second hand advice on mkv

[gattuso8]

hello people im thinking of buying a second hand gti mkv which is at 50000 kilometers. ive seen the car and it looked to be in a pretty good shape, but i will get it checked by a garage. do you think that 50000 kilometers is too much for a second hand gti. the kilometer count is the only thing i dont like about the car. if i were going for a brand new gti, i would go for the exact same one. but at the price the owner is asking, i can get a brand new golf GT. i really want to convince myself that going for the gti is a good decision but the 50000 kilometers and the price of the GT makes me think that going for a brand new car is the better thing to do.

what would you guys say/do? any comments are greatly greatly appreciated

[Cass]

I personally wouldn't choose a GT over a GTI, new or pre-owned.

That said, everyones circumstances are different. I would really recommend drivind a GT and a GTI at a dealer before you decide. A new car has many advantages, but a better car also has many advantages also. At this mileage, as long as it has been serviced and owned 'sympathetically', it should be a nice car, but bear in mind it's second hand and you don't know how the previous owner has treated it. At the end of the day, it's your call

Cass   

[joesgti]

50,000km is just nicley worn in, also in the long run you would loose more money from the gt than the gti when you come to sell it. but the main question is what would you prefere to drive as thats what you are paying the money for in the first place!! 

[vanders]

A.C. must have cut your wages if you are looking at 2nd hand - or is that you are not Gennaro!?

[gattuso8]

@ cass

i prefer the gt over the gti as well, but as you said, the ownership is a serious issue. the GTI seemed to be in fine shape when we first test drove it, but i don't know the best way of getting a second hand car tested. do you have any suggestions for which tests i should get done on the GTI? the volkswagen garage here does some sort of check up but i wonder if that will be enough. is there a specific test that focuses mainly on the engine and the moving parts of the car?

@ joesgti

i'm a GTI fan like you and i am trying to convince myself that buying a 50000 km gti is the better thing to do with my money. i don't want to buy the gti and then spend a fortune on service costs.

@ vanders

if a.c were paying me, id still get a gti .. wouldn't you do the same thing?

[Cass]

@ cass

i prefer the gt over the gti as well, but as you said, the ownership is a serious issue. the GTI seemed to be in fine shape when we first test drove it, but i don't know the best way of getting a second hand car tested. do you have any suggestions for which tests i should get done on the GTI? the volkswagen garage here does some sort of check up but i wonder if that will be enough. is there a specific test that focuses mainly on the engine and the moving parts of the car?

Have the GTI inspected by a VW dealer or specialist independent garage prior to agreeing any purchase. If anything is thrown up by the inspection, then this should be fixed prior to a sale. You can then buy a warranty for extra peace of mind. As long as the car has a full VW service history and you get sight of all service/parts invoices and the car's handbook, I wouyldn't worry too much. Check the servicing history with the VW dealer though. In the UK we can get finance data to ensure that there is no money outstanding on the car and to make sure it has not been involved in an accident or has been written off. These basic checks should make sure you don't buy a lemon. If you have any mates who own a GTI, get them to test drive it also, or at least look it over.

You do get a lot more reassurance from a new car, but the GTI will give you a much better ownership experience. I was fortunate to buy my GTI new and built to order. Consider though, if you get the GT, will you then feel the need to mod it up to the GTI spec and spend quite a bit of extra money in the process ?

Good luck with your decision 

Cass

[Phil mcavity]

no question, GTi is a much better propersition imo, if 2nd hand as cass has said and is not of the lemon sort. Get it checked out 1st.What did Clarkson say when comparing the GT in ride/comfort quality , something like driving a Wheelchair down some stairs!!.As he said, save you money buy the GTi instead.

[gattuso8]

@cass, joesgti, phil

thanks a lot for your suggestions. i appreciate it a lot.