Golf Gti. - Is it really that Good?

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Tue 15 Aug 2023 11:03
Golf Gti. - Is it really that Good? - veloceman
Been browsing Autotrader which tends to be one of my favourite pastimes.
So I see a 2018 Golf Gti 7.5 5dr DSG with £16k miles for £24k. Next Feb will be 6 years old. Seems mad to me but they all a similar price or above!
I can’t imagine it would have been much more new.
Alternatively you can get a 2022 Polo Gti facelift with 12k miles for the same price. Same engine and gearbox with a few less horses.
Is the Golf Gti that good or are you buying into the Ikonic dream?
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Tue 15 Aug 2023 11:06
Golf Gti. - Is it really that Good? - Adampr

I didn't have a GTI, but I did have a Golf 7.5 DSG estate.

It was fine, although I found the seats uncomfortable, but nothing special. I wonder if people are anticipating the end of the GTI, possibly even the entire Golf model.

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Tue 15 Aug 2023 16:07
Golf Gti. - Is it really that Good? - SLO76
Nice enough to drive but absolute madness as an investment. As it passes beyond the age where larger dealers will retail it the value will absolutely plummet. A new car on PCP or cheaper yet, on contract lease would be better. Personally I’d rather have a similarly aged Mazda 3 at over £10k less, it’ll still be running when gearbox failure has reduced the Golf to baked bean cans.
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Tue 15 Aug 2023 16:14
Golf Gti. - Is it really that Good? - Steveieb

Maybe so SLO but a car broker who made a successful business model worked on the premise that for every ten buyers looking for a second hand car eight would choose a Golf !

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Tue 15 Aug 2023 16:30
Golf Gti. - Is it really that Good? - Adampr

Maybe so SLO but a car broker who made a successful business model worked on the premise that for every ten buyers looking for a second hand car eight would choose a Golf !

I suspect that 8 out of ten is gradually dwindling as VW's cost cutting bears fruit. People are discovering that Golfs from the last 15-20 years are just cars and not worth the premium.

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Tue 15 Aug 2023 16:40
Golf Gti. - Is it really that Good? - SLO76

Maybe so SLO but a car broker who made a successful business model worked on the premise that for every ten buyers looking for a second hand car eight would choose a Golf !

I suspect that 8 out of ten is gradually dwindling as VW's cost cutting bears fruit. People are discovering that Golfs from the last 15-20 years are just cars and not worth the premium.

The last well made Golf was the Mk IV from 1998. These would fly out the door on any used car lot. There really wasn’t a bad one, even the most spartan 1.4 would draw a crowd. Sadly the bean counters took over with the Mk V onwards.
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Tue 15 Aug 2023 21:52
Golf Gti. - Is it really that Good? - galileo

In the 1980s I used a company diesel Golf to collect components from a supplier, the Golf was a left hand drive one which was being used to develop a turbocharger suitable for small diesel engines.

It certainly went well, surprisingly quick on Pennine hills and the M1.

The company I worked for decided not to aim for the passenger car market, though AFAIK supplies the turbo for the Dodge Ram diesel pickup (as well as other Cummins engines.)

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Tue 15 Aug 2023 22:00
Golf Gti. - Is it really that Good? - Metropolis.
Holset?
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Wed 16 Aug 2023 11:53
Golf Gti. - Is it really that Good? - galileo
Holset?

Indeed so: bought by Cummins in 1972, but convinced existing customers Volvo, Scania etc that their secrets were safe and continued to receive engines to test for matching purposes.

For variable geometry turbos the first customer was Iveco, I think.

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Wed 16 Aug 2023 10:05
Golf Gti. - Is it really that Good? - PhilDS

I have had a couple of GTis - Mk4, 6 & 7.

In manual 'box form, they are good to drive but ultimately quite fragile given the perception of the brand - lots of rattles, Sat Nav crashes, leaking shocks, etc.

Might as well buy a Leon or VRS which is essentially the same underneath and save money.

I had a 66 plate GTi with metallic paint, upgraded Nav and Bose that listed at around £30k when new.

I know car prices have been all over the place since then but £24k is a lot of money for a nearly 6 yr old car that may have been thrashed - and DSGs can be challenging long term

For that reason I'll never go near a secondhand Golf R!

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