Used Golf R32 or less used Golf R?
 

Currently my girlfriend has an 04 Golf GTI(1.8T) that she purchased early last summer. It was reasonably priced and fitted her needs and driving style pretty well and was a good car for her to learn to drive stick on.

She, has since, gotten the manual transmission down well enough that i'm not even afraid to let her drive my FRS.

Here is the situation: We knew this car wasn't going to be a long term DD simply because it has a few miles on it, 104k, and its not really new enough for me to comfortably trust it keeping her 100% safe and worry free(piece of mind). She has, however, really fallen in love with the Golf as a vehicle (practicality, relative speed/safety etc). We have already ruled out a base model 4/5 cylinder just because we like to have reasonably sporty cars. The 2.0TDI wouldn't be bad but its nothing special.

Her parents live about 100 miles away in a high desert climate where it often snows alot in the winter and the drive over can easily be a solid sheet of ice. Because of this we were thinking awd might be handy(more piece of mind).

Here I give you the short list of cars that we've narrowed it down to....i'm sure most of you have already guessed.

'08 R32
'12 R
MK5/6 GTI

I test drove an R32 a couple years ago and fell in love with the exhaust note, but at the time it was too expensive($29k used) and too thirsty. I have also heard some unfavorable things about maintaining the powertrain on R32's (finicky DSG and expensive awd system)

The newer R's I always thought would be too expensive but a search around ebay puts a nice low mileage one at about $25-29k(the higher side of our price range for sure but still doable)

Then there is the GTI. I'm sure someone will say its all you really need and it probably is. Its cheaper, get better MPG, will be just as fast etc etc. But it doesn't feel quite as special and every doctor's 17 year old son in town has one.

What are your thoughts boys and girls? I know there are a few GTI owners around here but does/has anybody owned an R32 or R? Any love/hate stories? Horrible mechanical breakdowns?

Heres how they break down:
08 R32
3.2 V6 NA 250hp, 236 torquies.
AWD
18/23 mpg
$18-20k for 40k-70k miles.

12 R
2.0T 256hp, 243 torques
AWD
19/27 mpg
$25-29k for 20-30k miles

MK5 GTI
2.0T 200hp, 207 torques
FWD
21/29 mpg
$10k-15k for 60-75k miles

I drove an Audi A3 3.2l DSG for a couple of years - lovely car, amazing exhaust note, decent pull - but incredibly thirsty. Really thirsty. I eventually traded it in for my STI (I also live at altitude, so FI made a lot of sense). Value for money, the GTI, or the R is probably a better bet.

You could always get the GTI and have her tuned ;)

Have you looked at the Ford Focus ST?

Might be worth a test drive if you haven't

I'd go with the R32 lol

Nick C.

What is wrong with 104k miles? As enthusiasts I imagine you keep up with maintenance, probably exceed recommended intervals, so shouldn't be a problem?

I dunno, sounds like an excuse to get a "new" car. Wanting a new car is cool but if you just want reliable DD; if yours is maintained I don't see why you couldn't keep it another 100k.

IMO the R is only worth it if you're going to mod it (e.g., APR stage 2+). Then it's a beast. In stock form, it's kind of meh. Also note that these engines have the cam follower wear issue, as it's essentially got an updated version of the older FSI 2.0, rather than the newer TSI found in the mk6 GTI's.

If it was me, I'd probably go for a mk6 GTI, but I'm a bit biased. Or wait for the mk7.

I would also pass on the MK5 if you have the chance to get the 6...cam follower issue meant you essentially have to check it every ~30-50K. Not hard to do but kind of a pain to know that it is always slowly being consumed.

Another point about German cars that are off warranty is the premium you pay on parts. I came from a MK5 GTI, the aftermarket (not just performance but also replacement) is a lot more limited.

My fiance and I will be looking to purchase another vehicle for her to drive in the coming months. Top of my list right right now are the Impreza hatchbacks, Mazda 3s, and Honda Fit.

Id be lying if i tried to deny that. Her current 04 GTI is the newest car shes ever owned and wants something "atleast like new". If it was 104k miles that I had put on it then absolutely id keep it for atleast another 50k, but we've only had it for about 5k miles and I'd rather not find out the hard way that it hasn't been maintained the way the previous owner told me it had....i'm just paranoid that way. Plus we never really intended to keep if very long.

