Daily driver advice: GTI? S3? Or a wild card?
Discussion
Ideas please.
I live and work in London and only get out on weekends to drive to the golf club and back (30 miles each way on the monotonous A3), occasionally see family a bit farther afield and even more occasionally go for weekends away or trips to France/the UK regions. I'm 35 years old and have been an afflicted petrolhead since I was 17: x3 911s, M3, etc and currently have a 2016 F type R convertible. I can no longer justify keeping the Jag for a number of reasons:
1. The journeys I do aren't enjoyable enough (mainly crawling out of London then 70 mph.. in a straight line with tyre and wind noise)
2. My fiance can't get insured on it and needs to be able to drive and I can't justify two cars
3. I am about to get married and redevelop my house and need something with some load carrying ability that costs less on a yearly basis
4. It's parked on the road since we moved recently and having had bad experiences doing that with expensive cars in the past that is a stress I don't need
The question is what should I replace it with. Budget c. £25k and the following requirements:
Room for golf/cricket stuff, luggage to drive to airport would be nice, more than one passenger, and house refurb stuff
Still fun to drive
Fiance on the insurance (under 30)
Modern enough that I won't get annoyed with a total lack of tech (2015 onwards?)
Justifiably economic to run and own (primarily depreciation)
Strong preference to buy through a main dealer
Petrol
The reason for posting in this subsection is that I imagine it will be Audi or VW but i'm open to alternatives. I've had a Golf GTI in the past (2006 mk5 DSG) and liked it. Test drove a 19 plate ex demo GTI performance last week and was really impressed so that's an option but she thinks it's a bit masculine with all the red bits inside and out. Thought about a 2017 250bhp A5 but worried it's a bit too sensible. Audi S3 seems like the safe bet but i'd love to compare some alternative options. Would consider spending more for something a bit older that would conceivably depreciate at a slower rate but would need to be special given the added maintenance and lack of tech.
Any suggestions and why/personal experience would be much appreciated!
Thanks everyone
James
I live and work in London and only get out on weekends to drive to the golf club and back (30 miles each way on the monotonous A3), occasionally see family a bit farther afield and even more occasionally go for weekends away or trips to France/the UK regions. I'm 35 years old and have been an afflicted petrolhead since I was 17: x3 911s, M3, etc and currently have a 2016 F type R convertible. I can no longer justify keeping the Jag for a number of reasons:
1. The journeys I do aren't enjoyable enough (mainly crawling out of London then 70 mph.. in a straight line with tyre and wind noise)
2. My fiance can't get insured on it and needs to be able to drive and I can't justify two cars
3. I am about to get married and redevelop my house and need something with some load carrying ability that costs less on a yearly basis
4. It's parked on the road since we moved recently and having had bad experiences doing that with expensive cars in the past that is a stress I don't need
The question is what should I replace it with. Budget c. £25k and the following requirements:
Room for golf/cricket stuff, luggage to drive to airport would be nice, more than one passenger, and house refurb stuff
Still fun to drive
Fiance on the insurance (under 30)
Modern enough that I won't get annoyed with a total lack of tech (2015 onwards?)
Justifiably economic to run and own (primarily depreciation)
Strong preference to buy through a main dealer
Petrol
The reason for posting in this subsection is that I imagine it will be Audi or VW but i'm open to alternatives. I've had a Golf GTI in the past (2006 mk5 DSG) and liked it. Test drove a 19 plate ex demo GTI performance last week and was really impressed so that's an option but she thinks it's a bit masculine with all the red bits inside and out. Thought about a 2017 250bhp A5 but worried it's a bit too sensible. Audi S3 seems like the safe bet but i'd love to compare some alternative options. Would consider spending more for something a bit older that would conceivably depreciate at a slower rate but would need to be special given the added maintenance and lack of tech.
Any suggestions and why/personal experience would be much appreciated!
