Golf GTI Mark VI Specifications and Prices

[DoggieHowser]

First time buying a car down under so hope this doesn't sound too n00bie.

Sales guy said to put a deposit down for the car to reserve it first. Sounds reasonable to me seeing as I won't be in Australia till first Monday of July and these driveaway promos would be over by then.

Except I am still overseas and have no account activated in Australia yet. So I'm offered a chance to put it on my credit card.

Again. Still sounds reasonable to me.

Later the agent says his computer has locked up and sends me the sales contract (filled) but unsigned to me via his personal email account, ie non company address.

So is it normal to give out credit card number over the phone for the deposit? Even if I did a bank transfer, there's no way to know if the account number is a personal one or not, is there?

Sorry if this is a bit naive. A part of me tells me to be a bit wary. But then again, never having bought a car in Australia, I am not sure of proper protocols.

In the UK, I walked in with a cheque and the agent walked me through the fine print. In Singapore, they made me sign a couple of empty forms!! Which I can tell you is even scarier but it turned out when I asked around, was quite common.

[markwid]

It's all too hard. You are giving away too much negotiation power. Why not just land in the country before buying a car off the lot?

[DoggieHowser]

There's a driveaway promo now. And the prices seem reasonable for the specs. I did call around and it seems like most dealers here aren't anywhere close to the specs.

I think my bare min has to be bixenon.

Ideally, ACC, OPS (better with reverse camera) and Dynaudio.

Leather, iPod and BT are not important.

[xordis]

Sales guy said to put a deposit down for the car to reserve it first. Sounds reasonable to me seeing as I won't be in Australia till first Monday of July and these driveaway promos would be over by then.

This sounds strange. My understanding of the free driveaway deal was that you had to have the car delivered (fully paid for) before the end of June. So it has to be a car in stock or on a boat being unloaded. I would have said being unloaded this week, but with the strikes that is pushing it now.

Except I am still overseas and have no account activated in Australia yet. So I'm offered a chance to put it on my credit card.

Again. Still sounds reasonable to me.

Later the agent says his computer has locked up and sends me the sales contract (filled) but unsigned to me via his personal email account, ie non company address.

So is it normal to give out credit card number over the phone for the deposit? Even if I did a bank transfer, there's no way to know if the account number is a personal one or not, is there?

Credit card number of the phone is pretty normal here. We don't have the issues they have in other parts of the world (yet)
Sending you a contract using his personal address is also not uncommon, but a little weird from a big dealer. If your in doubt give the dealer main phone number a call and ask to speak with the manager or accounts person, and ask if its legit or not.

[SilvrFoxX]

Credit card number of the phone is pretty normal here. We don't have the issues they have in other parts of the world (yet)
Sending you a contract using his personal address is also not uncommon, but a little weird from a big dealer. If your in doubt give the dealer main phone number a call and ask to speak with the manager or accounts person, and ask if its legit or not.

What he said.. I also think you should voice your concerns with him so he can can takes steps to make sure all of them are addressed.

[Corey_R]

There's a driveaway promo now. And the prices seem reasonable for the specs. I did call around and it seems like most dealers here aren't anywhere close to the specs.

In all honesty mate, this "driveaway promo" is simply "easy gains for those who cannot negotiate". The dealers are usually less willing to negotiate during these sale periods - but the "driveaway promo prices" are genuinely no better than what people with good negotiation skills have been able to manage on their own outside of sales periods.

Having said that, floor stock is usually harder to negotiate on. So if you're coming to the country and want a car to use ASAP, then it still might be worth your while grabbing what you can if you find a car which meets your specs.

[xordis]

In all honesty mate, this "driveaway promo" is simply "easy gains for those who cannot negotiate". The dealers are usually less willing to negotiate during these sale periods - but the "driveaway promo prices" are genuinely no better than what people with good negotiation skills have been able to manage on their own outside of sales periods.

Having said that, floor stock is usually harder to negotiate on. So if you're coming to the country and want a car to use ASAP, then it still might be worth your while grabbing what you can if you find a car which meets your specs.

Some people also don't have access to corporate or government discounts which really help kickstart the process.
I would say most people have the skills to negotiate if they took a little time to read through some threads on here. The real issue are hard nosed salesmen who won't move on prices. Easiest thing for that is to move the next dealer.

[mebius9]

Is GTI overpriced?

My friend just bought the new Passat 118TSI last week for around 40k D/A
it comes standard with following that isn't standard on GTI:

-Heated Leather seats
-Optical park assist
-DSG 7speed
-electric parking brake with hill assist
-MDI

Now GTI clearly has a lot less metal for the money to begin with and I doubt that 2.0T engine in GTI is whole lot more expensive then the 1.8T in the Passat, in fact, I think 1.4 twincharge engine would cost more to make then both engines...

