Identifying a 1987 VW GTI?

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I was the proud owner of a 86 GTI. Great car.
The 87 is identical.
Look for a thin red stripe that runs the entire length of the bumpers. It should also have alloy wheels. They look genuine to me. Also the fender lips are plastic lined; good sign as the Golf did not have this feature. The large front air dam says this is the real deal too. The ad says its a 16V (this was the new head/valve assembly that gave the GTI abt 20 more HP than the regular 8V) This is a desireable car! I could not read the red GTI badge on the ad (it should say 16V under the badge) . But it does look like a genuine 16V GTI to me.
Most important it does have a red GTI badge on the grill. It should have a GTI 16V badge in the back under the hatch door.
If the interior is viewable, check that the steering wheel is leather. Also, the seats were made/designed by Recaro; they will have large side bolsters. Great price ; however, it still needs some TLC and mechanical work. A good repair manual and metric tools is all you need.
But really the best way is to obtain the VIN # and call or visit vw.com and they will tell you for certain....Show more

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Identifying a 1987 VW GTI?
I found a cheap GTI on the local craigslist, but I want to make sure it is indeed a GTI. It has square headlamps, and a black grill. I have not yet seen the car in person. What are the tell-tale signs?

Here is the ad: http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/2821764916.html...Show more

That indeed it is a GTI. The only years in which VW made MK2 8V GTI's were 85 and 86, from 1987-1992 the GTI' and GLI's only came with 16V engines which is listed on the add. Congrats you've found a good deal and I'd buy it but I really don't want to travel from McAllen to San Antonio. Good luck!...Show more

Go with the GTI. Since it's fully equipped, it's going to have everything that the Jetta does not. The base model Jetta is okay, but it's anything but exciting. It's also sparsely equipped. Cheers....Show more