Gas prices are still too rich for my blood for the premium fuel needed to power my Porsche Cayenne S. I need to replace it with something that sips instead of guzzles, or a car that will happily run on low octane. Ideally, it would be a car that I can use to attract attention for the business. Since safety is a requirement, today’s GFF car is off the table for me, but this 1976 Volkswagen LD with just 30,000 original miles could be your fuel-efficient classic daily driver!

Volkswagen pursued diesel-powered cars, particularly with its TDI (Turbocharged Direct Injection) engines, as part of a strategy to offer fuel-efficient, high-performance vehicles that could meet increasingly strict emissions standards while appealing to environmentally conscious consumers. Diesel engines provided better fuel economy and greater torque than gasoline counterparts, making them especially attractive to drivers in Europe and gaining a niche following in the U.S. for their longevity and efficiency.

This appeal helped Volkswagen market diesel as a clean and practical alternative to hybrid technology. However, in 2015, the company was found to have installed software in millions of diesel vehicles to cheat emissions tests, forcing Volkswagen to pay restitution and making a major shift in its strategy toward electric mobility.

The first normally aspirated diesel engine fitted to Volkswagen’s iconic Golf was the 1.5 liter engine launched in September of 1976. Today’s Good Find Friday car is one of these first diesel-powered Golfs. It’s offered at $19,120 by one of my favorite European dealers, Kieft & Klok in the Netherlands.

Finished in Marino Yellow over a brown vinyl interior, this Diesel Golf screams “1970s.” Said to have traveled a mere 30,000 miles in the last 49 years, it was owned by a single family for years who used it at their holiday home in southern France.

The exterior of the car looks incredibly well preserved, with no obvious signs of the tin worm having gotten to the typically rust-prone areas on a Mk1 VW. Even the front end looks remarkably free of rock chips. The rear of the car does show a little bit of evidence of its age, with some wear at the rear arches and the bottom of the tail valance.

The interior of the early Mk1 Volkswagen Golf is delightfully spartan, and 50 years on quite visibly exposes its origins as an economical replacement for the Volkswagen Beetle. The usual cracks and warping on the dashboard are absent. Gauge readouts are limited, Beetle-style, to a speedometer, fuel gauge, odometer and warning indicators.

The interior appears to be in excellent condition, with a charcoal carpet and vinyl seats with corduroy surfaces. This upholstery often gets very loose over time and with use, making the lack of photos of the front seat surfaces a little troubling.

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a metal timing cover on an early Volkswagen engine that hadn’t cast off all its paint in favor of a layer of thin rust. Even the plated finishes are intact underneath the hood. The shock towers are rust free and in fact there is no evidence of real rust anywhere in the engine bay.

Aside from an exhaust pipe with surface rust, the undercarriage of the Golf is very well-preserved, with no evidence of any serious undercoating loss or rust, even on the rear torsion beam. The front suspension consists of MacPherson struts and the control arms appear to be very clean and intact.

Original documentation is included with the sale and the history is reported to be well documented.

An asking price of over $19,000 is quite bold, but is it appropriate given this car’s state of preservation?

Needless to say, comparables are hard to find for this car. Economy cars like the Golf were built in the millions and frankly, designed to be disposed of when they reached the end of their useful life. Many Golfs have succumbed to rust and were relegated to the scrap heap. Additionally, so many of these cars trade privately rather than the public auction market.

A Mk1 Volkswagen Golf sold for an impressive $35,000 back in July of 2024 on Bring a Trailer. That car, however, was a highly modified US-built Rabbit with a 2.1-liter 16 valve engine, Ronal wheels, quad headlights and more. The 16V is a God engine among early watercooled VW buyers.

A very similar 1976 Golf painted in Marino Yellow sold on Bring a Trailer during the height of the pandemic for an impressive $13,250. This was a 2-door car powered by the lowly 1.1L engine.

Watercooled VW diesels are, in general, more desirable than gas-powered variants owing to their impressive fuel economy and quirkiness. Diesels can be priced thousands of dollars higher than petrol cars.

I owned a 1979 Volkswagen Rabbit (“Golf” everywhere else) diesel for a hot minute, and they are not fast cars. They are, however, charming and rare to find in good condition, let alone as well-preserved as the 1976 Volkswagen Golf diesel featured today.

The asking price, however, is lunacy. Yes, they are only original once, but the market for cars like this is infinitesimal. Water-cooled Volkswagens lag behind the popularity of other contemporary vehicles in terms of collector popularity, with the exception of rare models like the GTI. 

I do hope Kieft & Klok can find a money-is-no-object collector who will plunk down the cash for this one. I wish I could be that man. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Wolf and Mare provides car finding, appraisal and auction services for sellers and buyers of collector European cars. We also provide importation services. Give us a call or drop us a line!