RE: Driven: Golf GTI Edition 35

[Diamond blue]

TobesH said:

I realise this is completely off subject for everyone else on here , but how did you get on with the GTR? I've noticed quite a number have already had 2-3 owners.

I loved it. Unreservedly.
Its a briliant, brilliant car.
I am very lucky to have owned and enjoyed a fair few wonderful drivers cars and IMO there is a case to be made that its the best car I've driven.
Negatives, Its ride is very firm even in its softest setting, you'll do well to get more than 18mpg and some aspects to ownership are expensive.Oh and without a Y pipe mod its rather mute.
Positives - Staggering speed in all conditions, great steering, body control, lots of easy , fun modifying to keep you interested and its really pretty practical. Its also completely bulletproof mechanically.
Its a world class supercar for half the price of anything else thats comparable.

Reason I dont have it anymore is a long standing desire to scratch a Ferrari itch. Still regret it, wish I could honestly justify running one as a daily driver but its just too much, too extravagant

[Paul Dishman]

andrewparker said:

Paul Dishman said:

J4CKO said:

Always think people who buy new VW "Sporty" models are non petrolheads after something "a bit sporty" with a premium-ish badge, lets face it no self respecting petrolhead would lash the best part of 30 grand on a Golf with 230 bhp, sure its great "as a package" but it just says to me its a non petrolhead wanting to be one but missing the point to a certain extent, I dont think most real petrolheads buy new mid range stuff, if they are blessed with 30 grand they will scuttle off to the classifieds and buy a Noble or 996 turbo. All the VW performance stuff has a similar image to me, Scirrocco, even the Golf R it just looks like you tuck your jumper in your jeans and have immaculate nails.

I will take my "Dubs" pre aged, with the wrong engine in, i.e. a MK2 with a TT engine.

I feel rather insulted by the above. I've got an Ed 30 which is a quick discreet practical car and a Porsche 964 RS which is vey quick and not so discreet. I've been a petrolhead since the age of 2. So there.

Load of rubbish that's why.

Anyone seen the back page of this month's EVO?

The younger Franchitti? Yes thats the answer, even some of the posters here couldn't accuse him of not being a petrolhead

[MadDog1962]

My brothers both had shed-ish Mk 2 (eight valve) Golf GTi's back in the 90s. They were great. I borrowed one in 1996, while back in the UK for 3 months. It was absolutely excellent fun. Despite being a 10-year old 1986 model (on a "D" plate) with about 160,000 miles on the clock it was rock solid, and had plenty of poke.

I've read a few posts here mentioning the Peugeot 205 and 309 GTi. Honestly, the 205 is a tad on the tinny side and the 309 was a bit of a shed even when it was new (I had one as my first company car in 1989). How many are left!?

The current model and the earlier Mk V are still brilliant. But for me the Mk 2 is still one of the all time greats. It was reasonably priced when new, had respectable performance, refinement and solid build quality.

[ArosaMike]

Paul Dishman said:

The younger Franchitti? Yes thats the answer, even some of the posters here couldn't accuse him of not being a petrolhead

I'm sure someone will try!

[TobesH]

Diamond blue said:

TobesH said:

I realise this is completely off subject for everyone else on here , but how did you get on with the GTR? I've noticed quite a number have already had 2-3 owners.

I loved it. Unreservedly.
Its a briliant, brilliant car.
I am very lucky to have owned and enjoyed a fair few wonderful drivers cars and IMO there is a case to be made that its the best car I've driven.
Negatives, Its ride is very firm even in its softest setting, you'll do well to get more than 18mpg and some aspects to ownership are expensive.Oh and without a Y pipe mod its rather mute.
Positives - Staggering speed in all conditions, great steering, body control, lots of easy , fun modifying to keep you interested and its really pretty practical. Its also completely bulletproof mechanically.
Its a world class supercar for half the price of anything else thats comparable.

