This eBay auction is for one of our own cars, a 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco belonging to me, Barn Finds editor Jeff Lavery. I’ve always wanted to own an MK2 Volkswagen, particularly one with the DOHC, 16-valve powerplant. Of course, given my love of slightly obscure models, I couldn’t go with a GTI; no, I had to find the Scirocco, a car that was captured in poster form on my boyhood room’s wall. I found this one in Western Massachusetts last summer and proceeded to lavish it with enhancements and common sense maintenance, but with a big pending project happening on my 2003 VW Eurovan, I have to free up some space and money. Find this clean and well-maintained Scirocco here on eBay and located in Rhode Island.

The Scirocco has a very boring paper trail in terms of ownership history, with the car originally bought in Seekonk, Mass., before heading out to the Berkshires. The gentleman I bought it from addressed the typically chalky paint with a full respray in original Tornado Red, in addition to the some routine upkeep in the form of new brakes, fluids, and an OEM-style muffler. I took it a bit further, as I usually do, proceeding with a full timing belt / tensioner / water pump / and thermostat replacement, along with updating the suspension to Koni Red shocks front and rear with new shock and strut mounts and H&R lowering springs. The wheels are BBS RAs from a MK2 Jetta, straightened and refinished and mounted on new tires.

The engine is quite healthy and pulls strong, cruising happily on the highway. The idle is smooth, even when cold, and the car starts promptly. The engine bay also features a new coolant reservoir and a fresh battery. The air conditioning was converted to R134A and blows cold. Other mechanical fixes include new shifter bushings, a rebuilt parking brake mechanism, and new center exhaust resonator. You’ll also note the headlights have been upgraded to the European-style lenses. From a cosmetic standpoint, the respray does reveal a few flaws like some orange peel and overspray in places, but I am confident that a few hours in a competent detailing shop could resolve these minor issues.

Inside, the Scirocco retains its factory sport seats and steering wheel. The driver’s seat backrest adjustment mechanism on the side closest to the door doesn’t work, but the rotary knob on the console side does, so full adjustment is still possible. The windows are powered and need some assistance to close all the way. The sunroof drains were blocked but were cleared out under my ownership; however, there is some residual staining on the headliner. Of course, the dash has the typical cracks like many other Sciroccos of this vintage, but they are at least contained to the area above the instrument binnacle. Overall, this is a turnkey driver with loads of expensive maintenance done, and it presents extremely well. I hold a clean Massachusetts title in hand. Please reach out with questions and feel free to bid on the auction. Thank you!