Forgive me....

[jayha11]

I am test driving a MK5 R32 on Sunday and am seriously toying with the possibility of selling the GTI in favour of the V6 orchestra. I know people will say the GTI is more tunable ect than the R32 but I am not worried about that.

[th3_f15t]

The V6 sound track is far, far better than anything the GTI can produce. If I were in your position I'd do it. Oh, and as for tuning ability, go check out how many 400bhp+ R32T cars there are out there...

[lukemk5gti]

I am test driving a MK5 R32 on Sunday and am seriously toying with the possibility of selling the GTI in favour of the V6 orchestra. I know people will say the GTI is more tunable ect than the R32 but I am not worried about that.

I almost did the same only it turned out to be driven to death!

Hard to find a good example that hasn't been thrashed in Ireland!

[th3_f15t]

Must of been driven hard it's entire life as the VR6 engine is mental strong! Just make sure the chains don't rattle loudly when it's idle and that it pulls nicely in all gears without strange noises.

[jayha11]

Yeh I have been reading up on the usual warning signs and things to check regarding the Haldex servicing ect. All in I think I am will researched and ready to sample one.

[lukemk5gti]

Must of been driven hard it's entire life as the VR6 engine is mental strong! Just make sure the chains don't rattle loudly when it's idle and that it pulls nicely in all gears without strange noises.

It was... I put a post up on it when I went to view it. Turns out it had also been crashed after further investigation.

That dealer had since exported it back to the UK

[unzippy]

Don't forget to factor in teh MPG and higher tax band..

But that noise

[slix]

Don't forget the audi a3.... 3.2L...

Pretty much the same car with a nicer interior. And half the price!

[Paradox1]

the r32 is a decent car regardless of MPG.

get it an enjoy it. your hard earned money so your choice pal.

I say do it!

[jayha11]

MPG isnt an issue for me as my commute to work is less than 3 miles which is handy.The tax also only costs around £20 more a month which is neither here or there. As for the A3 I have never been keen on them inside or out, for me the golf wins hands down on looks be it the GTI or the R.

[pablo_the_dogg]

I am test driving a MK5 R32 on Sunday and am seriously toying with the possibility of selling the GTI in favour of the V6 orchestra. I know people will say the GTI is more tunable ect than the R32 but I am not worried about that.

I had a mk4 n loved it. As said chain stretch is an issue. The engine is noisy and you will hear the chain going around. The noise to avoid sounds like marbles in a tin can. Look for a car that has been service properly with regular oil changes . Also make sure the haldex has been serviced properly.

[th3_f15t]

In fairness, you can get a complete chain replacement kit from ECS Tuning and I'd be doing a Haldex service along with all belts and oil as a matter of course when I bought it regardless, just so I know it's been done to my standard. If the chain is noisy, use it to drive the price down.

[slix]

Yes defo listen for the chain noise before buying.

Although.... when I went to get my old one I didn't hear a chain noise, then 6 months down the line I started hearing the grinding marble noise. So be cautious as it can start. Only had a small amount of stretch but will only get worse. It's a shame VW and audi skimp on small parts of the engine to ruin the rest.

[slix]

In fairness, you can get a complete chain replacement kit from ECS Tuning and I'd be doing a Haldex service along with all belts and oil as a matter of course when I bought it regardless, just so I know it's been done to my standard. If the chain is noisy, use it to drive the price down.

Have you looked at what's involved in replacing the chain?.....

[jayha11]

So I woke up Sunday morning extremely excited. A short drive later I arrived at the driveway of a shadow blue R32, not the colour and spec I wanted but manual transmission so fit the bill nicely as a method of dipping my toe in the V6 water.
 
It wasn't a very well specced offering so didn't feel much different in terms of cabin presence. Flicked the ignition, feul pump primed and that throaty V6 sparked into life.... goosebumps.
 
Nipping through the tiny village it called home it was hard to open the car up at first plus it needed to get up to temp anyway. First thoughts whilst gliding along was the throttle response is much more urgent as the power is there right away and not waiting for the turbo to spool up. The brakes were also far better, think I nearly sent my fiance into the windscreen at one junction.
 
I escaped the confines of the village and was met with a B road I am familiar with, queue the orchestra!! The noise was lovely but I was a little underwhelmed with its pace. I knew the power delivery would be completely different but I also expected the car to feel more lively than my standard MK5 GTI. After a few miles of the V6 on full chat it was time to return back to the village.
 
I test drove the car to draw a conclusion, it just wasn't the conclusion I had hoped for. Now I am left scratching my head wondering where to go next. My GTI has just flew through another MOT so I could go down the stage 1/2 route or sell up and pick up an Ed30/S3 so I have the K04'd unit to start with