Phoenix or flop? 5-previous-owner Golf GTD Mk7
Discussion
Well, here I am again constructing a Readers Cars thread...
The back-story is that I combined my old Audi RS3 and Skoda Fabia just four months ago into a 2023 Mini Cooper. I was quite fond of the Mini and it proved that going back to single car (with family van, too) would be no issue. But my wife vehemently disliked it from day one - so much so that, by month 4, it was gone. Not a financial move I'd recommend, but perhaps less painful at this present time due to the ongoing high demand for used cars.
The stipulation for a replacement was "a Golf", and with that spur ringing in my ears I merrily began thinking straight away of Golf GTi and R models.
Yet, I bought a 5-owner pre-facelift Mk7 GTD at about 40% of my available budget. Why?
It's basically because this is an all-round car that meets a very wide range of criteria. Not only does it need to be sufficient for urban family duties, but also for longer-distance driving and have some reasonable performance credibility. Living on our street, on a hill, with massive kerb stones also mean it's handy not to be in perfect cosmetic condition otherwise it will trigger my sadness as it picks up marks from city living.
I don't think the Mk7 Golf GTD needs much introduction, so I will concentrate instead on this particular car. The main attraction being its history, which is as follows:
Service History Mileage Date Detail Note
Pre-delivery inspection 0 15/06/2016 - Listers of Stratford VW
Oil change service 8,986 12/12/2016 - Listers of Stratford VW
Oil change service 11,464 14/11/2017 - Lookers Blackburn VW
Inspection & oil service 20,295 04/09/2018 - Inchcape VW Aircon service, pollen filter
Brake fluid change 27,945 17/06/2018 - Inchcape VW
Inspection & oil service 29,658 06/08/2019 - Beadles VW
ARB links, DSG selector 34,887 01/07/2020 - F Vindis & Sons, VW Warranty work
Inspection & oil service 35,521 01/08/2020 - Parkway Northampton VW Diesel fuel filter, air filter, pollen filter
Cambelt, DSG oil & aircon service 38,733 03/03/2021 - Parkway Northampton VW Inc. water pump
Inspection & oil service 42,685 19/11/2021 - Non-franchise Air filter
Inspection & oil service 47,451 02/11/2022 - Non-franchise Front brake pads, air filter, windscreen
Inspection & oil service, brakes 52,239 10/05/2023 - Non-franchise Front & rear pads & discs, air filter
So, despite its 5 previous owners it looks to be a great history with key maintenance items done - including a cambelt and DSG oil. This is a really big difference compared to lots of other GTD / GTI / R models I was considering, at any price. It came with a folder full of receipts to verify the above, which again is becoming a rarity for used cars.
The exterior of the car presents well, not least because of the Tungsten Silver metallic paint:
As always, this sort of colour is great at hiding small imperfections and nicks - of which there are a small collection but nothing major:
A further rarity on cars I was viewing was a set of unmarked wheels. It also wears fresh Pagid discs & pads:
One of the previous owners de-badged the car not only on the back as is common practice, but also on the side.
The interior has worn extremely well, with no side bolster wear that I found on other Golfs. It's a base model GTD with no options, but this still includes climate control, heated seats, adaptive cruise etc etc - so that's no bother. The rear seat comfort has already gotten the thumbs-up from my teenage daughter.
The car is pictured without anything done to it yet, save for a new set of Goodyear Eagle F1 6s that I had fitted straight away for a good price. These four new tyres replaced an acceptable but mixed set - and is something I now like to do to any used car so that comfort and control are at their best.
The next few weeks will see the car immediately pressed into service on some long journeys in addition to our local uses.
To do straight away:
- Clean and protect the exterior, touching-in some stone chips
- Fit cherished plate - I've ordered an original dealer-supplied pair
- Re-fit side and probably rear badges, as I think it looks just a tiny bit plain at the moment
- Fix a few common interior squeaks, for example to the driver side rear where I expect it's the folding seat latch as commonly found on this platform
- Add a boot mat
- Upload a Superchips remap, taking it to c.220hp & 460nm
To do next, or keep an eye on
- Replace brake fluid, as it seems to have last been done 5 years ago
- Front end squeak - very common on cars where we live thanks to its undulations; probably top mounts or lower arm bushes but changing them may offer only temporary relief from noises
- Maybe freshen-up the paint the brake calipers and coat the brake bells to keep them looking nice
First driving impressions are positive, feeling oddly like a mix of my old RS3 and Fabia. That's perhaps no surprise given that both those cars were the same age, and shared some key components. It means that my wife was instantly happy and familiar with the controls, which was not the case with the Mini and something VAG cars do so well. The steering is light, accurate and it turns in surprisingly well.
