Potential GTI Purchase

[Vdubya]

Hey guys first, time poster long time lurker on these forums. I'm thinking of purchasing a RED GTI 2nd hand, (can't afford new), and narrowed my selection down to two ad's i found on carsales/drive.

Which of the two would be a better buy? Keeping im mind i would "ideally like the sunroof option"

-2006 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF V MY07 GTI DSG: 29053kms

Factory Standard, Cloth Seats, No Sunroof, No Remaining Factor Warranty

-2006 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF V MY07 GTI DSG: 51,165kms

-Leather Black Interior, Sat Nav, Sunroof, BiXenon Headlamps and few months remaining factory warranty

This decision i think would have been made easier had it not been for the somewhat high mileage on the 2nd option.

Do you think this is an unreasonable amount of km/s for a second hand purchase? Which car would you guys choose?

[les88]

If you can buy the extended warranty on #2 I would take that one, if not then #1. Good luck
les

[Vdubya]

Also should i be deterred from the fact that little to no factory warranty exists on the cars? Regardless i would still be purchasing extended warranty as the DSG transmission if failing at any stage would be too costly a replacement.

[Vdubya]

If you can buy the extended warranty on #2 I would take that one, if not then #1. Good luck
les

The 2nd car is from a mazda dealership, i would have assumed you could buy extended warranty for any car. I recall VW advertises this for $1600 per year.

[Rickardo]

I'm assuming that the cost difference detween the two is neglegable since you didn't put the prices up.

Based on spec and the kms I would still choose option two. 50,000kms is nothing on a VW. I've owned four now in the Uk and never had any major mechanical issues, so long as servicing is regular with good quality fluids and parts. The watch points are the known faults and rattles i.e air con compressor, trim, coil packs (mk-iv).

The two questions you need to ask yourself is how many km's do I do in a year and how long do I expect to keep it for. Once you've done this the resale value for both will be quite clear and this will help you make your decision.

For me, I like the driving experiance and it's all about bells and whistles. You don't want to think to yourself every time you hop into the pilots seat "wish I went for the....."

FYI - My current GTi, which is a Nov 07 has 52,000km on the clock and has not failed to miss a beat.

Hope this helps

[sa-r32]

I'd go the one with the sunroof, the extra k's wouldn't worry me.

Having had a sunroof in my last two cars I'd be reluctant to have a car without one now.

[Russ59]

The 2nd car is from a mazda dealership, i would have assumed you could buy extended warranty for any car. I recall VW advertises this for $1600 per year.

It's not $1600 per year, it's for 3 years I think you'll find.

From past experience I would advise that you definitely look for one with the lowest K's possible and service history. Most importantly take your time and don't rush into it, I know it's fun and exciting looking for a car (unless it's been stolen of course ) but it's a buyers market out there especially in the present financial time and there are good buys available. If you can get one with full service history ask the seller for the details of the servicing dealer or agent and contact them and ask about the car.

There was another newcomer on the forums a short time back looking, as you are, to buy a used VW Golf, he came across one which had everything he wanted but the servicing dealer wouldn't tell him anything about it other than the fact that it had been serviced there, and the seller (a dealership) couldn't or wouldn't disclose any other history details about the car. I told the guy to very wary as something didn't sound right (I could smell a rat), he was taking it for an independent pre purchase inspection anyway which was a smart move on his behalf because it was discovered that the car had problems, it had been stolen from the previous owner, had extensive damage done to it which had been repaired and quite a few other things were still not as they should be. This was being sold by a licensed dealer so you still need to be careful. VW are pretty stringent about servicing as well so it would pay you to make sure the car you choose has full service history and if you can make sure the vehicle will be eligible for the extended warranty before you sign anything.

Here's a link to the used VW warranty details - http://www.volkswagen.com.au/etc/med...cy%2012.07.pdf

Just don't jump in and buy the first one you see or drive and negotiate hard, you should be able to get a good deal. Best of luck, enjoy and don't forget to post a photo or two when you get it, welcome to the forums.

Russ

[Unbelievable]

I'd go the one with the sunroof, the extra k's wouldn't worry me.

Having had a sunroof in my last two cars I'd be reluctant to have a car without one now.

Hey can I just ask: why is that? What do you like about having a sunroof? I've never owned a car with one and don't know what the advantage is.

Thanks.

[KWICKS]

I think you will find the car must currently be under factory warranty to purchase the factory extension, and that the car must have met all of the factory warranty service requirements to be eligible as well. Sounds like car #2 is the only option if you want the factory warranty extension (assuming it has a service history equal to VW requirements).

I'd buy the car that presents the best and has a full service history irrespective of the other facts. And the choice between leather and cloth is one you will live with every day, the sunroof you will use only occasionally.

[Big Yellow]

The second car also has bi-xenons!

Once you have had bi-xenons, you can never go back to a car without them!!