Parts cars are the second class citizens of the automotive world. Today's GTI is a different kind of parts car though, and from the looks of it, its parts are first class all the way.

There's a question whether the Chevy Corvair has its fans because of its spunky, quirky nature, or because of its martyrdom in the war against Ralph Nader, arch nemesis and enemy of all things fun. While that question remains unanswered, the question yesterday of whether a is worth almost nine large was decided, although by the closest of margins. After the dust had settled, it was discovered that the nifty nine-seater managed to flip the fan belts of 53% of you, in a skin of its teeth Nice Price win. The remaining 47% found the price too high and the thought of the skin of your teeth being the only thing between you and a head-on collision a daunting prospect.

GM's effort to emulate VW in the small car market created both the Corvair and Ralph Nader's…

As much as we vilify Nader for his incessant whining about auto safety, it's a plain fact that cars today are much safer, and the mortality rate on our highways is significantly lower, than in that Corvair's day. However, the effect any amount of both passive and active safety equipment can be nullified by the judicious application of horsepower, and while today's candidate possesses most all the modern accouterments of passenger protection, what's under the hood makes it an even match in trying to make you dead.

But at least you'd go out smiling in this as that leveling agent beneath the Futura Yellow hood (one of supposedly only 400 sprayed that color) is a pumped-up version of VW's turbo four that lays down a claimed 300 horsepower. All those ponies gallop through a five speed transmission and Quaife LSD to the front wheels. As noted, this is a parts car - in that it has benefitted from being the recipient of a multitude of aftermarket parts that take the GTI and turn it into a GT Aye-Yai-Yai! The list of mods - from the APR Stage III turbo upgrade in front to the Borla fart can out back - is extensive and expensive sounding, but it adds up to this being one bad-ass MKIV.

The litany of mods doesn't end with the drivetrain as there's Oettinger sprucing up the outside and Neuspeed underneath to help keep it all sunny-side up. Inside you can tell the modder's priorities when he lists "cup-holder delete" as one of the benefits. An R32 wheel and TT pedal caps also help dress up what is the otherwise businesslike interior of the GTI. The exterior, despite the add-ons, doesn't look douchy in the least, well, with the possible exception of the MAM M1s, which are a love-em or hate-em kind of wheel.

The car has 85K on the clock, and had the timing belt done 20 ago, which is a good thing. In fact, the ad implies that the car gets the kind of attention normally only lavished on Supermodels and that YouTube numa-numa guy. The seller says it only gets Mobil 1, which is better than the cheap crap I drink, and with the kind of stresses of that extra 100+ ponies, it's probably worth it. Overall, inside and out it looks clean and without any warts or hair-sprouting moles to mar that appearance.

While seemingly without flaw, the one thing you might find fault with (other than those wheels, which are starting to bug me) is the price, which this time around is $10,000. I say this time because this GTI has been around the forums before, and it sold back in early 2009 for a little bit more than that. Of course the economy being what it is, you wouldn't expect to be making money on a car like this, as nice and potentially fast as it may be. It is after all still a MKIV GTI and the foundation to build a similar beast is but a stock GTI and an issue of Performance VW magazine away.

But would that be the best course of action? Here you have a car that's already all sorted out, and there's a strong likelihood that you'd never be able to replicate all the mods here for anywhere near the ten large asking. So, what's your thinking, is this giant-gonaded Golf worth the equally large price of $10,000? Or, for that price, are you immune from being swept into this VW's vortex?

You decide!

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