It's my first diesel car in a long time, perhaps a contrarian choice given where we live, and I think it's closely related to the mapped 2.0 TDI found in our T5.1 Transporter. Start-up and low speed driving does nothing to disguise its inherent nature, but I'd say it's a characterful unit for a diesel and makes a nice induction whoosh from about 2,000rpm to go with the synthesised sound via the speakers. Obviously it possesses a very distinctive shove in-gear, where I'd say already (pre-map) that it feels more than adequate - given that my back-catalogue is mainly boosted 4- and 5-pot petrols.
So - hopefully this will stay a bit longer than 4 months, while offering a good blend of attributes and with a history that makes it a more solid base to start from than it might first appear.
The back-story is that I combined my old Audi RS3 and Skoda Fabia just four months ago into a 2023 Mini Cooper. I was quite fond of the Mini and it proved that going back to single car (with family van, too) would be no issue. But my wife vehemently disliked it from day one - so much so that, by month 4, it was gone. Not a financial move I'd recommend, but perhaps less painful at this present time due to the ongoing high demand for used cars.
The stipulation for a replacement was "a Golf", and with that spur ringing in my ears I merrily began thinking straight away of Golf GTi and R models.
Yet, I bought a 5-owner pre-facelift Mk7 GTD at about 40% of my available budget. Why?
It's basically because this is an all-round car that meets a very wide range of criteria. Not only does it need to be sufficient for urban family duties, but also for longer-distance driving and have some reasonable performance credibility. Living on our street, on a hill, with massive kerb stones also mean it's handy not to be in perfect cosmetic condition otherwise it will trigger my sadness as it picks up marks from city living.
I don't think the Mk7 Golf GTD needs much introduction, so I will concentrate instead on this particular car. The main attraction being its history, which is as follows:
Service History Mileage Date Detail Note
Pre-delivery inspection 0 15/06/2016 - Listers of Stratford VW
Oil change service 8,986 12/12/2016 - Listers of Stratford VW
Oil change service 11,464 14/11/2017 - Lookers Blackburn VW
Inspection & oil service 20,295 04/09/2018 - Inchcape VW Aircon service, pollen filter
Brake fluid change 27,945 17/06/2018 - Inchcape VW
Inspection & oil service 29,658 06/08/2019 - Beadles VW
ARB links, DSG selector 34,887 01/07/2020 - F Vindis & Sons, VW Warranty work
Inspection & oil service 35,521 01/08/2020 - Parkway Northampton VW Diesel fuel filter, air filter, pollen filter
Cambelt, DSG oil & aircon service 38,733 03/03/2021 - Parkway Northampton VW Inc. water pump
Inspection & oil service 42,685 19/11/2021 - Non-franchise Air filter
Inspection & oil service 47,451 02/11/2022 - Non-franchise Front brake pads, air filter, windscreen
Inspection & oil service, brakes 52,239 10/05/2023 - Non-franchise Front & rear pads & discs, air filter
So, despite its 5 previous owners it looks to be a great history with key maintenance items done - including a cambelt and DSG oil. This is a really big difference compared to lots of other GTD / GTI / R models I was considering, at any price. It came with a folder full of receipts to verify the above, which again is becoming a rarity for used cars.
The exterior of the car presents well, not least because of the Tungsten Silver metallic paint:
As always, this sort of colour is great at hiding small imperfections and nicks - of which there are a small collection but nothing major:
A further rarity on cars I was viewing was a set of unmarked wheels. It also wears fresh Pagid discs & pads:
One of the previous owners de-badged the car not only on the back as is common practice, but also on the side.
The interior has worn extremely well, with no side bolster wear that I found on other Golfs. It's a base model GTD with no options, but this still includes climate control, heated seats, adaptive cruise etc etc - so that's no bother. The rear seat comfort has already gotten the thumbs-up from my teenage daughter.
The car is pictured without anything done to it yet, save for a new set of Goodyear Eagle F1 6s that I had fitted straight away for a good price. These four new tyres replaced an acceptable but mixed set - and is something I now like to do to any used car so that comfort and control are at their best.
The next few weeks will see the car immediately pressed into service on some long journeys in addition to our local uses.