Thanks everyone
James
Golf R Estate ticks most of your boxes (not sure about insuring an under 30 year old, but I find it pretty cheap to insure) and has a big load lugging capability.
Whether you'd find it fun to drive or not, is hard to say - Had mine for the last 2.5 years, it does many things very well, but I've not grown to love it, it's just not an engaging car to drive, but I fear that's true of many modern cars.
It's practical, well made, quick, refined when you want it to be, economical and I'm paying £156 a month to lease it this year, but when it goes I don't see me looking to find one to buy.
That said, I won't be looking for a BMW M140 either...
M
PS Personally, not being a fan of the iPad glued to the top of the dash look, I find the Golf's dashboard nicer than nearly anything else I've seen recently.
Whether you'd find it fun to drive or not, is hard to say - Had mine for the last 2.5 years, it does many things very well, but I've not grown to love it, it's just not an engaging car to drive, but I fear that's true of many modern cars.
It's practical, well made, quick, refined when you want it to be, economical and I'm paying £156 a month to lease it this year, but when it goes I don't see me looking to find one to buy.
That said, I won't be looking for a BMW M140 either...
M
PS Personally, not being a fan of the iPad glued to the top of the dash look, I find the Golf's dashboard nicer than nearly anything else I've seen recently.
Edited by marcosgt on Friday 10th January 14:07
marcosgt said:
Golf R Estate ticks most of your boxes (not sure about insuring an under 30 year old, but I find it pretty cheap to insure) and has a big load lugging capability.
Whether you'd find it fun to drive or not, is hard to say - Had mine for the last 2.5 years, it does many things very well, but I've not grown to love it, it's just not an engaging car to drive, but I fear that's true of many modern cars.
It's practical, well made, quick, refined when you want it to be, economical and I'm paying £156 a month to lease it this year, but when it goes I don't see me looking to find one to buy.
That said, I won't be looking for a BMW M140 either...
M
PS Personally, not being a fan of the iPad glued to the top of the dash look, I find the Golf's dashboard nicer than nearly anything else I've seen recently.
I have a 7.5 estate and previously a 5 door. The latter was much more engaging. I think it’s the extra weight and different rear suspension on the estate that mean it’s not so much fun in corners. Still it’s a great car and I’d keep mine for longer but vwfs want it back in March. Whether you'd find it fun to drive or not, is hard to say - Had mine for the last 2.5 years, it does many things very well, but I've not grown to love it, it's just not an engaging car to drive, but I fear that's true of many modern cars.
It's practical, well made, quick, refined when you want it to be, economical and I'm paying £156 a month to lease it this year, but when it goes I don't see me looking to find one to buy.
That said, I won't be looking for a BMW M140 either...
M
PS Personally, not being a fan of the iPad glued to the top of the dash look, I find the Golf's dashboard nicer than nearly anything else I've seen recently.
Edited by marcosgt on Friday 10th January 14:07
g7jhp said:
5 door Golf Mk7 R, you don't need a 7.5. They're a great car, ignore the neighsayers.
Get a Golf GTi and you'll want the R and the S3 is more grown up and less attractive.
Depends where you live - we've got the GTI specifically because it's less likely to be taken by force by cretins that want it for more serious crime and/or to break for cloning a written off one.Get a Golf GTi and you'll want the R and the S3 is more grown up and less attractive.
GTI PP has all the performance you need for 80% plus of the time, and in the OPs position we decided stuff like an E90 M3 was going to annoy us for 80+% of the driving we do! I deliberately didn't test drive an R on the basis we've got the S5 Sportback for when 4 wheel drive is handy. The only time the GTI is found wanting is at this time of year when grip is an issue, but presume you won't be playing golf or cricket that much then!
Estates are very handy for DIY runs, which rules out the GTI if that's a factor. I'd consider a 335i touring, or an Alpina if you fancied something a bit left field and wanted to stick to smaller stuff for London parking.
