Going cheap: ex-CID Volkswagen Golf R for sale
Fancy yourself as Bodie (or Doyle)? This Mk7.5 Q-car special has all the moves...
There are lots of reasons why the old VW Golf R might have appealed. It looked smart, it was decent to drive, the interior was great, and it was plenty fast enough. It’s a combination of talents broadly emulated by the current car - certainly it’s sharper to drive - but without the same overall appeal. For want of a better phrase, the Mk7 Golf R was just nice. Nice to be in, nice to have outside, nice to drive.
The subtlety played a part in its success. This wasn’t an overt performance car, though nor was it entirely without visual identity. After a few years of sales, there were plenty of Lapiz Blue cars DSG farting their way between traffic lights, which spoiled the illusion a little (and four exhaust pipes always seemed excessive) but to a lot of folk, they were just nicely specced Golfs. They didn’t attract attention in the same way that similarly powerful Focuses, A3s, or Civics might have.
All of which probably explains the history of this car, because from 2019 until very recently, it was an undercover police car. It’s being sold by Ex Police Cars in Droylsden, no less, and that’s certainly a stocklist to check out with a free five minutes. With its combination of all-wheel-drive turbocharged performance, slick-shifting DSG, and unassuming design, a Golf R like this would have been ideal as something fast enough to keep up if required while also flying under a lot of radars.
Indeed, this particular one is super subtle. It’s not often that the facelift Mk7.5 car is seen without the optional, larger wheels. Obviously, black is very unassuming, and the window tint isn’t crazy. In terms of undercover spec, it's the very on the nose. The interior is equally option-free, though perhaps with less desirable results, thanks to cloth seats that look to have plenty of 'let's roll' bums rolled over their bolsters. There’s a bit more wear in the back than might be usual. You can draw your own conclusions about that.
On the plus side, as a 7.5 refresh, this Golf has the digital dash - and this one has heated seats. So it isn’t totally basic. And with more than 100,000 miles since 2019, those who aren’t too fussed about the fripperies will find this the cheapest way into a Mk7.5 R. There’s one other comparable car that’s also £15,995 in the classifieds; after that, you’re looking at £19k for a facelifted version.
And three grand would go a long way to scrubbing up the inside and outside to have them back to their best. Or you could run with the undercover cop car look, use it for anything and everything at whatever time of day with not much concern. Seems like the Golf R is perfectly suited to it. And you'll have a story to tell anyone who gets in the back...
SPECIFICATION | VW GOLF R (MK7.5)
Engine: 1,984cc 4-cyl, turbocharged
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 310@5,500-6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 280@2,000-5,400rpm
MPG: 39.8-40.4(NEDC combined)
CO2: 160-163g/km
First registered: 2019
Recorded mileage: 109,000
Price new: £36,345 (before options)
Yours for: £15,995
I’ve had at least 4 ex police cars over the years but they’ve all been Senators (2 white ones were ex marked up traffic, 1 ex traffic school (still bloody white mind) and one unmarked in blue. All were great cars and despite the starship mileage better condition than privately owned examples at four times the price.
Not sure the price reduction on this one would be enough to take the risk on it
Afaik the 7.5 Rs came with heated seats as standard, article suggests this is some sort of optional extra.
Price on that one is pants with that mileage and perceived use. Maybe it led a sedate life at 70mph on the motorway, then again maybe it didn't.
Otherwise I’d think it was one of the plethora of black or grey unmarked Traffic (sorry, Roads Policing) cars that seem to outweigh marked vehicles by 2 to 1.
I, like a previous poster, was a cop that joined in the mid-80’s, and we too had Vauxhall Shove-it’s or Vauxhall Astra mk1s, both slow and dreadful.
As an aside, our Chief Constable wouldn’t allow panda cars to have blue lights that worked unless the car was stopped with the engine switched off but the ignition on.
Iirc, allegedly, ahem, officer were often found under the dashboard doing some electrickety-type shenanigans and the blue lights miraculously worked….
And suspension / bushes / top mounts that ve been pounded over speed bumps will ve been frequently replaced.
But the fact it would ve been thrashed when cold many times is worrying.
As is a cabin that looks like it’s been used as a set for dogging movies
...references to much cooler things aside, surprisingly having had a quick peruse of AT, this doesn't seem that overpriced relative to the rest of the market. The cheapest 2019 cars on there are in the mid £15,000s with either crash damage or similar mileages.
That said, looking at any Golf R is a minefield, my son had one and that had a couple of hidden things, he sold it to Arnold Clarke.
His other half later decided she wanted one but the amount of sketchy ones made it hard, she nearly bought one but was clear it had seen quite a bit of modification and then reverted to standard to sell on. She gave up and bought a GTi, which is like a new car, one mature owner etc.
Calvin’s car diary on YT buys the odd one and they always throw up evidence of being owned by morons, so would rather have the ex plod one.
I wasn’t all that keen on the one my son had, think he should, and I hate to say it, have got a DSG, not a manual and thrown a bit more power at it, that needs a clutch replacement on a manual as it can be marginal at standard power.
The seats would improve with a wet and dry vac but how much, not sure, that’s a lot of copper bottoms, rather spend more and longer and find a properly nice one, think they will be a bit of a classic in the future.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff