Car Advice-mk4 GTi or mk5

[charliefoy]

Hi, new to the forum and I couldn't find a thread asking the same question as mine so please direct me to one if it exists!

I'm currently driving an 04 1.2 Polo, looking to upgrade having had it 3 years. Naturally I've been looking at Golf's but I've been struggling to decide on the model to get.
I'm looking to spend £3500 max, and for this price i've seen some nice 2006-2007 Mk5 Golfs, particularly the 1.9tdi and 2.0 petrol models which I've heard are the best to go for. Although, the Mk4 1.8t GTi keeps catching my eye and they're in a similar price range to the mk5's, I think i'm after a car thats a bit more fun to drive, as i've aquired 3 years no claims my insurance is pretty reasonable so i can get something a little quicker... The only thing holding me back from the mk4 GTi is the age, i'd be looking at an 03/04 and this might be a little contradictory considering i currently have an 04 polo and something a little more modern would be nice. I woulnd't be doing many long motorway journeys just yet (this will probably change as I have a new job lined up)

Any advice on mileage would be appreciated too as my knowledge about these kind of things is limited, also if there are any other cars that meet these needs then please suggest!

Any advice would be appreciated and as I say if this question has already been answered then please let me know
Thanks!

[SuperchargedVR6]

The MK5 is leaps and bounds ahead of the MK4 dynamically, but I wouldn't be looking at MK5 GTIs in the £3500 price range personally as they will be very tired old dogs. They need a bit more care and attention in the engine department compared to the MK4, and some of them absolutely drink oil.

I would suggest keeping the Polo for a bit longer whilst saving up for a lower mileage / younger MK5. If you get a MK4 you'll be bored of it after a month and wish you'd saved your money.

[charliefoy]

Cheers (I wasnt looking at a mk5 gti by the way, just a standard mk5). Yeah I agree about getting bored of the mk4, I can see that happening!

[SteBrown91]

Personally I'd avoid the 2.0 non turbo as its not thay fast, thirsty and heavy on tax. The 1.9 diesel in the mk5, it would leave you wanting more as only has 105 bhp.

If you can save up a few more quid (2-300ish) you could get a 9n3 polo gti with the 1.8T engine for the high 3s low 4s

[charliefoy]

SteBrown91 said:

Personally I'd avoid the 2.0 non turbo as its not thay fast, thirsty and heavy on tax. The 1.9 diesel in the mk5, it would leave you wanting more as only has 105 bhp.

If you can save up a few more quid (2-300ish) you could get a 9n3 polo gti with the 1.8T engine for the high 3s low 4s

Thanks for the reply. Okay i hear you on the golf engine, what about the 1.6fsi?
The polo sounds good, although I wanted a golf also for the increase in physical size, i'm 6ft3 so the polo gets a bit cramped and I feel i've outgrown it

[va1o]

MK5 all the way

To be honest you're not that far of GTI money. 2005 cars are knocking about £4k these days. Some of them will have had a tough life but good cars are still out there if you look hard.

[Witchfinder]

Thought about the 2.0T Octavia vRS? 2006 cars are in that sort of price range now.

[aka_kerrly]

Have you considered the Seat Ibiza Cupra & FR??? Based on the 9N3 so consider it your car with 3X the power plus better brakes and suspension or Lean Cupra R , based on a mk4 but with a mix of Audi S3 parts it at the front it feels a better steer than a regular 150hp mk4 Golf.

[charliefoy]

Thanks for those suggestions, I'll check them out. Had a drive of a mk5 golf 1.9tdi match yesterday, it was nice but nothing really grabbed me about it

[charliefoy]

Where do you recommend to look for cars? I've been using autotrader so far

[Maracus]

If you're after a Golf, keep an eye on www.volkswizard.co.uk, based in Birmingham.

I've bought a few cars from Andrew, and he is a decent specialist trader in VAG.

[charliefoy]

Maracus said:

If you're after a Golf, keep an eye on www.volkswizard.co.uk, based in Birmingham.

I've bought a few cars from Andrew, and he is a decent specialist trader in VAG.

Thanks, I'll check that out

[charliefoy]

Is there a ballpark figure for a maximum recommended mileage to go to for a mk5 golf?

[va1o]

charliefoy said:

Is there a ballpark figure for a maximum recommended mileage to go to for a mk5 golf?

No. The recommendation is to buy on condition, i.e. instead concentrate on how well the car has been looked after and thoroughly check the maintenance history. Dependant on engine you'll be looking for things like evidence of a cambelt change etc.

[glazbagun]

If you do stretch to a low-market MK5 GTI, things to look for are cambelt (obviously),
check all the doors open, the handle/lock can fail
check the bonnet opens (part is only £40 but a pain if you can't open it)
check that the bushes on the lower front wishbones have been changed as they wear reasonably quickly
check that the diverter valve has been replaced recently or by an improved part.
check that the aircon blows cold
and ask if the cam follower on the high pressure fuel pump has been changed- this can be a PITA on older models, but a piece of cake on later ones.

That sounds a lot but many of them you can do yourself with a good morning and some cups of tea. I know because I've been ironing them all out of mine this year! And none are as terminal as, say, the timing chain problems affecting some BMWs or as costly as some Diesel repairs.

Edited by glazbagun on Wednesday 15th April 23:17

[irfan1712]

glazbagun said:

If you do stretch to a low-market MK5 GTI, things to look for are cambelt (obviously),
check all the doors open, the handle/lock can fail
check the bonnet opens (part is only £40 but a pain if you can't open it)
check that the bushes on the lower front wishbones have been changed as they wear reasonably quickly
check that the diverter valve has been replaced recently or by an improved part.
check that the aircon blows cold
and ask if the cam follower on the high pressure fuel pump has been changed- this can be a PITA on older models, but a piece of cake on later ones.

That sounds a lot but many of them you can do yourself with a good morning and some cups of tea. I know because I've been ironing them all out of mine this year! And none are as terminal as, say, the timing chain problems affecting some BMWs or as costly as some Diesel repairs.

Edited by glazbagun on Wednesday 15th April 23:17

this plus + Rusty front Arches!

[charliefoy]

Thanks to the above posters, you've been very helpful.
I know it may be difficult to judge the genuine condition of a car but i've found the following 3 that I think look decent, provided they have the service history with evidence of cam belt/regular services etc:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

Out of the three, i'm leaning toward the 1.6FSI

[ManOpener]

If you want a Mk5 GTI but can't afford one, you could always buy a Leon TFSI Sport or FR. They're basically the same if you can forgive the slightly tragic interior (seats aside, which are much better). Sports don't crop up for sale that often but when they do it's at around £4k. Even the ropiest of Mk5 GTIs seem to be above that.

Oh, and for some strange reason Audi A3 2.0 TFSIs are very cheap compared to the GTI. Probably because they're not as involving a drive, but they're still light years ahead of a Mk4 GTI.