Buying a mk5 gti

[Matthewsarg]

Hi guys I'm stuck between getting a mk1 Leon Cupra r or the mk5 gti
I love the Cupra r looks but the interior leaves a lot to be desired, and I really like the inside of well speced gti heard leathers sat nav xenon  ect, I'm also trying to find out some info on modifications what's the limit of the rods on the mk5? Could I run 300bhp and 300ftb with bending stuff?, and what of prices are the gtis atm I've seen the price seems all over place from 4k+

All comments welcome

Matt

[Andy]

Personally I would go for the gti as the interior is a bit better and better finished of but the cupra are a good car and props cheaper

[skard]

The mk2 Cupra has better brakes, K04 and little things like alloy wishbones.
But it looks and feels like a cheap car in my opinion (my bro in law had one when I had my ED30).

Edit: just clocked you said mk1 Leon. If you get the mk1 really cheap, fair enough, but a nicely specced GTI will feel lightyears ahead.

[Matthewsimone]

Only going to get one answer on a Gti forum im affraid mate 

I own a 2007 Gti and wife has a 2007 Gt tdi, before we bought her Gt we looked at a 2009 Leon Fr 170 tdi, the wife hated it, said it felt cheap and rattly even compared to her previous 2003 Gt tdi golf so we ended up paying same money for a golf 2 years older than the Leon   

[dansmith180]

Depends what you want.

For an every day car get the golf as its much more well rounded and a lovely place to sit compared to the (as you said) much cheaper feeling Seat.

However if its a weekend fun/ track car then the MK1 Cupras are really good value for money, fun to drive and come with 4pots from factory as well

The standard MK5 GTI (k03) engines will run 300bhp/ 300lb f without bending rods no problems, problem is the most you'll get from a K03 is about 290ish BHP however with the right mods you will get 350lb/f

[Matthewsarg]

Yeah see my original plan was to buy the mk1 Cupra r,  :in my option looks wise seems a lot better than the mk5 gti, but then I saw the spec of some of the gtis and the interior was miles better and the tfsi block seems to be a lot stronger than the bam so yeah looks like I'm now after a gti, should be an easier search as there are loads about ! Just need to find a decent black one with low mileage !

[dronners]

after experiencing both..   mk1 leon is faster feels it too.  but since the 2nd generation of vw/seat   came out in 2005 the gap of quality between the 2 generations is huge !!  they dont seem to be aging hugely well either wear and tear wise..  steering wheels like to look nackard and the plastics get scratched in the leons.     as a new owner of a golf..  if i had to rewind 2 weeks or so i know where id still put my money

[Matthewsarg]

I'm glad to hear I won't be bending rods , that was the main draw back the lcr's, even at stage 2 I would feel like I'm on borrowed time, it seems both cars with mapping end up about the same but the lcr has to run lower torque due to the weaker rods! So I think it's decided time to start looking for a mk5 :)

On another note one thing I've heard about the mk5 is the inlet gets really clogged up with carbon, I know you can get them walnut blasted but how often should have it done and how much does it cost?

Thanks

[GTIEagles]

I was weighing getting a MK1 LCR or MK5 GTI before finally going for the GTI. I think the LCR are really good value for money, I saw late model 80K ones around the same price as my 100K GTI. The thing that put me off the LCR is that they seem to have a bit of a boyracer image where I live and the chassis is based on a MK4 Golf which is not known for it's sharp dynamics! I still think they look great but the MK5 Golf looks much more modern IMO.

[schmidt_vr6]

What about the Leon MK2 TFSI DSG?

[Skylinegtr]

Mk5 golf mate.....

[Anth]

Having owned both.

The Cupra 225 is a pretty quick car although i found the boost was a bit sledgehammer compared to the GTi and  even Scirocco (had one of those too) the power delivery was much more linear.

Brakes on the Cupra were good both had a very nice gear change throw.

Over all the Golf is a better car, for looks and the interior is far better than the Leon- depends what you are after.

Although having said that my Golf is being an utter C**t at the moment.... :D

AND the cupra has forged pistons but rods are standard chocolate. going over 280 BHP on a BAM engine is verging on asking for trouble. Personally i would change the rods.

[Matthewsarg]

Yeah the rods put me off the Cupra r because I know I'll modify it will always be something on my mind

[Anth]

Put steels in to be honest your going to be pushing the turbo anything beyond 280 HP as well.

The Cupra with 280 was plenty fast enough plus you don't have to worry about clutches and moving to a solid flywheel - i regretted doing that on mine a lot, it is in fact the thing that bought an end to me modifying cars ;D

[Matthewsimone]

Just buy the far superior Gti and enjoy it
Think I must be one of a tiny minority of owners that actually enjoys owning and driving my standard Gti made 211bhp and 240ftlb and find it plenty enough on our cramped camera ridden roads especially in fwd without limited slip diff and thats oppinion of someone who's previously owned 300bhp+ motors