1. Brand : Volkswagen Golf
2. Budget : 130 - 140k
3. New/Used/Unreg : Used
4. Specs : see below
5. Transmission : see below
6. NA or FI :
7. Type :
8. Remarks :

Dear Sifu/Experts,

I come across a Volkswagen Golf GTi 2.0 FSI Turbo Mark 5 -05 recently, the mileage is low, it is below 30K

Here's the link for reference, http://www.mudah.my/Volkswagen+Golf+GTi+2+...k+5-8393912.htm

Need to get your advice if this is a worth buy? Is the price reasonable? or should go further down?

Some other concern:
1) Is a 5 Years old car will cause a lot of trouble? particular break down, repair...
2) Any bank can offer 9 years scheme for used car?

Let me know if you have any other recommendation for similar type of car. Thanks.

He says the car is imported from Germany which means its not a car intended for use in our country. The car might not be tuned to run on our local fuel. That engine runs on high compression and if the fuel quality is not up to standard, your engine might knock. And why does a 5 year old car needs a full repaint?

I dont think any bank will offer 9 year loan for a used car unless you are financially sound and have a good credit standing with that bank.Price is definitely within range for a used Mk5 Golf GTI.

not to mention he rewrap his seats
why he did that? is the original ones not good enough? or he 'did' something in his car

i thought all VW's are CBU Germany?

Dont assume , pls call yhe owner of u wanna know

Thanks pals, for raising these suspicious questions; Should I just give up?

why don't u just call 1st & ask the owner.
then discuss it here

fully imported he means that the car is built in germany.
if the car is really for germany use it already have the driver seat on the left

some mk5 are made in germany(early ones especially), some are made in south africa. mine is made in south africa
you could tell this from chassis number. but if 2005 confirm made in wolfsburg, germany.

regarding the price, it's very cheap. the cheapest you could get from a mk5 gti. the standard ones are 150-160k for 07-08 ones. 05 ones around 140-150k.
in terms of problem, careful of the DSG, could cost you up to 15k if it's damaged. but for performance, DSG is even faster than ferrari f430 in terms of shifting time, just make sure the DSG oil are top up once in a while.

This post has been edited by phas3r: Feb 3 2011, 12:49 PM

possibly the car might have been in an accident, which explains the need for a repaint?

European imported car are best avoided, the whole car was built with materials that are not suited to our climate, rubbers and plastics become brittle, maybe the a/c is not cold enough because normally it's a smaller unit since europe is not hot and humid, they have heating system which can leak and rust when not used

overheating as well since the cooling system is adapted to europe climate

Contact the seller & see the car 1st... this car should be from local distributor & not from AP holder or parallel import coz Year Manufacturer & Year Registered are same. Parallel import or AP holder can not bring to our shore a new car (current year). let say this year is 2011, the latest they can import 2010 and below but not more than 5 years old.

THANKS for your info here... i learn a thing today.

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Added on February 3, 2011, 10:10 pmthink twice when you get a car that with auto-manual then manual to auto...this kinda of gearbox is very expensive to repair.

Tell you Golf GTI is damm powerful car, usually people will not willing to sell it. Go and check why the owner want to sell? Ask the reason, see his answer and how he or she react?

If you really keen .....ask your foreman to see and also yr normal workshop to check the panel of the body see is there any accident before.

This post has been edited by sfotsy: Feb 3 2011, 10:10 PM

Before you start making a lot of noise, please note that the Golfs which are sold by VGM now are imported from Germany, the Scirocco from Portugal and the Polo from the South Africa plant.

All these cars can use Ron95 so fuel quality is not an issue here at all.

TS, for more questions, go look for Phaser here in the forums. He runs a GTI Mk5 as well and he can give you loads of advice about it.

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Added on February 4, 2011, 1:44 amUnfortunately its the European imports which are the ones with all the extra goodies which a lot of our local dealers don't bring in. Full spec versions of certain models are sometimes too tempting for our local market.

This post has been edited by Mavik: Feb 4 2011, 01:44 AM

yeah but what's the point if half the time is spent trying to find someone to fix the car again and again, it's an awful trap to fall into

haha, no la i'm still quite noob, best if you go to http://www.vwgolfclubmalaysia.com/index.php
and ask the sifu there
most of the owners own since 2007 and have covered higher mileage ie 60-100k km.

and just because it's powerful doesn't mean people will not sell it, some of them feels it too powerful for everyday driving, some needs a bigger car etc.
but it's a great car no doubt

top gear reviewing it in Dec 2004

Thanks for all the info. I have gathered enough information and schedule with the owner. The only concern now is to identify if the car is accident free, I guess it's better to get a foreman to come along.

