New member thinking of a MK5

[shreddedmeat]

Hi all,

I'm giving serious thought to buying a MK5 in around March next year (the wait is for insurance/financial reasons!). So a long way off, but I like to do things properly and do as much research as possible so I know what I'm buying! Not the only car I'm thinking of but the current front runner...

Probably looking for 80k ish miles, definitely manual, preferably 5 door. Prefer FSH to low miles. Spec doesn't matter too much to me, but I'd be interested to know what the retrofitting options are like? Current car (Audi A2 Sport) is heavily 'modable' with OEM kit and I'm quite handy with stuff like that (fitted cruise control/ICE etc myself) so that would be a good option.

So my first question, budget will probably be sub 6-grand, depending on the value of my current car and what I've saved before then. Am I taking the p*ss a bit with that? Do I need to spend more to avoid a right snotter?

Also has anyone got any advice for insurance? Best quote I have is £922 from Admiral - age 23, 4yrs NCB, 5.5yrs with license, doing IOM soon. I think that's really good but anything I can save on insurance can go into the car itself.

In terms of running costs, from what I've read it's not too bad? Servicing and parts actually seems to be about the same as the little Audi, obviously tax and fuel are a lot more. Do you generally use dealers (most in the Audi forums don't bother because they're sh*te!)? Should I check that specific things have been done at the correct intervals (cambelt and such)? Also any known major problems with the motor or running gear (DMF etc)?

Which brings me to real world MPG  - currently getting an average 42 out of my 1.4, anything above 35 isn average would be doable for me. I tend to drive like a snail when commuting day in day out, and save the lead boots for the weekends. Would that be manageable?

Last one - what do you reckon of aftermarket warranties, worth buying or not worth the paper they're written on?


Sorry for so many questions! TBH I'm most concerned about running the bugger without too much expense as I have to keep the missus and the mother sweet to save me months of agro

Cheers

[Scottymon]

Mk5 isn't without it's faults like any car, things to expect to change are:

Cam follower (High Pressure fuel pump), you can DIY it, part is ~£30
Dump valve or recirculating valve, whatever they call it, can split leaking boost, again DIY part ~£30
PCV (positive crankcase), DIY about £30 lol - most problems are about £30!

I'm taking the p!ss a little with mine, it's on 118k stage 1.5/2 and it's on original clutch and DMF, go figure... it's pulls on my mates standard S3 and lately my mates Megane RS! we were surprised at that, must be too new, he's only done 15k; once their mapped though...

At your budget you'll be K03 (standard GTI) but you can always retrofit a K04 turbo for 300+bhp when the time comes.

I'd look for one with Xenons / multifunction steering wheel, as they are both expensive retrofits.

They are great little motor, and come alive once mapped!

[MC71]

Welcome on board. 

The more you save, the better the car you will get. If your lucky you will find one with as few previous owners as possible with as low mileage as possible and a FSH. £8k and your in a good position to go. If your looking at an early car, 2005 ish then make sure it's had a new Cambelt and water pump fitted (every 4 years or every 60k miles) as its a £400+ job.

You'll get 30 ish mpg in the real world, sometimes 40, sometimes 20. 

Everything can be retrofitted, from Xenons, MFSW, Highline Dash, OEM Sat Nav etc etc and there's a few gurus on here to help out with that stuff.

 

[shreddedmeat]

Cheers guys, I'm actually surprised at how straightforward it is to find a decent car since they seem to have relatively few problems like you say. Good to know that a lot can be done yourself as well, I've saved literally hundreds in labour doing it that way. I'm reluctant to hold onto my car for too long as it will need a new clutch and a major service by next year!

As for tuning, I'll probably make do with stock hp to keep the insurance down for the short term, not to mention I'm only used to 75 so it'll be a nice step up for me