Blue Graphite?

[Rolfe]

Thanks for that!  Looking like a chav is so not on my list of priorities!

The ordinary-coloured STs don't look too bad but the orange is just offensive, and anybody who pays actual money to have those tacky white stripes put on must be seriously demented.

The funny thing is that although there's not a lot between the two cars on measurements, the Focus looks bigger.  I think this is a plus for the Golf actually.

The convenience pack is standard.  I know I want the winter pack, hey, Scotland here, and still driving on 1,000 feet-plus roads to get to work.  I've seen minus 10 some winter mornings where I live.  I really need the lux pack too, for the folding door mirrors.  Although my garage is big, the doors are really a bit too narrow for comfort.  Other stuff - well, I'm torn between saving my money for a rainy day and just splurging.  Splurging is coming out on top.

The economy thing is a bit weird, as I think I said earlier.  The Golf has much better fuel economy than the ST, even in the DSG version.  And it has a cheaper road tax.  And the insurance band is the same.  So it would seem a no-brainer that the Golf has the lower running costs.  But on the Top Gear reviews, the Golf is rated at only 8/20, while the ST is rated at 10/20, and explicitly stated to be cheaper than the Golf.

I can't see that general maintenance is going to be massively more expensive on the Golf - if so, why?  I think they're penalising the Golf on depreciation.

Which hardly matters if I'm going to run it into the ground....

Rolfe.

[gizzywizzy]

Hi mate

If I were you I'd go for the manual you get to feel more involved in the drive imho!!!

Autoexpress magazine totally rates the new gti, according to them it is the best hot hatch available!!
I think the Focus looks like an old mans car (apologies but it's true) even in ST or RS form.

You go for the blue graphite if thats what you fancy after all it is your car   I'd definitely go for the winter pack having lived in the highlands of Scotland for 10 years I know how b----y cold it can get.

Anyway mate whatever you choose I'm sure you will love it.

[AlanD]

Saw one of these the other day and thought it looked alright, VERY VERY loud (visually, not acoustically)though . . . .   

[Rolfe]

I'm sorry, but that orange is offensive.  Srsly.  Not to mention being an absolute cop magnet I shouldn't wonder.  I wouldn't be seen dead.

Maybe I'm just reading so much about the Golf that it's becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.  But I've gone right off the idea of a Focus, and as the Ford dealer I spoke to hasn't even given me a brochure to drool over never mind a sniff of the actual car, there isn't much competition.

Someone at work has just bought a new Focus Zetec, and he's an old man.  (In fact an old woman, figuratively speaking!)  Now I ain't no spring chicken, and I ain't a guy either, but the Golf is pressing all the right buttons here.

My mind's getting quite made up.  I just can't decide about the DSG.  Several schools of thought:

• It's less involving as a driving experience
• It's the bee's knees
• It's going to go wrong one day and cost you a fortune

I suspect that the first one is testosterone talking, and I may be more in the second category of driver.  But the third point isn't really disputed by anyone and is a bit of a disincentive really, especially as 30 hours ago the idea of an automatic hadn't even entered my head.

Sigh.  I actually do have the money.  It's just, well, I wasn't intending to spend so much on a car.  And I like to feel I've got a nice cushion of savings sitting there.

On the other hand you only live once, this car is a peach, and interest rates are complete crap.

Rolfe.

[Egbutt Wash]

Over the years I've owned all sorts of cars, from American V8's to a Ford Ka.  A mix of manual and automatic gearboxes.  I have always prefered the manual cars over the torque convertor automatics.

But the GTI DSG is the best gearbox I have ever owned, and the main reason I bought a Volkswagen.  I would never go back to either a manual or normal auto as the DSG gives the best driving experience, as simple as that.
 

[VWKev]

Saw one of these the other day and thought it looked alright, VERY VERY loud (visually, not acoustically)though . . . .   

I like the S3, the colour is actually quite smart I think. :embarassed:

[AlanD]

The one I saw was running black RS4s, looked nice imo.

[Exonian]

Okay, we're getting somewhere but we're not at the signing on the dotted line stage yet.

