MK7 GTI vs M135i

[drisser]

Yep it's a fair point. When you have 2 cars very close in spec and price a lot comes down to the dealer.

My local BMW dealer in Suffolk are good and trying hard to keep me as a customer due to me having my e46 serviced there, hence the 13% discount and maybe a bit more to come..

It's def a win win situation, both cars are great all round every day fast practical hatches.  I wish I could find a manual 135 to drive to get a direct comparison.  My e46 330 ci has been the best every day car I owned so the pull of the creamy bmw 3 litre is hard to resist but will for sure cost more to run.

I was just looking at pics of the gti in carbon grey thinking mmm that does look super cool !

Oh the dilemma

[RikWebb]

Yep it's a fair point. When you have 2 cars very close in spec and price a lot comes down to the dealer.

My local BMW dealer in Suffolk are good and trying hard to keep me as a customer due to me having my e46 serviced there, hence the 13% discount and maybe a bit more to come..

It's def a win win situation, both cars are great all round every day fast practical hatches.  I wish I could find a manual 135 to drive to get a direct comparison.  My e46 330 ci has been the best every day car I owned so the pull of the creamy bmw 3 litre is hard to resist but will for sure cost more to run.

I was just looking at pics of the gti in carbon grey thinking mmm that does look super cool !

Oh the dilemma

Well - I moved from an e46 6 cylinder Petrol Coupe - to a MK6 GT TDI
I loved the e46 and even shed a tear when it went, and as much as I like the GT TDI - it wasn't a patch on the BMW
However!! - having just had a fleet demo of the GTI for 3 days - I would choose the GTI
Plus - those new beemers are bl00dy ugly arnt they! 

[johanr77]

If running costs weren't a consideration I would think the M135 would take a lot of sales from the GTI. Running costs are a consideration for a lot of drivers though which is why I didn't consider the M135 for long particularly with the mileage I do. Great car for the money, ugly as sin though. Seeing quite a few of them around Aberdeen these days as well, design just doesn't grow on me but fair play for being bolder than VW in the styling department.

[CraigW]

If it looked like the M1 then i would be seriously tempted. It's just far too ugly and as you say the running costs will probably be crippling. It will be interesting to see what the M2 looks like when it makes an appearance 

[drisser]

Well

not the news all you Golf fans wanted to hear, but looks like I am going to cancel my order tomorrow and stay with BMW. 

Shame because I was really so excited about getting the Golf, it really was a great drive but I have just become too impatient with the lack of information and delays everyone is reporting.  On top of this my 330 ci is going to need 3 tyres soon and I can't plan to sell privately because as you all know VW tell you nothing.

That coupled with a fantastic deal from my local BMW who desperately wanted to keep me as a customer have come up with an amazing deal on the car I specced up

M135 i 3 Door Manual
(Probably) White with red leather (std) -

4 Options added

Elec Sunroof £895
Heated Seats £295
Comfort Pack (Cruise and Parking sensors) - £385
Basic Media Pack with Nav - £990

The Std spec otherwise is all you need including Xenons, 18 inch alloys etc

List price of the above car £33,135  (around £5k more than the Golf I ordered)
Total Discounts incl £500 BMW loyalty bonus  £5169

Final Discounted price £27,965

Plus half price 3 year service pack normally £800.
Part ex underwritten same as the VW dealer.

I think you will agree, whether you like the car or not, that car for that price is a really compelling offer ?  With the same deposit from me it left the M135 just £600 more than the Golf I specced almost identically.

The real killer though, I have a 2 hour test drive of the M135 this weekend and if I order, the car will be at the dealer around the 10th September, yep just over a month away and in my hands by the end of that week.  That really swung it for me.

Yes, I am still not really comfortable with the looks v the Golf, but at the end of the day it is a very serious piece of kit with supercar performance and I think most of us would be happy with either car.  I am sad that VW are losing sales and probably will lose many more due to their poor demand planning and worse communication.

I will be making a final call on Saturday after my test drive but with that lead time at that price I don't see me saying no.

[CraigW]

Well

not the news all you Golf fans wanted to hear, but looks like I am going to cancel my order tomorrow and stay with BMW. 

Shame because I was really so excited about getting the Golf, it really was a great drive but I have just become too impatient with the lack of information and delays everyone is reporting.  On top of this my 330 ci is going to need 3 tyres soon and I can't plan to sell privately because as you all know VW tell you nothing.

That coupled with a fantastic deal from my local BMW who desperately wanted to keep me as a customer have come up with an amazing deal on the car I specced up

M135 i 3 Door Manual
(Probably) White with red leather (std) -

4 Options added

Elec Sunroof £895
Heated Seats £295
Comfort Pack (Cruise and Parking sensors) - £385
Basic Media Pack with Nav - £990

The Std spec otherwise is all you need including Xenons, 18 inch alloys etc

List price of the above car £33,135  (around £5k more than the Golf I ordered)
Total Discounts incl £500 BMW loyalty bonus  £5169

Final Discounted price £27,965

Plus half price 3 year service pack normally £800.
Part ex underwritten same as the VW dealer.

I think you will agree, whether you like the car or not, that car for that price is a really compelling offer ?  With the same deposit from me it left the M135 just £600 more than the Golf I specced almost identically.

The real killer though, I have a 2 hour test drive of the M135 this weekend and if I order, the car will be at the dealer around the 10th September, yep just over a month away and in my hands by the end of that week.  That really swung it for me.

Yes, I am still not really comfortable with the looks v the Golf, but at the end of the day it is a very serious piece of kit with supercar performance and I think most of us would be happy with either car.  I am sad that VW are losing sales and probably will lose many more due to their poor demand planning and worse communication.

I will be making a final call on Saturday after my test drive but with that lead time at that price I don't see me saying no.

Apart from the looks my other main concern would be the RWD in winter in this country, however it is a fantastic deal at that price with that spec so I can certainly see why you would go down that route. Given the current situation with VW deliveries I don't blame you at all pal for choosing this option. I'm sure you will love it as it's no doubt a tremendous car

[matchboy]

It's a great deal and I would have done the same as you. Brillant motor! Yet again VW lose a sale because of this pathetic 20+ week wait & lack of information for the customer.

[Gung-Ho]

Great result drisser!! Can't believe you pulled off such a good deal.  I'm sure you're gonna be equally happy with the M-lite.

[drisser]

Craig

Take your point, see you are in Glasgow - Part of the reason I went for this is I am moving to a new job going to be based near Dundee for 2-3 years and driving to work instead of commuting into London, hence wanted to get a nice motor

Think I will be buying a £1500 Jeep Cherokee for the winter, got a BMW just now and might as well leave it at home !

[drisser]

Great result drisser!! Can't believe you pulled off such a good deal.  I'm sure you're gonna be equally happy with the M-lite.

The funny thing was, overnight BMW website update with their dealer contribution up from £2370 to £2420, so I told them to leave the quote the same but fill her up with fuel to cover the £50