I know, I know, yet another car thread.

Had a couple of MK4’s but I’m looking at upgrading to a MK5 R32 with the DSG box. The one I’m looking at is an 06 with 65k on the clock.

I’ve been driving the tdi for a while now so looking at the R32 for something that sounds good and shifts pretty well so I’m not bothered about 20mpg as my commute isn’t far.

Just wondering if anyone knows servicing costs, common faults, how easy they are to live with etc.

Having had a Mark IV V6 4 Motion for 10 years, I’m always tempted to get one of these, the 4motion was such a hoot to drive.

my mate has one not dsg but the thing is monstrously quick for a little hatchback

have a good drive as see “i dont like the feel of it ” bit plastic feeling but its a well built car as vw tend to be

also tax is £400 and it is very thirsty??? but that’s normal for performance..
dont think its too bad service wise as no different to any other car but shop around and use a vw specialist if poss

I’m expecting the fuel economy and tax to be a sting in the wallet but my commute to work is going to be halved next month, so not too worried.

Its the 65k mileage. Does anyone know what the service schedule is like? I know its chain driven so not expecting timing belt change but this is the sort of mileage where you have to fork out on a big service.

Friend in scotland had one. Sounded fantastic, so much grip and bloody quick.

He sold it and regretted it for years. I think he’s buying back his old one of the guy he sold it to as the guy can’t afford to run it anymore.

The DSG gear box is awesome but make sure that it has been serviced at 40k. I looked at a Glof GTi and was amazed by how good the gearbox was but it had done 80k (not an issue because it was for the other half who does naff all miles) but it had missed both DSG services so we walked.

Listen for rattles from the interior beca the MK V is prone to them. The interiors don’t wear well either; all of the nice soft touch door handles in the ones we looked at were battered, even on low mileage jobbies. Check the haldex system has had the oil changed too.

The R32 makes a great noise but is a tad numb to drive and I don’t think it’s quick enough to justifyvthe running costs…£450 VED, 20mpg etc. Personally I think the 130 is a better car. OK it’s not pretty but the engine is amazing and the running costs are better…and its a but quicker.

My mate had one for 2 years, he loved it. Isn’t all VW servicing expensive ?? And tax at 400quid ? Is that correct? Don’t the rads need looking at, or is it the fans? One of the probs mateyboy had was an overheat once and it was the fan motor override, he thought it would cost a fortune, turned out the fuses corrode in the fuse box, all he did was change the fuse..

Cheers mindmap.

In fairness the running costs will piss me off after a year but the fastest car I’ve owned was the mk4 2.0 GTI (non turbo). It couldnt pull your fore skin back. Thats why I fancy getting a rocket for a year before I settle for the A4 diesel estate!

I test drove one a few years back…very nice. I didn’t really rag it, but it just felt effortless. A lot of car for the money.

Isn’t all VW servicing expensive

yep.

The Mark IV Golf had a huge list of endemic problems, door locks, window catches, fan units, etc. I’m assuming these were all fixed in the Mark V.

The services are also more expensive with the Haldex as it needs a service every 20k (at least my 1st gen did). The only reason I scrapped mine was the Haldex was seizing up in the end (at 120k), would cost more to fix than the car was worth. All the seals had perished and it wouldn’t hold oil, so needed a complete rebuild.

NB You can easily remap the R32 to 270bph with the addition of a modified exhaust, which is a lot for such a small car. My 4motion was chipped to 225bhp and was great fun on twisty roads…..

The MK5 R32 is very front heavy and not a lot faster than the GTI. I test drove both and went for the DSG boxed GTI.

I got rid due to chronic unreliability – Went from a fault free Mk4 GTI TDI PD150 (which was awesome) to the disappointing and unreliable MK5.

If you go for a DSG box, be prepared for sluggishness pulling out from junctions. Never really bothered me, but other owners I’ve spoken to hate it. Also make sure you have a box with launch control enabled it’s a hoot. 😉

They’re very overpriced for what you actually get due to VW scene tax. Getting the same engine in an Audi A3 makes much more sense as they’re quite a bit cheaper, offer the same performance with a better quality interior.

I had noticed the 3.2 A3 quattros seemed quite cheap. It’s the same engine then?

how easy they are to live with

They’re quite desirable cars if you know what I mean. I know someone who had their house burgled and his R32 nicked. They were after the car as didn’t take much from the house. He was also in bed at the time.

What’s your budget? Are you open to other suggestions?

Only reason I ask, I had a 135i m sport coupe which I gave back to the dealer because the 2nd hand value dropped like a lead balloon.

Tax was about £375 a year and it returned 30mpg on the motorway, 25mpg round town.

You can pick up a relatively new one, with super low miles for less than £15k.

Best car i’ve ever had… 0-60 in 5.2 and pulls like a train because of the twin turbo.

Insurance is a bit pricey if you’re doing 30k miles though, hence the return.

Had an 06 plate for 3 yrs. Would love to have kept it as a 2nd car but the road tax was too expensive to make this worthwhile.
Very thirsty – approx 20MPG “driving it”, 30-35MPG “nursing it”
The boot is shallow compared to normal golf due to 4WD. I couldn’t get a decent size pram into it hence the forced sale.
It might be worth checking the service interval for the DSG gearbox as I seem to remember this was the biggie in terms of cost.

Not sure if I agree with the comment about not being too much quicker than GTI, having owned 3 GTIs I felt it was faster. But that may be due to engine noise, which is probably what I miss the most!!
The DSG is fun, but after a while you stop using the paddles and just drive it like an automatic.

