Volkswagen Golf (MK5) GTI
Discussion
Dear Sirs,
I am interested in purchasing a VW Golf (MK5) GTI.
Basic specification required:
- Manual gearbox (not DSG dual-clutch gearbox)
- 3 doors
- No modifications
- Any colour (preferably black, dark blue, dark green)
Car requirements:
- Less than 85k miles
- Less than 2 previous owners
- Full-service history
- Can be anywhere in the UK (happy to travel to collect)
Budget:
- Up to £5,000 - nothing over.
With this in mind, I was wondering if I could kindly get some advice on a few questions:
1. Where would you recommend I search for this car (websites etc.)?
2. What would be the top 5 things you would look for in an advert for this car?
3. What are the top 5 questions you would ask a seller to provide via email before going to view the car?
4. If you happen to find any cars that are currently for sale which you think look interesting, it would be great if you could post a link.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
With kindest regards,
Ed
I am interested in purchasing a VW Golf (MK5) GTI.
Basic specification required:
- Manual gearbox (not DSG dual-clutch gearbox)
- 3 doors
- No modifications
- Any colour (preferably black, dark blue, dark green)
Car requirements:
- Less than 85k miles
- Less than 2 previous owners
- Full-service history
- Can be anywhere in the UK (happy to travel to collect)
Budget:
- Up to £5,000 - nothing over.
With this in mind, I was wondering if I could kindly get some advice on a few questions:
1. Where would you recommend I search for this car (websites etc.)?
2. What would be the top 5 things you would look for in an advert for this car?
3. What are the top 5 questions you would ask a seller to provide via email before going to view the car?
4. If you happen to find any cars that are currently for sale which you think look interesting, it would be great if you could post a link.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
With kindest regards,
Ed
ed6666 said:
Dear Sirs,
I am interested in purchasing a VW Golf (MK5) GTI.
Basic specification required:
- Manual gearbox (not DSG dual-clutch gearbox)
- 3 doors
- No modifications
- Any colour (preferably black, dark blue, dark green)
Car requirements:
- Less than 85k miles
- Less than 2 previous owners
- Full-service history
- Can be anywhere in the UK (happy to travel to collect)
Budget:
- Up to £5,000 - nothing over.
With this in mind, I was wondering if I could kindly get some advice on a few questions:
1. Where would you recommend I search for this car (websites etc.)?
2. What would be the top 5 things you would look for in an advert for this car?
3. What are the top 5 questions you would ask a seller to provide via email before going to view the car?
4. If you happen to find any cars that are currently for sale which you think look interesting, it would be great if you could post a link.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
With kindest regards,
Ed
1. Autotrader, ebayI am interested in purchasing a VW Golf (MK5) GTI.
Basic specification required:
- Manual gearbox (not DSG dual-clutch gearbox)
- 3 doors
- No modifications
- Any colour (preferably black, dark blue, dark green)
Car requirements:
- Less than 85k miles
- Less than 2 previous owners
- Full-service history
- Can be anywhere in the UK (happy to travel to collect)
Budget:
- Up to £5,000 - nothing over.
With this in mind, I was wondering if I could kindly get some advice on a few questions:
1. Where would you recommend I search for this car (websites etc.)?
2. What would be the top 5 things you would look for in an advert for this car?
3. What are the top 5 questions you would ask a seller to provide via email before going to view the car?
4. If you happen to find any cars that are currently for sale which you think look interesting, it would be great if you could post a link.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
With kindest regards,
Ed
2. A picture of their wife, so I could add to the already illustrious thread (and 4 other things too)
3. A picture of their wife (if not provided in 2), plus 4 other things about the car. Perhaps why they're selling it? And, if the answer is "I've got a new one", ask why they got a new one?
4. I'll leave the copious 'trader links to zx10r nin: he's way better at it
Ian
Lots of info here, http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php?action...
Cars for sale but expensive, if you put a wanted ad don't say how much you want to spend.
Cars for sale but expensive, if you put a wanted ad don't say how much you want to spend.
