Golf GTI advice

jamiemaguire

right hello, basically I have a 2005 Audi A3 TDI at the min, and really like it but basically looking for something different with a bit of power/fun as i feel if i dont do it while im young ill regret it. Basically just wondering what MPG you get out of one? (if anyone reading this owns one). or does anyone have any experience with one? a friend of mine does have one but just wanted to know other peoples opinions about running costs etc. As it seems to be hes lucky and not much has gone wrong with it. and also im only 21 next month so does anyone have experience with insuring one? im under my own policy since 17 with no claims since then, and going under someone elses policy isnt an option. Im talking about 05/06 mk5 model by the way. any help would be apreciated thanks!!

Henry Ford III

If the first question on buying a hot hatch or not is its mpg....

Colash

There's faster and hotter out there for the same coins as a mark 5 gti , which will return near enough the same mpg and insurance costs

Colash

Colash wrote: »

There's faster and hotter out there for the same coins as a mark 5 gti , which will return near enough the same mpg and insurance costs

Won't be a Golf GTI though the king of hot hatches

None will have the all round ownership experience, build quality, nice interior and comfort of a Golf GTI and I doubt any are as cheap to run and there is very little difference in performance (a GTI is very easily remapped too) and don't forget its superior handling.

tossy

Colash wrote: »

There's faster and hotter out there for the same coins as a mark 5 gti , which will return near enough the same mpg and insurance costs

Care to list a few examples of cars faster and hotter with the same running costs?

Colash

tossy wrote: »

Care to list a few examples of cars faster and hotter with the same running costs?

Vauxhall Astra opc ? 240bhp

Supergurrier

Great car but badly kept ones are very ordinary.

DSG is a must to get the best from them and they look best in black or red

30 mpg would be realistic unlike many other hot hatches

Colash

Colash wrote: »

Vauxhall Astra opc ? 240bhp

An Astra OPC is going to cost more to run than a GTI (worse mpg, harder on tyres etc), there isn't much difference in performance, won't handle near as well, it wont be as comfortable and I know which one I'd rather be sitting into into every day, the OPC's interior is terrible.

Supergurrier

Tbh I was in the same boat 13 months ago and only way to know which would suit you best is to get a spin in them all.

Will be atleast 1 of each popular hot hatch at midway on the 23rd if u fancy coming along for a look

tossy

Colash wrote: »

Vauxhall Astra opc ? 240bhp

Where's the yawn smiley lol losing the will to live here, OPC's ST's etc are only hotter and better as opinions change. Your post lead me to believe you knew the secret to cheaper M3 or EVO ownership.

tossy

Axton Chilly Runt wrote: »

An Astra OPC is going to cost more to run than a GTI (worse mpg, harder on tyres etc), there isn't much difference in performance, won't handle near as well, it wont be as comfortable and I know which one I'd rather be sitting into into every day, the OPC's interior is terrible.

+1 the OPC Corsa is leagues ahead of the Astra in terms of being a more bespoke hot hatch.

ironclaw

I think at 21 your insurance will be very high. You'll need to ring each company as the online system won't quote. GTI's are high risk due to the power and the theft risk (A mates has been targeted twice)

Running costs are high if anything starts to go wrong. They will cost a lot more than a usual car to maintain as nothing to do with them will tolerate cheap and they do need a little more TLC if you want to preserve its overall value. On the plus side, you'd probably sell it very handy as opposed to any other car. If financials are your concern, don't buy one. You can't run performance cars on a budget. There's plenty of cars with a good bit of poke that won't crucify your wallet in the long run.

ironclaw

ironclaw wrote: »

Running costs are high if anything starts to go wrong. They will cost a lot more than a usual car to maintain as nothing to do with them will tolerate cheap and they do need a little more TLC if you want to preserve its overall value. On the plus side, you'd probably sell it very handy as opposed to any other car. If financials are your concern, don't buy one. You can't run performance cars on a budget. There's plenty of cars with a good bit of poke that won't crucify your wallet in the long run.

GTI's won't cost a lot more to maintain than a normal car if looked after correctly. The 2.0FSI engine is one of the most reliable around aside from one or two well known issues like the cam follower which if done as a preventative measure is a cheap fix it should only cost slightly more to maintain than your average car.