Btw, should i worry about the service record from VW?

Sure, then what is the point you go there and trace the records from them? By the way it is good for you to spend some money to check the car. Have a look on the analysis reports. See what is the status? How is the condition?

You are not buying a cheap car,brother!!

The advertised car is Wald Edition,in which the ECU is a bit dodgy,IMHO.
I'd stay away from any Golf GTI Wald Edition...
Thanks

wald edition means it has extra hp, 230hp i think, instead of the normal 200hp.
not sure about the dodgy or whatever

Although I own a Golf and have about 4 friends who own the MkV GTI, 2 of them 2005 and the other 2 of them are 2007 models, frankly they have never had issues with the Golf and most of the time they service their cars regularly and bring their cars for track days once in a while. Not many issues with their cars, usually smaller minor issues like noises here and there.

But in all of that, if TS is in the Klang Valley then there are plenty of service centers and shops which does VW servicing. If in other states maybe there might be less with the exception of Penang and Johor.

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Added on February 4, 2011, 3:48 pmBest is to also get the car VAGCOM at VW. Basically it scans the entire car to check for faults and issues. To check for accidents remove the rubber linings at the doors and boot area to check for welded spots. Usually the best bet if there has been a major accident before.

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Added on February 4, 2011, 3:55 pmOnce TS buys the car, he can always reflash the ECU with let's say a APR stage 1 remap? Hahaha. Them no need to worry about dodgy ECU and gets about 250bhp

This post has been edited by Mavik: Feb 4 2011, 03:55 PM

Many Golf GTi are being sold by their owner, 1 reason is high maintenance of the engine. After time it will loose power due to carbon choke, you need to clean the inlet valve to declog the carbon buildups. And no putting in engine cleaner won't help.

oh really. thanks for info. You know Turbo car usually do need special attention on the dot on changing black oil. About the carbon choke matter does this also apply on others make of the car? Thanks

Wald edition is cheaper than local VW version one... so the price is within market price , as for accident free or not , nobody will know if just see on pic , you have to bring your own mechanics to test the car on the spot when you test the car.

Any Direct Injection Engines will have this issue. Volkswagen, Audi, Lexus just an example.

Oh i see. well i will call my mechanic to check it.

Wonder it its better to buy Second hand Golf Gti Mk5 or New Golf 1.4tsi Mk6 ? Advice?

I had the same dilemma lastbyear. Chose a new car instead because of the 5 year warranty and the peace of mind. If you are in it for kidding, then get the MkV GTI

It's not going to be easy looking for a cheaper MK5 GTI. That's about the price-range to expect for a used MK5.

Looks like he changed his rims and seats.

Go have a look at the car, make sure everything is in good condition.

Price-wise I think it's pretty reasonable, but dont like that he changed the seats.

Golf GTI high maintenance?!
I beg to differ....

true if bought from VGM the cars have been tested in asian climate, these CBU AP imports aren't they are still Euro cars with heaters for the a/c.

Also TS make sure you check undercarriage for rust, remember in Europe when it snows they spread salt on the roads so the body having been resprayed will look new but underneath may all be rotten from exposure to road salt, if the undercarriage was also resealed i really think twice because i doubt they would have taken the time and effort to clean the rust before resealing

edit: just read the ad, one line which rings alarm bells 'MANY REPAIRS DONE'. But low mileage and weekend car only, hmmmmmm.....

This post has been edited by rcracer: Feb 5 2011, 03:19 PM

oh yes that is true no wonder people do prefer get from Japan. Anyway, thanks for your info i almost forget it. I mean this point.

if it is a 2nd hand wald edition from 2005, it's a brand new car. never been used overseas. brought in new and sold here new

Now I am seriously considering a new golf 1.4 TSI instead... Like Mavik said, peace of mind...

Initially, I thought a 5yo low mileage car is a worth buy, but like any other used car... better to avoid

My next dilemma, price factor, the new golf 1.4 is additional RM20k+ than this MK5, it is over my budget dy, sigh...

I guess I have few option now:
1) To all lowyat kaki, if you bump into any new golf 1.4 TSI owners who wanted to let go his/her car now for some reason (eg. someone won TOTAL RM1million and wanted to upgrade immediately), please let me know!
2) Fiat Bravo 1.4 ard RM125K
3) PGT 308 turbo, ard RM118K
4) .... (i dunno what else)

http://www.mudah.my/Volkswagen+Golf+1+4+TS...ger-8036103.htm

don't forget Ford Focus TDCi, 128k also with 6 speed dual clutch gearbox and economical torquey engine