Sorry, as you can tell, I don't purchase cars very often and so figured that having as few owners as possible would be better - I will broaden my search to include more previous owners.
Thank you Momentofmadness for your link, that was very helpful.
If anyone happens to find any other links for this car that they would purchase, I would be very grateful if you could post a link.
Many thanks
Thank you Momentofmadness for your link, that was very helpful.
If anyone happens to find any other links for this car that they would purchase, I would be very grateful if you could post a link.
Many thanks
j532 said:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Here is an example of a 3 door, manual in graphite blue (had a Golf in the family that colour, changes in the light looks nice) will be better examples out there for you mind.
I have driven both DSG and manual MK5 Gti and they both are as good as each other, I see the appeal of the DSG as the changes are quick. When looking over the MK5 check rear boot seals as they can let in water, front arches can rust, fuel pumps can go etc.
I would suggest buying at just over 100k as they always drop in price, pointless (I feel) paying an extra £1000/£1500 for a few less miles, you can put that back in the bank or towards consumables/upgrades on the car.
A list and things to keep in mind are cam belt/waterpumps if they have/haven't been replaced, budget that to be done. Make sure it has been serviced well and on time main dealer or not, check invoices for work carried out. The 18" Monza alloy wheels easily mark which you may want to refurbish, original diamond cut variants corrode and are expensive to refurbish. On the subject of wheels, I would suggest Michelin PS4 tyres on the front as in the wet I found in places scrabbling for grip on new midrange tyres.
They are a great all round package, hope some of this helps you out.
I agree on the Pilot Sport 4’s - cracking tyres! Here is an example of a 3 door, manual in graphite blue (had a Golf in the family that colour, changes in the light looks nice) will be better examples out there for you mind.
I have driven both DSG and manual MK5 Gti and they both are as good as each other, I see the appeal of the DSG as the changes are quick. When looking over the MK5 check rear boot seals as they can let in water, front arches can rust, fuel pumps can go etc.
I would suggest buying at just over 100k as they always drop in price, pointless (I feel) paying an extra £1000/£1500 for a few less miles, you can put that back in the bank or towards consumables/upgrades on the car.
A list and things to keep in mind are cam belt/waterpumps if they have/haven't been replaced, budget that to be done. Make sure it has been serviced well and on time main dealer or not, check invoices for work carried out. The 18" Monza alloy wheels easily mark which you may want to refurbish, original diamond cut variants corrode and are expensive to refurbish. On the subject of wheels, I would suggest Michelin PS4 tyres on the front as in the wet I found in places scrabbling for grip on new midrange tyres.
They are a great all round package, hope some of this helps you out.
ed6666 said:
Dear Sirs,
I am interested in purchasing a VW Golf (MK5) GTI.
Basic specification required:
- Manual gearbox (not DSG dual-clutch gearbox)
- 3 doors
- No modifications
- Any colour (preferably black, dark blue, dark green)
Car requirements:
- Less than 85k miles
- Less than 2 previous owners
- Full-service history
- Can be anywhere in the UK (happy to travel to collect)
Budget:
- Up to £5,000 - nothing over.
With this in mind, I was wondering if I could kindly get some advice on a few questions:
1. Where would you recommend I search for this car (websites etc.)?
2. What would be the top 5 things you would look for in an advert for this car?
3. What are the top 5 questions you would ask a seller to provide via email before going to view the car?
4. If you happen to find any cars that are currently for sale which you think look interesting, it would be great if you could post a link.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
With kindest regards,
Ed
My Gti is up for sale - 2 owners before me, 69k mileage, manual, FSH but it is 5 door. PM me if you want - your list of requirements is probably too narrow to get the holy grail, especially under 5k, but I think mine comes close I am interested in purchasing a VW Golf (MK5) GTI.
Basic specification required:
- Manual gearbox (not DSG dual-clutch gearbox)
- 3 doors
- No modifications
- Any colour (preferably black, dark blue, dark green)
Car requirements:
- Less than 85k miles
- Less than 2 previous owners
- Full-service history
- Can be anywhere in the UK (happy to travel to collect)
Budget:
- Up to £5,000 - nothing over.
