Right this car search is getting on my tats now
Drove a Mk7.5 (non PP) yesterday but realistically it’s £2k over budget and the dealer wouldn’t drop a penny off so walked away.
I liked the new infotainment and digital cockpit, also the lack of radar in front grille and the fact it is the current mark and probably will be for a couple more years.
We can afford it but it’s more than what we’d like to spend.
Alternatively I’ve seen a mk7 with 20k miles that’s £4K less and has the performance pack. Also seen an R For £2k less and just about in budget
We definitely can’t afford the facelifted PP version. So it’s mk7 GTI PP, mk7 R or mk7.5 non PP.
Is the newer car worth the extra and sacrificing LSD? I know this is all down to personal choice but appreciate your thoughts nonetheless.
Your opinion is always going to change with the wind if you don't know exactly what you want.
If you want the extra performance then the R is totally worth it.
If you only do £5k a year then you'll get far more appreciation of the driving dynamics of the PP than you will ever get the benefits out of a load of shiny extras that do little to enhance the value of the car. The VAQ diff is very impressive and almost totally imperceptible but you do need to learn how to drive with it. The point I'm making here is you're buying a hot hatch and it's the performance side of it you should be paying more attention to than the gimmicky toys.
In a few years time nearly every car on the market will have digital dials and touchscreens here there and everywhere. That makes the Facelifted GTI (7.5) a more desirable car later on down the line when it comes to resale. Therefore it might be worth that extra bit of outlay you don't want to lay out being as you can afford it. I'd still spec the PP every time though, just for the diff and bigger brakes as those things are actually good value for money and are reflected in the resale.
That's your three options summed up in a nutshell with my worthless opinion.
Which was is the wind blowing today?