Buying a gti mk5

[mjmallia]

Don't be scared of high mileage if the car has been looked after.

My Mk5 GTI is the first ever car I have owned over 100K....now on 112K.  I did spend a bit on it at first as it needed the cam adjuster doing, oil pickup, usual wear and tear on the 2.0 tfsi etc but it runs like a dream now and still puts a grin on my face.

If it has been maintained and has a history, go for it. A couple of my mates were thinking the same and also bought 100k+ mile GTI's and are also happy

Some of these cars are getting onto 15 years old like mine, although mine is in excellent condition.......... 112K is low for that age........even very low mileage can be just as bad as high due to lack of use or even too many short trips where the engine does not get up to temp.

Good luck on the search.

[Gtcpaul1971]

Mines on 141k miles and has had tonnes of work done. It drives brilliantly.
I wouldn't be scared of the mileage as long as it has full history and all the usual Mk 5 stuff done. 

[Jb55]

I’ve seen a nice looking ed30 but looks like the it’s had non gen belt water pump and dsg oil all done in 2017, so maybe one to stay away from? 

Dsg oil £48

Water pump £47

Timing belt kit £94

All seems a bit cheap especially the dsg oil and done at a no name garage that doesn’t seem to exist anymore.

[Toasted]

@Jb55 : I feel your pain! I too have been on the hunt for a decent GTI and have been totally dismayed at what I've found.
Have a look at my thread in MK5 General 'K04 Low Down Torque' and you'll get the gist. It first starts out talking about the K04'd ED30 & Pirellis but standard K03 GTI's get a good summing up too.
Anyway, I ended up buying one of those high milers you mentioned  - Exterior-wise, it needed both wings doing and the tailgate (inside of the boot handle/badge) and a service for piece of mind. The wings and boot are common AF and should be budgeted for unless you go for a late model minter.

It was exactly the internal debate that you are having that turned me towards ED30's. Good standard GTI's seem really hard to find, without an exhaustive time consuming hunt up and down the country/ies.
I would stay away from dealers (generally speaking) as I've only seen one decent one but it was at top dollar for a standard K03.
If you can 'mentally' live with the mileage, you may just find the car you want, I would widen your search parameters and stick to private sales. Also, think that any recommendation on here is a sound one, as this place has an abundance of clued up enthusiasts who would have cherished their cars pretty much regardless of mileage.
I hear your reservations on travelling, as it can be disheartening and downright annoying to munch the miles only to find an overpriced sack of sh*te. However, that is where this place comes in to it's own - if a member has one for sale, you can 99% say it'll be worth a look, especially if that person travelled far and wide to buy it themselves (coolhandluke).

Finally, try out the ED30/Pirelli before committing, they have slightly different characteristics, performance-wise and may not suit.

Good luck though, whatever route you take, I've been there myself!

[Toasted]

@Jb55 : See link below - Instead of travelling for the car, why not let the car come to you!!
Look at that interior!!
Under 40.000 miles - JDM GTI's, could be the way to go, certainly got me doing the sums!! 

https://www.ansuzjapan.com/car/volkswagen-golf-2008/

[Jb55]

@Toasted what miles and how much did you pay if you don’t mind me asking ? I have been keeping up with your k04 thread already 

I’ve found a minter k03 ,cambelt done when it should, cam chain done to and full service history at German specialist with just over 80k on it but he wants £5800 for it and can’t see any history of the dsg ever being serviced it drives perfect tho, I can’t see the dsg not being done with the amount spent on the car and the service history but it not shown anywhere as being done so putting me of, for that money the history needs to be perfect really.

[coolhandluke]

@Jb55 : I feel your pain! I too have been on the hunt for a decent GTI and have been totally dismayed at what I've found.
Have a look at my thread in MK5 General 'K04 Low Down Torque' and you'll get the gist. It first starts out talking about the K04'd ED30 & Pirellis but standard K03 GTI's get a good summing up too.
Anyway, I ended up buying one of those high milers you mentioned  - Exterior-wise, it needed both wings doing and the tailgate (inside of the boot handle/badge) and a service for piece of mind. The wings and boot are common AF and should be budgeted for unless you go for a late model minter.

