'88 16V w/ 24k in Uniontown, PA

[jason@scirocco.org (Jason)]

Hi guys,
	I met up with Dale last night, the owner of the 1988 Tornado Red 16V with 
24k miles.

	Those of you who know me know that I can be a little ferocious when it 
comes to describing used cars -- I'd much rather err on the side of 
harshness as I wouldn't want someone to buy a car and have the impression 
that a car is nicer than it really is.  So for you guys, you may be a 
little shocked at how nice I am going to be in describing this car.

	Basically, if you want a brand new 1988 16V Scirocco in your garage, this 
is the car for you.  It's the closest to "Just out of the factory" I've 
seen, ever.  It would have won 1st place stock and/or Best in Show at _any_ 
show I've ever been to, this year's Waterfest included.

	The car is Tornado Red with the obligatory A/C as well as Sunroof and 
Power Package.  No leather.  The interior is "brand new".   As with all of 
our cars, the dash is warped very slightly over the center vents and 
glovebox, but there's nothing anyone can do to prevent that -- it's an age 
thing.  The sunroof works, but is a little stiff.... so much so that I 
didn't want to tilt it up completely.  And besides, the headliner on the 
sunroof is so clean that I wouldn't want to risk getting it dirty by 
messing with it anyway.

	The exterior in just about the same condition.  The paint is all original, 
the glass is all original, the lights are all original.  The paint has 
exactly 3 flaws:  A cat-hair thick, 1/4" long scratch in the clearcoat by 
the fuel filler door, a small stone chip in the hood that's been touched 
up, and some minor stone chippage on the rear fender flares.  The paint is 
perfect everywhere, the body is straight everywhere.  The car has never had 
any contact with any foreign objects.  Its condition is consistent with a 
24k mile, babied, immaculate, loved car that's been in a garage under a car 
cover for its entire life.

	Everything works on the car, incl. A/C.  I didn't drive it as I didn't 
feel the need to... why bother?  I know what a 20-something-thousand mile 
Scirocco drives like, and I needn't make myself miserable that mine 
probably no longer feels anything like that. Tires are not original to the 
car, but they are the original Pirellis in 185/60-14; the Teardrops are 
perfect.

	The engine compartment is clean; not spotless -- but easily 
cleanable.  The aluminum intake is, of course, slightly tarnished with age, 
but the tarnish is uniform, so it just looks darker than when it was new.

	With all of this said, unless you're planning on starting a serious car 
collection, don't even consider this car.  It is not a car to be driven, 
it's a collector car.  Dale wouldn't consider selling it as anything else, 
and I'd smack him if he did. :) It doesn't matter whether a Scirocco, a 
Chevette, or a Ferrari, any car at age 14 that could be mistaken with a 
Museum Piece should always stay that way.  Dale's original feeling of 
$8,500 for the car is probably dead-on.  I certainly wouldn't take a penny 
less than that for the car, and if you're interested in buying it, you 
shouldn't offer a penny less than that, either.  He's in no rush to sell 
(in fact, he has no need to sell at all, and I think it'd be really tough 
for him) so I think he should just keep it. :)  With that said, I did hint 
that he should put a little note in the glovebox saying "If something 
should happen to me, Jason gets first dibs on the car".  Hey, not that I'm 
nuts, my Scirocco is in my will!

	I'll work on him a little bit to trailer it out to Waterfest next year -- 
or even better, the Cincinnati Scirocco Cruise-In.  Believe me, 95% of you 
guys have never seen anything like this.  We talked about doing a photo 
shoot some time later this summer -- if it happens, I'll throw all of the 
pix on my website.

	If you have any questions, please let me know.

Jason
(In awe that my multiple Waterfest-award winning car now looks like a piece 
of shit) :/