To GTI or not to GTI?

[Justify]

Hi VW friends!

The time has finally come to return to the Wolfsburg family, but it's been a while and I'd really appreciate any advice you folks could give.

I'll try not to swamp you with too much detail. I've put a Tl;Dr (Too long, Didn't Read) summary at the end for those who prefer summaries.

The need:
Between myself and my wife we have a Fiat Panda (2006) and a VW Polo 1.6 (2007). The Fiat has started to show symptoms of impending electrical power steering failure which, if it fails, would result in the replacement of the entire steering column and ECU (thanks Italy for designed obsolescence in an all in one unit) which will probably cost in the order of R25k to fix (a huge portion of the value of the car), which means, I'll be in the market for a replacement soon.

As you can see by my extremely modest vehicle history (in signature) - I've always shied away from motor financed vehicles, which left me waaay behind the curve. Times have moved on and I'm now in a position to consider part-financing without impacting my financial security too severely for something more comfortable and modern. My budget I've pegged at R150 000 unless I absolutely have to raise it (which I guess will become clear after chatting with you) .

Driving conditions / style:
I drive mainly short distances to work, roughly 20km per day and then further on weekend and the odd long weekend trip. Yearly about 10 000-15 000km max. Hardly any stop-start traffic. I drive smoothly and don't burn it between traffic lights. I will put foot down from time to time on the highway but for the most part I'm the 120-140km/h guy, not the Stage XYZ nitro'd chipped underglow, M3 dicing guy

The short list:

We're two people and a kid is only on the 3-5 year horizon and as a result I've come to love the versatility of a hatchback. I am considering a BMW E90 330D as an outsider choice (great performance, handling, spec, interior and price), but from what I've heard diesels are a no-no for short distance drives and if the turbo goes it takes the engine with it (opposed to petrol turbos which don't).

The prime candidate is a Golf at this point. Larger than a Polo but not as ship-like as a sedan with the versatility of a hatchback.

Now to the meat of the question... which Golf? I've always wanted a GTI, (I'm sure everyone on this forum has wanted one at some point), the question is, should the GTI be my only consideration or should I be looking at something like a Mk6 1.4TSI? My heart says GTI as a bucket list buy but my brain says every second boy racer wants one and the odds are it's been thrashed by the time I get to it, which I presume means I'm going to be hit by considerable maintenance costs.

If I do go the GTI route, Mk5 or Mk6? VW says the Mk6 is more refined, but mechanically they're similar. Some say the Mk5 is a more solid construction since the Mk6 was created to speed up production?

Price:

Given the above, I suspect I'll be looking at something with 100 000 - 150 000km on the clock. What would you say is a good purchase price?

Motorplan:

Should I take a Motorite or equivalent plan, or rather go the dealer route (who usually have a few months included warranty... but charge more)?

Who to buy from:

For all you JHB folks, I notice most adverts (eg http://www.cars.co.za) feature nice cars, but the surrounding they're taken in... spray paint tagged walls in the background / shebeen like areas and then it's from apparent car dealers... is this par for the course in the City of Gold? Not trying to sound typical Cape Town high brow, but chances are I'll probably fly up to purchase a vehicle, so just want to know what to look out for

If you survived all of that, well done (and thank you in advance)!

Tl;Dr (The super summary):

- Looking for a hatchback as a second car, don't have kids, not a boy-racer, drive short distances in low-volume traffic with the odd weekend run
- Comfort over performance but must be at least 30% (give or take) faster than a 2007 1.6 Polo
- Always wanted a GTI, but unsure if out of warranty is going to be a maintenance disaster
- GTI 5, GTI 6 or Mk6 1.4 TSI (etc.) or should I be thinking along the lines of a nearly new UP! ?
- Dealer or private?
- Motorite?

--- The End ---

[ICE King]

Life is too short , buy a GTI and never look back , embrace the cost , breakages , fuel consumption that come with it but when it's driving/boosting it's pure driving pleasure , bends or straights

Mk5 GTI is bit dated at the moment but with that said, they cheap for what you getting and pretty robust , reliable cars when looked after.
Mk6 GTI would be the better option but heard a few horrid stories but at the same time others had pure pleasure.

