Look after your GTD for me!

[benjyyy]

After seeing the release news of the Mk7 I've been lurking on this forum for a month or so now to read all about everything. Im very envious of all of you who have a new car on order but unfortunately I'm nowhere near the right place financially to consider it. In fact even a used Mk6 would be stretching me beyond my means at this stage! But I'm hoping that in ~3 years I'll be in a good place to purchase a used Mk7 so if you are planning to swap around that time please look after it for me as the prospective buyer! Of course then I will probably have the same dilemma when the Mk8 is announced!

Although I only do around 10k miles a year they are mostly motorway miles so a GTD would be fine for me and being cheaper to run is obviously a big factor. I know people say that the GTI has a history and its more prestigious but I actually like the fact that the GTD is understated in this way.

Anyway, are many of you planning to keep your new purchase for years to come or is a 3 year swap more likely?

[Bill_the_Bear]

I always look after my cars and actually feel a little irritated on selling as (true or not) it feels like my car should be selling/px for more than average as its been taken care of!  But as there is no way to really 'test' this other than continuing to run the car I can't take advantage. hehe.  Unfortunately buying used you can never really be sure, which is a big big reason I like to go new if I can. 

You can always pop back here in a few years and see who is wanting to sell.  Should be able to get a fantastic idea of the history of the car just from looking at all their posts about it!

I also had to wait a good few years to afford this car.  I first looked at the cost of getting a new Mk5 back in 2005 I think.  I realised it would have been foolish though.  8 years later though and I thought, well its now or never!

[Gryzor]

Welcome benjyyy!

I've had my current Mk5 GTI for 8 years now, and I fully intend on keeping my Mk7 for the same, if not longer if I can.  I totally see the appeal of the GTD (almost GTI looks but with lower running costs), but at the end of the day it's not a GTI, and I don't mean that in a derogatory manner!  I know there are residuals to take into account as well as fuel, tax and insurance, but all of that is completely negated by the fact that I'll be paying mine off in 3 years.  That leaves me at least 5 years of debt-free motoring, so saving £500 a year is not high on my agenda.

[benjyyy]

I always look after my cars and actually feel a little irritated on selling as (true or not) it feels like my car should be selling/px for more than average as its been taken care of!  But as there is no way to really 'test' this other than continuing to run the car I can't take advantage. hehe.  Unfortunately buying used you can never really be sure, which is a big big reason I like to go new if I can. 

You can always pop back here in a few years and see who is wanting to sell.  Should be able to get a fantastic idea of the history of the car just from looking at all their posts about it!

I also had to wait a good few years to afford this car.  I first looked at the cost of getting a new Mk5 back in 2005 I think.  I realised it would have been foolish though.  8 years later though and I thought, well its now or never!

I understand what you mean. There's almost an incentive for people selling on not to look after their car because it will probably sell for the same as the rest anyway. They also will come out of it happier with themselves (as opposed to irritated like you) that they have a got a good deal as they know the history and true value of the car better than anyone else.

At the end of the day, year and mileage are the biggest determinants (if no visible damage obviously) to price. Its a minefield out there!

[monkeyhanger]

I think most people financing their car privately will look after it quite well, certaiinly those who frequent forums like ours will be quite diligent in looking after their cars, discussing waxes and sealants that cost more per gram/ml than powerdered unicorn horn.

There will be people who will always trade up at between 2 and 3 years, but due to the exceptional resiiduals I would imagine most GTD people will be getting part-ex prices between £15k and £16k due to guaranteed future values of £14k for 3 door and £14.5k for 5 door (depending on what the condition is, which is still pretty pricey for a 3 year old car). Buying at that stage seems worse value for money than buying new (if you have the means) as it holds its value so well. If you can buy new over a longer term it may be worth it. With a £15k trade-in value most dealerships would be looking to get £18k for them on the forecourt, so buying directly would save you money, but be less convenient for finance and a private sale offers you less protection than buying from a dealer - swings and roundabouts.

If anyone here has a major prang or lots of warranty issues it'll likely be quite well documented  so you could steer clear of those examples.