GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: Mavericktom on 07 June 2019, 20:08
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Firstly hello. New to the Forum and was after some advice.
Having recently sold my Alfa I was trawling Auto trader and saw that my local dealer had a couple of pre registered GTi's They are very reasonably priced. I wouldn't normally have entertained a new car due the depreciation but at the price they are being offered it is very tempting. I went and took a look and the one I was interested in (Black 3 door). It was brand new with only 12 miles on the clock. I didn't take it for a test drive as the heavens opened. I'm booked in for Monday if the car is still available.
My question is. What are they like to drive and live with? My main issue with the alfa was road noise. Are they refined and quiet at motorway speed? Is the ride harsh? I have a works vehicle so it would mainly be used at weekends and holidays to france so refinement is high on wish list.
The car was fitted with everything and more I would ever need. I'm sure the performance is also more that I would ever need.
We went through some numbers and the Finance offered was at 11.9% which seems high. I'm not sure if this is a VW or dealer rate.
They said they wouldn't budge on the price as it was the lowest priced. Which as far as I can see it is. But surely I can negotiate a better rate of finance.
Any thoughts and advice on the car and finance/ haggling would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Tom
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Hi and welcome :smiley:
The GTi is very refined and comfortable..... for a hot hatch. Noise inside the cabin can be altered via the Soundaktor as part of the driving mode selector. Sport being the loudest and eco being the quietest.
Ride quality best on 18 inch wheels, but still acceptable on 19's. Cars with Dynamic Chassis Control give you best of both worlds, but it's not a particularly common option.
11.9% APR is very high, I wouldn't sign up to that without any incentives. Have you looked at what loan rates are available elsewhere?
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Care to share the price that you've been offered?
I'm still considering a GTI and found that brand new cars from DTD, CarWow etc are a little cheaper than pre-reg cars from dealerships. The only advantage of a pre-reg is that you can drive it straight away instead of waiting on a build slot and delivery. The big downside is that you'll be the second owner and the car isn't 'new'. Also you will get a shorter warranty if it's been sitting on the forecourt for several months.
As for the finance, 11.9% APR is way too high and you'll end up paying thousands in interest. You may be able negotiate this down with some dealers providing your credit is spotless.
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Thanks for the responses.
The car is a basic spec as far as I can tell. 3door manual in black with 18’s. Price is £24750. The interest rate offered pretty much wipes out any saving. My bank is offering 3% so will prob go down that route.
I tried car wow. It looks like only 5 door dsg’s are available and the best offer is £28.5k.
I may be wrong but it seems like a good price.
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That looks a very good price to me. My advice... go for a PCP, as you'll probably get an extra £1500 off the price and a lower APR. Then after the first month, take out your bank loan and settle the PCP. Dealers don't like you doing that, but it's perfectly legit and their own fault for not tightening up the rules :-)
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The pcp route was discussed and there was no deposit incentive offered. As it’s classed as a used vehicle apparently. The rate was high as well. But you get a free service. They’ll have to do better than that if I’m taking their finance. My feeling is that they price the car low and make it up with high interest rates.
After the test drive i’ll see what I can negotiate. That’s if I like the car. I’m guessing the car wow offer will include a £1500 deposit contribution and 3.9% apr. (As per VW website)
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Hi there OP. That price sounds great, I paid only a bit under that for mine as ex-demo in 2015 (albeit mine is on 19s). I do a lot of holidays in mine although in the UK, but I find my GTI excellent at everything, long distance motorway cruising at which it's very economical and when you get on a more interesting road, it's great fun too! Obviously as someone else noted, it is great for a hot hatch so is unlikely to be as comfortable as a less performance orientated car.
I also love the manual gearbox and that's not because I'm anti-autos as I've had plenty, it's a good feel and is easily upgraded. Mine has a few mods including a short shift, mostly Audi parts so oem but I love the more precise feel. You can also do some mods to the clutch, the assistor spring robs some of the feel and is fairly easily removed but beware, once off is unlikely to be refitted! Another cheap easy mod is a clutch pedal stop which just reduces the amount of un-necessary pedal travel. It's just nice to be able to customise at minimal cost and easy to return to stock should you need to.
As to the car that you are looking at, black looks great but shows up swirls so needs plenty of sympathetic attention to keep it looking its best. But that's down to personal preference.
The GTI is a great car and copes with all situations making it the perfect daily driver. Plus 3 door cars are no longer available and to my eye look the best so sort your finance out and get it on your drive!
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Apr rates on all used VW's are high. You will only get the lower 3.9 on a new unregistered car. Sometimes works out cheaper buying new even though the price is higher.
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Hi OP, welcome.
After driving performance Alfas and Bmws for the last 20 years, I bought a GTI last December.
It is a very impressive car- the ride comfort and handling are superb- the Bmws may have been a little more comfortable but I don’t think there’s much in it. And the GTI is definitely more fun.
This is my third hot hatch. I am so impressed with how it combines the daily driver role with the performance car role that I have every intention of keeping it long term.
I too had never considered buying a new car, but with around 12% discount off list, it was enough to tempt me.
The price you’re being offered this car at is excellent- buy it before someone else does, and sort your own finance. You won’t regret it.
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The GTi is a good allround package of accessible performance and practicality.
I run 18" PS4 on standard suspension, I enjoy the firmness of the suspension and put up with the tyre noise, it gives the feeling of connection to the road which I value.
It is not bad, but refinement in terms of road noise is not one of it's outstanding features, as in there are more refined cars on the market.
After a test drive, maybe the overall package of the Gti will shine through over the odd bump and thump from tyres.
