Buying a gti advice

[jackshepherd399]

Hi everyone, I am looking at getting a gti as my second car. I already own a 2010 polo 1.4 se but want something a bit more sporty (I can't get a golf gti due to insurance costs)

Does anyone own a gti and can I ask what you think of it? I'll be going for the DSG version as I only have a auto lience. cheers

[RUM4MO]

Which engine/age of Polo GTI are you considering buying?

[PlymouthArgyle]

Hi Jack,

I own a 16 GTI, I own a manual but did also test drive a DSG before buying.
What is it you want to know?

[Gee40]

Hi Jack

Like Plymouth Argyle I've got a 2016 manual GTI and having been blessed with a number of what were considered the best hot hatches/sports cars over the years, I have to say that I believe the 6c GTI is vastly underrated and suffers from the reputation earned by the troublesome 1.4 twin charged 6r GTI. I'm sure those owning the DSG love it, but having test driven one I found it slightly lacking in gear acceleration as VW limited the torque to save the gearbox. The manual has torque that is close to that offered by many hottish Diesels (Admittedly they both hit 62 in the same time but this is only down to the instant gear change offered by the DSG ) but if its an auto you are after its hard to fault.

Handling is excellent, economy is very good considering the performance on offer and the fit and finish is not far off Audi standards.

Make sure you check out insurance costs on the GTI as I think I'm right in saying at insurance group 29, the Polo is in the same group as the Golf GTI as VW's fitting of automated city braking has helped reduce the Golfs insurance grouping.

If insurance is a major consideration - I'm guessing it is based on your comments, have you tested a Polo GT (if available with a DSG) as this would be significantly quicker than a 1.4SE and not much slower than the GTI in 90% of real world scenarios?

[SRGTD]

Hi Jack.

I also have a 2016 Manual GTI. Had it from new since March 2016.

It’s been trouble free and has only been back to the dealer for routine servicing. Build quality is good with no creaks or rattles that some owners of early models reported on the forum. For me, performance of the standard model is good - I’ve never considered having it mapped. Economy is very good for a hot hatch and I regularly see mid 40’s mpg, although that is partly due to the volume of traffic on the roads at the times I’m driving.

Negatives?

• Boot space is small. As the battery is in the spare wheel space, with the spare wheel stored on top of the battery, you loose the lower of the two positions for the adjustable boot floor.

• Diamond cut alloys are prone to white worm corrosion, and more expensive to refurbish than alloys with a painted/powder coated finish. Check the wheels carefully on any car you’re considering buying

• Optional Sports Performance Pack; suspension is very firm when the ‘Sport’ setting is selected, and I rarely use it. Just my personal preference though. It was a cheap option though - £245 or thereabouts from memory - and it may appeal to prospective buyers when the time comes to sell the car.
  
  Would I buy another? Based on my ownership experience, my next car is likely to be the new Polo GTI+.

[jackshepherd399]

Cheers for the tips. At the moment i'm looking at the 1.4 as its the only kind that's within my budget as the 1.8 are newer and more expensive. And yes i'll be looking for a DSG version. What are the problems the 1.4 has compared to the 1.8

A few things id like to know:

Does it have a noticeable exhaust note?

Does it pull away quick off the line, as atm my SE feels sluggish but i dont know whether its the car or the gearbox.

Are they well equipped?

To be honest i want to look for something a bit more good looking, which i think the gti is, something nice to drive on country roads, and sounds nice as well. I would go for a golf but i do need to think about how much fuel id be using.

[cheba]

Note that all 1.4 GTI have DSG.

[RUM4MO]

Ah, so you are aiming at buying a 1.4 Twin Charger then, so maybe your next move should be to do some searches on Google for "1.4 Twincharger problems" so that you can find out what might happen to your money - I don't think that every engine will go/be faulty and so cost you a small fortune, but quite a lot do and if I were you, I'd bide my time with the 1.4SE 16V 85PS until you have the cash to grab an early 1.8 GTI.

VW Group did not revise/replace that engine quickly then dump its replacement in favour of the 1.8 just because it wanted to, it had to to avoid the warranty etc claims that required them to replace too many of these engines which failed due to some quite basic design errors.

[jackshepherd399]

Ah, so you are aiming at buying a 1.4 Twin Charger then, so maybe your next move should be to do some searches on Google for "1.4 Twincharger problems" so that you can find out what might happen to your money - I don't think that every engine will go/be faulty and so cost you a small fortune, but quite a lot do and if I were you, I'd bide my time with the 1.4SE 16V 85PS until you have the cash to grab an early 1.8 GTI.

VW Group did not revise/replace that engine quickly then dump its replacement in favour of the 1.8 just because it wanted to, it had to to avoid the warranty etc claims that required them to replace too many of these engines which failed due to some quite basic design errors.

That is a bit worrying looking at the problems. i'd be getting the car on finance for 4 years so the last thing I want is to have get one of the faulty ones and have to spend extra money on it. I'll certainly look at the 1.4 though, but knowing this I'll be sure to see the service history before I think of buying. I won't be able to buy until march next year so hopefully a few more 1.8s will come on the market.

[johnpolo2]

Just be a little wary Jack. I had a 2010 GTI from new. Sure the twincharger engine sounded sweet and was a little cracker in acceleration but it used so much oil. I had to do numerous consumption tests for VW who ended up giving me a new engine under warranty. The new engine used just as much oil. Was so pleased to dump it when the 6C came along.
The dealer bought it in px and I always pittied the poor soul who bought it next.

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[jackshepherd399]

Just be a little wary Jack. I had a 2010 GTI from new. Sure the twincharger engine sounded sweet and was a little cracker in acceleration but it used so much oil. I had to do numerous consumption tests for VW who ended up giving me a new engine under warranty. The new engine used just as much oil. Was so pleased to dump it when the 6C came along.
The dealer bought it in px and I always pittied the poor soul who bought it next.

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Cheers for that John, along with the oil consumption, what else should I look out for on a gti?

[RUM4MO]

And that is a real problem with these cars which include the Skoda Fabia VRS and SEAT Ibiza Cupra, they tend to get sent to the auctions and hopefully get separated from their bad history which is really a bit shameful as many end up for sale as really good enough buys but warranty companies do tend to wipe their hands of claims which come from known issues!

[johnpolo2]

Forgot to mention, it had a new dsg clutch pack under warranty.
Re the oil. Puffs of blue smoke out of the exhaust was a regular thing. Embarrassing in a new car at the time.

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[jackshepherd399]

So it is a case of avoid at all cost or shop around to find a good one?

[johnpolo2]

I'm sure there were some that were ok. That is probably more luck than anything else. VW knew the engine was a bit of a dud and quietly withdrew it with the facelifted 6C.

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