Running costs (petrol), tax and insurance (for a 21 year old, I'm 28 and only pay 500 fully comp on a gti) will be higher than some usual car, but not all.

Tea 1000

Axton Chilly Runt wrote: »

Won't be a Golf GTI though the king of hot hatches

None will have the all round ownership experience, build quality, nice interior and comfort of a Golf GTI and I doubt any are as cheap to run and there is very little difference in performance (a GTI is very easily remapped too) and don't forget its superior handling.

Lets be clear here though... Mk 5 upwards! Mk 3 and 4 were pure pants and competition was much better.
A Focus ST is a better car than the Golf GTi, but higher running costs along with it. Mazda 3 MPS is a nice left field choice, but hard to find.

Tea 1000

Tea 1000 wrote: »

Lets be clear here though... Mk 5 upwards! Mk 3 and 4 were pure pants and competition was much better.
A Focus ST is a better car than the Golf GTi, but higher running costs along with it. Mazda 3 MPS is a nice left field choice, but hard to find.

Yes I'm taking mk5 upwards of course.

MetzgerMeister

Axton Chilly Runt wrote: »

Won't be a Golf GTI though the king of hot hatches

I'm afraid you're wrong sir! The king of hot hatches is of course, the Focus RS

Supergurrier

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

I'm afraid you're wrong sir! The king of hot hatches is of course, the Focus RS

Focus ST + 3k in mods will eat an rs alive.

Then again a megane rs will leave them both for dead

tossy

Supergurrier wrote: »

Focus ST + 3k in mods will eat an rs alive.

Then again a megane rs will leave them both for dead

I always feel a little ill inside when people use the term "eat alive" in relation to one cars performance over another. I don't think people realise the gap in performance needed to eat a car alive on the road e'g a 700bhp supercar will eat a Golf GTI alive,you need more than a 100bhp/150bhp gap to eat a car alive,with such a small gap all you have is a slightly faster car.

I fee equally ill when someones says x car plus 3k in mods will beat Y car,let's balance that one up and spend 3k on y car!

For example a mk4 golf GTI with 3k in suspension mods will out handle any modern hot hatch,but spend that 3k on a MK5 GTI.........

Supergurrier

Normally it wouldn't be relevant but whenyou are comparing a 25k car and 7k car based on the same platform with the same ddrive train its worth noting.

From the OP's original post though he is unsure as to running costs as he doesn't want to overextend himself and I understand where he is coming from.

Biggest factor will be annual milage and condition of car purchased. After that its all down to how much you want to spend initially versus running costs

Henry Ford III

If it's road cars we're discussing here modding already hot hatches won't be much of an advantage.

They are all quick, and speed limits apply to everyone after all.

If it's a road/track compromise however it's an entirely different argument.

Supergurrier

No offence but if that was the case we may as well all drive diesels limited to 75mpg and he would already have the perfect car and not having fun discussing
each cars merits.

Don't forget the integta dc5 and Skoda Octavia vrs are also hatchbacks

Supergurrier

Supergurrier wrote: »

No offence but if that was the case we may as well all drive diesels limited to 75mpg and he would already have the perfect car and not having fun discussing
each cars merits.

Don't forget the integta dc5 and Skoda Octavia vrs are also hatchbacks

I think the point he is making is the discussion should really be on comparing cars "out of the box" not bringing mods into it as 95% of people will not mod the cars.

Supergurrier

Axton Chilly Runt wrote: »

I think the point he is making is the discussion should really be on comparing cars "out of the box" not bringing mods into it as 95% of people will not mod the cars.

I explained the reason above

Tea 1000

tossy wrote: »

I always feel a little ill inside when people use the term "eat alive" in relation to one cars performance over another. I don't think people realise the gap in performance needed to eat a car alive on the road e'g a 700bhp supercar will eat a Golf GTI alive,you need more than a 100bhp/150bhp gap to eat a car alive,with such a small gap all you have is a slightly faster car.

I fee equally ill when someones says x car plus 3k in mods will beat Y car,let's balance that one up and spend 3k on y car!

