three door gti availability

[daniel7y]

does anyone know why there seems to be such limited quantities of three door gti's?
were they shipped in limited quantities or were they just less popular?

were they sold for more or less than the five door? currently, in the used market are they worth more or less than the five door?

and were they shipping gti's as three doors in 2005? or did they introduce the three door later after the five door was released in australia.

i'm looking to buy a three door at the moment, just wanted to get a bit more information, as they seem to be harder to find than the five doors! i did a search but couldn't find anything...

[Corey_R]

They weren't available until the R32 was introduced. The R32 came in both 5 door and 3 door, and at that point, the 3 door GTI came along too. The 5 door MKV Golf's were made in South Africia, whereas the 3 door Golf's (and all R32's) came from Germany.

So beside a late start, 5 door cars are just far more popular in Australia. There's a bit of the "more is better" mentality, there's a bit of the "easier for mates to get in the back", and there's a bit of the "what if I have kids" thing happening, as well as the existing families who "need" a five door.

Three door Golf's were/are $1500 less RRP. Second hand I don't think there is really much diff on price, because as you've noted, they're a lot rarer, and yet someone who is looking for the sportiest, most traditional, and most attractive of the body styles, will be looking for a three door!

[Maverick]

They weren't available until the R32 was introduced. The R32 came in both 5 door and 3 door, and at that point, the 3 door GTI came along too. The 5 door MKV Golf's were made in South Africia, whereas the 3 door Golf's (and all R32's) came from Germany.

Early 5 door GTI's came out of Germany. Not sure when the changeover was but it was possibly around the time the R32 came along.

[triode12]

Not all early 5Dr models did though (come from Wolfsburg).
I know someone who has an manual 05 GTI (with active headrests, projector fogs, glovebox catch release, and no antenna) that is made in SA.

[DiZzY]

I waited out for a 3dr / wanted a 3dr and got a 3dr.

I think the build quality of either the 5dr and 3dr are pretty on par whether it is from SA or the home of VW.

Am i missing something here, what other advantages does a 3dr have coming from Wolfsburg???

[triode12]

I waited out for a 3dr / wanted a 3dr and got a 3dr.

I think the build quality of either the 5dr and 3dr are pretty on par whether it is from SA or the home of VW.

Am i missing something here, what other advantages does a 3dr have coming from Wolfsburg???

Good Looks!

[DiZzY]

Good Looks!

We already knew that

[Wolfgang]

Took me six months to find my three door, even then I had to make some compromises with the spec.

As for build quality, being a Wolfsburg built car seems to have made no difference, the interior rattles just as much as a SA built car.

Happy with what I ended up buying. Keep looking and you will find what your after.