GTI or R?

[The_Doc]

FWIW my opinion is the R is a fantastic car, it’s quick, will eat b roads all day, has plenty of power and sticks to the road like red wine on a cream carpet. If you want something that’s effortlessly fast, a bit understated and great value for money the R is a great car, but I didn’t love it. It felt almost clinical at times, and in order to push it enough to make it really playful, the speeds I was seeing were a good bit the wrong side of legal.

The GTI on the other hand is playful from the get go. It’s not as quick as the R, even in clubsport form, but it feels lighter and more nimble, and you can feel the back start to rotate a little more freely on lift off. Where the R was jaw droppingly quick, the GTI (in the 245 Performance spec at least) made me smile from ear to ear the whole time I was in it. It had proper character, driving it felt almost empathetic. I have an a35 now, and there’s a reason I’m coming back to the GTI fold. I’ve test drive almost every hot hatch (I can’t drive a manual for medical reasons unfortunately) and there are few that feel as special as the golf does to me.

The one caveat, is that it’s all about how you feel. Find a dealer with a used R and GTI you can test drive, and make sure it’s the same rough spec as you’d buy (performance for the diff or standard without) and see how they feel, because it’s purely a personal decision.

[Adam T7]

FWIW my opinion is the R is a fantastic car, it’s quick, will eat b roads all day, has plenty of power and sticks to the road like red wine on a cream carpet. If you want something that’s effortlessly fast, a bit understated and great value for money the R is a great car, but I didn’t love it. It felt almost clinical at times, and in order to push it enough to make it really playful, the speeds I was seeing were a good bit the wrong side of legal.

The GTI on the other hand is playful from the get go. It’s not as quick as the R, even in clubsport form, but it feels lighter and more nimble, and you can feel the back start to rotate a little more freely on lift off. Where the R was jaw droppingly quick, the GTI (in the 245 Performance spec at least) made me smile from ear to ear the whole time I was in it. It had proper character, driving it felt almost empathetic. I have an a35 now, and there’s a reason I’m coming back to the GTI fold. I’ve test drive almost every hot hatch (I can’t drive a manual for medical reasons unfortunately) and there are few that feel as special as the golf does to me.

The one caveat, is that it’s all about how you feel. Find a dealer with a used R and GTI you can test drive, and make sure it’s the same rough spec as you’d buy (performance for the diff or standard without) and see how they feel, because it’s purely a personal decision.

A great description. I’ve never driven a Golf R so I can only comment on the GTI. It’s simply the best car I’ve ever been fortunate enough to own.

[Exonian]

Going to look at this next week, anything I should look out for.
It's got a partial SH, they've all been done at dealers but not the same time every year. Sailed through all its Mots , hpi is good.

That looks quite nice, a Westcountry plate on it too 
The mileage looks good.
It would be worth trying to find out if the water pump has been changed out at some point.
Have a check to see if there’s a silicon bag in the coolant expansion tank too.
Check panel gaps are even, Golfs are usually quite good in that area so misaligned panels might point towards past dramas. HPI won’t always show this.
The wheels are likely to have surface corrosion on the painted sections at that age. If they don’t then it’s a huge bonus!
See if the VAQ diff has had an oil change, if not ask for it to be done.
Check the aircon blows cold, Groupon often do cheap regas deals via ATS if not.

On test drive accelerate briskly in sixth gear from around 1200 - 1600 revs to see if the clutch slips.

[DSGboy]

A 5 door is best bet for family use by far.  Can’t think you’ll be hammering it much with a bairn on board,,,,,
so super safety option has to be an R because of any weather stocking grip and stability.

A GTI will be more playful to drive on your own of course. 

Either in 5dr will be great - just depends on your preferences.  Some regard an R as a bit inert, but has fantastic A to B capability. Rain, snow or shine….

[CJ_NSR]

Update: went to look at it today. A couple of things to check out.....
Oil in the diff was last changed in October 19.
No sign of water pump being done on the service history.
Couldn't open the tank to check for the bag, although it has the German word written on it. Not really sure if bag or no bag makes a difference? Couple of wheels were messy, but they'd sort those and a couple of chips etc........if I go ahead......but being a car supermarket they won't budge on price.  HPI say it's £1100 over what it should be.

Decisions, decisions!
Thanks for the input.

[Exonian]

You at least know what you’re getting at a car supermarket type place - no frills, take it or leave it and busy sales people who need to sell a lot of cars to earn their keep.
Vehicles vary wildly in quality so you will see them on a take it or leave it basis and have to judge whether you can get them tidied to your own standards without shelling out heaps of money.

If you’re in doubt either walk away or bide your time to see if they drop the price a bit.
If any alarm bells ring for you then move on, another will come up, they’re not rare cars.

[CJ_NSR]

I don't think it'll hang around with that mileage, it was certainly a nice change from the Clio.   But I've found that a set of rear seats from the standard Clio 200 would fit and they have Isofix & split.  So that's certainly the cheaper option!
Cheers for your help.  I might look again in the future!

[Exonian]

In your shoes I know what I’d be doing 
Better the devil you know.