Inflated VW prices

[aceofspades1]

Why are VW prices so inflated?

I have owned several Golfs including the MK7.5 and they are nice enough but I cannot understand why the prices are so inflated.

£7k gets you an average mileage 10-year-old base spec Golf petrol, if you want a low mileage automatic you're looking at over £10k. If you want a higher spec car, make that another several thousand.

To add to that VW stealerships now want £1300+ for a cambelt and water pump change!

[aceofspades1]

[aceofspades1]

[the-photographer]

Supply and demand?

You could look at SEAT or Skoda?

[andrew-6xade]

Buying a Golf says nothing about you as a person - that's the appeal. Perceived VW reliability, loads of dealers, loads of independents, generally well trodden drivetrains.

[AddyT.]

Wow that's strong money! The GTD may be priced how it is as the Mk7 is perceived to be better than the Mk8 equivalent. However, both you have posted seem pretty highly priced! What's the mileage on them? Must be low for both, surely? I have a 2016 Mk7 R with 64k miles with a good spec and that's not going to be on a VW forecourt for all that much more - my guess around £17k-ish.

[South tdf]

aceofspades1 said:

Why are VW prices so inflated?

I have owned several Golfs including the MK7.5 and they are nice enough but I cannot understand why the prices are so inflated.

£7k gets you an average mileage 10-year-old base spec Golf petrol, if you want a low mileage automatic you're looking at over £10k. If you want a higher spec car, make that another several thousand.

To add to that VW stealerships now want £1300+ for a cambelt and water pump change!

Simple answer, dont buy a Volkswagen and if you do change the cam belt yourself.

[itcaptainslow]

Easier said than done - by the look of it the 1.5 needs a plethora of special tools to change the cambelt, and I bet it's not the only engine in the range like that.

[raspy]

the-photographer said:

Supply and demand?

As simple as this. People in the UK are keeping their cars for longer.

The average age of UK cars at the end of 2024 was almost 10 years old. That's the highest it has ever been.

[Sheepshanks]

andrew-6xade said:

... loads of dealers,

The only good one in our area just got shut down.


The pricing of both of the cars above has a massive margin for dealers - they're both +50% on their WBAC valuations, and the dealers won't have paid more than that.

[South tdf]

Sheepshanks said:

andrew-6xade said:

... loads of dealers,

The only good one in our area just got shut down.


The pricing of both of the cars above has a massive margin for dealers - they're both +50% on their WBAC valuations, and the dealers won't have paid more than that.

Here’s a plan, buy your car at WBAC price and save 50%, or 2 for 1.

[Sheepshanks]

South tdf said:

Here s a plan, buy your car at WBAC price and save 50%, or 2 for 1.

Well, no - you'd only save 33%. Or buy 1.5 cars.

[ChocolateFrog]

aceofspades1 said:

Why are VW prices so inflated?

I have owned several Golfs including the MK7.5 and they are nice enough but I cannot understand why the prices are so inflated.

£7k gets you an average mileage 10-year-old base spec Golf petrol, if you want a low mileage automatic you're looking at over £10k. If you want a higher spec car, make that another several thousand.

To add to that VW stealerships now want £1300+ for a cambelt and water pump change!

Scene tax.

Somehow the brand still carries some kudos.

[stevemcs]

itcaptainslow said:

Easier said than done - by the look of it the 1.5 needs a plethora of special tools to change the cambelt, and I bet it's not the only engine in the range like that.

Only on some of the 1.5's and 1.4's, the cambelt is the easy bit, its the bit that goes on the end of the cams and adjusts them to 0.00, we haven't been brave enough to try them, otherwise its a £500 job - although there is no current interval on them, so i wouldn't bother with changing the belt - only on the diesel would i advise changing it.

I'd still buy a Focus, i30/Ceed over any VW product.

[itcaptainslow]

stevemcs said:

itcaptainslow said:

Easier said than done - by the look of it the 1.5 needs a plethora of special tools to change the cambelt, and I bet it's not the only engine in the range like that.

Only on some of the 1.5's and 1.4's, the cambelt is the easy bit, its the bit that goes on the end of the cams and adjusts them to 0.00, we haven't been brave enough to try them, otherwise its a £500 job - although there is no current interval on them, so i wouldn't bother with changing the belt - only on the diesel would i advise changing it.

I'd still buy a Focus, i30/Ceed over any VW product.

I remember reading about the process in an issue of Car Mechanics, it looks an absolute minefield!

[Sheepshanks]

stevemcs said:

I'd still buy a Focus, i30/Ceed over any VW product.

I'd always been a Ford man from Escorts, Cortina and Capris, even had a couple of early Fiestas but just never took to Focus. Getting daughter a car we looked at i30/Ceed for the warranty, then went to look at mk6 Golf and the Golf just felt a cut above.

[Lester H]

It was ever thus. The earliest example was the original Beetle. As the anti-German sentiment faded, buyers appreciated that their fit and finish was simply way ahead of British rivals. They were also much more reliable, in part because there was less to go wrong. People bought them although they cost as much as (say) a Vauxhall Victor, Hillman Minx, etc, despite Beetles being small. Thus, a pattern was set. Eventually, the time came when Beetles were too dated and our market got the water cooled Polo (Audi 50) and the Golf, which were dour and austere with dark interiors and poor brakes in the majority. But, once again, they were reliable, priced at the higher end of their class, and appeared not to rust, having wax injected cavities. Eventually, of course bubbles started to appear round filler tank necks, and cam covers started to weep oil into the alternators. However, the reputation was secure, further boosted by the Golf GTI. So the British public liked them and were prepared to pay a premium of around 15%, or to be exploited, depending on your view. Then, of course, is the scene , with the campers and the so called surf dude phenomenon. This even transferred from California and Newquay to tradesmen s vans in the form of the Transporter. Finally, all this was backed by excellent advertising. So there you have it: VW Tax.

Edited by Lester H on Sunday 11th January 19:32

Edited by Lester H on Sunday 11th January 19:34

Edited by Lester H on Sunday 11th January 19:36

[Previous]

Whilst all of the above is true, COVID inflated prices and although they've passed peak craziness, they're still Very high compared to pre COVID depreciation norms.

[vikingaero]

Previous said:

Whilst all of the above is true, COVID inflated prices and although they've passed peak craziness, they're still Very high compared to pre COVID depreciation norms.

Eggsactly this. I bought my Mum a 67 plate Honda Jazz back in 2018 for £10499. She's given the car back to us as my parents live on an every 10 minutes bus route and one car is now fine for them. We've driven it for 4-5 years and it has 50k. So bearing in mind it's 8ish years old, WBAC offered £7700. 7 years motoring for £2800.

I remember the days of buying a £20k car that was automatically worth 1/3rd after 3 years.

[normalbloke]

vikingaero said:

Previous said:

Whilst all of the above is true, COVID inflated prices and although they've passed peak craziness, they're still Very high compared to pre COVID depreciation norms.

Eggsactly this. I bought my Mum a 67 plate Honda Jazz back in 2018 for £10499. She's given the car back to us as my parents live on an every 10 minutes bus route and one car is now fine for them. We've driven it for 4-5 years and it has 50k. So bearing in mind it's 8ish years old, WBAC offered £7700. 7 years motoring for £2800.

I remember the days of buying a £20k car that was automatically worth 1/3rd after 3 years.

We sold my wife’s S2000 last year. 13 years on that one and we added about 110k miles to it. It depreciated by £200.