The fact this thread has seen 3 pages of activity already suggests real forums haven’t gone completely belly up. And decent quality posts too unlike the garbage social media throws up.
With a real forum such as this the posts tend to be better thought out containing some constructive content instead of the low social skills knee jerk rubbish that Facebook groups can contain.
Advertising bombards us with legions of identikit electric SUV’s, company car drivers lust after long range Teslas now instead of 320d’s and GTD’s, and each new EV launch brings the demise of ICE that little bit nearer. Times are a changing.
An 8.5 GTI with a bit of spec suddenly comes very close in price as a PCP “purchase” to a Black Edition Golf R.
You’ve got to really want a GTI and have deep pockets to pick the former.
Many R drivers were former GTI drivers (going back to post #1) so we’ve always had an R presence here, some preferring to stay here and some finding their calling elsewhere.
Maybe with the closeness in price between the models now there are far more R’s being registered and those forums are where the enthusiastic new owners are at?
Similar to mobile phones, hot hatches are getting very expensive for what they are and the features of each subsequent generation are closer to their predecessor to make it less worthwhile upgrading so owners are tending to keep them longer.
High interest rates, high inflation, substandard pay increases, high rents, spiralling energy costs… all those things that have dominated the headlines post 2022 have redirected peoples priorities away from the low interest rate ‘spend, spend, spend’ culture pre-covid and more so pre-Ukraine invasion.
So where are all the 8.5’s? They’re about! But the owners maybe not forum active so much - yet!
Unlike with previous generation Golf launches you can now track the number of unallocated cars via VW’s website which show quite a few cars up for grabs, which is different to normal Golf launches where you have to wait 6 months plus for a build slot.
Personally, and I don’t do huge mileage, I’ve seen a handful of regular 8.5’s in the wild, just one (black) GTI around Exeter a couple times and a white R Black Edition with big spec near the Newton Abbot VW dealer.
I don’t know why the forum is so quiet, I’d suspect most reasons have been covered in this thread already.
Around the festive break people tend to be busy with other things too, so cars take a back seat.
I’d been mulling over a 12 month update on my own car but actually getting some time to think what useful content I could add into it has been nigh on impossible, along with lack of motivation, after all this is a GTI forum and mine is an R so hardly of great interest.
There are a few of us still knocking around still, even if we’re just playing a game of ‘last man standing’…
Work in IT so have tried everything when it was all new and shiny and each and everyone has beaten me, they just attract the attention seekers, so either something is fake or a competition of how outrageous or disingenuous a person can be, and that being kind, as Twitter or X or whatever you want to call it, is literally a cesspit. So I was out a long time ago, and spend most of that wasted time doing the things used to do before they existed!
Do have Facebook which is limited use for its original purpose of keeping connection with friends, many from school days, and that connection is something really enjoy, nothing wrong with social connection if used in way imagine was intended.
Still like forums, you tend to find now, that most who have stayed are the decent folk, the ones you can share a pint with at a pub and talk over your interests, so its good general chat, seeing if others share you views on something or not, and still some learning, and usually seen as something that has taken a little time and thought to write.
I still go peek VWROC and here most days, though think there is less to say as many of us have had MK 7x and then some MK 8x and much of what can be said has been said.
But think I will be a last man standing for all reasons stated above,
As for the MK 8.5 and any new car really, we all at different stages of what we can afford, but cost of living is pretty real, and £50k is a lot of money for anyone and for many in a MK 7, you in a pretty good and well specced car still, and that £30k jump from MK 7 to MK 8.5 will likely seem reckless.
Personally intend to down tools in 2 years, so piling all spare cash into the not work fund, and that fund will be for me to carry on not working, so spending £30 k of it on a car will not likely seem good spend of that resource.
Not counting the days, but likely have a semi decent inheritance coming down road, but even then, be 2nd hand, 3 year car,
my company lease goes back this December, and will likely be getting myself a 18/19 plate MK 7 GTI or R to run around in, max budget of £20k and with expectation of at least 4 years ownership.
