New car

[Funkstar]

I've been saying for ages that i don't need a new car and am perfectly happy with my X reg, MK4, Golf GTI 2.0.

So what did i go and do a couple of weekends ago? Yes. I bought a new one. Found a MK5 in a garage down in Glasgow at a decent price. I was going down anyway for the Hexus.social (amongst other things) and had a look. Very nice. So i caved in.

It's a stupid waste of money. I shouldn't be spending the £300 a month on finance payments, it should be going into my savings account instead. Thats what i had promised myself.

Needless to say, i'm not very good at keeping promises.

I don't have any photos of the actual car, but then it is a normal red GTI, so here is a press shot:

Edit: just realised, this is the 3 door, i got the 5 door version

The car is amazing to drive. I never actually realised how much of a difference there would be over the MK4. Yes I know the old one wasn't exactly a sporty number, and the 2.0 version was really just a trim level, but still, the MK5 has blown my mind a few times in the couple of days i've had to drive it.

The one major downer to it is the shockingly bad stereo. It sounds rubish and is very basic. I was going to replace it with the Sony DAB head unit and 7" flip out screen i removed from the MK4, but i don't think they would look right. So I caved in again this mornign and ordered up a JVC double DIN head unit with screen and the optional DAB control/tuner box.


but in black, and


along with a DAB screen aerial (the MK5 has the FM and GPS - for optional satnav - aerials integrated into the rear windscreen), facia adapter, FM aerial converter cable, and a converted from the VW wiring loom into ISO standard (required a decoder box too as the VW system uses digital control).

I'll post more details and possibly some photos as i go along with the fitting etc

[tiggerai]

YAY!

New cars are great.

I should be putting the £150 a month for my car into savings too, but i'd never had a new car... and you only live once.

Enjoy Funkstar!

[davidstone28]

Mk5 GTIs are superb. If they could engineer a version with some sort of active suspension that provides good ride quality AND body control, the DSG version of the GTI would be the perfect car.

Incidentally, they're giving the range a cosmetic 'refresh' with the '08 versions. New Passat like headlights, rears, and revised front and rear bumper arrangements etc.

[Funkstar]

Thanks Tigs

You do have a point David, the ride is a lot harder than the MK4. Not surprising at all, considering it is actually a sporty car. Much more like my dads A4 Quatro sport, but without the horrible sharp clutch and visious amounts of torque in 1st.

There was something in Auto Express a while back (last year sometime) about an early MK6 being on the cards because of the dissapointing sales of the MK5. The R32 and GTIs might have created a bit of a halo over the range now though. I guess you could call the re-fresh MK5.5 or something.

[MD]

Enjoy the car, they are pretty tasty and i actually prefer the 5dr.

I shouldnt have got another car, mine was fully paid up and i had to borrow a small percentage of my 'new' car to get it, but the burnt head i have from driving this weekend and the big grin i have on my face everytime i take the straight 6 up to 6k revs is oh so worth it

Matt.

[J4MES]

Prefer the 5 door, and the Mk5 over the facelift... quality purchase!

[staffsMike]

I've toyed with the idea of chopping in my ignis sport as the image is terrible but...i don't care it's awesome.. Im on my second

..i made them even more rare with the first one to

Great car..i think i'd have been swayed by the new civic type R but I bet the torque is lovely in that..nice car

[Funkstar]

the torque is indeed lovely As Jeremy Clarkson once said, the trouble with buying a Honda is that at the end of the day, you've bought a Honda

I just don't like them very much

[dave87]

Nice one funkstar - when do we get to see pictures of your one?

Oh, and with the stereo, you replacing just the headunit or speakers aswell?

[staffsMike]

Yeah that is a problem..but i love the feeling of getting to 6000rpm and then it pulling like a train..nothing greater.

I havn't driven the new one yet but the old one was great..and even better was I was let loose on the beast at 17 and 2 months worth of full license haha.

If the golf is anything like the old leon cupra r (power delivery wise) it will be very easy to live with and a good overtaking tool.

[Funkstar]

Nice one funkstar - when do we get to see pictures of your one?

Oh, and with the stereo, you replacing just the headunit or speakers aswell?

Well i'm offshore until Thursday, so i might get some taken and posted at the weekend. Although i'm not promising because i'm really bad at getting round to posting pics.

As for the speakers, i'll see how the new head unit sounds on the stock ones first. But yeah, i would like to replace them. Although i think there is either 8 or 10 in the GTI, so not easy or cheap to replace. I've not even seen any info on where the 10 are or what sizes etc. I know you need fitting adapters for the main front ones, but as for the rest? no idea.

[Howard]

I struggle to see where there can possibly be more than eight speakers in a car?

Two in the dash/top of the doors = tweeters
Two in the lower doors = mid/woofers
Two in the back doors
Two next to the parcel shelf.

Tha'ts 8.. Where can the rest go? Unless we're counting subwoofers under the seats or something

I bet the stereo in new cars like the Golf is all integrated/amplified seperately too, god knows how easy/difficult it'll be to change, but if it sounds crap then I'd suggest swapping the speakers first as I bet they'll be the weak point.

[Tarffie]

Mid range and woofers in the doors are seperate speakers in some cases.

[dave87]

I struggle to see where there can possibly be more than eight speakers in a car?

Two in the dash/top of the doors = tweeters
Two in the lower doors = mid/woofers
Two in the back doors
Two next to the parcel shelf.

Tha'ts 8.. Where can the rest go? Unless we're counting subwoofers under the seats or something

I bet the stereo in new cars like the Golf is all integrated/amplified seperately too, god knows how easy/difficult it'll be to change, but if it sounds crap then I'd suggest swapping the speakers first as I bet they'll be the weak point.

The Volvo Mum has just bought has an 11 speaker setup - one for centre, tweeters in front doors, mid/lows in the bottom of the doors. Then same setup for the rear doors, plus 2 in the boot (the dog gets her own speakers, how sweet

Dave

[MD]

My Z4 has 10. In a cabin the size of a shoebox lol

[dave87]

Did you get the Harmon Kardon setup Matt?

I'm guessing you've got separate high, 2xmid, mid/lows. then 2 speakers in the rear.

I couldn't work it out either, its a similar system in the Boxster (dad's) as he ordered the premium hifi (best one short of the 2k Bose system.)