Looking at moving from Honda Civic 2008 (and have been a Honda man for years) to a 2012 Golf TSI 90kw ex demo (very low k's of course).
I travel a very modest 4000 km's per year and my wife has a Polo (2011 model) which is a joy I must say.
Any comments/opinions/ideas that might make the decision easier!
Cheers!
wasser61,
Sep 17, 6:57am
wait for it.
vtecintegra,
Sep 17, 7:01am
I'm not really a Golf fan but I'd say go for it - its definitely a good car at that price point.
I still don't like that DSG though
doctor_evil99,
Sep 17, 7:10am
Avoid the DSG - just google "DSG problems" and see how many results. I personally know someone who had his DSG gearbox replaced on a 2011 VW Golf done less than 20,000km
thedoth,
Sep 17, 7:12am
You'll find the golf is a "drivers" car and probably a harder ride afterthe onda. Golfs can get up and go and are real fun to drive. Economy is good too. Will hold it's value. saw one unmodified drag off V8s at Meremere strip on an open day. No one could get near the golf for power to weight speed. Test drive it throughly on some corners and enjoy. Good luck selling the onda.
vtecintegra,
Sep 17, 7:17am
That would definitely not have been the 90
incar.,
Sep 17, 7:21am
might be polishing his Vw badge
_frodo_,
Sep 17, 7:24am
I have the same Civic (2.0s). Why would you want to down grade the power so much! The civic is 114kw. Have you tried the new Civic euro hatch!Fantastic car, and feels a better quality than the japanese sedan.
vtecintegra,
Sep 17, 7:26am
Less power in the Golf but more torque. Its probably slower overall but feels better.
trdbzr,
Sep 17, 7:39am
Be sure to check out other rivals before you get one eg Hyundai i30, Ford Focus, Civic euro, Audi A3, BMW 1 series etc. Also be careful of ex-demo's as some do get thrashed.
carlz05,
Sep 17, 7:40am
Had a Golf as a company car, 2011 model, really good, great economy and good acceleration for its size.DSG ran fine, but a collegue with a similar Golf had transmission problems.However, a computer remapping of the box at VW fixed it.
lazzo,
Sep 17, 7:47am
I also recommend you check out the new Civic Euro Hatch before you make a decision.
michael200,
Sep 17, 8:14am
Your comments and observations are really appreciated - thank you all for taking the time to offer advice and opinions!
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 18, 4:08am
Hi michael,
Sorry I havn't been on much of late so only just noticed this.
An ex-demo Golf sounds like a great proposition to me, not much more I can say really. From owning the Polo you will be pretty familiar with the VW concept. The Golf is just a step up on the Polo, although not as much of a step up as in days gone by when the Polo really was the poor cousin.
I guess not much point in telling you not to be scared of the DSG, given its about the most popular automated transmission on the planet, very reliable and you probably have that option in the Polo.
Regarding power compared to the Honda. There is nothing in it, you are looking at only 0.3 of a second slower to 100km/h. That's because the Honda is still using an old 5 speed auto with power/economy sapping torque converter vs 7 gears and no torque converter in the Golf.
So the wheels never really see the extra 14kw even though you still pay for them in fuel consumption.
Best of luck with it all, by all mean's drive the others. I quite like some of Honda's product but the Civic surprisinglyis still dragging its heals a little behind the Golf still in terms of technology.
The Hyundai even though I hear is vastly improved I wouldn't personally trust given Hyundai NZ's attitude to their customers. Also, up until now they have been doing a "Suzuki Swift" and trading on marketing hype, pushing antiquated vehicles for a state of the art pricetag.
They may now have a worthy product but it would be their first one, I fail to see why you would take the risk when no doubt they still want Golf money or more.
Happy Shopping.
smac,
Sep 18, 4:14am
*troll alert*
Hey Jazz, quick question: Chrome recently overtook IE as the most used browser. Does that mean up until recently IE was the best browser! And that now Chrome is the best browser!
If you feel like discussing, FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME to talk about it ;)
michael200,
Sep 18, 4:28am
Thanks again everybody and also thanks to Jazz for his considered comments.
morrisman1,
Sep 18, 5:13am
Golf a driver's car! Ive heard they are utterly boring. They certainly aren't nice to ride in.
vtecintegra,
Sep 18, 5:44am
The modern Hondas are the same way, boring sells
Personally I'd probably go for a Focus or 3 as they are nicer to drive (not sold on the interior of either though)
craig04,
Sep 18, 7:14am
I would wonder why you would be spending the money on something you are only doing 80km's a week in. Surely the Civic is still going strong. Why take the huge hit on depreciation. Take your wife's Polo for a spin instead when you want to drive something different. In 4 years the Golf will be the worth approximately the same as a BigMac combo. However, none of my business, just my 2 cents worth.
countrypete,
Sep 18, 7:29am
Yep, whatever you might think of the Golf as a car, the depreciation cost is an absolute killer.There are few new cars that depreciate faster than a Golf, but if the OP is prepared to pay that cost, then it's up to him.
NZTools,
Sep 18, 7:50am
4000 kms a year! Have you actually worked out what the depreciation on an almost new golf will cost you per km! It may frighten you.
Assuming you are payiung around $36000, and a 4 year old low kms golf is worth around $18,000, you are paying $4000 per year in depreciation .
$4000 for 4000 kms, plus fuel and normal running costs, is very very expensive motoring.
00quattro00,
Sep 18, 11:16am
I would not buy a new golf now, the mk7 is not too far away and the price of the mk6 will drop quite a bit. The mk7 is a completely new car unlike the mk6 which is just an updated mk5
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 18, 8:34pm
+1 Excellent point, I had no idea the Mk7 was so close to being here.
I agree, if you still have the Honda and don't mind sticking with if for a few more months why not grab a Mk7!
Plenty of info now on google so worth having a read if nothing else.
taurus61,
Sep 18, 10:24pm
I understand the new golf is not due in New Zealand until at least the latter part of 2013. The A3 will arrive first and it is not due till the 2nd1/4 of 2013. The 3 door have been released in Europe but NZ normally will wait for the 5 door to be available.
00quattro00,
Sep 18, 10:34pm
Its only a year or so, better off driving the honda for a little while longer and waiting for the price of the mk6 to drop or get a new mk7
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