With this in mind, I was wondering if I could kindly get some advice on a few questions:
1. Where would you recommend I search for this car (websites etc.)?
2. What would be the top 5 things you would look for in an advert for this car?
3. What are the top 5 questions you would ask a seller to provide via email before going to view the car?
4. If you happen to find any cars that are currently for sale which you think look interesting, it would be great if you could post a link.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
With kindest regards,
Ed
I recently bought something similar.
I ended up with a 2005 5 door and paid just under 4k.
Key things that I found when looking and buying were;
- Rust yes Rust - these things are prone to rust, many have rusty front wings, leading edge of sills and tailgates, mine has had replacement front wings under warranty as have many - try to find one that has had this done. There is a mod to the arch liners to prevent reoccurence,
Tailgates rust around the lock and the lights, sills rust around the joint with the front wing,
- Fuel pump cam follower - wears and is frequently not replaced in time. If not replaced it wears through and metal shards end up in the sump blocking the sump pick up, ask when it was replaced,
- Oil pump pick up in sump - worth checking if this has been cleaned (sump off job),
- Dump valve - frequently gets split or tears,
- Cambelt - usual story but engines are toast when this goes - plenty being broken for that reason,
- Springs - issue is that the last coil of the spring cracks off, no issue when driving but an MOT failure point, springs almost seem to be a maintenance item,
- Internal wear - the trim wears e,g tatty bolsters on the front seats and general wear round the switches,
- Door locks - frequently fail and dont lock, easy to repair but the door skin comes off to change the lock,
Overall - I would say the build quality is pretty average, certainly no better than a ford.
They are great to drive however and can be proper quick with a stage 1 or 2 boost upgrade....
I ended up with a 2005 5 door and paid just under 4k.
Key things that I found when looking and buying were;
- Rust yes Rust - these things are prone to rust, many have rusty front wings, leading edge of sills and tailgates, mine has had replacement front wings under warranty as have many - try to find one that has had this done. There is a mod to the arch liners to prevent reoccurence,
Tailgates rust around the lock and the lights, sills rust around the joint with the front wing,
- Fuel pump cam follower - wears and is frequently not replaced in time. If not replaced it wears through and metal shards end up in the sump blocking the sump pick up, ask when it was replaced,
- Oil pump pick up in sump - worth checking if this has been cleaned (sump off job),
- Dump valve - frequently gets split or tears,
- Cambelt - usual story but engines are toast when this goes - plenty being broken for that reason,
- Springs - issue is that the last coil of the spring cracks off, no issue when driving but an MOT failure point, springs almost seem to be a maintenance item,
- Internal wear - the trim wears e,g tatty bolsters on the front seats and general wear round the switches,
- Door locks - frequently fail and dont lock, easy to repair but the door skin comes off to change the lock,
Overall - I would say the build quality is pretty average, certainly no better than a ford.
They are great to drive however and can be proper quick with a stage 1 or 2 boost upgrade....
psychoR1 said:
I recently bought something similar.
I ended up with a 2005 5 door and paid just under 4k.
Key things that I found when looking and buying were;
- Rust yes Rust - these things are prone to rust, many have rusty front wings, leading edge of sills and tailgates, mine has had replacement front wings under warranty as have many - try to find one that has had this done. There is a mod to the arch liners to prevent reoccurence,
Tailgates rust around the lock and the lights, sills rust around the joint with the front wing,
- Fuel pump cam follower - wears and is frequently not replaced in time. If not replaced it wears through and metal shards end up in the sump blocking the sump pick up, ask when it was replaced,
- Oil pump pick up in sump - worth checking if this has been cleaned (sump off job),
- Dump valve - frequently gets split or tears,
- Cambelt - usual story but engines are toast when this goes - plenty being broken for that reason,
- Springs - issue is that the last coil of the spring cracks off, no issue when driving but an MOT failure point, springs almost seem to be a maintenance item,
- Internal wear - the trim wears e,g tatty bolsters on the front seats and general wear round the switches,
- Door locks - frequently fail and dont lock, easy to repair but the door skin comes off to change the lock,
Overall - I would say the build quality is pretty average, certainly no better than a ford.