It was exactly the internal debate that you are having that turned me towards ED30's. Good standard GTI's seem really hard to find, without an exhaustive time consuming hunt up and down the country/ies.
I would stay away from dealers (generally speaking) as I've only seen one decent one but it was at top dollar for a standard K03.
If you can 'mentally' live with the mileage, you may just find the car you want, I would widen your search parameters and stick to private sales. Also, think that any recommendation on here is a sound one, as this place has an abundance of clued up enthusiasts who would have cherished their cars pretty much regardless of mileage.
I hear your reservations on travelling, as it can be disheartening and downright annoying to munch the miles only to find an overpriced sack of sh*te. However, that is where this place comes in to it's own - if a member has one for sale, you can 99% say it'll be worth a look, especially if that person travelled far and wide to buy it themselves (coolhandluke).

Finally, try out the ED30/Pirelli before committing, they have slightly different characteristics, performance-wise and may not suit.

Good luck though, whatever route you take, I've been there myself!

Wise words and thanks for the mention 

[OldGTI]

I was looking at mk7s at auction when one of my customers offered me his mk5 that he had from new and only had 65k miles on it so found it hard to resist. It has full service history but I still managed to spend £1800 on it getting the wheels done, new exhaust, cam belt and all the standard need to do stuff such as cam follower etc so make sure you have a contingency in place even for a good car. I also have a 968 and it is funny to see the comparisons on the forums there of people starting out wanting nothing but a CS and then realising how few good cars are out there so they end up realising that a good standard coupe is the way to go. I was looking for a E30 M3 in the past and gave up as like GTIs all of them were used and not may cherished so finding a good low miles one proved impossible unless I wanted to pay silly money. I would say hang in there, don't rush into anything and enjoy the hunt for the best standard gti you can find.

[colesey]

I was looking for a E30 M3 in the past and gave up as like GTIs all of them were used and not may cherished so finding a good low miles one proved impossible unless I wanted to pay silly money.

Been there, done it. I had an e30 m3 cecotto (evo / 220bhp motor) and would say they are imo rather overrated. There is simply insufficient torque for the weight to work the chassis or accelerate without having to rev the nuts off them. Even 20 years ago, it felt rather dated. That’s the problem with yesterday’s heroes, they seldom measure up to expectations.

[Toasted]

@Jb55 : I feel your pain! I too have been on the hunt for a decent GTI and have been totally dismayed at what I've found.
Have a look at my thread in MK5 General 'K04 Low Down Torque' and you'll get the gist. It first starts out talking about the K04'd ED30 & Pirellis but standard K03 GTI's get a good summing up too.
Anyway, I ended up buying one of those high milers you mentioned  - Exterior-wise, it needed both wings doing and the tailgate (inside of the boot handle/badge) and a service for piece of mind. The wings and boot are common AF and should be budgeted for unless you go for a late model minter.

It was exactly the internal debate that you are having that turned me towards ED30's. Good standard GTI's seem really hard to find, without an exhaustive time consuming hunt up and down the country/ies.
I would stay away from dealers (generally speaking) as I've only seen one decent one but it was at top dollar for a standard K03.
If you can 'mentally' live with the mileage, you may just find the car you want, I would widen your search parameters and stick to private sales. Also, think that any recommendation on here is a sound one, as this place has an abundance of clued up enthusiasts who would have cherished their cars pretty much regardless of mileage.
I hear your reservations on travelling, as it can be disheartening and downright annoying to munch the miles only to find an overpriced sack of sh*te. However, that is where this place comes in to it's own - if a member has one for sale, you can 99% say it'll be worth a look, especially if that person travelled far and wide to buy it themselves (coolhandluke).

