I agree the M135 looks better than a boggo 1 series, it sounds great is RWD but it aint as affordable as the reviews make out.

The reviews all appear to compare a fully specced golf (DSG, Leather, Sat nav etc) against the M135i in base spec. To my mind if you were looking to purchase a golf with all the kit you would do the same with the M135.

There is about £6k difference in base price (£25.5 v £31.5) and this is maintained if they are specced similarly. For me the M135i will be comparable to the new Golf R when it is released next spring.

that’s what I quite like about the audi, only gives away 16bhp to the bmw, and looking at the configurator the bog standard spec is absolutely fine for me – supposedly the turn in is much sharper than the previous models too

Whereas VW + performance + dampers comes in at more per month (lower balloon payment)

“VW + performance + dampers”

Same spec i was looking at, plus historically bluefin remaps are about £400 and should get the golf to 300+ BHP given it is an evolution of the previous R engine.

You’re going to take a big hit when she gets pregnant…..don’t think it won’t happen!
Have you tried getting a push chair into a golf 😯
Having said that, you’d be my personal hero if you bought that ferrari…

I was under the impression that the M135 was pretty well spec’d in its base trim? Leather is certainly standard.

Have VW improved the base spec of the Golf yet? I know when we were looking at Mk V’s I couldn’t believe the number of cars that didn’t have cruise control / multi-function steering wheels.

Titus – the Audi may be close to the BM on paper, but I would imagine that to dirve they will feel very differnt. I’ve driven a few quick Audi’s and the only one that I warmed to was the RS4. The S3 I drove was quick but dull as was the 3.2 Quattro.

I know the M135 is the car of the moment and beemers generally drive and handle well.

however, me and the wife both irrationally dislike them and that’s that 🙂

although ijs445ra you are obviously welcome to buy one!

Yes Golf has multi-function steering wheel, cruise control, parking sensors which show on screen, touch screen thing for drive control and stereo etc, bluetooth, ipod connectivity and of course cup holders x2

(I could have chosen my words more carefully but was just trying to convey, no kids, not chavvy – I think everyone got the idea)

Yeah, but it made you sound right **** in the process….

Ha Ha i did buy one sort of, current car is an Alpina (it is not a BMW honest) 👿

A bloke I used to work with had a 1-series and whenever we used to get lifts in it (normally to the pub on a Friday lunchtime) it always amazed me how BMW had made such a reasonably sized car so small on the inside.
I’m a short arse and could barely fit in the back. And it wasn’t like they sacrificed rear legroom for bootspace, because that was tiny as well.

If it needs to have any sort of practicality, you might as well forget the 1-Series. Might as well get a TT or something….all IMO of course.

A bloke I used to work with had a 1-series and whenever we used to get lifts in it (normally to the pub on a Friday lunchtime) it always amazed me how BMW had made such a reasonably sized car so small on the inside.
I’m a short arse and could barely fit in the back. And it wasn’t like they sacrificed rear legroom for bootspace, because that was tiny as well.

If it needs to have any sort of practicality, you might as well forget the 1-Series. Might as well get a TT or something….all IMO of course.

The new one series is bigger – although BMW are masters of the reverse tardis (i.e. big on the outside and teeny on the inside). The Golfs that we looked at felt bigger inside than the 3 series that we ended up buying.

Titus – I genuinely think that you would be mad not to at least look at an M135. Even just to be 100% sure that its not the car for you.

Yes Golf has multi-function steering wheel, cruise control, parking sensors which show on screen, touch screen thing for drive control and stereo etc, bluetooth, ipod connectivity and of course cup holders x2

Glad to hear that VW are finally sorting their base spec out.

I just had a quick look on auto trader and there is a private sale 20 miles from me selling a 2005 3.5L SLK with 47k on the clock, absolutely mint, for £8000.

£8k is pretty much pocket money if you’re planning on spending £450 a month for 4 years.

That SLK looks amazing for the money…I wonder what it would be like to actually own an expensive car of that age?

@ijs445ra – Cayamn has 2 yr service intervals, about £400 pa equivalent, road tax hefty at £400pa but comparable to other performance cars, insurance ditto. Not expensive to run.

