Hey, always been a fan of reading through the forums and seeing how everybody puts their own personal touch on their cars and making it their own. I have always been a fan of cars as my dad is a self-employed mechanic working from home so from a young age I helped him out (well stood and watched and got in the way!). Currently am studying to become a Technology Teacher but between Uni and Work any chance I get I like to get out to the workshop to give my dad a hand and love learning bits and bobs here and there about how a car works and how to maintain a car. This also comes in very handy when it comes to car maintenance having two car ramps at my house!
I have been into VAG cars since owning a 2007 Seat Ibiza Sport, in Yellow. This is where I started slightly modifying parts of my car to make it my own. After two years of owning the car I decided it was time to move up in the world and get myself a new car. As much as I wanted a GTI I done the maths and wouldn't be able to afford it as I do about 25,000 miles a year, and also being a relatively young driver the insurance would have been very high, therefore decided on a tdi. My dad told me he had seen so many catastrophes in his workshop with the 2.0TDI and to go for a 1.9TDI. After months of searching for a car I decided it was between a MK5 Golf or Jetta, just whatever clean example appeared first. I found a very clean 2007 jetta with 55,000 odd miles on it, heated leather interior and just an overall good example, but the day before setting off on the 3 hour journey to have a look at it I found a 2007 MK5 Golf 1.9TDI in the sport trim level 20 minutes from my house with 50,000 miles in red. So viewed it instead, took it for a test drive and fell in love. Deposit was put down and brought home a few days later. It sat for a few weeks until my insurance renewal was up (saved me a few bob to wait until then).
I was planning on keeping it standard but really liked the look of the GT front end, so ended up over summer buying a front bumper with edition 30 splitter, and while I was at it got the side skirts, bumper, roof spoiler and exhaust. I was surprised how cheap some of the genuine parts were new from the dealers, and some other parts I picked up second hand. Since the summer I got the car remapped (143bhp and 256 lb/ft of the top of my head) and picked up a set of 18 inch alloys second hand for a steal.
In the time I have had it one front spring and one rear has broke, so genuine VW sport springs (15mm lower than standard) have been fitted all round. The car has just turned 65,000 miles and apart from the spring everything is running perfect.
Future plans are to change the alloys as they sit very wide due to the offset and over bumps there is a lot of rubbing, not a good sound to hear. Especially when it happens so often due to the up and down roads where I live. Love the look of BBS VS, BBS CH or Pescaras. Currently waiting to see if any pop up for sale and if not may have to bite the bullet and buy some BBS VZ new. If I end up changing the alloys (and they sit in the arch) I would think about lowering a tad more, around 30mm or so on Eibach or H&R springs.
That's all for now. I will upload some pictures in due course of my Ibiza and my Golf once I figure out how to, I'll try to find before and after. I look forward to being a part of this forum and hopefully don't get too much stick for having a TDI. A GTI is definitely next on the cards in years to come!