Mine was fully loaded with all the toys, never had it in the garage apart from servicing.

Mmmmmmmm….

I’ve got the A3 Quattro, it’s the same engine (also in the 3.2 TT).

Not had anything go wrong with it, other than a faulty lambda probe when I first bought it. But the engine hasn’t produced any faults in the 5 years I’ve had the car.

It’s depreciated significantly so don’t expect a huge resale value.

The boot is shallow compared to normal golf due to 4WD. I couldn’t get a decent size pram into it hence the forced sale.

I suspect the battery’s in the boot, making it a little shallower.

It couldnt pull your fore skin back

Maybe you attached it wrong?

Sounds like you have it covered, but as above the DSG is worth checking

Been round the houses with this for the last 6 months.
Get the A3 – slightly faster, same chassis, better interior by far, no issues with boot size, holds it’s price (without the VW “tax” as mentioned, cheaper insurance.
Also owners tend to be less of the “racer” type that you get with the R32.
The same engine mods fit, Chips, ABP supercharger, etc.
FYI – the ABP kit gives 330+BHP 😉

Personally – I have an S3 coming…..

Also owners tend to be less of the “racer” type that you get with the R32.

This is true…we are more sophisticated and shit.

Personally I prefer the look of the Golfs to the A3s and can’t say I find the Audi interior any different to VWs (pretty much most of the trim is identical).

I had a 58 plate MK V R32 manual for 4 years from new – sold it last year with about 45k miles onit. I’m a bit of a petrolhead and tend to change my car every two years, but after 4 years the R32 was still putting a grin on my face.

Sorry but there is a fair amount of rubbish being spouted above. A few comments:
0-60 time is not much quicker than the GTi but the 4WD is hugely confidence inspiring in very wet conditions – I live in highland Scotland.
The A3 may have the same engine but its a totally different car. Does not have the R32 suspension and is absolutely anodyne to drive, like 99% of Audi’s. I had a previous generation S3 which was very quick, had huge amounts of grip and was as dull as dishwater
My interior after 45k was absolutely mint as I looked after it. Same as any other car some will have been looked after and some not – the leather interior seems to hold up well
Good condition R32’s hold their value really well as they are relatively uncommon and are a bit of a cult car
The only thing that went wrong with mine in 4 years was one of the electric fans failing in the first year which was replaced under warranty
Service is every 10k, with the 20k ones being bigger. IIRC the 40k service was around £200
I do almost no town driving, and drive “enthusiastically” rather than manically and got around 28mpg

I still can’t think of another car for around 2nd hand R32 money that combines the same performance, fun, practicality and reliability

Don’t get the A3…it may have the same engine but manages to make it feel dull. Doesn’t sound as nice either. R32 plus Miltek exhaust equals one he’ll of a racket (in a good way). A chap I worked with had one and it was quick but it never did anything for me; it was well put together but left me totally cold.

I’d still go for a 1 Series because the six pots are miles ahead if the VAG engines in terms if performance and costs. I love the noise too…the N54 3 litre engine in our 330 sounds glorious and loves to rev.

What about an Edition 30? Quicker than a normal GTi but with better running costs than the R32 and only a teeny bit slower? I quite fancied one but struggled to find one in my budget.

The 4WD makes a big difference as you can use 100% of the power all the time, so pulling out of tight junctions in the wet on the A9 is a breeze. You also get more traction in bends if you accelerate through them and use the AWD. I pretty much never saw traction control engage even trashing it senseless in the wet.

Nice car but not a great car. Friend used to have one and he got bored of it very quickly (perhaps because I kept teasing him about it being a poor mans Audi S3). After a drive though I was left feeling rather numb. Yes it was quick and sounded nice but the steering was not great and the thing just felt a little lifeless and un-involving.

Driven a MK5 Gti and it was a million miles better – not quite as quick, given, but loads more fun. The Mk5 Gti is the car I’d go for every time, a much better drive in every respect – or if you insist on a V6, pay 6k for the best low mileage Corrado VR6 that you can find and every drive will put a smile on your face.

Good advice folks. I’d looked at the performance of the mk5 gti and was impressed with the comparison but the AWD and v6 sound have sold it for me. As for the v6 A3 comparison. I understand it but the looks of the golf are miles ahead.

I’ve always owned 2nd hand cars. After 5 I’ve not lost more than £3k in devaluation in total over 13 years. That’s why I’m not going for a 2 year old S3 (they’ll de-value when the new rs3 comes out). I can afford it but it sickens me to think how much I’d lose after a year. Hence less than £10k for the r32.

Had a brand new Mk5 R32 56 plate for 3 years, just loved the sound and brilliant grip in all weathers. Heavy front end and tyres & tax, ouch! Also had a Mk5 GTI, again a great car, bit more nimble, would not move in the snow. I’d buy an R32 tomorrow if I could afford to run it!

I had a 57 plate, black R32 with the DSG gearbox and Recaro leather seats.
I now have a TDI scirocco.

I’d have the Golf back in a heartbeat; not the fastest hatchback, nowhere near the cheapest, but by far most awesome.

Launch control accelleration can be likened to a car smashing into the back of you, it’s that brutal getting off the line.

I know this thread should be confined to the past but I’ve finally got round to getting one. 07 manual 5 door. 31k Genuine miles with the full history for £11k. Seller is sorting out the private plate as he wants to keep it, so once DVLA issue a new reg it’s mine.

I’m so excited I’m shaking like a shitting dog!

£11k… very tempting…..

must resist…..