When the OP posted I looked up the price of a new Cayman but it’s closer to £40k so I didn’t propose one, it also fails the humble” test for client visits 8)

@mindmap – I think a Gof is bigger on the inside than a 3 series, it isn’t an illusion

I’d not buy brand new though but I guess the whole PCP thing rules out second hand

PCP is also available on used cars up to 5 years old. I’m sure VW have a maximum start age of 5 years and a maximum end age of 7 years.

My contribution because I’m bored whilst recovering from a hernia operation:

I bought a 2008 BMW 335d coupe with 63k on the clock, full service history, all the toys (…and a detachable towbar!) for £12k.

Spent £300 getting it remapped to 345bhp and 500ft/Lb of torque, it’s mental. I love it.

Got a loan for 18 months then it’s mine, all mine!

Whether the OP buys brand new or not, I cannot recommend a BMW enough and my engine is a piece of cake to work on so I can save oodles of dosh on maintenance 🙂

Have a wife, kid, two bikes and a bike rack. We opted for a BMW 320d Touring, but frankly wish I had got a Golf. Golf MK5 Diesel best car I have ever had, whereas the BMW is just the most expensive. Drives well and engine is powerful, but there are problems with the cam chain on this model of engine, which is frustrating/surprising as the 2 litre diesel is on so many of their cars. Also other niggles have cropped up, which just annoy at a car of supposedly this quality.

Not sure where to go from here, we bought it 2nd hand (I know the previous owner), 1st service is coming up (has done 20k) and my big worry is the engine issue coming up outside warranty (we have another year of warranty left). Seems crazy to spend £5k + repairing a car that will only be worth £15-£10k at a guess, so wondering whether to get ride of it now. Shame as we have only had it since Christmas 2012. Cam chain part has already been replaced by original owner at less than 7k miles, 2nd one needed now and the car is not even 2 years old.

Saw a new GTI at Goodwood and to be honest it looked like my kind of car. Fast, not stupidly expensive, fits actual people/bikes inside and they are well made. Also looked like it had a lot of stuff included in the price.

Seems crazy to spend £5k + repairing a car that will only be worth £15-£10k at a guess

It’s not, really. You could spend £5k and get a car you know has had the issue fixed and is in good shape, whereas you could spend three times that and get a car that could just as easily fail.

Cars are not investments, they are tools to use, and they WILL need money spending on them. Buying a different one is no guarantee it won’t go wrong.

Only chop it in if it’s a REAL turkey with constant electronic issues etc.

molgrips, I appreciate your point – better to have a car that you know is well maintained and know the history, than a wild card.

However, the issue has been repaired once, needs to be repaired again and my concern is that it will need to be repaired a 3rd time outside of warranty.

I know that you will have to spend money on any car, but this will be expenditure on top of the normal costs of running a car, which I am not so keen on. The chain cam part is not expected to be replaced pre 200,000 miles/life of the engine, hence the location at the back of the engine and overall expense.

having said all that, it might be best just to chance it – if it doesn’t fail, I’m quids in. If we sell it, well there will be the depreciation in the period that we have owned it and replacing it with anything that is of a similar age is going to be almost as expensive and therefore require more outlay, unless we go for something that is ‘good/better value’ (I would happily have a Skoda Octavia, VRS or regular, but the wife won’t).

However, the issue has been repaired once, needs to be repaired again and my concern is that it will need to be repaired a 3rd time outside of warranty.

Not much of a repair then.. if it is indeed a design flaw then definitely get rid. Have you looked on the forums for more information?

Wow has its own facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/BMW-Problem-Timing-Chain/293617047394760

I had searched the interweb on it before, but didn’t realize it had its own facebook page. I think unfortunately it is a design flaw, but BMW are never going to admit it. I am a BMW fan, so I am not keen to knock them as a company, but it amazes me that such a popular engine can have ongoing problems for so long (I believe the engine has been around for a while and remember when looking at BMWs a dealer saying that he thought circa 80% of the cars he sold had the 2 litre diesel engine).

Massively annoying as we thought it was a good buy – I would rather have got something that was dull and reliable.

but did own a 2001 S3 and absolutely loved it, broke my heart when I sold it.

Same here mine was a 2002 but same difference, we had a fab day out at my daughters wedding on the proceeds. I think I got the best of the deal…. 😈

BMW are quite good at denying issues it seems. The engine in my 2004 320d touring went pop after it ate it’s own swirl flaps. That was a costly fix and something BMW denied all knowledge of despite it being plastered all over the internet.

