So, what are we mk7 owners buying next?

[JoeGTI]

The Passat is a very fine looking car imo, especially in estate form. Estate proportions work far better in a car that size too imo.

[Exonian]

Up! Up! And awaaaaaaayyyyy...

As someone in a cape once said.


I popped down to my local VW emporium to have a nose around an up! this weekend.
I've always run an older second car to do trips to the shops, dump, ferrying kids about etc.
Bangernomics is great for the wallet, pick a car up for a few hundred to a couple of grand at best, run it on a shoestring for as long as possible then pick up another when it finally throws in the towel with an uneconomical repair.
My present second car is an old GTI picked up for £1600 about eight years ago when my long suffering £600 Polo GT threw in the towel.
Alas the current GTI has now just hit 100k miles and has started to leak oil from the head gasket. It's an external leak thankfully so it'll soldier on for a while and I'll retire it from main family transport and keep it as a rusty and dusty ornament to annoy the neighbours with.

So, what to replace it with? Another banger would be ideal but unfortunately with a 17 year old son on the insurance now as a very occasional user (he normally jumps on the bus but likes to keep his hand in with driving) it severely limits what cars I can insure.

Hence popping down to look at ups as VW are clearing the decks with current models therefore there are some cracking deals around.

Whilst having a nose around the dealership I noted there are quite a few sciroccos knocking around so will assume VW are doing a promotion on those too(?).
That got me thinking that I've always fancied a Scirocco but never bought one due to needing a 'family friendly' car.
As its a big dealership there are loads of cars on the forecourt and inside so with the thought in my mind that I could use a 5 door up! as a family car I could actually buy something less practical for myself as long as it could double up as back up family car for longer trips.
I looked at Tuaregs and Tiguans, Passats and Polos. All far too big, or slightly too small for the latter.

Then from there I looked around the other dealerships in the area, and there are surprisingly lots of them, then returned to the same conclusion.

There were lots of cars I liked 'in theory', out of ones that I could afford anyway.
But there was only one car I actually wanted to drive home in after an hour or so of nosing around Merc, BMW, SEAT, Honda, Renault etc

The black and blue Golf R's on the VW forecourt looked just that bit too discreet.
The red GTI on Santiagos looked far prettier but I've done the GTI thing (overdone you could say).

No, the White Golf I got into to actually drive home in was the only one I really wanted to drive home in out of all the cars I looked at.

Ok, the metallic grey R Line Scirocco 184TDI would have been nice too...
 

[Justinitus]

Result!!
Can't say I'm a fan of the R estate but it's certainly an improvement over the Passat
What colour R did you go for ?

Lol! I'm quite a fan of a practical estate, but like you much prefer the looks of the hatch in the case of the Golf.

Passat, imo, looks better as a wagon - especially with the pano roof.

However, the R estate was quite a few beer tokens cheaper than the hatch (plus I need DSG - std on estate R) as recent lease threads have shown. Had a choice of red or white - my current GTD's red so went white for a change.

Ironically, my lovely wife will probably go from her usual demure white to a similar shade of Tornado red when she finds out I've ordered it...

[Justinitus]

I think you were just looking for an excuse Justinius!! 

Haha, actually no - but I'm in no way upset  We have a utility area at the back of our garage and the Passat was just 9cm too long to shut the door. The R wagon will fit with about 10cm to spare.

The Passat is a very fine looking car imo, especially in estate form. Estate proportions work far better in a car that size too imo.

Agree, I saw one in night blue the other day and it looked great. Really lovely inside - especially with the revised Wk22 spec on the GT.

[Brenbo]

Up! Up! And awaaaaaaayyyyy...

As someone in a cape once said.


I popped down to my local VW emporium to have a nose around an up! this weekend.
I've always run an older second car to do trips to the shops, dump, ferrying kids about etc.
Bangernomics is great for the wallet, pick a car up for a few hundred to a couple of grand at best, run it on a shoestring for as long as possible then pick up another when it finally throws in the towel with an uneconomical repair.
My present second car is an old GTI picked up for £1600 about eight years ago when my long suffering £600 Polo GT threw in the towel.
Alas the current GTI has now just hit 100k miles and has started to leak oil from the head gasket. It's an external leak thankfully so it'll soldier on for a while and I'll retire it from main family transport and keep it as a rusty and dusty ornament to annoy the neighbours with.