To do straight away:
- Clean and protect the exterior, touching-in some stone chips
- Fit cherished plate - I've ordered an original dealer-supplied pair
- Re-fit side and probably rear badges, as I think it looks just a tiny bit plain at the moment
- Fix a few common interior squeaks, for example to the driver side rear where I expect it's the folding seat latch as commonly found on this platform
- Add a boot mat
- Upload a Superchips remap, taking it to c.220hp & 460nm
To do next, or keep an eye on
- Replace brake fluid, as it seems to have last been done 5 years ago
- Front end squeak - very common on cars where we live thanks to its undulations; probably top mounts or lower arm bushes but changing them may offer only temporary relief from noises
- Maybe freshen-up the paint the brake calipers and coat the brake bells to keep them looking nice
First driving impressions are positive, feeling oddly like a mix of my old RS3 and Fabia. That's perhaps no surprise given that both those cars were the same age, and shared some key components. It means that my wife was instantly happy and familiar with the controls, which was not the case with the Mini and something VAG cars do so well. The steering is light, accurate and it turns in surprisingly well.
It's my first diesel car in a long time, perhaps a contrarian choice given where we live, and I think it's closely related to the mapped 2.0 TDI found in our T5.1 Transporter. Start-up and low speed driving does nothing to disguise its inherent nature, but I'd say it's a characterful unit for a diesel and makes a nice induction whoosh from about 2,000rpm to go with the synthesised sound via the speakers. Obviously it possesses a very distinctive shove in-gear, where I'd say already (pre-map) that it feels more than adequate - given that my back-catalogue is mainly boosted 4- and 5-pot petrols.
So - hopefully this will stay a bit longer than 4 months, while offering a good blend of attributes and with a history that makes it a more solid base to start from than it might first appear.
looking at that service history I' d say owner one was the dealer ( so ex demo). First service a 9k miles and 6 months suggests it was completed only as part of a sale to the first proper customer. So you could argue its a 4 owner car, maybe.
Are they expensive to tax, or is there an underlying problem like it leaks like a sieve in winter for there to be some many other owners.
Anyway GTD for the diesel win.
Are they expensive to tax, or is there an underlying problem like it leaks like a sieve in winter for there to be some many other owners.
Anyway GTD for the diesel win.
I wondered if it was pre-reg, too, and it seems from the service invoicing that a lease company was being charged.
The last ownership was for 2 years, which I hope means there's nothing too scary. Tax is £150 p/a, so it's not that.
I forgot to mention that I read and cleared three hidden fault codes, all of which can be triggered by loss of charge / low battery voltage and / or the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System being triggered. The mileage recorded on various ECUs tallies, and it looks like no other fault codes had been cleared for at least a year.
The last ownership was for 2 years, which I hope means there's nothing too scary. Tax is £150 p/a, so it's not that.
I forgot to mention that I read and cleared three hidden fault codes, all of which can be triggered by loss of charge / low battery voltage and / or the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System being triggered. The mileage recorded on various ECUs tallies, and it looks like no other fault codes had been cleared for at least a year.
Nice car that, those wheels must've been refurbed as they'd be corroded by now anyway. I bought one brand new in 2014 and have no plans to change it. Didn't realise these were 150 tax on a 16 plate, mine is 20 quid!
Heated seats would've been an option unless they threw it in pre face-lift? Only came with the winter pack otherwise.
Heated seats would've been an option unless they threw it in pre face-lift? Only came with the winter pack otherwise.
It certainly looks like the 5 previous owners have looked after it, better than 1 owner that couldn't care less!
Few years back I bought a pretty much mint Mercedes coupe full history but 5 previous owners, was only a problem when I came to sell the part ex price's were lowered when the number of owners were taken into account, I think BMW chipped me about £700.
Few years back I bought a pretty much mint Mercedes coupe full history but 5 previous owners, was only a problem when I came to sell the part ex price's were lowered when the number of owners were taken into account, I think BMW chipped me about £700.
Thanks for the comments and tips, everyone.
Looks like the winter pack (heated seats etc) was standard on pre-facelift GTDs made from spring 2016 until the facelift in late 2017.
I think the higher VED is due to it being a DSG, hence slightly more CO2? Tax bands went up quite quickly from the £20 rate and into the £100s. It's still less than half what our van costs, or indeed my old R32, RS3 etc.
I've still not properly inspected the bodywork via a thorough clean and seal, which is my usual way of getting to know a car. But I agree it's probably had its wheels refurbished recently as their finish is unusually good. I expect my wife to kerb the wheels quite quickly, but it's a good place to start.
I am hoping to keep this car for a bit longer than my sub-2 year trend. Our van has been with us 8 years, so it can be done.
