Cheers for the advice. Coming from my 07 GTI on 105,000 miles, the engine certainly sounded a lot more tapety and clunky. I saw various GTIs before mine and I was always cautious with the ones that sounded overly like diesels.
Wheels are in fine condition and the bodywork else where is fine apart from the odd scrape (8 year old car afterall).
Uncle has his own bodyshop - mates rates thankfully, so would probably respray the bonnet and splitter.
Interior is fine (bolster is worn and kinda sticking into my side - I'm sure some overnight straps could realign it). Steering wheel is slightly worn down on either side, which is a annoying, but I would perhaps replace it in time if it bothered me that much.
Miles don't worry me much, had the belts and a full service done recently. Pilot Sport 3s all around in good condition.
Forgot to say, the gear lever is a lot stiffer when shifting through gears compared to mine - why would that be? It's nothing bad - just wondering... Clutch is fine with no slip in 6th gear.
Getting very tempted. Red isn't my first choice of colour (grey is), but after seeing it in the flesh, I've definitely warmed to it!