Just spotted this thread and wow! 
What a great example of a mk6 and with Glendales too which are one of my all time favourite VW wheel designs.
Having had two mk6 GTI’s I’m a big fan of them, one being one of the first batch on an 09 in standard spec which I had fun retrofitting loads of parts to, and the second being an 11 plate with a huge spec as I’d run out of steam retrofitting things!
That’ll be a fantastic second car to keep in tip top condition which will give you heaps of pleasure.
My first mk6 had halogen lights to which I uprated the bulbs as I do a lot of nighttime driving and the second had factory xenons. I toyed with retrofitting xenons to my first but it had too early a control module and in the end I couldn’t be bothered with the expense and hassle of swapping the lot out. Honest opinion from me is the halogens were actually preferable as the xenons had too sharp a light cut off point on dipped beam meaning the area close to the car was super-illuminated and the area beyond was pitch black. The halogens had a more progressive light cut off which seemed more natural. I’m speaking from the experience of commuting 700 miles a week in darkness for three or four months during one of the darkest wettest winters in my 50 odd years (2012). The LED lights on the latest Golfs are so much better than the xenons but… the mk6 xenons do look so cool!
The relative simplicity (compared to the very latest Golfs) and solidity will stand them the test of time well.
A very good choice Hertsman and I look forward to reading continuing updates.
How does the older DSG feel after a few years with the 7 speed?
Good Morning Sir
Decided not going to do any retrofitting, going to keep it just as is, and though Bi-Xenon look great and likely add something, the use profile and the effort and expense are just not worth it, and if it was such a must, I would have held out for next one up, but this car was so clean could not pass on it.
Having been out at night a few times already, the headlights are perfectly efficient, do not obviously give that Arc of light and magic tricks of the TCR, but they light the road perfectly well, and Carista added a little magic with cornering lights functionality via the fog lights, and work really, really well in the dark side street close to me.
Not investigated the bulbs, maybe the previous owner was well ahead of the game and has the best halogen in there, but is there any recommendation to what make and type of bulbs across the Main, Side, DRL and Fog, should be looking at for most optimised experience.
It might be a marmite thing, but do intend to put a gloss black wrap on the roof, think it will work really well with Glendale as the wheels.
Completely passed on the MK 6 model, never drove one, was over the fence in A3 Quattro, so from all the comments saw about the transformation of the MQB platform for the MK 7 series, was expecting a good element of stepping back in time, and that's just not happened, in fact there is elements prefer, such as the solid feel, you definitely notice to that as step from the TCR into the MK 6 GTI.
Not sure if this DSG is the 6 speed carried into my 63 plate GTD and 66 plate R, but all can say is that not count the 6 and 7 really and it just goes up and down as smoothly as the TCR seems to, great pull, smooth changes, and when in S, would say it was better profiled than the GTD and the R, which always hung onto the gears too long, this DSG holds on to gears just right in S. The TCR is perfect, the DSG 7 speed gearbox is sweet in its changes.
The amount of pull surprised me, expected a chasm to the TCR, but on normal roads, in bursts? its a comparable pull through to speed limit (or feels not far off)
Maybe part of the solid feel and new tyres, and adds to the solid, but its super smooth on the road, and another big surprise was expecting ride to be firm on the Glendale, and it maybe new tyres that help, but none of it, would say about normal setting on the TCR,.
The one big difference to the TCR is lightness and feel, the TCR has tons of it, whereas feel the MK 6 feels like the R, that weightiness.
The RNS510 would say is no worse than the 63, 66 GTD and R which both had the standard system and the GTD the low resolution screen, and its only the TCR that is a quantum leap beyond. Nav is decent and has latest maps and can bluetooth BBC Sounds and Deezer readily.
In summary, been a really pleasant surprise, and its a really enjoyable experience, to point wife has been driving off in TCR as asked her to leave me the MK 6 GTI to drive, which is obviously due to the new to us factor, but think it will endure.
As you can see the TCR after 9 months of we keeping/we not, is definitely going, we have saved £16000 stretch by profiling the second car usage to this MK 6 GTI, and head won over the heart, but the MK 6 is compensating way more than thought and looking forward to a run out to Caffeine and Machine to put it among the older cars there
the 128Ti arrives Dec 6th, so have some newness there also, with all the bells and whistles, and be interesting to see how BMW 'GTI' stacks up in comparison.
