Upgrade Polo GTI or R32?

[jamesatfish]

Hmm... seems like the crowd has spoken - R32 off the menu.

Timbo's S3 suggestion seems interesting - I had imagined they were closer to $80K but at R32 money it does appear to be the better option - especially with APR (and no doubt others) able to chip it to 245kW for less than $2000.

I'm still not convinced by the Golf GTI option - I guess I'm not seeing how it's a decent upgrade from the Polo GTI but I haven't driven a MkV Golf GTI on the track so I'll have to go with Guy, golfworx, sharkie et al. I might take another look at the local dealer and see what they've got. Guy - are you bringing the APR Golf to the NSW Dutton?

Thanks again to everyone for your input!

[Guy_H]

Hey James,

Still tossing up on the NSW Dutton, doing Drive Bathurst in December, so its a bit tough to justify both - don't count us out just yet though!

[jamesatfish]

Hey James,

Still tossing up on the NSW Dutton, doing Drive Bathurst in December, so its a bit tough to justify both - don't count us out just yet though!

I'm just the opposite - booked into Dutton but considering Drive Bathurst (though not with the Polo) - so maybe I'll catch your GTI there instead!

[Zed!]

Well I guess it really depends on how often you are going to track your car, how quick you want to go get round that track and how you're going to want to drive that car on a daily basis. Personally the Polo gti seems a odd choice of car to seriously modify and track. It's a fwd 1.8 t/c car. There's a limit as to how quick u can get this car round a track (in relative safety). It just doesn't have the chassis to compete with the likes of an unmodded Clio for example. Additionally there's going to be a lot of wear and tear on the 1.8 motor, especially if you've increased the kw significantly. However I wouldnt opt for an R32 either, despite me owning one! It would be fun on a track day, but like others have said, it's a little bit heavy and hard to get decent power out of it unless you go the forced induction route. Another thing to consider before you mod your GTI further is the resale value. I'm guessing you could pull all the mods off and say it's never been tracked, but people will run a mile if they think it's been anywhere near a track. I've got a few mates that have modded/tracked Wrxs etc and they have had an absolute nightmare trying to sell them. One had to pull off $30ks worth of mods, spent a further $3k returning the car to stock and still had to take a big hit when selling. So basically what I'm saying is ditch the gti and get yourself something that is quick round a track with a robust engine, stiff chassis etc something like an Evo X, Pignose Sti. They would eat an R32 for breakfast. The only reason I didnt go with either is because I don't plan on tracking my car and the r32 is a great daily driver with nice power. But as a track car - lots of better options.

*Oh and didn't mean to offend Polo owners. I've not driven one yet so maybe I should!

[jamesatfish]

Zed! - thanks for those thoughts, and absolutely no offence taken!

Some really good points there...

Well I guess it really depends on how often you are going to track your car, how quick you want to go get round that track and how you're going to want to drive that car on a daily basis. Personally the Polo gti seems a odd choice of car to seriously modify and track. It's a fwd 1.8 t/c car. There's a limit as to how quick u can get this car round a track (in relative safety). It just doesn't have the chassis to compete with the likes of an unmodded Clio for example. Additionally there's going to be a lot of wear and tear on the 1.8 motor, especially if you've increased the kw significantly.

As to how often I'm going to track the Polo or it's replacement - I guess the answer is 'not enough to justify a 100% track car'. I try to get to Wakefield once a month, I'm doing the Dutton Rally in NSW this year and hope to get to a few more events including the VAG motorsport series next year.

As for the choice of the Polo as a track car - it may not be an ideal platform (being FWD) but it's not a bad start - the chassis is quite well balanced, the car is fairly light and the engine is quite tunable. I've not driven a Clio to be able to comment on the relative merits of that car, but being a RWD car I can understand it's a better platform to start with.

However I wouldnt opt for an R32 either, despite me owning one! It would be fun on a track day, but like others have said, it's a little bit heavy and hard to get decent power out of it unless you go the forced induction route.

It seems sad but that's the conclusion I think I've come to - that the R32 isn't the way to go for me. So far most people believe it could do with a bit more power for the chassis and, having spent the last few years tracking a car with a similar 'underpowered' nature i don't want to go down that path again. I do quite like the thought of a 4WD hatch though so I'm going to take a closer look at the Audi S3.

Another thing to consider before you mod your GTI further is the resale value. I'm guessing you could pull all the mods off and say it's never been tracked, but people will run a mile if they think it's been anywhere near a track. I've got a few mates that have modded/tracked Wrxs etc and they have had an absolute nightmare trying to sell them. One had to pull off $30ks worth of mods, spent a further $3k returning the car to stock and still had to take a big hit when selling.

Resale value isn't a huge concern, as I'm hoping that whatever car I decide on I will hang onto for the next 5 years or so and continue to evolve as a track car over that time. I can appreciate that people are scared of buying cars that have been on the track, but also always stuck to my rule that you don't buy cars to make money.

So basically what I'm saying is ditch the gti and get yourself something that is quick round a track with a robust engine, stiff chassis etc something like an Evo X, Pignose Sti. They would eat an R32 for breakfast. The only reason I didnt go with either is because I don't plan on tracking my car and the r32 is a great daily driver with nice power. But as a track car - lots of better options.

I guess part of the appeal of the Polo is that it's something different (unexpected) as a track car. I have always appreciated the Evo but it just doesn't interest me enough to spend $60K, and the WRX I just can't stand as a car although I've driven some seriously modded WRXs on the track and they do make excellent track cars. The Polo / Golf / R32 / S3 option comes from my enjoyment of German cars, so the choice really has to come down to something from VAG.

I'll go take a closer look at the S3 and see where that leads me...

[Pablo64]

clios are fwd... i have a clio 182 and a mkv gti

[jamesatfish]

clios are fwd... i have a clio 182 and a mkv gti

Really? I always thought they were RWD for some reason - is there a 'sporty' RWD version (in the same way that the R32 is 4WD but the rest of the range is 2WD)? Guess I was wrong (not the first time!) but happy to have learned something.

[Pablo64]

there are 3 litre v6 clios which are rwd but never sold new in aust. (believe there are 2? private imports though)

[gregozedobe]

there are 3 litre v6 clios which are rwd but never sold new in aust. (believe there are 2? private imports though)

Do they have the engine where the back seat used to be ?

I was thinking if they have the engine up the front with RWD there wouldn't be much weight over the drive wheels (flashbacks of 1970's V8 utes with way more power than traction, especially in the wet)

[Pablo64]

yes, engine is back seat area

Love my clio. 172 clio sports can be had for low teens now and are great cars. ozrenaultsport.com are a good bunch as well

[Zed!]

I guess part of the appeal of the Polo is that it's something different (unexpected) as a track car. I have always appreciated the Evo but it just doesn't interest me enough to spend $60K, and the WRX I just can't stand as a car although I've driven some seriously modded WRXs on the track and they do make excellent track cars. The Polo / Golf / R32 / S3 option comes from my enjoyment of German cars, so the choice really has to come down to something from VAG.

I'll go take a closer look at the S3 and see where that leads me...

Yeah I'm not a fan of the Wrx or the Evo to be honest. Going from a Japanese car to a German (350z - R32) you do notice the difference in quality. The R32 is far superior to the Z in that department. And for me it would be hard to go back to a Jap car after having a German car!