Paying three grand for a car that cost £13k almost twenty years ago may not seem like a depreciation bargain, but these things are all relative. If you look at how the values of quality early- 2000s performance VWs are climbing, grabbing hold of a Lupo GTI makes a lot of sense – particularly given how there aren’t all that many of them left. As far as we can make out, there’s about 500 of them registered in the UK, which really isn’t a lot; only 950 of them were ever sold here, although they do still pop up regularly in the classifieds. It’s a cracker of a car too – the revvy nat-asp 1.6 puts out 123bhp, and the car’s so light that it really does feel like a Mk1 Golf GTI. Part of the low weight is thanks to GTI-specific aluminium body panels, and it also has disc brakes all round, lowered suspension, sporty seats, an aggressive little bodykit, and – most importantly of all – a centre-exit exhaust. Because everything’s cooler with a centre-exit. At three grand or so, this is probably the cheapest the Lupo GTI will ever be before they start getting properly collectible…
New: £12,995
Now: £3,000
Top 5 mods: Kam Racing stainless manifold, KW V1 coilovers, Scorpion cat-back, BMC CDA induction, Schmidt TH-Line wheels
