New purchase help...

[colgtiturb]

Hi All,

So, first post in the Mk7 section as I'm considering retiring my Mk4 GTI turbo which I've owned for 11 years & 88k miles. The car is in lovely condition with a full VW history, I'm the second owner having acquired it when it was 3 years old with just over 7k on the clock. I tend to look after my cars & this one has been pampered, however thinking about a change after 11 years!

Stupidly took a test drive in a Mk7 GTD today & although it's likely to visit me £20k + to get into one, seriously considering it as I thought it was a very capable car.

Couple of questions for those in the know:

- Any options that are a must have?? Is the upgraded stereo worth searching out?
- Real life mpg? Kind of taking the quoted figures as bulls**t following the emissions scandal...
- Any problems to look out for when buying second hand?
- Any decent deals to be had when buying new?
- What are the servicing costs like?
- 3 door or 5 door more desirable?

Sorry for all the questions but really want to get some background info before pulling the trigger so to speak!

Thanks in advance for any help!

Col

[monkeyhanger]

Reliability wise, the GTD seems more solid than the R or GTI (drivetrain-wise). There have been many GTDs chipped or boxed up to the region of 240ps/500Nm with no ill effects. On the other hand there have been more than a couple of buggered Turbos and slipped clutches on chipped/boxed GTIs/Rs and even standard Rs - the 2.0TSI engine and clutch don't seem to like more than 300ps going through it.

5 door is more desireable on the used market, with someone buying one new and selling after 3 years will see almost all of their money back in higher p/x prices for 5 door over 3 door. Most people want 5 doors in a car the size of a Golf these days.

Front suspension mount bearings were an early cause of concern on the first GTIs and GTDs coming through in mid-2013, but most of that was down to dealers leaving the transport pucks in at PDI.

Real life mpg depends greatly on your daily commute. The MK7 GTD takes a lot longer to warm up than older TDIs, and it's thirsty when cold:-

5 mile journey in Winter expect under 40mpg, in Summer expect 42mpg
10 mile journey in Winter expect 42mpg, in Summer expect 46mpg
20 mile journey in Winter expect 48mpg, in Summer expect 52mpg
50 mile journey in Winter expect 50mpg, in Summer expect 55mpg
For really long motorway journeys cruising at 80mph, expect around 58mpg in the Summer.

Those figures are not driving like a nun and on free-moving roads in a manual GTD. DSG are a little thirstier, and if you're stop-starting all the time through a traffic light riddled city centre on your commute, expect less.

[Restlessnative]

You can buy a 65 plate (3 door) with 10 miles,solid paint,no extras for £23k from Arnold Clark.5 doors for £24k.
5 door is always more desirable than 3 door.But horses for courses and all that.I think the 3 door looks better too.No one had been in the back of my 3 door yet.
I have the Dynaudio which is pretty impressive.I read the What Hi-Fi and EVO reviews on it and decided it was money well spent.Can't compare it to the standard system as i've never heard it.
I also have the heated front screen.Works a treat on ice/misting on these cold Winter mornings.
Love my 6 speed manual.Slick,no effort.
Park Assist.Never used it yet.But the rear view camera is pretty impressive.I swear a floodlight comes on in the dark!.
To be honest.A base spec GTD is absolutely loaded with everything you'll ever need.
I'd go for a 3 door GTD from Arnold Clark for £23k.Doesn't get any cheaper for a new car.

[Restlessnative]

You can buy a 65 plate (3 door) with 10 miles,solid paint,no extras for £23k from Arnold Clark.5 doors for £24k.
5 door is always more desirable than 3 door.But horses for courses and all that.I think the 3 door looks better too.No one had been in the back of my 3 door yet.
I have the Dynaudio which is pretty impressive.I read the What Hi-Fi and EVO reviews on it and decided it was money well spent.Can't compare it to the standard system as i've never heard it.
I also have the heated front screen.Works a treat on ice/misting on these cold Winter mornings.
Love my 6 speed manual.Slick,no effort.
Park Assist.Never used it yet.But the rear view camera is pretty impressive.I swear a floodlight comes on in the dark!.
To be honest.A base spec GTD is absolutely loaded with everything you'll ever need.
I'd go for a 3 door GTD from Arnold Clark for £23k.Doesn't get any cheaper for a new car.

