Take Me Back To Wolfsburg
Old times there are not forgotten.

And now, for something completely different.

After 14 years in the wilds of northwest Arkansas, Sandie and I packed our bags last summer and moved home to the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains of east Tennessee. With our return I said goodbye to my 633CSi, the catalyst behind this website and the stories therein.

Over time, Silbersix had become less and less suited to the role of daily driver. For nearly a year she had sat under a locked car cover most days, rarely seeing the sun except for the occasional weekend drive. I finally realized that she (and I) would be better served by a new owner, and so we parted best of friends as I watched a car carrier take her away to a far-off place called Illinois. Although I miss the Sixer’s elegant profile, I am happy to report that after once again casting forth my automotive net, to my surprise and delight it has landed in familiar but neglected territory.

Like millions of American teenagers who are now of a certain vintage (Peter Egan calls it “late middle age”), I learned to drive behind the wheel of a Beetle. In my case, it was the family's blue ‘65 sunroof sedan, purchased new at Van Slyke VW in Knoxville. Humble, honest and exactly the right vehicle for the boomer generation’s coming of age, the Beetle taught a lot of us the finer points of double-clutching and regular oil changes and defensive driving strategies that would serve well over all the miles to come. The Beetle was the precursor to nearly 20 years' worth of interesting VWs in my life, including a Karmann-Ghia (‘68), a second Beetle (‘65), a Rabbit (‘78), a Microbus (‘65), a Scirocco (‘79) and a Jetta (‘84).

All honest transportation, all fun and all worthy of the Volkswagen logo. Looking back, I know now that they paved the way for the joy of driving I would experience in my five BMWs. Both marques have always shared German quality, durability and a built-in involvement between driver and machine that makes being on the road an experience to be savored rather than endured.

These days, worldwide VW sales are at an all-time high. The company's product line is superb, with the New Beetle, Golf/Jetta and Passat laying the foundation for two heralded newcomers. The Touareg, with its masterful blend of grand touring and off-road abilities, is universally praised as equal (or superior) to the X5 and M-Class. And the Phaeton reaches higher than any VW in history, aiming at 7 Series/S-Class luxury, performance and style. Not bad for a company on the brink of leaving the American market just a little over a decade ago.

I couldn’t help but take note (along with every other person on the planet) of the rebirth of the Beetle in 1998. Cool and cute, the New Beetle is a triumph of the designer’s art, a movable feast for the eyes that pays magnificent homage to the original while being based on the thoroughly modern Golf platform. A year after its debut, I test drove both a N.B. and Golf back to back; to my surprise, I found I liked the Golf better. The “look-at-me” factor in the New Beetle combined with its less than efficient space-utilization to make the Golf a better fit. By its fourth generation (2000-2004), the Golf had evolved into a cool package of its own, with great on-road dynamics, class-busting quality and the timeless practicality of a hatchback. All of which helps explain why the Golf is VW's best-selling car worldwide (except in America, where the trunked Jetta outsells the Golf 3:1.)

Awhile back I came close to buying a new silver 2000 Golf GL 2-door that had languished on a dealer’s lot for over a year, but ultimately held off because I needed the practicality of a 4-door. Yet the new Golf certainly got my attention. I filed it in my memory banks as a worthy little car.

Fast forward three years to a few weeks ago. I had just paid another exorbitant repair bill on my high mile/high maintenance ‘92 Eldorado, my daily driver for the last two years. With a mint condition body and interior, I had bought the Eldo cheap but paid for it as I replaced one component after another: steering rack, brakes, starter, motor mounts, AC compressor/condenser, fuel pump, etc. I loved the car, but hated its cost. Silbersix had cost me some over the years, but it was a miser compared to the Cadillac.

With Sandie’s blessing I began to search online for a replacement. I soon discovered a satin silver 2000 Golf GLS (4-door) at a dealer in Atlanta. One-owner, the right color with 5-spoke alloys, a CD player and power moonroof, the Golf held out the possibility of an interesting choice, as well as the chance to get back into a German car.

Arriving at the dealer, I was immediately drawn to the hatchback's tight cut lines and eager stance. During the test drive, the power rack and pinion steering and stiff frame delivered a direct and responsive feel not unlike Silbersix. The 115 bhp four-banger ran like a champ; while not a powerhouse, the sohc 2.0 liter is spirited with a solid reputation for reliability (and if I recall, the original GTI back in the 70s did just fine with 110 bhp). Lastly, that familiar VW badge seemed to be calling to me like an old friend.

So after a bit of negotiation, the deal was done. I transferred my things from the Eldorado and headed north to Tennessee in my seventh Volkswagen. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of driving home for the first time in a car you’ve just bought. As the Golf ran straight and true up I-75, I couldn't help but think about all the earlier VWs I had owned. Without a doubt, the Golf represented a quantum leap over them all. From the precision of the cruise control to the backlit indigo blue and red instrument lighting to the sound of my own music CDs playing through the 8-speaker Monsoon sound system, everything about the ride home converged into a happy confirmation that I had made the right choice.

Later that evening the owner’s manual revealed its secrets, including a complete maintenance record by the previous owner. I discovered that the engine had been fed a steady diet of Mobil One since new. The set of replacement Pirelli P6000 Sport Veloces was an inspired choice, yielding both responsive handling and a comfortable ride. I also noted that the Golf had received a new set of plugs, air filter, CV boot and timing belt in the last few months.

Since then I've changed the oil and filter (both Mobil One), replaced the glove box door (broken hinge), pollen filter and wiper blades, and treated the brakes to some new EBC "Green Stuff" low-dust pads. An annodized black aluminum shorty antenna is on order to replace the foot-tall black whip over the rear hatch. All in all, a pretty short to-do list compared to most of my used car purchases.

As I did with Silbersix, I very much enjoy the sight of the Golf in my garage. Nothing is extraneous, no design element is without purpose. All these years after the birth of the original Beetle, VW still adheres to the Bauhaus principles of simplicity and geometric elegance, form following function. On the road the Golf does its work with smoothness and efficiency, and always with that uniquely German mechanical presence that connects rather than isolates the driver. In toto, the Golf strongly affirms VW’s “Drivers Wanted” slogan, responding to the helm with finesse and precision. It also offers a level of comfort and class that sets the little hatchback apart from just about all of its competition.

In the past few weeks I've taken the VW on several day trips, including a jaunt on my 50th birthday to Gatlinburg with Sandie to visit the aquarium there (very impressive) with lunch at the Old Mill in Pigeon Forge. Averaging close to 30mpg with regular unleaded, I don’t feel the least bit guilty about laying on the miles. Whether it’s twisting Tennessee backroads or high-speed interstate driving, the Golf gets the job done with no fuss and no excess. Like the ‘65 Beetle I began with and each of my VWs since, fun is very much a signature element in the Golf. Evolutionary and true to the brand, it is an underrated bargain in the world of enthusiast cars. And now it's mine.

As my Golf takes me back down the road to Wolfsburg after years away, not only are old times there not forgotten, but things are working out quite nicely as a result. -RS

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