One thing that should help is that I get a lot of satisfaction from fixing small things and keeping a slightly older car in great nick. I could afford to spent a lot more on our motors, but living where we do and using them how we do means it doesn't make a lot of sense.
Looks like the winter pack (heated seats etc) was standard on pre-facelift GTDs made from spring 2016 until the facelift in late 2017.
I think the higher VED is due to it being a DSG, hence slightly more CO2? Tax bands went up quite quickly from the £20 rate and into the £100s. It's still less than half what our van costs, or indeed my old R32, RS3 etc.
I've still not properly inspected the bodywork via a thorough clean and seal, which is my usual way of getting to know a car. But I agree it's probably had its wheels refurbished recently as their finish is unusually good. I expect my wife to kerb the wheels quite quickly, but it's a good place to start.
I am hoping to keep this car for a bit longer than my sub-2 year trend. Our van has been with us 8 years, so it can be done.
One thing that should help is that I get a lot of satisfaction from fixing small things and keeping a slightly older car in great nick. I could afford to spent a lot more on our motors, but living where we do and using them how we do means it doesn't make a lot of sense.
Nice car.
Solid dependable with a bit of grunt from the torquey diesel engine.
My wife's car is a 10 year old VW Tiguan with 170000 miles. She had a diesel Golf before it and would seriously consider replacing the Tig with a Mk7 GTD.
What was so wrong with the Mini that you chopped it in such a short space of time?
Solid dependable with a bit of grunt from the torquey diesel engine.
My wife's car is a 10 year old VW Tiguan with 170000 miles. She had a diesel Golf before it and would seriously consider replacing the Tig with a Mk7 GTD.
What was so wrong with the Mini that you chopped it in such a short space of time?
I've had a little bit of time in the last few days to get on top of the first list of things to do. This includes a deeper clean and dress, with a couple of progress pics here:
It's not exactly been done to Detailing World standards and I didn't take any finished shots, but it'll do me just fine for a while. Decent products mean it's been pretty easy to get to that "80:20" sweet spot where anything after this is diminishing returns. Especially so on a 7-year-old car that lives outdoors in a city. But it's a lot easier to look good with silver rather than dark paint.
The wheels definitely have been refurbished recently, as there was nearly zero wheel contamination:
GTD badges and a new rear wiper blade have been fitted and a genuine (second hand) boot mat is in the post.
I've generally been getting used to it and I agree with a couple of comments above: it's a "nice car". Not an especially emotive one, but sufficient and satisfying. It's the kind of car that someone who likes cars but has to compromise would have.
I think the only time I've been reminded of its limitations so far is when pressing on along a dual carriageway that I last did in my RS3... It's certainly got a meaty torque band, which the DSG makes the most of, but it's not got the legs or soundtrack to go with it. Peak torque is not the same as duration! I'll make notes on the remap once I've arranged insurance and then uploaded it.
It's not exactly been done to Detailing World standards and I didn't take any finished shots, but it'll do me just fine for a while. Decent products mean it's been pretty easy to get to that "80:20" sweet spot where anything after this is diminishing returns. Especially so on a 7-year-old car that lives outdoors in a city.
But it's a lot easier to look good with silver rather than dark paint. The wheels definitely have been refurbished recently, as there was nearly zero wheel contamination:
GTD badges and a new rear wiper blade have been fitted and a genuine (second hand) boot mat is in the post.
I've generally been getting used to it and I agree with a couple of comments above: it's a "nice car". Not an especially emotive one, but sufficient and satisfying. It's the kind of car that someone who likes cars but has to compromise would have.
I think the only time I've been reminded of its limitations so far is when pressing on along a dual carriageway that I last did in my RS3... It's certainly got a meaty torque band, which the DSG makes the most of, but it's not got the legs or soundtrack to go with it. Peak torque is not the same as duration! I'll make notes on the remap once I've arranged insurance and then uploaded it.
Bobupndown said:
What was so wrong with the Mini that you chopped it in such a short space of time?
I mentioned earlier that my wife really didn't like the Mini at all from day one. In particular it was because she felt unsafe with its think A pillar being permanently in her field of vision - she's quite short and sits close the wheel; you'd think this was Mini's core market. The Golf by contrast has a much shallower A pillar angle, evidenced by its tiny window just fore of the wing mirror. I won't kid myself that selling it after 4 months was a good financial move, but it was a lot less painful than it might have been because of car price inflation and two other car sales I made recently.
This had the effect of barely changing the cash pot available for cars in those 4 months, and I then spent only about 40% of that pot buying this GTD.