Reason I dont have it anymore is a long standing desire to scratch a Ferrari itch. Still regret it, wish I could honestly justify running one as a daily driver but its just too much, too extravagant

Thanks for the 'off topic' feedback. My plan is to buy a 2009/2010 model for £35-£40k as they seem the best value and are plentiful. I'll run it as an every day car for sure. Keep the 7 for sunny days and track days. Very envious of your F430.

[daydotz]

the resale value of mk5s are all over the place i do like the mk6 but they are very expensive my experience of a gti they just to sensible

[Diamond blue]

TobesH said:

Thanks for the 'off topic' feedback. My plan is to buy a 2009/2010 model for £35-£40k as they seem the best value and are plentiful. I'll run it as an every day car for sure. Keep the 7 for sunny days and track days. Very envious of your F430.

A 7 and a GTR. Now thats a couple of stonking choices IMO. Would cover most bases I would think.
Scuderia is epic. Most exciting thing I've driven by a way.
Suprisingly useable in many ways. Its roomy comfortable and pretty friendly at the limit but it's always an "event"
I would recommend you get on to the GTR Register forum if you want one. Its a great resource, as good as any I've found. Everything you need to know and more about the cars. I reckon your intended budget is just right. Find a well cared for 2010 model with the sat nav. The silver shows less stone chips and was an expensive option new.Make sure it had the optimisation service and dont be too wary of mods. Especially the Y pipe which is a no-brainer.
Tyres and brakes are the expensive bits (as well as fuel)

[TobesH]

Diamond blue said:

TobesH said:

Thanks for the 'off topic' feedback. My plan is to buy a 2009/2010 model for £35-£40k as they seem the best value and are plentiful. I'll run it as an every day car for sure. Keep the 7 for sunny days and track days. Very envious of your F430.

A 7 and a GTR. Now thats a couple of stonking choices IMO. Would cover most bases I would think.
Scuderia is epic. Most exciting thing I've driven by a way.
Suprisingly useable in many ways. Its roomy comfortable and pretty friendly at the limit but it's always an "event"
I would recommend you get on to the GTR Register forum if you want one. Its a great resource, as good as any I've found. Everything you need to know and more about the cars. I reckon your intended budget is just right. Find a well cared for 2010 model with the sat nav. The silver shows less stone chips and was an expensive option new.Make sure it had the optimisation service and dont be too wary of mods. Especially the Y pipe which is a no-brainer.
Tyres and brakes are the expensive bits (as well as fuel)

Cheers chap! Great call re the GTR Register and good advice on the mods. The idea is to get one with as low a mileage as possible and I don't intend to go near a track with it. My experience of track use is that it doesn't mix well with road cars (they're too heavy, costs a set of tyres per day, hot brakes & engine, stone chips and cracked windscreens... ) hence the 7 for that. The Caterham is totally unphased by track use and my 125 has radial tyres too!
I understand on the servicing front, even if you don't use your GTR, you still have to service it very 6 months and I have read some people have overlooked this.

[Diamond blue]

TobesH said:

Cheers chap! Great call re the GTR Register and good advice on the mods. The idea is to get one with as low a mileage as possible and I don't intend to go near a track with it. My experience of track use is that it doesn't mix well with road cars (they're too heavy, costs a set of tyres per day, hot brakes & engine, stone chips and cracked windscreens... ) hence the 7 for that. The Caterham is totally unphased by track use and my 125 has radial tyres too!
I understand on the servicing front, even if you don't use your GTR, you still have to service it very 6 months and I have read some people have overlooked this.

All spot on. A GTR is not suited to track work IMO. Other than being the safest environment to use all that pace. They get hot quickly.
I would definitely insist on the servicing being complete.There's enough choice to just walk away from a car that is missing services.
Litchfield Imports are fanatstic and have huge amounts of knowledge re these beasties. If you can get to them then I would use them head of any of the NHPC dealers (Except Middlehurst in St Helens perhaps)

[Tomatogti]

Cassius81 said:

Tomatogti said:

I love my MkV gti for the simple reason is it does the many things I want from it very well. It's been chipped to 240bhp so has the extra power some reviewers felt was lacking, it is fun to drive (for a FWD hatch), it's decent quality inside, it's got good residuals and running costs so overall costs are probably comparable to the ST and fast Meganes. It's practical and I don't think it screams look at me (like as RS) or has a badge problem (you can always get an Audi if you must have the badge). I can't afford separate cars for separate things and for my budget and requirements this is the best do it all car out there.