Actually, 6yr old RangeRover?

Hahahahah the best load of tosh he’s come out with yet. A Range Rover out of warranty – good luck with that one…

I had an RS4 (a B7) and to be honest, for the running costs it didn’t feel that quick. It also had the carbon build up issue which isn’t a cheap fix and discs and pads (which you will get through at a rate of knots) are mega money. 4 tyres = £1600. Cheap it isn’t

I had a test drive in a V8 M3 recently which was lovely but as you’ve mentioned not liking BMW’s that rules it out.

Also had a Cayman and handling wise it was fantastic, just felt a bit under-powered. Mine was an S – looked nice, handled well, not that quick. And it liked a drop of oil too…

Me personally I’d have another Nissan 350/370z. They can’t give them away at the moment and there’s some really good deals about. Or get an R35 (and remortgage for running costs).

You really will be hard pushed to beat a Golf though. Brother has an R32 which whilst not mega quick on paper, makes a lovely noise, has loads of kit, will take two bikes easily and isn’t that bad on running costs.

I owned a recent’ish audi s3 for 5 years, I’d say avoid them, they’re fast but incredibly dull.

For that sort of money you could get (if you’re very quick – before they all go) , a brand new e90/92 BMW M3 on lease, awesome car, a bit thirsty though.

In my opinion you should either put your very sensible head on and buy a diesel golf (or similar) boring car but cheap to run, and not spend anywhere near £450 per month. or really enjoy yourself and get the M3. IE No half measures like a golf gti/audi s3 or similar warm hatch.

Cant believe the number of people on here who think the only reason people buy a £30k car is to impress the neighbours, so blinkered! Do you spend £1k (or 5k) on your bike so you can impress your neighbours with their £100 bike shaped objects.

A Range Rover out of warranty – good luck with that one.

Plus 10000000000000000000000000

tonyd – just had confirmation BMW will not replace part (car is inside warranty) at the momemen, don’t feel it is a sufficient problem.

makes me think it is indeed time to get rid. Might be fine for a long time, or it might not. Either way, bit of a gamble.

Well after driving all the contenders (well an A3 as S3 isn’t around yet) golf GTI has come out on top by quite a large margin between the two of us. Now to haggle the hell out of the guy so it only costs 25K rather than nearer 30K

Now to haggle the hell out of the guy so it only costs 25K rather than nearer 30K

Good luck with that! If you manage it, please tell me how you do it…

And don’t forget the pics.

http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/new/golf-gti-vii/home

Only £229pcm and an £8k deposit, and after 3 years give back or pay £13k.

7.2ppm excess charge seems reasonable though.

But why do you need to get the purchase price down, when you’re not buying it – just leasing it. Just focus on the deposit plus monthlies.

Interesting use of the term “Deposit” here which suggests you get your money back. It looks like a down payment to me? If so that £451 a month.

Dealer margins are about 2% on a new car, so unless the manufacturer is doing a discount, you won’t achieve much haggle wise…..

I would drive everything else and then put your irrational dislikes aside for one hour and drive the M135i. It’s a fantastic machine and there’s some mega deals to be had on them – 15% off and 3.9% APR. It’s no looker, but the drive and noise is just epic.

I went out to get one recently but ended up with a new M5, but that’s another stpry..!

Interesting use of the term “Deposit” here which suggests you get your money back. It looks like a down payment to me? If so that £451 a month.

Professional couples aren’t interested in ‘technicalities’… 🙂

Which is why, again, I suggested to just buy whatever they can ‘afford’ with the expenditure.

I return to this thread in shame…despite my earlier posts i have since ordered an M135i 😳

I drove it and pretty much instantly forgot the looks. As a drivers car the golf simply cannot compete. The M135i is as good as the reviews say, combine that with the best part of £5k discount (as a cash buyer) it worked out almost £2k cheaper than the Golf which will go a fair distance to off setting the higher running costs….arrives September cannot wait!

horrendously ugly, but Good choice I reckon.

My wife actually liked the look of it preferring it to the Golf and 3 series which leads to wonder on two things
1. Does she have correct prescription in her glasses.
2. WTF do I look like!

Probably too late to the thread, but if I had £30k burning a hole in my pocket i’d get a Jaguar XJ supercharged R

Or more practically with the rubbish winters a range rover evoque