PS.Monkeyhangers MPG figures are pretty spot on.67MPG quoted?.Biggest lie ever told!.
I'm getting 45MPG.Owned for 4 months and still running in.

[colgtiturb]

Cheers for the replies chaps, much appreciated.

£23k new sounds pretty good.... I looked at a tornado red 3 door yesterday, registered March 2015 & up for £21k. It was a pretty standard spec, looked good when I went to view but now I've done some research it was obvious that it was a standard spec car.

Will check out the Arnold Clark deal, thanks.

[Mk7-GTD]

Cheers for the replies chaps, much appreciated.

£23k new sounds pretty good.... I looked at a tornado red 3 door yesterday, registered March 2015 & up for £21k. It was a pretty standard spec, looked good when I went to view but now I've done some research it was obvious that it was a standard spec car.

Will check out the Arnold Clark deal, thanks.

I think you could do even better than £23k. I used Carwow to price up a GTD estate and without counting the extras my best price was under £23.5k

I would pick 5 over 3 door because for 1) I think it looks better and 2) you get keyless.

Other things I think are a must are high beam assist or if you can stretch to it then active high beam assist which for some stupid reason is not available on the estate.

Sunroof isn't as big in the hatch as it is in the estate but it doesn't have a blackout screen so overhead lights at night can be really annoying(or at least it is for me) so I didn't opt for it plus I see a lot of people have problems with it rattling and squeaking.

For the cost of it, the rear camera is must. If you're thinking of getting the audio upgrade then maybe think about getting the tech pack for the extra £700 and obviously CarPlay is a must as well but that comes with the tech pack(pro nav actually)

Wheel wise I would go for the 19" because you get better tyres and they look better. There is much better options for wheels if you go aftermarket and that way you get to put winter tyres on your 18" wheel.

[monkeyhanger]

I recently had a GTI hire car in the USA and it came with the rear view camera, but no parking sensors. I wasn't overly fussed on it, i'd rather have the pips and graphical representation of the parking sensors than the camera. Haven't used the 2 together (as it would work in the UK when the camera is specced) - the parking sensors have picked up all manner of bollards, traffic cones etc, I have complete confidence in them.

Dynaudio on such a noisy car (when pressing on) and MP3 source for your tunes when the standard set-up is very good is something I wouldn't spec. If you have your tunes loud enough so that you feel them rather than just hear them and really need a sub woofer then you'll appreciate it - your choice.

If you've got a strict budget of around £24-25k, i'd rather have a new one with fewer options than a year old one with a few more superfluous toys.

19" wheels don't guarantee you better tyres, some people have had Conti 5s lately, but there's always the chance of getting Bridgestone RE050As which will mean lots of tramping. 19" tyres are around 50% more expensive like for like than their 18" counterparts, and the GTD has the prettiest 18" wheels of all the performance Golfs.

[p3asa]

You can buy a 65 plate (3 door) with 10 miles,solid paint,no extras for £23k from Arnold Clark.5 doors for £24k.

Are they pre-registered cars so in effect you are the 2nd owner which will mean no loyalty bonus and no PCP dealer contribution?

www.drivethedeal.com have a brand new 3 door for £21k that includes £1250 pcp discount and £1000 loyalty since the OP already has a VW.
The 5 door will set you back £22k

[golfhappy]

A car from Arnold Clarks...Really! 

[monkeyhanger]

You can buy a 65 plate (3 door) with 10 miles,solid paint,no extras for £23k from Arnold Clark.5 doors for £24k.

Are they pre-registered cars so in effect you are the 2nd owner which will mean no loyalty bonus and no PCP dealer contribution?

www.drivethedeal.com have a brand new 3 door for £21k that includes £1250 pcp discount and £1000 loyalty since the OP already has a VW.
The 5 door will set you back £22k

With those incentives available you'd be daft to go almost new.