I’m not sure who had “exploding VW Golf values” on their 2023 bingo card, but props if that’s you. Just a few weeks after a Mk2 GTI sold for $87,000 on Bring a Trailer, another special example—this 97-mile Mk4 R32—just commanded a colossal $104,000 hammer price on the auction site. Not bad considering the car’s sub-$30,000 MSRP in 2004 dollars.
It’s completely perfect, as you’d expect, in the R32’s Deep Blue Pearl hero color. There’s a real chance this is the lowest-mileage example left, and its ownership history is just as unique. It was apparently delivered to Jack Daniel’s Motors in New Jersey before being sold to another dealer. The immaculate Golf stayed there until 2020 when the current seller, a private party, acquired it.
The Golf R32 is beloved for its 3.2-liter VR6 engine, which very well may be the best-sounding power plant VW ever produced. It just exited the building, actually, which might’ve given this car even more sentimental value for its next owner, @motorcar_collector. “This is going to sit right next to my Clio!” they exclaimed after placing the winning bid.
In addition to its sweet VR6, the Golf R32 boasts Haldex all-wheel drive, a six-speed manual, 18-inch Aristo wheels, and black leather interior with fantastic Konig seats. I could just read the original window sticker, which is included in the sale because this thing is virtually new. If you lusted after one of these when they first hit showrooms in the mid-’00s, you can’t be blamed for feeling the same today.
You’d have to love it to spend six figures on it, of course. The next most expensive Golf R32 sold on Bring a Trailer went for $62,000 back in 2020, and it had 1,800 miles. This is somehow even newer, in a sense, and it commanded a correlated premium. I’ll hazard a guess that this may stay in the top spot for a while unless some VW nut has one stored in a dungeon, waiting for the right time to list it.
Heads up, guy: That time might be now.
Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com