Possibly getting a MK5 GTi, Pointer's on running cost's etc !

[cawsey20]

Hey all,

Have been inactive on this forum and indeed the VAG side for a while now, Have previously had MK2's, And my previous car was an S3, After all that i decided to buy a Ford ... After pyning over one since my first focus i took the plunge and purchased a lovely shiney MK1 RS Focus.
Now don't get me wrong i absoloutly love it to bit's and in an ideal world i would keep it, But it's just not a practical car to have in the current climate , As far as running cost's go it's been good on part's as in two year's it hasnt needed a thing. But fuel is pretty silly as it states in the book and inside the filler cap to use 97+ now weather this is a ploy to get more from you at the pump's who know's but like every RS owner i stick by it and at 147 a litre now it's starting too look fairly pricey.

The other downside is the constant worry , As it's a limited edition car and number's are now dwindeling there is constant aggro when parking it anywhere ,always worrying about someone smacking it and writing it off. I just find myself wanting something more run of the mill but still a little fruity.
obviously money is tight at the moment and ideally yes i should get a derv but i just can't bring myself too it just yet as i know i will get too bored too quickly and as i only have to do a short 10mile hop down the motorway everyday i can't really justify it.

As for the MK5's, What are they like ?, Now people can go on and on about MPG but to be fair it make's no odd's in the real world i want hard fact's. So for instance i put £20 in the RS doing motorway journey's back and forth to work itl do me 2 to 3 day's if i only drive to work, Throw a trip to asda in the mix and that would all change.

Also relliability ?, For the price im currently looking i can hopefully get myself one on 70k upward's, Does this pose much of a problem. I appreciate it's the age old question again but im sure it's mainly how the car has been cared for .. have seen plenty of 130k car's that drive better then a 70K car that hasnt been looked after !.

Sorry to babble on but any advice would be much appreciated !.

Cheers

[ScottA]

Tesco Momentum is  99 ron and 5p more expensive than "normal" unleaded. I use it in my MK6 GTI, had no probs. Think it's around 134/135 per litre here, so a little cheaper, maybe worth looking into if you decide to keep the RS

[crimsonfin]

i get on average around 30mpg with in town driving and start/stop journeys of around 10 miles.  take that out on the motorway and you can probably push it up to mid/high 30's depending on how hard you push it.

reliability wise I can't really fault the GTI.  I've had mine for about 4 years now and have only had minor issues which you can expect with any car e.g. brake caliper got gunged up and stuck on, minor brake binding which was fixed during annual service. 

Cost wise servicing is very reasonable with most VW dealers offering fixed price servicing (check VW site for prices).  GTI doesn't attract any additional servicing costs over lesser powerful Golfs in the range.  The only premium you may see is for the slightly beefier parts required by a higher performance car should you need them e.g. calipers etc. 

Like I say I've owner the current car for 4+ years and to be honest I've never really been in a hurry to get rid of it.  Highly recommended !

[AlanD]

Welcome back to the forum and glad to hear you are looking at getting a MK5.

If you had asked me 4 years ago just after my 21st birthday if I would still have the MK5 now that Im 25 Id have called you crazy person but Ive had mine for just over 4 years now and still to this day love it. I still give it a second look when I park it up, it still makes me smile when I plant the throttle and have some fun and it still does the basic of long motorway commutes with comfort and ease. A few times over these years Ive thought about getting shot of (quite recently I almost got rid of it for A3) but can never bring myself to do it.

Mine is a MY05 and has literally the other day just ticked over the 70k mark. I bought it on 26k and like all cars they have certain weak spots and common faults, shes had a few bits replaced on her over the years but no more than any other hot hatch. Take a look in this section at the common faults and read up on it a bit.

You pretty much answered your own question really, it all depends how well looked after the car has been. Ive got a folder at home with all sorts of receipts and work done to the car. As long as its been looked after I cant see one with 70k having many issues. Make sure you check all the obvious things like cambelt etc etc (seeing as you owned a MK1 RS Im sure Im teaching you to suck eggs).

You mention not enjoying using 97+RON ruel in your RS, well Im afraid the GTI also has a little sticker in the fuel filler which states you should use 98+ RON fuel. This is totally up to you, the reason it wants you to use that is because the FSI engine in the MK5 GTI is designed to use the higher octane stuff and will produce more power and run in FSI mode for longer. It will do no damage to the car is you use the regular 95RON stuff. Put it this way, I use 95RON purely for financial reasons. My car is remaped and has a couple more tweaks such as a full turbo back exhaust and a large air intake and it does 33-35MPG on the motorway and around town will do 28-31MPG (this is driving normally, start putting the hammer down and this will drop).

[16VWarby]

I've just bought my 05 gti dsg (was on a 55 before it was imported). I get between 30 & 35mpg if I keep off the loud pedal but the power & flappy paddles are addictive. It's faster than my modded 200sx  but is thirsty as hell when on the pipe.

It's just been to vw for the coilpack recall and needs to go back for cam chain rattle, other than that it's the best golf I've had yet and I'm on my 5th 

[MS1COYS]

Hi Buddy

This is my first Gti, albeit non standard and I couldn't be happier. So far all trouble free miles and very enjoyable too! I yield around 33mpg on the motorway, providing I stick to 75-80mph in 6th gear. Around town and on short journeys I'm lucky to yield 22-23mpg.

I run the car predominantly on V-Power fuel, use Mobil One oil and Forte engine and oil treatments at every service, usually 6k miles apart. I'm sure that this makes a worthwhile difference to the average mpg, as a couple of friends I know who own standard Gti's, rarely yield as good a figures as I do. And that's with 70bhp less!

The Gti was not my first choice. I initially wanted a Type-R and then toyed with the idea of getting an M3. But I'm so glad I didn't. The Gti is stealthy, offers fantastic reliability, good comfortability, above average fuel consumption, is very safe and is relatively understated. It is also way cooler to own a VW than it is a Bmw, Honda or Ford 

I hope you make the right decision.

[D4Z4]

you sound like a true petrol head and wont regret getting a Gti 

[R32UK]

I came back to the gti after trying other brands.... 

[MS1COYS]

I came back to the gti after trying other brands.... 

That doesn't surprise me.

Theres a fastidious 50 year old plus man, who lives in my village, who swears by his modded 300 bhp VXR. But truth is, its in a lower class altogether than the Gti and he knows it. The Gti is the most complete, fast hatchback for me. Only a heavily modded Type-R can be as rewarding to drive as far as I'm concerned.

[R32UK]

I came back to the gti after trying other brands.... 

That doesn't surprise me.

Theres a fastidious 50 year old plus man, who lives in my village, who swears by his modded 300 bhp VXR. But truth is, its in a lower class altogether than the Gti and he knows it. The Gti is the most complete, fast hatchback for me. Only a heavily modded Type-R can be as rewarding to drive as far as I'm concerned.

I have to be honest... i prefer the r32 to the gti