Is the GTI cash cow for VW?

[brad]

That's normally the way it is. The sporty models have a bigger profit margin.

You forget to list what the GTI has over the Passat. IMO, I can't really see somebody cross-shopping an entry level Passat against a GTI. logical cross-shop would be Skoda Superb & Audi A4.

PS: The passat has a 1.8TSI engine, same as an Octavia, entry level Superb, Audi A4, etc. EA888 block the same as the 2.0GTI.

[Finance_Analyst]

Yeah I would tend to agree. Plus the Passat (correct me if I am wrong) also comes out of Germany so no real cost saving there..

Maybe it's the jaky cloth that costs so much

The Passat is really a value for money car though. Similar argument to a Subaru Liberty Vs WRX, or BMW M3 Vs BMW X5M

[Corey_R]

OMG! The Polo GTI costs $28k but the Golf 77TSI only costs $25k... VW you suck!

OMG, the HSV Astra is $45k but you can get a SS Commodore for that.

Repeat, rinse and lather for every single brand out there.
REAL Sports models (i.e. not simply those with "sports stickers") cost more. As has always been the case.

[mebius9]

That's normally the way it is. The sporty models have a bigger profit margin.

You forget to list what the GTI has over the Passat. IMO, I can't really see somebody cross-shopping an entry level Passat against a GTI. logical cross-shop would be Skoda Superb & Audi A4.

PS: The passat has a 1.8TSI engine, same as an Octavia, entry level Superb, Audi A4, etc. EA888 block the same as the 2.0GTI.

I'm not suggesting you cross shop Passat and GTI, I'm just saying GTI might be massively overpriced compare to other VW models...

[Maverick]

My friend just bought the new Passat 118TSI last week for around 40k D/A
it comes standard with following that isn't standard on GTI:

-Heated Leather seats
-Optical park assist
-DSG 7speed
-MDI

Now GTI clearly has a lot less metal for the money to begin with and I doubt that 1.8T engine in Passat is whole lot more expensive then the 2.0T in the GTI in fact I think 1.4 twincharge engine would cost more to make then both engines...

Is the GTI cash cow for VW?

Apples and Oranges.

The DSG 7 speed is not an improvement over the DSG 6 speed, they are different gearboxes for different applications (low power vs high power), the MDI is standard on the GTI as is bluetooth (an $800 option on the Passat I assume) and the DSG GTI is around $42K driveaway at the moment. Leather and park assist add another $5K.

GTI has plenty standard that the Passat doesn't

-Sports suspension
-Sports seats
-Sports instrumentation
-Handling (doesn't have the boat feeling you get from the Passat)
-More powerful engine, stronger transmission capable of a lot more tuning
-Performance tyres

to name but a few of the many changes

You can get more Falcon for your money then a Passat. Does that make the Falcon better??

Take a look at the base model Golfs and the extra for the GTI isn't that much when you consider what you get. This would be a better comparison instead of comparing two different models (and one model being a pov pack and the other being one of the sports models). The GTI will have more gross profit in it but probably less net profit when you look at the low volumes and the R&D costs.

[DoggieHowser]

I think VWA already commented that with the higher AUD, they took the opportunity to reprice the PoloGTI when it was first announced. Not sure if the regular Polos were too. I remember reading about it when researching the PoloGTI.

I expect the new Passat would get the same pricing consideration.

The Golf VI came out much earlier so I think they still had the old pricing which they never corrected. Might not be a bad thing for current owners who worry about resale, I guess.

But Mk VII? If the AUD continues to be this high, I expect the price to be revised as well.

[brad]

I'm not suggesting you cross shop Passat and GTI, I'm just saying GTI might be massively overpriced compare to other VW models...

i guess it is compared to a Polo but if you just looked at price/features/value then you'd probably buy a Hyundai i30. Look at the street price of a base Commodore compared to a HSV Clubsport - same thing.

You sound like my crusty old German Father-in-law "Why did you waste your money buying the expensive one?"

"well gee, the extra 30kw is nice, and I like the low profile tyres & alloy wheels. The leather steering wheel feels pretty sexy. The dual zone climate control is a lot nicer than the basic style aircon. I lke the 6-stack & MP3 capability. The 6 airbags make me feel a bit safer, as does the stability control. I love the trip computer, electric windows, cruise control & all the extra gadgetsIn fact. I even think it's worth the premium for the badge on the back & the fact i can say my car craps all over your entry level 4 cylinder camry."