It's interesting to see how many times it's the everyday car for the final page of Evo titled "Me and my car". I seem to remember a land speed record holder having one as well as a couple of other featured drivers. This month's Evo (which landed on my door mat an hour ago) has racing driver Marino Franchitti saying what a wonderful car his Mk V GTI Ed 30 is.

Well put. Am interested to hear more about the re-map you mention. Cost, effect on MPG etc? My car is now out of warranty so considering a bit of a performance upgrade...

I got the Superchips Bluefin re-map. I went for it because it had good reviews by many people, you can do from home (they send you the gadget and you download the software), it's reversible back to factory mapping and it feels like the standard VW map but with 20% extra across the band (versus for example the Revo map which is a more aggressive map lower down I believe). I've got DSG so was playing it safe with a tamer map. I have loved the extra power. Provided you stick to the service intervals then it should be fine. I also use the higher RON fuel as recommended by most of the maps. I've got 80k miles on clock and it's been mapped for last 30k with no issues. Have told insurance company which added 20% to cost (seems reasonable as it's 20% more power). The 2.0 TFSI engine from the MK V GTI (and many other VAG products) is meant to be a strong engine well suited for chipping and I don't regret it for a moment.

[Tomatogti]

Tomatogti said:

Cassius81 said:

Tomatogti said:

I love my MkV gti for the simple reason is it does the many things I want from it very well. It's been chipped to 240bhp so has the extra power some reviewers felt was lacking, it is fun to drive (for a FWD hatch), it's decent quality inside, it's got good residuals and running costs so overall costs are probably comparable to the ST and fast Meganes. It's practical and I don't think it screams look at me (like as RS) or has a badge problem (you can always get an Audi if you must have the badge). I can't afford separate cars for separate things and for my budget and requirements this is the best do it all car out there.

It's interesting to see how many times it's the everyday car for the final page of Evo titled "Me and my car". I seem to remember a land speed record holder having one as well as a couple of other featured drivers. This month's Evo (which landed on my door mat an hour ago) has racing driver Marino Franchitti saying what a wonderful car his Mk V GTI Ed 30 is.

Well put. Am interested to hear more about the re-map you mention. Cost, effect on MPG etc? My car is now out of warranty so considering a bit of a performance upgrade...

I got the Superchips Bluefin re-map. I went for it because it had good reviews by many people, you can do from home (they send you the gadget and you download the software), it's reversible back to factory mapping and it feels like the standard VW map but with 20% extra across the band (versus for example the Revo map which is a more aggressive map lower down I believe). I've got DSG so was playing it safe with a tamer map. I have loved the extra power. Provided you stick to the service intervals then it should be fine. I also use the higher RON fuel as recommended by most of the maps. I've got 80k miles on clock and it's been mapped for last 30k with no issues. Have told insurance company which added 20% to cost (seems reasonable as it's 20% more power). The 2.0 TFSI engine from the MK V GTI (and many other VAG products) is meant to be a strong engine well suited for chipping and I don't regret it for a moment.

And to answer your question re: cost and mpg. Cost was £400 (usually £500 I think) - similar to Revo and others. MPG - haven't noticed much difference - obviously a bit more power means it has the potential to be a bit thirstier. I get up to 34/35 if I'm taking it easy on the motorway but a proper thrash can see it drop to low 20s. I average about 30mpg and it hasn't changed since remap.

[TobesH]

Diamond blue said:

TobesH said:

Cheers chap! Great call re the GTR Register and good advice on the mods. The idea is to get one with as low a mileage as possible and I don't intend to go near a track with it. My experience of track use is that it doesn't mix well with road cars (they're too heavy, costs a set of tyres per day, hot brakes & engine, stone chips and cracked windscreens... ) hence the 7 for that. The Caterham is totally unphased by track use and my 125 has radial tyres too!
I understand on the servicing front, even if you don't use your GTR, you still have to service it very 6 months and I have read some people have overlooked this.