So, what to replace it with? Another banger would be ideal but unfortunately with a 17 year old son on the insurance now as a very occasional user (he normally jumps on the bus but likes to keep his hand in with driving) it severely limits what cars I can insure.

Hence popping down to look at ups as VW are clearing the decks with current models therefore there are some cracking deals around.

Whilst having a nose around the dealership I noted there are quite a few sciroccos knocking around so will assume VW are doing a promotion on those too(?).
That got me thinking that I've always fancied a Scirocco but never bought one due to needing a 'family friendly' car.
As its a big dealership there are loads of cars on the forecourt and inside so with the thought in my mind that I could use a 5 door up! as a family car I could actually buy something less practical for myself as long as it could double up as back up family car for longer trips.
I looked at Tuaregs and Tiguans, Passats and Polos. All far too big, or slightly too small for the latter.

Then from there I looked around the other dealerships in the area, and there are surprisingly lots of them, then returned to the same conclusion.

There were lots of cars I liked 'in theory', out of ones that I could afford anyway.
But there was only one car I actually wanted to drive home in after an hour or so of nosing around Merc, BMW, SEAT, Honda, Renault etc

The black and blue Golf R's on the VW forecourt looked just that bit too discreet.
The red GTI on Santiagos looked far prettier but I've done the GTI thing (overdone you could say).

No, the White Golf I got into to actually drive home in was the only one I really wanted to drive home in out of all the cars I looked at.

Ok, the metallic grey R Line Scirocco 184TDI would have been nice too...
 

After reading your post Exonian, i am glad I bought a white Golf R as well.  cannot wait for the delivery of my new car, too excited. 

[Diehammer]

definitely wont be a VW now due to Arnold Shark buying my 2 local dealers. Closest one is now in Perth which is an hours drive. I will probably be getting a BMW 320d M Sport or an Audi A4 S line

[wigit]

Lol! I'm quite a fan of a practical estate, but like you much prefer the looks of the hatch in the case of the Golf.

Passat, imo, looks better as a wagon - especially with the pano roof.

However, the R estate was quite a few beer tokens cheaper than the hatch (plus I need DSG - std on estate R) as recent lease threads have shown. Had a choice of red or white - my current GTD's red so went white for a change.

Ironically, my lovely wife will probably go from her usual demure white to a similar shade of Tornado red when she finds out I've ordered it...

I have to admit I am really liking the Estate, always had a yearning for one since the early Avants and in some ways its winning me over more than the hatch, it is run in now and still goes like stink compared and is just plain rude for a load lugger to be able to be driven hard and I think the GTD and R estate carry the look off better than the normal estates due to the privacy glass

It is also going under the radar with most people asking if its a Passat

[golfhappy]

definitely wont be a VW now due to Arnold Shark buying my 2 local dealers. Closest one is now in Perth which is an hours drive. I will probably be getting a BMW 320d M Sport or an Audi A4 S line

Ah another Arnold Clark fan...I'd be the same, i'd rather walk than buy another car from them! I'll be looking to buy an Audi S1 at some point. Either in blue or red with that fancy roof spoiler and upgraded seats and wheels. Then a stage 1 revo remap.

[DougL]

Tiguan 2 SEL in tungsten silver with 2wd, DSG, rearview cam, park assist, keyless and towbar. Expensive compared to the GTI three years ago but extremely well equipped.

[Daz Auto]

Tiguan 2 SEL in tungsten silver with 2wd, DSG, rearview cam, park assist, keyless and towbar. Expensive compared to the GTI three years ago but extremely well equipped.

After our holiday, I'm seriously thinking of getting a Tiguan too.

We went on a touring holiday to the west of Ireland. We took my Mk6 GTD. We should have taken my wife's A3 on 16 inch tyres and standard suspension.

A couple of times , after a few Guinness, I ended up in the passenger seat of the GTD. Bump, bump... bump, bump... bump, bump. I felt sorry for my wife who normally sits in the passenger seat. I knew that the suspension was firm, but did not appreciate just how uncomfortable it could be. It was difficult to even do the speed limit in places.

GTD is supposed to mean Grand Touring Diesel.  Fine if you are only touring motorways or good A roads.

Sport suspension is fantastic on good roads. It is quite literally shocking on uneven roads. The only thing I am sure of now is that my next car will not have sports suspension. So the Tiguan is a good option. Though I would like a little more performance. So maybe the facelift A3 as I can specify standard suspension with a 190ps petrol or 184ps diesel engine.