What drew you to buy a Golf ?

[Corey_R]

In about 2004 I had my heart set on a Mini Cooper S Chilli (with JCW upgrades). I went and test drove one of them with my girlfriend and it was awesome - but in the end I just would not have been able to fit some things in the car that I needed to lug around from time to time (guitars, and their amps etc).

So I had a look at a BMW 120d. It was great in other ways. RWD in a hatchback is awesome. But it just didn't have the 'go' of the mini and the backseat and boot, whilst bigger than the Mini's still weren't great.

I checked out the Mazda SP23 and the MPS when it came out. Such 'average' cars in quality. Plus, what's up with the fuel consumption/engine size vs power on the SP23. Mazda should be embarrased of their fuel consumption when compared to the Golf. (On a side note, the SP25, whilst not having any worse fuel consumption, is worse on size vs power. Did they REALLY need to go up to 2.5L?!).

I checked out various Pugs, Renos, Astras and then saw the Top Gear episode where Jeremy Clarkson first drive the MKV Golf GTI. I went and test drove it and loved it....

But VW Australia only bought in the 5 dr saying they don't see a market for a 'sporty looking' hot hatch and that families are the buyers for a GTI (WTF?! lol). Anyway - by the time the R32 came out and with it the 3 dr GTI, I wasn't in a position to buy a new car.

Until August 2008 when I managed to get a full optioned (minus Metallic paint, as it was red) MY08 GTI with 8k on the clock. I took it over the European Autotech and had the APR Stage II (with quad exhaust) and Oettinger bodykit and Type RE wheels but on it. It was AWESOME. But I had it less than 5 months when a bus killed it in January 09.

At that point the MK6 GTI pictures were out, so there was no way I was going to get another MKV - so I bought a Black Polo GTI MY08 with 10k on the clock instead whilst I waited for the MK6 GTI to come out. But then the news of the R hit, and then the pictures, and now my heart is set on it.


Anyway - since I got the VW 'bug', my mother's partner has purchased a Tiguan, and 3 workmates and friends have purchased Golf's after I suggested they take a walk into a VW dealership.

[triode12]

The new MPS and SP25 are fugly as. It is little wonder they aren't selling as well as their predecessors.

[MurphyTheElf]

The new MPS and SP25 are fugly as. It is little wonder they aren't selling as well as their predecessors.

True.

=

[Frankenstrat]

What a great thread! I'm in the senior age category, I turned 60 last year. I've owned a Mini Minor, Mazda 929, Mazda 323, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry. Currently I don't own a car, I drive a company vehicle, a Toyota HiLux Ute, my wife drives a Nissan Pulsar Plus wagon.

In August last year, my boss said to me one day, "Come with me" and took me to a local Holden dealership and pointed to a Holden Cruze. He wanted to know if I wanted one instead of the ute. I wasn't overly impressed with it, it's too big for my liking. Next we had a look at a Holden Astra hatch, that's more like the size of car I'd be comfortable driving. He told me to have a think about it, so I did my research which lead me to Drive.com.au There was a hatchback comparison, and guess which one came out with flying colours?

My late father was German, and his last two cars were both Golfs. The last one in particular, a MkIV was his pride and joy, he was absolutely heartbroken when he had to part with it due to his not being able to drive any longer.

So with this in mind, I put it to my boss, "I could really see myself behind the wheel of a Golf". This was well-received, he used to own a Golf 4Motion that he apparently "enjoyed driving" in the UK.

It's taken quite a while but finally the wheels have been set in motion and I shall hopefully be making my way up to Wangara this weekend for a test drive and to get acquainted with Dermot Munro. My wife is also very pleased with my choice, so for me it's win-win. I get a great car and my company pays for it.

[mfl]

I have owned a wide variety of cars over the years and was also not a fan of FWD cars.

I grew up driving various early model Commodore V8s, auto and manauls and all of them modified. Last Commodore was a VTSS and that point as much as I liked my V8s the cars just got too big. – not to mention the fuel bills where hurting.

The next decade was being the sensible family man with a Vectra International (nice high revving v6, understeered in every corner). I try to forget the Focus, Astra and Camry company cars.

As aside I wrote to Holden complaining that they replacing their European cars with Korean ones and they told me that did not cater to minority customers like me. So after 6 commodores, 1 Vectra and 28 years of buying Holdens, I looked elsewhere

Then came a brief stint in Liberty Heritage that was so boring to drive that I had to get back into something exciting to drive had a look at a few hatches that could accommodate 4 people.

Had a look at:
Lancer Ralliart – no manual option, so off the list
Renault Megane 225 – nice, but pricey and I was concerned about Renault reliability
Ford Focus XR5 – powerful engine, cheaper, felt faster then GTI, but interior was still a Focus and slightly tacky.

Golf GTI – a different class of car, silver was available (wife’s fav colour) and cloth interior was liked by all. I liked the handling and power, Barloworld had one of the showroom floor and gave a good price and so that was it.