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The GTi is a good allround package of accessible performance and practicality.
I run 18" PS4 on standard suspension, I enjoy the firmness of the suspension and put up with the tyre noise, it gives the feeling of connection to the road which I value.
It is not bad, but refinement in terms of road noise is not one of it's outstanding features, as in there are more refined cars on the market.
After a test drive, maybe the overall package of the Gti will shine through over the odd bump and thump from tyres.
the michelins are a noisy tyre and are no quieter than the factory Bridgestones. I think Dunlop do the quietest tyre.
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The GTi is a good allround package of accessible performance and practicality.
I run 18" PS4 on standard suspension, I enjoy the firmness of the suspension and put up with the tyre noise, it gives the feeling of connection to the road which I value.
It is not bad, but refinement in terms of road noise is not one of it's outstanding features, as in there are more refined cars on the market.
After a test drive, maybe the overall package of the Gti will shine through over the odd bump and thump from tyres.
the michelins are a noisy tyre and are no quieter than the factory Bridgestones. I think Dunlop do the quietest tyre.
Sure, but the PS4 fit the character of the GTi and in my opinion outperform the standard Bridgestone's.
A regular Golf match on Dunlop tyres may be more refined than a GTi, but that's not part of the GTi experience, which I was trying to get across.
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Yes, I agree with clubsport. This is a hot hatch, if refinement ( and particularly road noise) are top priority you may be better served by something else.
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You won't go wrong with a GTi tbh as I switched from an Audi S1 and the only thing I miss is the awd.
I was lucky as I bought mine 2nd hand from VW and it has pretty much the spec I would have had if going new again (19" Santaigo's, DCC, DSG, Dynaudio, satnav etc). The only issue I have is that it has developed an annoying rattle from somewhere on the front passenger side on rough roads which tbh is my daily commute but other than that it is a good all round package.
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The GTi is a good allround package of accessible performance and practicality.
I run 18" PS4 on standard suspension, I enjoy the firmness of the suspension and put up with the tyre noise, it gives the feeling of connection to the road which I value.
It is not bad, but refinement in terms of road noise is not one of it's outstanding features, as in there are more refined cars on the market.
After a test drive, maybe the overall package of the Gti will shine through over the odd bump and thump from tyres.
the michelins are a noisy tyre and are no quieter than the factory Bridgestones. I think Dunlop do the quietest tyre.
Sure, but the PS4 fit the character of the GTi and in my opinion outperform the standard Bridgestone's.
A regular Golf match on Dunlop tyres may be more refined than a GTi, but that's not part of the GTi experience, which I was trying to get across.
The standard Bridgestones in the summer are actually very good, it's just when the temperatures drop they take ages to warm up and people don't adjust the driving style for the conditions and then complain. I actually hated the Michelin PS4'S when I first got them and still can't work out what the best pressure for them is. It definitely isn't the same as the S001s 🤷♂️
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You won't go wrong with a GTi tbh as I switched from an Audi S1 and the only thing I miss is the awd.
I was lucky as I bought mine 2nd hand from VW and it has pretty much the spec I would have had if going new again (19" Santaigo's, DCC, DSG, Dynaudio, satnav etc). The only issue I have is that it has developed an annoying rattle from somewhere on the front passenger side on rough roads which tbh is my daily commute but other than that it is a good all round package.
Open the passenger sun visor and see if it stops no matter where you think the noise is coming from. It's a common problem. Mine did it and although not ideal, a folded tissue between the visor and the headliner has sorted it...
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Re your annoying rattle, also try getting some appropriate lube into the channel where the top of the glass disappears - top right hand corner of the door as you’re looking at it from outside the car.
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Try the black plastic cap behind the rear view mirror. Mine rattled for months until I realised it hadn't been fitted properly.
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Thanks for the possible rattle solutions and i'll check them out ....it has been driving me nuts trying to find where it's coming from.
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Thanks for all the advice re the car.
I took it for a test drive. Long story short. I pick it up next week.
Great drive. Smooth, comfortable and quick.
Can’t wait.
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Nice one! I've had mine nearly 4 years and still love driving it. Still love the look of it too, when I'm walking back to it in a car park, it stands out as better looking and more interesting than the others :smiley:
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Been following the MY20 thread, the GTI Performance is starting to look like a bargain.
34k for a new TCR or 24.7 for a pre-reg gti old skool style-3- door, manual, black.
I know what i’d buy. Well done OP.
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I feel I’ve got a good deal.
There wasn’t much negotiation to be had but got some accessories thrown in. So overall I’m happy.
I wouldn’t have considered a new car due to the depreciation. But feel that the pre reg price softens the blow a little.
Plan at the mo would be to keep it long term.
I have a works vehicle so the mileage will be kept at a minimum and it will be tucked up in a garage when not in use.
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is it a PP model ?
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Yes. The performance spec
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Collected the car from the dealer today. I only put a few miles on her. Had a play with some of the tech which will take me a while to get used to. But all in all really pleased with the car. I'll take her for a longer run tomorrow. I'll give it a few miles and get it run in a little before opening it up.
She's booked in for a new car detail and ceramic coating. unfortunately he's fully booked until next month Whoever washed her at the dealers has managed to leave a few light scratches, which should polish out.
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Good for you Mavericktom :smiley: After nearly 4 years with mine I still really enjoy driving it, hopefully you'll get as much enjoyment too!
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Thanks Watts
Took her out for a spin. First time in ages I've just gone for a drive. Stretched the legs a little.
really impressed. Still didn't want to push it too hard but theres definitely more than enough power there. I played with all the tech which is a little alien to me. But its actually really easy to use.