They are great to drive however and can be proper quick with a stage 1 or 2 boost upgrade....
To add to this, if there is a spot of rust, ask if its been repaired before. VW's rust warranty is 12 years, but only if it hasn't been done before. A mate got 2 arches done under warranty on his, but they wouldn't do the others because they'd been painted previously.I ended up with a 2005 5 door and paid just under 4k.
Key things that I found when looking and buying were;
- Rust yes Rust - these things are prone to rust, many have rusty front wings, leading edge of sills and tailgates, mine has had replacement front wings under warranty as have many - try to find one that has had this done. There is a mod to the arch liners to prevent reoccurence,
Tailgates rust around the lock and the lights, sills rust around the joint with the front wing,
- Fuel pump cam follower - wears and is frequently not replaced in time. If not replaced it wears through and metal shards end up in the sump blocking the sump pick up, ask when it was replaced,
- Oil pump pick up in sump - worth checking if this has been cleaned (sump off job),
- Dump valve - frequently gets split or tears,
- Cambelt - usual story but engines are toast when this goes - plenty being broken for that reason,
- Springs - issue is that the last coil of the spring cracks off, no issue when driving but an MOT failure point, springs almost seem to be a maintenance item,
- Internal wear - the trim wears e,g tatty bolsters on the front seats and general wear round the switches,
- Door locks - frequently fail and dont lock, easy to repair but the door skin comes off to change the lock,
Overall - I would say the build quality is pretty average, certainly no better than a ford.
They are great to drive however and can be proper quick with a stage 1 or 2 boost upgrade....
I would potentially look for a well looked after higher mileage car, that's had many of the common faults fixed. Said mate hasn't had a month without a bill of some sorts trying to get the little issues ironed out!
I've just bought my 4th Mk5 GTI.
All things others have mentioned such as rusty front wings, cills and boot lids are to keep an eye out for.
Make sure the cambelt has been changed on time.
If you look at a DSG one make sure the gearbox has been serviced in line with VW recommendations.
Air con is another thing to check. The compressors can fail and are quite expensive to replace.
The 3 others i've owned were @ 75,000 miles (manual), 92,000 miles (manual) and 118,00 miles (DSG). The mileage (in my experience) made no difference to how they felt, if anything the higher mileage DSG car felt better than the others. Spec is a bit up and down on them, highline dash is quite nice, i prefer the fabric seats to the leather but both are good, xenons are nice if you can get them.
I had my DSG one remapped and it was rapid. Great cars to drive, i've driven most of that generation of hat hatches and the GTI is my favourite.
In terms of tyres, Continental Contisport 5's are my favourites. I've had Goodyear Eagle F1's and Michelin PS$'s but the Conti's were definetly best all round.
All things others have mentioned such as rusty front wings, cills and boot lids are to keep an eye out for.
Make sure the cambelt has been changed on time.
If you look at a DSG one make sure the gearbox has been serviced in line with VW recommendations.
Air con is another thing to check. The compressors can fail and are quite expensive to replace.
The 3 others i've owned were @ 75,000 miles (manual), 92,000 miles (manual) and 118,00 miles (DSG). The mileage (in my experience) made no difference to how they felt, if anything the higher mileage DSG car felt better than the others. Spec is a bit up and down on them, highline dash is quite nice, i prefer the fabric seats to the leather but both are good, xenons are nice if you can get them.
I had my DSG one remapped and it was rapid. Great cars to drive, i've driven most of that generation of hat hatches and the GTI is my favourite.
In terms of tyres, Continental Contisport 5's are my favourites. I've had Goodyear Eagle F1's and Michelin PS$'s but the Conti's were definetly best all round.
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