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An American "MK3.5" cabriolet returned to factory condition, a Belgian VR6 brought back to 100% original, a very customised VR6 by contrast, and a GTI 16S given by a father: four Golf 3 stories.
22/10/2026
Harald
6 minutes read
Launched in 1991, the Golf 3 was produced until December 1997 in nearly 4.8 million units. Rounder, heavier and better equipped than the Golf 2, it long suffered from the image of a "gentrified" Golf. Yet it was the one that introduced the VR6: a 2.8 litre, 174 hp six-cylinder whose two banks of cylinders form an angle of only 15°, compact enough to fit at the front of a compact car. The GTI 16S and its 150 hp 2.0 gave the GTI its temperament back, and the cabriolet, built by Karmann at Osnabrück, was produced from 1993 to 2002.
Today, the Golf 3 is an accessible youngtimer, with proven mechanics and parts that are still easy to find. For the history of the model, read our article on the Golf 3. Here are four Golf 3s and their owners, whose accounts have been rewritten and tightened while keeping their spirit.
Laurent has always loved cabriolets and roadsters, and in particular the versions sold in the United States, with the specifics imposed by that market. For a milestone birthday, he decided to treat himself to an American Golf cabriolet. He was looking for a Golf 3, he found better: a "MK3.5", as the Americans say, that is to say the Golf 3 cabriolet restyled in the late 1990s with the front end of the Golf 4. In the United States, it was simply called the Cabrio.
The first owner, an expatriate in Texas, had brought it back to France in 2005 and kept it until 2017. Laurent is the third owner, at 86,000 miles, a little under 140,000 km. It is a GL with the 115 hp 2.0 (ABA engine) and an automatic gearbox, in Desert Wind (code LG7V). No leather or electric hood, but cruise control and air conditioning: exactly what he was looking for.
He then went through everything, from the small screw on the seat-belt rail to the cruise control module, via the vanity mirror lighting and the seat runners: stripping down, refurbishing, replacing, cleaning into the tiniest corners. He also gathered the period documentation, brochures, press kit and adverts, and tracked down a new American service book. The only departures from original: a Bluetooth link built into the period car radio, and the "Suzuka" alloy wheels of the GLX sold in the United States from 2000 to 2002.
One last historical detail. Golf cabriolets came out of Karmann, at Osnabrück, but for the North American market Volkswagen also assembled 83,628 of them at its plant in Puebla, Mexico, between 1996 and 2002. The manufacturer code that opens the serial number tells you where each car comes from.
Kevin bought his Golf 3 VR6 for the intoxicating sound of its six-cylinder, with a precise goal: to make it a collector's car, registered as such. It is an October 1996 automatic VR6 2.8, in OBD 2 version, imported into Belgium by D'Ieteren and showing 139,000 km from new.
Some parts were no longer original, others were broken. Kevin is therefore bringing it back, little by little, to 100% of its factory configuration, with parts ordered from Mecatechnic. Next steps: a trip to the body shop to erase the marks of time, and BBS wheels from the GTI 20th anniversary series.
At the opposite end, Lionel turned his 1995 VR6 into a very personal car from the first year: black leather, black headliner and door pillars, Magnaflow half exhaust system, coilovers, Hella rear lights and a complete audio installation. He still had in mind an American body kit, a respray, the underbody and the braking.
The two VR6s illustrate the two ways of living with a Golf 3: preservation and personalisation. On one point, however, do not take his car as a model: its 9 inch wide wheels fitted with 205 tyres make a stretched fitment, outside the recommendations. Before changing wheels, read our article How to choose your wheels well.
The GTI 16S came after the 115 hp 8-valve GTI launched with the Golf 3, judged too tame by enthusiasts. With 150 hp, it gave the GTI its character back, and it is today one of the most sought-after Golf 3s.
Charlotte has been passionate about Volkswagen since childhood: her father has always driven a GTI 16S, in Golf 2 and then Golf 3 form. Her own first car was a 90 hp Golf 3 GT TDI, ideal for starting out.
At Christmas 2019, her father handed her a small box. Inside, the key to his 1993 Golf 3 GTI 16S, which he had owned for eighteen years and which had been asleep in the garage for about five years. Getting it going again is done. What remains is a complete general service and a visit to the body shop, because rust, as on any Golf 3 left standing, has done its work.
Laurent and Kevin seek originality down to the details, Lionel prefers a car that looks like him, Charlotte extends the story of a family car. With nearly thirty years for the most recent saloons, well-preserved Golf 3s are becoming rarer: a car that is original, documented and maintained gains in value and interest. If you are hesitating, keep the original parts you remove. They will always let you go back.
A GTI 16S woken after five years off the road, a VR6 brought back to original, a cabriolet gone over screw by screw: all these cars were given a complete inventory. After a long period standing, start with the fluids, the timing, the hoses, the brakes and the battery, then inspect the sills and wheel arches. For each engine, from the 1.4 to the VR6, the parts are sorted on the Golf 3 engines page, and the whole catalogue is on our Golf 3 page.
Do you drive a Golf 3, saloon or cabriolet, original or customised? Tell us its story. We only publish a testimonial with the written agreement of its author, for the text as for the photos, and we can keep just your first name.
Harald
Le partage de la Passion, simplement.
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