Finally, try out the ED30/Pirelli before committing, they have slightly different characteristics, performance-wise and may not suit.

Good luck though, whatever route you take, I've been there myself!

Wise words and thanks for the mention 

Pleasure 

[Toasted]

@Jb55 : Hi there!

Mine was sold to me by a good friend who had bought a MK6 GTI and wanted it gone quickly - I paid £2K - Mileage is 152K on an 05 Plate 5 Door with no optional extras.
He had it up on Gumtree for £2.4K with interest, however none turned out to view. I needed a car quickly after the MK7 debacle and driving around in a T25 Camper as a daily becomes a chore, not to mention expensive.
The car was clean, albeit with the usual issues and I knew it had been cherished, it did need a thorough service though and that is where the low buying price was compounded.

I had it serviced, but didn't replace cambelt as it hadn't done too many miles since the last one, plus it was done within 5 years.
The spend is increasing though, at first I was going to sell/trade on to purchase MK7 GTI/R but that fell by the wayside as I love driving the MK5 so much.
So, I'm stuck with a high miler that needs a few mods to sort and this is where the condition/mileage vs modifications/upkeep comes in, as I would really like one that's clearly been cherished throughout it's life and sits below 100K.
Originally I thought I could live with it's high miles and mismatched paintwork (prev owner incident - a minor repair, finished poorly), but as it transpires, its becoming addictive and I naturally like to improve things and so more money than anticipated is being spent on it.
The dilemma is to either stop now and buy a better example or keep going with no thought about wasted expenditure and just simply enjoy it for what it is.

I originally had in mind that a top drawer K03 with mileage below 100K would see no more than £5.5K but that's proving hard to find (as you know). Due to this I shifted to K04's but again, a really good one will be a minimum of £7.5K if you're lucky!
Personally, I'm taking stock for a minute and making do, as searching for the 'perfect' car is downright mentally tiring and time consuming.

It sounds like you're like me, bit of a bargain hunter who doesn't like to pay top dollar and relishes a good deal. Thing is, (I say this as a new found appreciator of the MK5) owners of decent K03's will be either on here publicly, or lurking in the shadows and will know their stuff, meaning they will know whats out there and what they can be sold for. I'm sure if you spoke to a long term member on here they'd say they've seen interest in these cars climb exponentially!

To sum up yours (and mine) buying situations:
 
1. Get very lucky through word of mouth locally.
2. Become a slave to the search, but keep plugging away for the 'perfect' find.
3. Buy through this site or a recommendation from it and travel.
4. Buy a shed and drive the f*ck out of it!!!

As for the cars history, in my eyes the MK5 GTI is at a stage in it's life where generally they've gone through a few owners, where the later ones in the ownership bought them cheaper and may very well have neglected them.  The good ones are low owner cherishers who fully realise the climbing prices, leaving you with the middle ground, unfortunately it's this middle ground that is the hardest to negotiate as theres a lot of hidden sh*te in there!
Compromise is the key, unfortunately I don't think they're solid enough to last a couple of neglectful owners without some sort of scarring, so think it'll come down to 'making do' or getting very lucky (@OldGTI  )

Best of luck mate,  seriously 

[Jb55]

@Toasted amazing post mate you’ve hit the nail on head everything you said about finding and buying a gti/ed30 is spot on.

I went to look at a supposedly mint gti yesterday nearly 3 hours drive there, had been speaking to the chap who was selling it for a good few days and he assured me this was the car I wanted because it was in perfect condition, no rust bangs dents scrapes and folder full of service history.

It took me less than a minute to see this car was not how it was described to me , found bubbling paint straight away on the rear quarter, the boot and possibly the roof had been re sprayed terribly, water in the rear lights, small scrapes on both sides of the front bumper, the back tire literally went flat while I was stood there looking at it and to top it off a few drops of oil under the car on the floor when we moved it, the list goes on but Im fed up talking/thinking about it now.

