QLD Considering a Golf

[teflon]

G'day all. New member from SEQ. Have driven Japanese cars my whole life - currently a Liberty GT (MY05) and prior to that the version 6 WRX STi. However, am now seriously considering selling the GT for a Golf ... Am trying to decide between the 118TSI (new) vs. a used MkV GTI - aiming for circa $30K.

Have been lurking a lot the last few days and hope to learn a lot more about the VW brand before I leave my Subaru days behind me!

[XDC556]

Do not buy VW

Hello,

My suggestion is do not buy VW, there are lot of strange problem they can not find the root cause. My car is still with dealer after three times broke down on the road.

And have very bad experience with custom service as well.

[docjames]

Mkay, unhappy owner above.

Short answer: get the GTI (MkV)

I have the MkV GTI having moved out of a series of XR6T/XR8, plus owned various others.

If moving out of an STI and a GT, then the GTI will suit you better. We own both a MkV 2.0FSI (ie. 2L petrol) and a GTI - the GTI kills it. You'll find the 118 doesnt have enough "go" stepping out of your recent drives.

The MkV still looks frsh enough, and you'll get a decent pick of second hand ones in the low $30ks.

[teflon]

Plan on test driving a MkV GTI this week ... have already driven the 90 and the 118 and found that they were fine for city driving but didn't get a long enough drive to make a proper judgement ... Only reason I considered the 118 is because of corporate discount and the anecdotal evidence that the MkVs had some QC issues.

Good to hear your opinion docjames on the GTI and your previous rides... I'm getting a bit tired of changing gears in brisbane peak hour traffic and think that the dsg with paddle shifts might be the best of both worlds ... We'll see what the drive is like!

[docjames]

The DSG is an awesome gearbox. My XRs were manual, the DSG is just a great gearbox, and has made this manual-only driver into a believer.

[teflon]

Test drove a MkV GTI today ... only a 15 min test but thoroughly enjoyed it - the paddle shifts make a difference to the driving experience for sure. Lightning quick gear changes with the turbo surge still evident ... more low down torque than the Subarus I've driven in the past. It'll be high on my want list should the liberty sell...