[ricksterrr]

Fantastic thread... really enjoyed reading everyone's posts here!

'Fraid my history of cars is definitely not as impressive as everyone else...

I've driven a 1990 Mitsubishi Lancer, 2001 Toyota Echo and currently driving a 2006 Honda Civic Sport

Back in my final few years of Uni when my interest in cars started growing, I remember watching Jeremy Clarkson's review of the MkV GTI on Top Gear way back in 2004 (when they were still doing proper road tests) which was where I first heard about the GTI. After reading numerous reviews of the GTI where it was showered with all manner of superlatives that you could imagine, I knew that it was a car that I wanted to aim for in the future.

Unfortunately, one could only drive a Maroon Red Echo for so long before all dignity is lost and so I ended up buying the Civic with the money that I had managed to save up at the time.

Around the same period a friend of mine purchased a MkIV Golf R32 and I was immediately impressed with its looks, quality, power and the absolutely orgasmic exhaust note. I also had a ride in a workmate's MkV Golf 2.0 TDI up to the Central Coast and I was equally impressed with it also. It only further strengthened my resolve in getting a Golf.

A couple of years later, with a few more years in full-time work and more money, I found myself yearning for something more exciting, more engaging and more fun to drive than my current Civic which turned my attention back to the GTI again.

I ended up researching the MKVI obsessively throughout late 2008 when it was revealed as a 'concept' at the Paris Motor Show and all through 2009. I think I have read every single MkVI GTI article and review published on the Internet!! I even had a pretty amusing incident (in hindsight anyway) where I thought I was going to be sued by a fellow member of these forums from the IT Law fraternity (who I shall not name) after I found a copy of the MkVI specs accidentally published on the VW website a couple of weeks before the official local release. Yes, turned out that I had completely overreacted and was way too paranoid.

The weekend of the local GTI launch, I went straight to my local VW dealership to check it out in the flesh and to book a test drive for the following day. After the test drive, I dropped a deposit on it. I was immediately impressed with the power, refinement, interior quality and the subtlety of the exterior design to differentiate it from the base models. As JC said in his review "It's a Golf, but somehow it's not". And the rest they say, is history.

Still waiting in agony for the car delivery!

(Apologies if I waffled on a bit too much here)

[xblode]

Ricksterrr, reading your post above makes me count the days till YOU get YOUR GTI. The force is strong with this one

[thewafflecaust]

My golf is my first car !

Choice was between the Fiesta Zetec, Focus XR5T, Golf GTI and the 118TSI.

I actually almost bought the Fiesta (in green no less!), its such brilliant value for money. But a weekend in the country in a 118TSI borrowed off a friend plus a girlfriend pleading for me to get a car she might be able to drive occasionally (she cant drive a manual) convinced me to get the Golf instead.

I've had it for a week so far and it's been joyous, but then again its my first car, i probably would have enjoyed a barina

[bigmouthmedia]

I've had it for a week so far and it's been joyous, but then again its my first car, i probably would have enjoyed a barina

I've had mine a week and a day - and i've already clocked up 1000km

[AdamD]

Okay, my car story.

I've ordered a MkVI GTI, which will be my fourth car and first VW. I started out with an '83 Honda Accord in high school, and bought a new Honda Civic (EK) in 97 when I started uni. Kept that car for eight years, until I bought my current car, an Accord Euro (CL9) in 2005. So yep, I like my Hondas. There's been a few in the family too, which I've driven and lived with extensively, and I have huge respect for the brand.

Despite the fairly mundane cars I've owned, I do consider myself a real car person. I drive whenever I can just for the fun of it. Several of my friends have fantastic performance cars, so I've always had a bit of an outlet when I've needed a bit of *real* fun. I do a lot of reading on the subject, and people often come to me for advice when they want a new car.

I've been a big fan of the latest VW product (GTI in particular but all models in general) since the MkV Golf. To that end, my father and mother both drive MkV 2.0 FSI Golfs (Comfortline and Sportline respectively), and my stepmother has a Passat CC V6 on order, arriving in March. I plan on stealing the keys frequently.

Since my first drive of a MkV GTI in '05, I've known a GTI is the perfect car for me: nicely quick, a great handler that rides well, polished and refined, well-equipped, classy and understated. I held off on a MkV because I tend to hold onto my cars for some time, and prefer to buy towards the beginning of the model cycle. Needless to say, I ordered my GTI on the first day a car was available for me to drive - launch day in October '09.

The one thing the Golf purchase has taught me so far: I *really hate waiting*.

[ricksterrr]

Ricksterrr, reading your post above makes me count the days till YOU get YOUR GTI. The force is strong with this one

LOL - thanks!

Being on VWWatercooled in the meantime certainly helps with the long waiting period!

Keep the posts comin'!