I was so pis**d off wasted my whole Sunday to look at a car that should of been put up for sale for £1500 not the £6000 he wanted.
 
It’s put me off travelling for one now massively and was thinking about your point number 4 when I got home just buy a shed and have a bit of fun with her lol.

[Callumgti30]

Hi new here I have a mk5 gti ed30 no 2301 legit BTW
Any advice on subtle mods for it?

[Toasted]

@Jb55 : Cheers! I think we are both pretty much in the the same boat!

You have my sympathy with your recent 3 hour drive to view a GTI - I have been there too. I take it, being on a Sunday that it was a private sale?

It's really hard looking at cars where you deal with people with questionable standards/ethics, really pisses me off!
Viewed one about 1.5 hours from me at a trader, turned up unannounced (best way IMO but a gamble too) and lo and behold, I walked right in on their in house mechanic gluing together the front grille!! Car was in a terrible state, moss all over the door rubbers, misted up and faded lights with scratches and dents everywhere!! I came away exasperated but with a renewed respect for what I already had - it was literally half the price!

Not sure what your preferences are (5 door, 3 door, colours, optional extras, etc, etc) but Pistonheads has a 06 Plate 5 Door for sale:

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/volkswagen/golf-gti-mk5-mk6/mk5-golf-gti-5-dr-dsg-86000-miles-full-history/10433348

Can't seem to view the pictures on my PC but the guys write up comes across genuine and has some nice touches as well as your preferred DSG too.
Think Pistonheads is a good shout as they tend to attract enthusiasts rather than every scammer or scumbag out there.
There is also a £2.5K 3 door on there from a dealer in Essex which may well be worth a look if you're near - RE: Option 4  .

Cheers 

[Toasted]

@Callumgti30 :  Hi there!

To be honest, I'm probably not the best to comment on mods, I'm new to GTI ownership with mine being a standard K03.
I've learnt a lot from this place though, the guys on here are dead friendly and super knowledgeable.

Mods are commonplace on here and think after some searching you will be pretty clued up, what I would say is that the ED30 is a tuners/modders dream. Straight off the bat with a Stage 1 you can take it to almost 300 bhp!! However, if you do that you will need a significant brake upgrade, my K03 has a 'Racechip' tuning box (temporary fit until decent tune) which has increased the pull noticeably, however it has highlighted the fact that the standard brakes are pretty much on their limit at this level of tune - which should be similar to your ED30 in standard guise. Take it to 290 bhp with standard brakes at your peril - and everyone elses!!!
Upgrades in this dept seem to be Audi S3 or Golf R calipers and discs but there are also other options. There are amazing pads made in Japan by 'Endless' that work with standard sized discs but I'm not sure if I'd say they're up to that bhp hike, maybe @colesey can comment as he recommended them as an upgrade for mine (thanks for that  ).

Cold Air Intake seems to be default upgrade, but I ain't taken with them and after some research spurred on by colesey, it would transpire that they will kill off any low down torque on the K03 and I 'guess' that will be the case on the K04 too. That being said, as the low down torque is not as noticeable on the K04 and if you drive round at 90mph everywhere, you may well gain from a CAI - not sure on that one, you will have to do some research yourself.

Don't forget handling, where good tyres are key, lower springs will give less roll and improve stance, personally speaking are a must for any GTI, just don't go too low or you'll ruin the ride. Anti Lift Kit with Control Arms are also up there - in fact, have a look at what colesey said on my thread "K04 Low Down Torque" as you'll get the info from there.

The first things I would do is to ensure you have good rubber fitted and get a full wheel alignment carried out plus a drop of 20 - 30mm.
Also, I would wait and gauge any info on the brakes before going down the remap route.

You could, on the other hand, do nothing at all and enjoy standard ED30 ownership as they are gems as they are, maybe spending some upgrade money on detailing and ceramic coating to add a bit of longevity to the paintwork and maybe a wheel refurb???

Good luck and happy motoring