MK7 TDI Golf

OREGATO

Hi guys,

I know there is a megathread but I think that's only for the GTI/GTD/R lines

We're coming from a MK4 SDI from 2000 which has had 260,000 miles put on it and is still running strong. I had my heart set on a MK6 but the EGR issues and that fear of having a huge bill that could rear it's head at any stage.

I've decided perhaps stretching my budget a little makes more sense and maybe a MK7 is more refined and a better option.

Certainly searching online, there doesn't seem to be many reported issues with the MK7 bar some alignment issues.

I just wanted to see if there were any MK7 owners or people who have experience with them and if they could comment on their experiences with the car. Particularly around reliability which is my number 1 concern.

Anything to look out for with the MK7's and any comments on the 1.6 TDI Vs 2.0 TDI and Bluemotion variants?

Thanks in advance,

O

Toyotafanboi

If you can stretch your budget to a Mk7 then I certainly would, they are a big improvement over the Mk6. That said, the 6 isn't necessarily a bad car.

EGR issues seem to be virtually non existent in the Mk7 so they much have made a lot of revisions in that regard. Very early models (2013 cars) can be a little bit spartan in terms of spec and extras, compared to a 2014 where the likes of radar assist braking was standard across the range.

There isn't a huge difference between the 1.6 and the 2.0, the 2.0 has a bit more grunt if you drive it hard but in day to day driving the 1.6 is competent, but it does only have 5 years. We have a 1.6 Mk7 the last year and it's averaging 5.2 l/100km which is say the 2.0 would find hard to beat.

OREGATO

Thanks for the reply TFB, we're still on the look out, have one or two on the shortlist but still struggling to find something that is just perfect.

One other question I had is around getting a mechanic to look over a car, are the AA checks worth it? Or is getting a local mechanic a better idea?

bazz26

Depends on who you are buying it from really. If buying from a main dealer with a good reputation and warranty then I'd tend to have a good poke around it myself. If it's a small time dealer you are not familiar with or a private buyer then definitely get someone who is mechanically knowledgeable to inspect it. AA are expensive and personally I'd only use them if there was nobody else I'd know or trust available.

Gael23

Coming from a 1.9SDI you will find the 1.6 plenty.

OREGATO

bazz26 wrote: »

Depends on who you are buying it from really. If buying from a main dealer with a good reputation and warranty then I'd tend to have a good poke around it myself. If it's a small time dealer you are not familiar with or a private buyer then definitely get someone who is mechanically knowledgeable to inspect it. AA are expensive and personally I'd only use them if there was nobody else I'd know or trust available.

I'm possibly going to spin up to Donegal to check out some Golfs in Shane Connolly cars - thing is, it's a 7 hour round trip from Dublin! I see on FB some people buy the car blind and just get it delivered but I wouldn't be able to do that. I'd at least need to see the car first. Thinking about it, it's going to be very difficult/expensive to get someone to travel 7 hours to view a car unless anyone knows someone local to the area?

Gael23 wrote: »

Coming from a 1.9SDI you will find the 1.6 plenty.

Yup, I agree, the SDI was a stop gap, the car is for herself and she was coming from a 2 litre TDI A3 before it, she never stops complaining about the lack of power

MojoMaker

Is there a Jasper Conran edition of the TDI you could nab?

bazz26

There are thousands of Golfs for sale, do you really think it's practical to travel a 7 hour round trip for one?

OREGATO

bazz26 wrote: »

There are thousands of Golfs for sale, do you really think it's practical to travel a 7 hour round trip for one?

Definitely not practical but I'm not known for being practical

You're right though, there are tonnes of Golf's up for sale and I've gone and looked at a few. Some cars didn't check out for reasons I won't get into here and a lot of the ones available from main dealers are low spec.
Most of the English ones will have a few extras which we'd like, the adaptive cruise control, reversing sensors, heated seats etc.