I fully agree, to me being eaten alive by another car is watching it disappear as if I suddenly dropped a cylinder or something. And you do need significantly more bhp to do that to another car.

tossy wrote: »

For example a mk4 golf GTI with 3k in suspension mods will out handle any modern hot hatch,but spend that 3k on a MK5 GTI.........

I disagree here, but more with the specific example than in general. A Mk4 GTi Golf with 3k spent on suspension might out-grip a modern hot hatch, but handling incorporates a much bigger picture. The chassis has to be fundamentally well sorted in the first place for that.

Dr. Sh1te

I see 05, 06 Gti's with asking prices of 7/8k + on donedeal, would it be reasonable to buy say a 2005 Gti private for 5k ?

jamiemaguire

Thanks for all those who replied, yeh I kind of thought around 30mpg. I know it's never going to be the party piece of a hot hatch but Iv to be realistic aswell, I rang the insurance company I'm with, who I been with since I was 17 on my own policy (paid premium in full every year in one lump sum too might I add) and they couldn't even offer me a quote till I'm 30!!!!! Bad business I thought that they couldn't even offer me a quote, anyway I know there legally obliged to offer me a quote if Iv bought the car but that could really be anything they feel like charging me! Gonna have a look at xs insurance (I think that's the name) they offer reasonable quotes if you take a higher excess, I know this is a risk but haven't been in any accidents yet (touch wood). So will cancel my liberty policy and take whatever refund I get and put towards new policy.

Supergurrier

Try brokers
123.ie
Axa
XS (hint is in the name on how they operate)

Im guessing you were with liberty, they also tried to ride me on my renewal.

All this posting here is bluff and bravado with everyone having their favourites. As i said come along to the midway motors meet and you will get to see 1-2 GTI's and 1-2 ST's a DC5 RX8 and one of the lads bought a Astra OPC (but not sure if he is attending) in the flesh standard and remapped and it will give you an idea of what they are like in both guises, i will happily bring you for a spin down the M7 abit and im sure OSI or Gollywog will do the same.

Good luck with your decision.

68 lost souls

I'm 26 and just got a quote on chill.ie for a 2005 GTI myself of €850 fully comp with 5 years NCB. Worth giving them a try, ring around all the insurance places.

Supergurrier

68 lost souls wrote: »

I'm 26 and just got a quote on chill.ie for a 2005 GTI myself of €850 fully comp with 5 years NCB. Worth giving them a try, ring around all the insurance places.

OPC+ST were the exact same for me down to the cent.

Same risk category, even im paying 600 after all the bells and whistles are added @ 30

68 lost souls

Supergurrier wrote: »

OPC+ST were the exact same for me down to the cent.

Same risk category, even im paying 600 after all the bells and whistles are added @ 30

Its not too bad considering the quotes I got when I first started driving. Now I just have to figure out how much my budget is for a new motor to see if I can afford the GTI. (I see a help me pick my car thread in the future)

kona

There's a few r32 r33 gtr skylines for sale at reasonable money.
Throw a few k at them and your up around 500bhp.

jamiemaguire

Just an update, decided to just go for a golf GTI. Got one yesterday with a 230bhp map. Also not too bad on petrol, so all good thanks for the replies!

gollywog

jamiemaguire wrote: »

Just an update, decided to just go for a golf GTI. Got one yesterday with a 230bhp map. Also not too bad on petrol, so all good thanks for the replies!

Sorry I'm late to the party but congrats!
Have a remapped mk5 gti myself over a year now, never regretted it for a second. I absolutely love it, and nearly having to sell it as I list my job has only made me love it more, I think I'll be driving it until it breaks down

Best of luck with it and keep us updated!

BobLeeSwagger

450 miles to a full tank is the best I've ever got and to be more realistic you would see around 300 miles or a little more on average to the full tank.

DSG is a must in these cars. After that it depends what you want. Leather seats, dual climate control, highline clocks, xenons, 18" alloys, paddle shift and sat nav. The build quality is great and handling is very good. Have mine nearly two years and I've only every had to spend money on a service(VW) for it. No parts or even tyres put on it yet thankfully.

dangerousdavem

Congrats on the new car. Any pics?

jamiemaguire

Mines a Manual....but still couldn't have everything. Rang insurance today (liberty) and said I bought a new car, they asked reg etc and said its a term 2 high risk vehicle and would only quote a 30 yr old male...but they would have to quote if
I actually owned the car already which I said i did....just to say before this the cheapest quote I got was 1600 with a 3k excess....or chill was 1900. So anyway she comes back on and says my insurance has gone up €140!! Which means it's only really cost about €1040 for the year as just renewed my policy on the Audi 2 months ago!! Was delighted...when I was ringing first I was full sure I would be cancelling it....