I was thinking of buying a nice GTI or R in any age range, but realistically this car will be used mainly like our old Fabia - lifts for the kids etc. I've had several nice cars do this kind of duty before and it's a lot of effort keeping them nice. I'll be putting some elbow grease into keeping this GTD in good nick (much more so than the average person), but at the end of the day it's a 2016 GTD - so I won't care as much!
tvrfan007 said:
Nice car that, those wheels must've been refurbed as they'd be corroded by now anyway. I bought one brand new in 2014 and have no plans to change it. Didn't realise these were 150 tax on a 16 plate, mine is 20 quid!
Heated seats would've been an option unless they threw it in pre face-lift? Only came with the winter pack otherwise.
I had a 66 plate , registered December 16 and by then the winter pack was standard.Heated seats would've been an option unless they threw it in pre face-lift? Only came with the winter pack otherwise.
The wheels on mine were terrible by the time it went back at the end of the lease .
Edited by Alfa Pete on Monday 12th June 17:06
I had a GTD which I ran as my company car for 3 years and clocked up 85000 miles.
I did have a few niggles with it but it was probably the best all round car I’ve had for its combination of performance/ economy/ comfort.
It got replaced by a Mini Clubman Cooper SD which was more characterful, but not quite as rounded in its abilities as the Golf.
I did have a few niggles with it but it was probably the best all round car I’ve had for its combination of performance/ economy/ comfort.
It got replaced by a Mini Clubman Cooper SD which was more characterful, but not quite as rounded in its abilities as the Golf.
Most jobs are now done, and the GTD is now ready for a 500-miler next week in the hands of my wife and son - who are going on a live sports & family visit tour.
Before doing so, it doubled-up with our van on birthday party duties. It's rare we take two vehicles to one place at the same time, let alone when they're both clean. I'm not sure I foresaw not one but *two* VW 2.0 TDIs in my future, but here we are...
It's been good to have a larger car than the Mini and previous Skoda Fabia in daily use, where even around town the longer wheelbase makes it much more comfortable and commodious. While it's also a tidy car, it doesn't invoke the OCD that my RS3 used to either... though I do miss the noise. An ideal "one car" car, then.
The GTD being a bit bigger means we'll be using it instead of our van for some fairly big drives this summer. Not that I bought it for fuel economy, but I'll be interested to see what I can coax out of it as the car's age and summer weather will probably mean it's at its optimum.
Also being an under-budget car that I don't owe anything for means I'll need to reign in my want for upgrades... Honestly, VAG cars are such a nuisance because of all the tuning and OEM+ options competing for my pocket money.
Most likely I'll look at a plug-in audio upgrade, but leave it at that because... well... it is a diesel that's in daily family use after all.
Before doing so, it doubled-up with our van on birthday party duties. It's rare we take two vehicles to one place at the same time, let alone when they're both clean. I'm not sure I foresaw not one but *two* VW 2.0 TDIs in my future, but here we are...
It's been good to have a larger car than the Mini and previous Skoda Fabia in daily use, where even around town the longer wheelbase makes it much more comfortable and commodious. While it's also a tidy car, it doesn't invoke the OCD that my RS3 used to either... though I do miss the noise. An ideal "one car" car, then.
The GTD being a bit bigger means we'll be using it instead of our van for some fairly big drives this summer. Not that I bought it for fuel economy, but I'll be interested to see what I can coax out of it as the car's age and summer weather will probably mean it's at its optimum.
Also being an under-budget car that I don't owe anything for means I'll need to reign in my want for upgrades... Honestly, VAG cars are such a nuisance because of all the tuning and OEM+ options competing for my pocket money.
Most likely I'll look at a plug-in audio upgrade, but leave it at that because... well... it is a diesel that's in daily family use after all.
I ran an early 2016 GTD Estate as a company car for around four years. That came with heated seats as standard. Great all rounder and as our daughter was quite young at the time, the estate was useful for all her baby clobber, plus the dog.
I tend to potter along on business trips and >60 mpg could be coaxed out of it in those circumstances.
One thing I wasn’t keen on was when it did a DPF regen. Never had a diesel before that had such a rough and elevated tickover mid-regen. Mine was Euro 6, but pre AdBlue and I often wondered if it was pretty marginal on meeting the Euro 6 emissions standards?
I tend to potter along on business trips and >60 mpg could be coaxed out of it in those circumstances.
One thing I wasn’t keen on was when it did a DPF regen. Never had a diesel before that had such a rough and elevated tickover mid-regen. Mine was Euro 6, but pre AdBlue and I often wondered if it was pretty marginal on meeting the Euro 6 emissions standards?
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