I've seen way too much of the elders in brand new GTI's smiling, makes one think that they missed out that part of their life

[Justify]

Life is too short , buy a GTI and never look back , embrace the cost , breakages , fuel consumption that come with it but when it's driving/boosting it's pure driving pleasure , bends or straights

Mk5 GTI is bit dated at the moment but with that said, they cheap for what you getting and pretty robust , reliable cars when looked after.
Mk6 GTI would be the better option but heard a few horrid stories but at the same time others had pure pleasure.

I've seen way too much of the elders in brand new GTI's smiling, makes one think that they missed out that part of their life

Thanks ICE King!

I prefer the interior of the Mk6, but agree - I too have heard some horror stories on the Mk6 (specifically the timing chain tensioner issue). The Scirocco (2010ish) also looks pretty good, but I haven't researched that much. What I am discovering though is quite a few "if it breaks you can just as well buy a new car for the repair costs" type of potential failure which is scaring the bejesus out of me... time to do some more posting to narrow down the choices. Thanks again!

[The Shaikh]

If there is ever any doubt about buying a GTi then the right answer is yes, buy a GTi.

Though the MKV to me is the best GTi ever made in terms of looks and some, it has become a bit dated.
A descent MKVI GTi will set you back quite a bit because they are still very very very good cars and at R150k you might get a lemon.

This is an aside but have you considered the AUDI A4 B8 2.0T, Like you said you are not a boy racer and comfort over power. You can get a descent one with nice millage plus toys and leather for around R180k. They are not lazy cars and if you get the Multitronic gearbox... comfortable cruiser too.

[Rsi huntered]

If there is ever any doubt about buying a GTi then the right answer is yes, buy a GTi.

Though the MKV to me is the best GTi ever made in terms of looks and some, it has become a bit dated.
A descent MKVI GTi will set you back quite a bit because they are still very very very good cars and at R150k you might get a lemon.

This is an aside but have you considered the AUDI A4 B8 2.0T, Like you said you are not a boy racer and comfort over power. You can get a descent one with nice millage plus toys and leather for around R180k. They are not lazy cars and if you get the Multitronic gearbox... comfortable cruiser too.

Im with Shaikh....

rather check for a good 2.0T or 2.0TDi Audi's...... for that money. if you not into speed that is, as this will tick all the boxes in terms of comfort, speed on short and long distance.

IM guessing you don't want to spend on the car after you buy and honestly if you buy a GTi from the wrong person you not going to be very impressed with the outcome.

I for one try not to buy second hand turbo cars(unless I know the person) and second hand performance turbo cars from the wrong person can make your experience of a good car bad.

my opinion:
Audi would be a better option....

[Justify]

Thanks for the suggestion guys.

If I was in the market for a sedan the Audi A4 would definitely but near the top of the list. Realistically though, a sedan is a bit of a boat (drove a friend's BMW F30 320i the other day, great performance, but the car is HUGE - yet my Panda can load more into it thanks to the hatch) and since we don't have kids, I'd feel it's a bit overkill.

I did consider the Audi A3 2.0T sportback (+- 2010) - a colleague has one and I think it's a stunning car, the refinement is top notch, but from what I gather it's very similar to the GTI, just with a good 20% price premium on everthing, since it has an Audi badge. My colleagues car also started using alot of oil and eventually had to have the engine replaced due to a known "factory fault"... since Audi and VW share components I wonder if it was perhaps the chain tensioner? Anyhow, love the car, but Audi's reliability record seems a stone throw away from Land Rover's

Back to the G5 (or 6) - if the major concerns are a few items that can be fixed through preventative repairs, I'll def. consider doing them - cost dependent of course... just not sure what I'd be getting myself into.

I should mention that in general I keep my cars until they're not economical to run anymore, so minimum 6 years +.

[dazza]

If you looking for a decent MK6 GTI you need to spend 220k+
For 150K you can get a MK5 GTI or A3 2.0T and even the MK6 Golf/Jetta 1.4tsi with Turbo only.

The MK6 GTI has the better engine to a point, the motor delivers better torque and power then a MK5 and better fuel consumption.
The MK5 GTI build quality is far superior to the MK6 and is just better in terms of quality.