TonyTony said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Nope, just make sure the services are on time and the DSG/Haldex is done on time if its more mileage.I gather it's pretty common fault (ours has only done 30k miles in 4 years) which if you're lucky will happen while it's in warranty
Adrian E said:
VW quote fixed prices for those items on their website.
DSG = £199
Haldex = £79
From memory (mine's a GTI) DSG is due at 40k. Presume Haldex will be the same. As usual VW make it hard to establish.....
And 40k seems out of step with servicing intervals. My 2018 R has just had a 36k service (2nd service) - no mention of Haldex. DSG = £199
Haldex = £79
From memory (mine's a GTI) DSG is due at 40k. Presume Haldex will be the same. As usual VW make it hard to establish.....
So next service could be a year and at 54k...
VW service is generally terrible in terms of the information supplied on what work is due when you look to book the car in, and accuracy of their website.
On my GTI PP it was only after the car was dropped off for its 3rd annual service that I got a call to say the LSD oil was due every 3 years (it's not mentioned in the service book at all, never mind at what frequency)
For fourth annual service they suggested it was due a DSG oil change, plugs etc etc. A bit of digging revealed they're due at 40k miles, which VW UK choose to equate to 4 years old, which in my case would mean doing them massively early. The car hadn't even hit 30k miles at 4 years old.
A quick Google while typing this suggests for the R DSG is 40k miles, and Haldex every 3 years (so same as the PP LSD as a time based interval rather than mileage)
On my Audi S5 I get the s-tronic oil changed when it's due (slightly early at 35k miles, rather than stipulated 38k) irrespective of when the oil change service falls due. I don't try and dump all the jobs into one service visit - but then it's no aggro for me to leave the car with my favoured indy for a day, as I don't use it to commute etc.
[eta] defo sounds like your gearbox is due a service imminently!
On my GTI PP it was only after the car was dropped off for its 3rd annual service that I got a call to say the LSD oil was due every 3 years (it's not mentioned in the service book at all, never mind at what frequency)
For fourth annual service they suggested it was due a DSG oil change, plugs etc etc. A bit of digging revealed they're due at 40k miles, which VW UK choose to equate to 4 years old, which in my case would mean doing them massively early. The car hadn't even hit 30k miles at 4 years old.
A quick Google while typing this suggests for the R DSG is 40k miles, and Haldex every 3 years (so same as the PP LSD as a time based interval rather than mileage)
On my Audi S5 I get the s-tronic oil changed when it's due (slightly early at 35k miles, rather than stipulated 38k) irrespective of when the oil change service falls due. I don't try and dump all the jobs into one service visit - but then it's no aggro for me to leave the car with my favoured indy for a day, as I don't use it to commute etc.
[eta] defo sounds like your gearbox is due a service imminently!
Thanks for the suggestions all. I hate to admit it but I know I couldnt go down the Cupra route. Reviews/advice/vfm are there but I dont have any connection to the marque. I have enormous respect for the Golf R and it is pretty widely accepted as the best all round hot hatch but I dont desire one (unlike the GTI strangely). The few suggestions of a Golf R estate has got me thinking more about estates though and the latest thinking is to spend a bit more (£28-32k) and get into a B9 S4 avant (B8 RS4 or C63 would be fun no doubt but I couldnt get her insured). Plus there's definitely an estate itch that needs scratching in there somewhere.
Does anyone have any experience of them? Wont be as chuckable as a hatch of course but I find them disproportionately desirable and cooler than the same gen RS4 in an understated way. The other itch that needs scratching is a mk3 X5 so I've had creeping thoughts of going full blown practicality and getting an M50d but then I'd lose all traditional 'fun to drive' so resisting that one firmly.
Does anyone have any experience of them? Wont be as chuckable as a hatch of course but I find them disproportionately desirable and cooler than the same gen RS4 in an understated way. The other itch that needs scratching is a mk3 X5 so I've had creeping thoughts of going full blown practicality and getting an M50d but then I'd lose all traditional 'fun to drive' so resisting that one firmly.
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