She's pretty well set on the Golfs, but I do fully intend to test drive both ST's and a few other hot-ish hatches before we pull the trigger.

Thats part of the reason we are looking for something new-ish. I'm sure something on her GTI will need to be replaced soon, and a $1000 replacement part for a $4000 car doesn't make too much sense.

The standard Impreza's don't really excite either of us, the 3's i'm sure are good cars, but not quite hot enough for our heavy footed driving, and i refuse to drive a fit lol.

My co-worker's 2007 GTI Farenheit edition has been an absolute nightmare, make sure you get it inspected before buying anything

Nick C.

Another long time VW owner weighing in. I sold my MKV Rabbit to get into the BRZ and still own a MKV Jetta. A few points:

-The MKV R32 is really best for hardcore VW enthusiasts. Yes, it sounds fantastic, and the DSG is neat, but as others have mentioned the V6 tends to be very thirsty. It isn't much better than the GTI of its day, and is worse in some areas (maintenance, fuel economy, etc). I'd be more inclined to buy a low mileage MKV GTI and spend the difference on go-fast goodies and snow tires.

-To counter ZionsWrath's point, a MKIV with 104k mi *might* be good for the long haul if it was properly maintained, but that generation doesn't have the greatest reputation for reliability anyway. If you haven't replaced coilpacks and window regulators yet, you probably will be soon. My first VW was a MKIV GTI VR6 and it was still doing fine at 98k, but things were beginning to show their age when I sold it. I replaced most of the suspension components (springs, shocks, bearings, control arms, etc) in the last year I owned it.

-I'm sure you already know this, but AWD doesn't do much for icy conditions. A good FWD with proper snow tires can be just as capable in the snow - especially when you're talking about low-slung hot hatches like these. More than 6-8" of snow and you're not going anywhere in the R either.

-Don't discount the 2.5L too quickly. I own(ed) two of them, and yes, they aren't the pinnacle of performance, but they ARE incredibly torquey and can handle boost pretty well. They sound gnarly when uncorked, too. Might not be a terrible option if you're more into tinkering than just chips and intakes. 2.5L Rabbits and Golfs are dirt cheap on the used market.

If it were me - I'd either grab the Golf R or wait for the MKVII GTI w/ Performance Pack. 230hp + mechanical LSD is as good or better than the MKV R32's performance figures, and should still be cheaper than the Golf R. I haven't 100% warmed up to the MKVII styling though. Otherwise, the Focus ST is a good non-VW option that I considered prior to buying the BRZ.

Good luck with the search!

I have actually tried looking for GTI's with the factory performance stuff but haven't been too successful. I was thinking we'd just grab a standard GTI and APR stage 1 with intake and catback and call it dandy.

I don't mind tinkering with cars that came turbo'd from the factory, but putting turbo kits on engines that were originally NA worries me, which is why I've been avoiding the 2.5's.

The problem is that I keep having an argument inside my head going back and forth. The GTI will be cheaper to buy, but won't be worth as much when we sell it. The R will be more expensive but might keep its value better. The R32 will be expensive(fuel mostly) but it sounds amazing and it should hold its value as well..... Torn :/

Get her a downpipe and go stage 2. Its cheaper and faster I believe and the DSG fart on every shift never gets old!

*I* test drove a used(500miles) focus ST yesterday while she was at the eye doctor. The car was fully loaded and they wanted $25k for it when the original sticker was about $30k. The interior was much nicer then I imagined it might be, but it seemed kind of dark, like there wasn't quite enough glass to properly light the car(it was foggy though). 1st gear is basically useless if youre driving with any kind of enthusiasm, 2nd isn't as bad but it still has traction issues, 3rd gear is mighty impressive though, it just pulls and pulls and pulls. This is the first car i've driven where I was actually thinking that I wouldn't do anything to it to increase the performance. I also noticed how quiet it was at speed. Because its so quiet and the motor has so much grunt, I accidentally did 85 in a 55 with the salesman in the back...woops. I realize it would just take getting used to but it sounds like a dangerous combination as far as accidentally being felon.

During the test drive, I drove over to the eye doctors to show it to her really quick while she was waiting, and................."I(she) don't really like the way it looks". While I don't love the looks, i'm sure i could live with it, but it will be her car and she basically took the car off the list with that statement.

If I were looking for a hot hatch for myself the Focus ST would be hard to pass up.