The MK6 GTI and Mk5 GTI have their common issues. MK6 may have chain tensioner issues, waterpump leaks, and radiator leaks. The MK5 has the usual DV, coilpak etc issues but so does the MK6 for that matter.

If you can find a decent MK5 or A3 its good value for the money you pay that's for sure

[panic-mechanic]

The audi and the vw shares the same engine. So whatever afflicts them the same issue exists in vw.

[Rsi huntered]

Howzit Bud.....

we can see your heart is set on the GTi

maybe this can also assist with common faults on those engines

http://www.vwgticlub.co.za/forum/viewto ... =4&t=16181

[Superslik]

Buy one of the SEAT Cupras from the FS Section....

[smitbrandon]

Wanted a GTi but couldn't afford a proper one that hasn't been raped by the previous owner. So I went a3 1.4tfsi. Love every second of it

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[Reegz]

Wanted a GTi but couldn't afford a proper one that hasn't been raped by the previous owner. So I went a3 1.4tfsi. Love every second of it

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What year model? The A3's in general are very nice cars. You won't go wrong with it.

[smitbrandon]

Wanted a GTi but couldn't afford a proper one that hasn't been raped by the previous owner. So I went a3 1.4tfsi. Love every second of it

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

What year model? The A3's in general are very nice cars. You won't go wrong with it.

I got the 2012 face-lift 3 Dr

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[Reegz]

Wanted a GTi but couldn't afford a proper one that hasn't been raped by the previous owner. So I went a3 1.4tfsi. Love every second of it

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

What year model? The A3's in general are very nice cars. You won't go wrong with it.

I got the 2012 face-lift 3 Dr

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

Lovely cars! Enjoy it!

[Justify]

Thanks to all for the solid advice.

In the meantime I've managed to have an extensive chat with one of the mechanics at a VW branch in JHB, as well as a local general mechanic and the common consensus seems to be to stay away from the GTI MK6 - the engine just seems far too fragile/finicky with a number of known failure points that spell expensive regular repairs to total engine destruction, compounded as one buys further on in age.

The MK5 seems to be a tank in comparison, but even that has its flaws - I recently put an offer in on a pristine 2009 model, which shortly thereafter had a scheduled service and all manner of issues came out of the woodwork.

This has made me pause and think, perhaps I should be pitching lower (i.t.o aspiration and also potentially nightmare repair costs)... so I ask, what is your opinion of the Polo GTI (9n3)?

My practical experience of the 1.6 9N3 has been total reliability, I wonder if that carries over to the GTI - and how far apart the enjoyment factor is with the 30-50% price difference between the Golf and Polo?

[NHB_R]

Rather then go the A3 option.


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[JasonCPT]

Mk5 GTi and be done with it

[smashedmink]

Mk5 GTi and be done with it

[The Shaikh]

From MK6 GTi to 9n3

Rather A3 2.0T

[The Shaikh]

to quote panic

Like anything it is partly luck of the draw. You See some going on 300k km's and never have issues and you see some giving trouble every 30k km.

Just get a GTi, if it breaks, it breaks.

[Reegz]

Get the GTi; whether it's the 5 or the 6 doesn't matter. GTi is the complete package.

[smitbrandon]

The polo 9n3 gti is extremely strong and reliable. I've seen numerous of these cars built beyond the capability of these 6r gti. Only thing is that it's out dated as the engine is based off the mk4 gti. You can go audi but be warned, cost to repair is beyond that of a vw. Good luck

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[ob wan]

GTI! nothing tastes better than a Gin Tonic and Ice....




except a DRC

[ob wan]

(double richelieu and coke)....

just in case, you know....

[dazza]

The earlier model MK6 GTI(2009/2010)can grenade themselves no doubt, thanks to a crap chain tensioner. The solution is simple...buy the car and take it to have the revision tensioner, new chain and relevant odds and ends changed as preventative maintenance. It will cost you around 10K to do and you can then enjoy a really nice car. If you cannot afford to pay 10K on preventative maintenance then my suggestion is to not even look at a MKV GTI, A3 2.0T or Polo GTI as an option, rather get something basic etc that is cheap to fix if it breaks.