Honest Opinions - is it REALLY that good as an all rounder ??

[monkeyhanger]

CraigW: That first one looks a bargain, I stand corrected. 21% lost at retail within a year (assuming it is a 14 plate and not a later 63 plate), someone probably lost their shirt p/xing that at probably around £17k (£7k lost if they got a 12% discount, £10k lost if they didn't). The R effect perhaps? MK6 GTIs were going for as much as that at 2 years old. Maybe a nearly new GTI is a smart move after all (can't find a similarly aged and equipped GTD for less than £2k more than that).

[Exonian]

Hi Guys

am just at the point of potentially re-ordering a GTi again.

One of the things that makes me change cars is a, getting bored and b, useability..  So this time I am looking for something that really does tick all the boxes all of the time -

Decent looking
Future proof ie 5 doors in case kids come along soon
Fun to drive when I want to
Practical
Reliable
Feel good factor
Sensible running costs v performance
Good residuals
Easy to drive when you just need to "get somewhere" without thinking about it.

So when you tick all of those boxes I struggle to come up with too many cars other than a 5 Door DSG GTi PP ?

Any views ?  Honest views please from those who live with a GTi as their day to day car.  I have a cherished Fiat Coupe Turbo for summer / weekend indulgance so my main car really has to be good at everything..

The sign of a great all rounder is that they're so competent you almost don't notice what they can achieve on a daily basis and I always say the best way to appreciate mk7 GTI is to drive something else for a while then come back to it.
It's a staggeringly competent car in PP guise.
The only thing it really lacks is the top end performance of a Cupra or R.
But those two cars have their own drawbacks as well as positives.

So yes, a GTI is a great all rounder but I'm concerned it'll be too competent for you as you state you get bored quickly (like a lot of us who frequent forums as we tend to spend an unhealthy amount of time looking at alternatives as well as talking about cars we own).
You say future proof but that's not going to be the case if you get bored quickly!

So yes it's a very good car but maybe a little too good to be great?

[gazmondo35]

It's lovely getting a new car but after a few months the excitement soon disappears and then your just left with fairly large monthly payments 

Have you thought about a year old GTI so that your missing the large depreciation hit in the first year?

A year old GTI significantly cheaper than a new one with 12% discount? When was the last time you looked at a VW used forecourt? 

That's the trouble with VWs - they're not worth buying really new unless they're something really unpopular like a Jetta or a Beetle. Everything else holds it's value so well (especially Golf/Tiguan). If you're talking nearly new with a bit of poke, you could do a lot worse than a Focus ST (not keen on the interior though).

Isn't the 325d still only a 4cyl engine? I thought you had to get up to 330d or 335d to go 6cyl.

Still quite a few bargains out there

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/volkswagen/golf-gti-mk7/golf-hatchback-2-0-tsi-gti-3dr/3665096

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/volkswagen/golf-gti-mk7/vw-golf-2-0t-gti-performance-dsg-3dr-huge-spec-cost-35k-new-1-owner-and-6-000-miles-from-new/3330350

I'm staggered how cheap gti's are going for second hand,but it look like I got a good trade in price £22,500
For a 14 plate 5door TR gti pp with no another options on a golf r.

[dirvy]

In case kids come along soon?

[drisser]

Wondered if anyone would pick up on that 

Only in the context of - prefer the look of the 3 door, but the 5 door is more practical clearly so wouldnt want to buy a 3 door then find i could do with changing it if we have kids in a year or 2 !

[fredgroves]

I'd not get too hung up on the family car aspect if I were you.

Can a Golf fit two adults and a child in it? Of course it bloody can.

The mistake people always make is buying baby junk and then trying to fit it in the car. How about you choose your baby junk to fit in the car... that 4x4 pram with fully robotic changing platform that converts into bunk beds for twins? No, don't buy that, just buy a normal sized buggy...

Is the car itself a good all rounder?

Its got more performance than at least 90% of the things on the road - ok so not a million hp more than the rest, but some and its pretty light compared to monster executive barges.

Its a hatchback, not a saloon which gives you more flexibility without it being an estate "wardrobe"

Its fuel economy is OK, but 90% of the other things you could buy will do better MPG.

Its tax bracket is about middle of the road.

The insurance is surprisingly reasonable.

However, you could probably improve on several aspects of this by buying not a GTi but one of the other Golf's... which probably is a better all round package for 99% of the time.... but you didn't want me to say that did you?

James May recently decided that the Golf was probably the new People's Car - which was an obvious conclusion given that it was the successor to the first, the original People's Car.

[matchboy]

The R obviously comes to mind however I believe the boot is a fair bit smaller due to the AWD system.

It's noticebly smaller, even I can see the difference and I don't care about boot size!