I don't think anyone realised you weren't a geezer so apologies there (Rolfe does sound like a blokey name you know). You don't sound like the average lady either, moving from Laandon to ruralish Scotland with an elderly Mother in tow, so my hat is taken off to you ma'am!!!  
The Golf is going to be far more socially acceptable than a Focus. The DSG is pretty reliable, long term who knows(?) but having said that you can get extended warranty on the car until about 5 years or so anyway and after that depreciation will have shrunk from the initially astranomical to better than average ('cos it's a Golf) so you can live with a few repair bills by then as your savings may have recovered a bit. In short go for the DSG 'cos it's not a real automatic and would be good on steep slopes owing to the hill hold facility.
Don't go too mad on the extras you don't actually need. I would say ditch the leather (you are living in Scotland so tartan is acceptable so long as it's from the right clan) as it can be a bit cold on the skin in sub-zero temps, heated seats or not, and it's not fully leathered either, some of it is plastic stuff. That should help the savings. 18'' wheels look better but going from what happened on mk5 Golfs the finish goes on them after a couple of harsh salty road winters so the 17s should keep their appearance better and the ride will be a little bit comfier.
And if you drive over a lot of dirty rural roads in all weathers (I get the impression you do) then silver will probably be a lot more forgiving paint colour as it hides the dirt far better than a darker colour ever will.

Okay, that is my final slightly re-adjusted opinion with all testosterone removed from my 'advice'.
Now go sign on a dotted line somewhere and don't forget pictures are obligatory on the forum once you've taken delivery ('cos it's a new car and not many people have seen them yet).

[Rolfe]

 

Rolfe is my name on another forum (the name of a much-loved now-deceased cat).  When I tried to sign up here with my real Christian name (Morag), it was already taken.

[derail]
Actually, I was living in rural Sussex, but I had to drive in London fairly regularly.  Now that, I don't miss at all!  When I changed jobs to move back to Scotland, my mother was just turning 90, and my new job was just 40 miles from where she lived.  Initially, I just moved back "home" while I looked for a place to live, and drove the 40 miles there and back.  That put a good few miles on the Peugeot, which was over 70,000 before I even started that game!

It seemed like sense to look for a house for both of us, and for her to move in with me, and it's worked out fine.  It's far easier to keep an eye on her and do all the little things like give her breakfast and so on, all without having to be constantly driving that 40 miles like a bloody yo-yo.  But it has changed my car needs a bit.  Passenger comfort becomes an issue it just wasn't before.
[/derail]

I'll be getting the ACC because of mother, and she's part of the reason I want any bling to be understated.

She's insisting on a 5-door, and although my heart wants another 3-door, my head knows she's right.

I just LOVE the dual aircon.  When we did the test drive it was a hot day, and I just set her side to 22 and mine to 19 and I wasn't getting any complaints at all.  Then when I helped her out, she commented that my arm felt cold.  Yes, that's because I wasn't sweating in her idea of a nice temperature.

The seat adjust is great too.  Mother is small, and being able to jack the seat up made it so much easier for her to get in and out.

And being back near home means I'm near relations who might need transported, so the roomy back seat is another big plus.  And if said relations think my car is real cool, well, so much the better....

Well, my head knows I should ditch the leather.  The cloth is good quality, I know.  And the pony, whose hair and general scurf where what really killed the cloth on my Fiesta, went to the great paddock in the sky 10 years ago.  But.... WANT!

I need to get on with my work so I can shoot off and talk to Andrew-at-the-garage about maintenance of DSG gearboxes.  I think paying over £400 for these marginally cooler wheels is insane, and the dealer said they would be less comfortable.  And I still like the Blue Graphite best.  It's not that dissimilar from the Caspian Blue of my first Fiesta (a bit darker though), and that turned heads.  I just wish there was a car wash in the wilds of the Pentland Hills, no such luck, just once a year the Fire Brigade runs a car wash for fundraising.  Great to get your car washed with a fire hose though!

And as for depreciation, well, you know the bit about "one lady owner"?  Sometimes it's actually true.

I'm going to wave the DealDriver prices at Verve tomorrow afternoon and see if they can do better than Western.  Then wave both estimates back at Western....

Rolfe.

[gossa]

Rolfe, I just came from a Scirocco with DSG but I've gone for a manual Golf.  However, having read your posts, go for the DSG as it is an amazing smooth and capable gearbox and it doesn't sound like you're going to be 'caning it' to the limits. The DSG makes an already grown up and quality ride, luxurious. I wouldn't bother with the leather at all but that's your call. do you need the ACC if you're going for more supple 17" wheels and tyres? Not sure, I hardly ever used it in my Scirocco.

BTW, I have a 5 door and it still looks sporty.