[iBoost]

Good to see I'm not the only one using this forum obsessively while waiting for their GTI to arrive. It will be great once April rolls around so we can see some photos posted of your new cars, I'll still be waiting a couple of months longer though, so it may make it even more agonizing!

Forgot to mention in my post earlier, I think I got my bug for VWs from my Dad. He had two Superbugs when he was younger and more recently (10 years ago) had a Type 3 1500 S sedan. I actually learnt to drive manual on that and went to quite a few VW car shows where it won a number of awards. My first time driving manual was also in an old $100 beetle in a paddock at the Hubertus Club at a VW car show.

Most of my cars have been Japanese (2 x Corollas, 200SX, 3MPS), but I did have one European car, a 206 GTi 180 Peugeot. It was a fun car but not in the same league as a GTI, and the build quality left a lot to be desired. In hindsight, I should have already bought a Golf GTI Mark V instead of the 3 MPS, but I'm glad I waited for the Mark VI. The wait is going to kill me though...

[Tux]

I blame my new Grandson! He's almost seven months old now and my wife is going to look after him a couple of days a week. We've had a Mini Cooper S for almost five years however being a two door meant difficultly fitting, and accessing, a baby seat. Therefore we had to look for a four (or five) door car.

We looked at the usual cars but I don't really like the new WRX model or the other Jap cars at the moment. I drove a two year old 2.0 litre Golf and it just felt nice to drive. I decided to drive the TDi and TSi models about the time the young fella was born. I liked 'em both but just procrastinated. A young bloke from my work test drove a GTI a couple of weeks ago and rang me, telling me to have a drive. Well I did so and the rest is history with us putting a deposit down today on a DSG 5 door GTI. So I totally blame my Grandson but I'm sure I'll forgive him..

Tux

[triode12]

Fantastic thread... really enjoyed reading everyone's posts here!

'Fraid my history of cars is definitely not as impressive as everyone else...

I've driven a 1990 Mitsubishi Lancer, 2001 Toyota Echo and currently driving a 2006 Honda Civic Sport

Back in my final few years of Uni when my interest in cars started growing, I remember watching Jeremy Clarkson's review of the MkV GTI on Top Gear way back in 2004 (when they were still doing proper road tests) which was where I first heard about the GTI. After reading numerous reviews of the GTI where it was showered with all manner of superlatives that you could imagine, I knew that it was a car that I wanted to aim for in the future.

Unfortunately, one could only drive a Maroon Red Echo for so long before all dignity is lost and so I ended up buying the Civic with the money that I had managed to save up at the time.

Around the same period a friend of mine purchased a MkIV Golf R32 and I was immediately impressed with its looks, quality, power and the absolutely orgasmic exhaust note. I also had a ride in a workmate's MkV Golf 2.0 TDI up to the Central Coast and I was equally impressed with it also. It only further strengthened my resolve in getting a Golf.

A couple of years later, with a few more years in full-time work and more money, I found myself yearning for something more exciting, more engaging and more fun to drive than my current Civic which turned my attention back to the GTI again.

I ended up researching the MKVI obsessively throughout late 2008 when it was revealed as a 'concept' at the Paris Motor Show and all through 2009. I think I have read every single MkVI GTI article and review published on the Internet!! I even had a pretty amusing incident (in hindsight anyway) where I thought I was going to be sued by a fellow member of these forums from the IT Law fraternity (who I shall not name) after I found a copy of the MkVI specs accidentally published on the VW website a couple of weeks before the official local release. Yes, turned out that I had completely overreacted and was way too paranoid.

The weekend of the local GTI launch, I went straight to my local VW dealership to check it out in the flesh and to book a test drive for the following day. After the test drive, I dropped a deposit on it. I was immediately impressed with the power, refinement, interior quality and the subtlety of the exterior design to differentiate it from the base models. As JC said in his review "It's a Golf, but somehow it's not". And the rest they say, is history.

Still waiting in agony for the car delivery!

(Apologies if I waffled on a bit too much here)

Are you the guy that turned up for last Sat's GTG in the Civic Sport?

[Hugh Ripper]

Owned a MY06 Subaru Impreza 2.0R for 4 years on a novated lease. Good solid reliable car and I love the AWD, but its pretty basic, has zero torque and its pretty cramped for a 6"3' gent. It came off lease Jan this year.

I started looking into new cars and I heard about the DSG gearbox. Being utterly sick of driving a manual in traffic, where I do the majority of my driving, the mix of clutch-less manual and auto really appealed to me. Further research indicated that the Golf GTi, while not the fastest or best looking car in its class, was generally recognised as a superior all-rounder with a torquey little engine.

Went for a test drive in November and was sold. Ordered it pretty much on the spot and picked it up 3 weeks ago! Loving it so far.

I'm also loving the astonished looks I get from other Golf drivers when they realise its a GTi MK VI. So few of them on the road. Have only seen one other so far.