:

If you remember that car first time round you really are old. The Mark
1 Scirocco replaced the Karmann Ghia back in 1974. Volkswagen - ever
keen to listen to the wants of the market - felt four seats were
infinitely better than two. European buyers balk at squashed
four-seaters even now; claiming it's 'all done for the American
market'. We do not pretend to understand what they mean. Americans
have more friends? They're shorter? Their kids refuse to stay at home
without stealing the batteries out of the smoke alarm? Fact is that
those two extra seats do a great job of keeping your social life
intact.

'55 mph in a 1984 Volkswagen Scirocco is faster then 55 mph in a mere car':

?so said a magazine advertisement of the time. Safe stuff for the
eighties. Though nowadays that ad would be even more uninspiring. Try
arranging 'emissions', 'mpg' and 'catalytic converter' into some kind
of sexy order and you might pity the poor copywriter for ten minutes.

What's great about piloting a Mark 2 on today's tarmac is the
sensation of being intrinsically linked to the inner workings of
precipitation. In other words, the Scirocco does what you want when
you tell it to. It doesn't get out of hand. Corners grab you like a
child grabs e-numbers. Every now and then you will lose it slightly,
but not enough to fear the reaper. You're not a scared driver in a
Mark 2, although you do remain cautious. It's what traction control
and eight billion Mercedes driver aids can never teach you ?
anticipation. You second-guess the road because you have to, though it
is bloody good fun at the same time.

Buy:

You should definitely think about it. Extra spending money on Stephen
and the Twins or something to escape a family argument in? Actual fun
or another broken iPod? Are you positive your granddad really needs
that new wheelchair?

If you have any means to get the cash, buy a Mark 2 Volkswagen
Scirocco. Visit any number of worthwhile fan sites dotted around the
net for help on sorting the lovable from the deadly. They are all
search engine friendly?

We have located a potential Mark 2 on eBay.co.uk. Take a look for
educational purposes if you're still deliberating. Learn the lines and
the rust spots and - just for the sake of common sense - find out what
a dry sump is, too.

Since 1934, Volkswagen have been making Cars for the People. The Mark
2 Scirocco is certainly one of their best. If not the best. Too much?
Yeah, maybe, but it's a better choice the Mark 2 Golf. It's cooler,
faster, more comfortable, and even cheaper in some cases.

The Volkswagen Scirocco might just be the best (rubbish) car you'll ever own.

[story by Chris Laverty]