All spot on. A GTR is not suited to track work IMO. Other than being the safest environment to use all that pace. They get hot quickly.
I would definitely insist on the servicing being complete.There's enough choice to just walk away from a car that is missing services.
Litchfield Imports are fanatstic and have huge amounts of knowledge re these beasties. If you can get to them then I would use them head of any of the NHPC dealers (Except Middlehurst in St Helens perhaps)

Interesting. The dealer nearest me is Mill Lane Aldershot and first impressions are amazing TBH. I have a friend who works for Nissan GB in corporate whom I was going to drum up. I'm going to start the process soon, wish me luck! Should be fun

[TobesH]

Diamond blue said:

TobesH said:

Cheers chap! Great call re the GTR Register and good advice on the mods. The idea is to get one with as low a mileage as possible and I don't intend to go near a track with it. My experience of track use is that it doesn't mix well with road cars (they're too heavy, costs a set of tyres per day, hot brakes & engine, stone chips and cracked windscreens... ) hence the 7 for that. The Caterham is totally unphased by track use and my 125 has radial tyres too!
I understand on the servicing front, even if you don't use your GTR, you still have to service it very 6 months and I have read some people have overlooked this.

All spot on. A GTR is not suited to track work IMO. Other than being the safest environment to use all that pace. They get hot quickly.
I would definitely insist on the servicing being complete.There's enough choice to just walk away from a car that is missing services.
Litchfield Imports are fanatstic and have huge amounts of knowledge re these beasties. If you can get to them then I would use them head of any of the NHPC dealers (Except Middlehurst in St Helens perhaps)

A bit heavy on the budget but ohh err! http://www.litchfieldimports.co.uk/stocklist.asp?i...

[Paul Dishman]

ArosaMike said:

Paul Dishman said:

The younger Franchitti? Yes thats the answer, even some of the posters here couldn't accuse him of not being a petrolhead

I'm sure someone will try!

I'm waiting for the wrong wheel drive comment

[hotmelt]

Good car, 4.5 stars in Evo, unlike regular GTI with 4.

[Diamond blue]

TobesH said:

A bit heavy on the budget but ohh err! http://www.litchfieldimports.co.uk/stocklist.asp?i...

Talk to Iain at Litchfields anyway. He is a fount of knowledge about GTRs.
New tyres good.
Get the sat nav if you can, its not just the nav , it also has usb input for I pod
You won't believe how 5 mins with a laptop (and about £500) transforms a stupidly fast car into an "OMG , thats ludicrous" one

[TobesH]

Diamond blue said:

TobesH said:

A bit heavy on the budget but ohh err! http://www.litchfieldimports.co.uk/stocklist.asp?i...

Talk to Iain at Litchfields anyway. He is a fount of knowledge about GTRs.
New tyres good.
Get the sat nav if you can, its not just the nav , it also has usb input for I pod
You won't believe how 5 mins with a laptop (and about £500) transforms a stupidly fast car into an "OMG , thats ludicrous" one

Thanks for your advice! I'll keep yo posted!

[Riggers]

hotmelt said:

Good car, 4.5 stars in Evo, unlike regular GTI with 4.

If I were to nail my unmentionables to the wall with a star rating I'd give it 4, with 3.5 for the regular car...

[amokwa]

St John Smythe said:

I used to own a mk1 GTI. I now own a MK5 GTI with a DSG gearbox. The mk1 was a brilliant car. The mk5 is also a brilliant car *

• please remember that this is real world experience that has no place on this forum

I owned both of the above, great cars peerless in their segment.

[NicDale]

amokwa said:

I owned both of the above, great cars peerless in their segment.

I own a mk1 GTi (heavily modified now), mk2 16v, mk3 VR6, mk4 GTi.18T and have owned a mk5 GTi. Mk5 is a great car, better in many ways than a mk2 16v but not every way.