Pics below

BobLeeSwagger

Looks very nice. Hope you have lots of hassle free driving with it!

dangerousdavem

Beautiful GTI. Best of luck with it

markoire

Lovely car OP- saw it on donedeal last week.. Mind me asking roughly how much it was in the end? Looking at getting one myself soon as I've just got a job way closer to home!!

Supergurrier

Nice car they look best in red IMO.

Hope to see it at a future meet

Comhrá

Lovely motor. Best of good luck with it. I had a 2006 GTI DSG once and I loved it. Nicest car I ever had the good fortune to own.

jamiemaguire

markoire wrote: »

Lovely car OP- saw it on donedeal last week.. Mind me asking roughly how much it was in the end? Looking at getting one myself soon as I've just got a job way closer to home!!

Yeh i had left a deposit on it for a week before.....thought it was too good to pass up....has low enough miles...good service history and the map done it for me ......paid just a shade under €5500...was cheapest on DD by a grand or so.

Celly Smunt

Axton Chilly Runt wrote: »

None will have the all round ownership experience, build quality, nice interior and comfort of a Golf GTI and I doubt any are as cheap to run and there is very little difference in performance (a GTI is very easily remapped too) and don't forget its superior handling.

Are we talking about a golf here?

jamiemaguire

jamiemaguire wrote: »

Yeh i had left a deposit on it for a week before.....thought it was too good to pass up....has low enough miles...good service history and the map done it for me ......paid just a shade under €5500...was cheapest on DD by a grand or so.

Best of luck with it. Good price too, what year?

pmcmahon wrote: »

Are we talking about a golf here?

I certainly am.

Gumbo

Looks great OP.

some points to note :

• nice wheels, the black works against the red, especially when its clean
• What springs/coilovers are in it? Looks nicely lowered
• who done the remap? 230bhp is quite low for a remap as they generally achieve 245-250bhp on a stage 1 remap with no supporting mods.

jamiemaguire

jamiemaguire wrote: »

Mines a Manual....but still couldn't have everything. Rang insurance today (liberty) and said I bought a new car, they asked reg etc and said its a term 2 high risk vehicle and would only quote a 30 yr old male...but they would have to quote if
I actually owned the car already which I said i did....just to say before this the cheapest quote I got was 1600 with a 3k excess....or chill was 1900. So anyway she comes back on and says my insurance has gone up €140!! Which means it's only really cost about €1040 for the year as just renewed my policy on the Audi 2 months ago!! Was delighted...when I was ringing first I was full sure I would be cancelling it....

Pics below

Meant to say in my post above if it hasn't already been done get the high pressure fuel pump cam follower inspected/replaced. Its one of the very few weaknesses of the 2.0fsi engine, its a cheap preventative job but not something you want failing as it can do some expensive damage.

jamiemaguire

kceire wrote: »

Looks great OP.

some points to note :

• nice wheels, the black works against the red, especially when its clean
• What springs/coilovers are in it? Looks nicely lowered
• who done the remap? 230bhp is quite low for a remap as they generally achieve 245-250bhp on a stage 1 remap with no supporting mods.

I'm not sure of the brand they are there coilovers that's all I know, gonna get a good look underneath in tomorrow and ill let u know. Yeh it's low but not crazy low. It's a joe power remap apparently....

jamiemaguire

Axton Chilly Runt wrote: »

Best of luck with it. Good price too, what year?

And it's 2005, sorry.

Gumbo

jamiemaguire wrote: »

I'm not sure of the brand they are there coilovers that's all I know, gonna get a good look underneath in tomorrow and ill let u know. Yeh it's low but not crazy low. It's a joe power remap apparently....

i would leave them as iss myself, as it looks great.
I would also be of the opinion that Joe Powers remap is making more than 230bhp.