Golf's all I could afford!!

[Ryan_R]

If it's under 130kw per tonne it shouldn't be too hard to get an exemption.
http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/foru...ion-73183.html

[brad]

I'm in NSW. Our public servants take different hallucinogens than those in VIC. Also, if you said kw/tonne to them their eyes would revolve around in their head & their brain explode.
Agree, exemption will be a doddle when the time comes.

[elephino]

Currently driving around in a previous model BMW 335. Performance is brilliant but there are some stupid things in there. Latest one I noticed is no pause button on the stereo.

For my daily commute, I prefer the GTI. On the highway, there's very little in it (smarter cruise control on the BMW, though). On back roads, leaning towards the BMW but not by as much as you'd expect.

[AdamD]

Just to let you know you are not talking to your missus, you don't have to couch everything to get laid.

For all I know she reads what I write! (SWMBO has eyes everywhere! Trust no-one!)

Funny I have heard the latest 3 offering is a basket case... mind you I think I read it in a Top Gear Magazine.. what would they know

Wheels and Motor rate the new 328i, and I have to say it looks the goods on paper. Entry price is attractive too, at low $60s - until you add the plethora of this-should-be-standard options and you're staring at upwards of $80k before LCT and ORCs...

[jlgumby]

That said, if affordability was really no barrier, as if you wouldn't take the M3!

Some interesting comments there and herein lies my point to this. The common expectation seemed to be that we would all be driving the most expensive cars we could should we be able to afford them.

And I wanted to know if I was in a lonely group in having chosen a $55K car above one $100K more. The fact is that if an M3 was immensely better than the R, not only overall, but more importantly for what I wanted it for, then I would have ordered one. All of our situations will be different, I know many BMW owners who didn't care what the car drove like, but just wanted it because it was a BMW.

My decision makes more sense when you are aware of the fact that I have a second car at home which is used for the track and weekend blasts, and one I would choose without a thought over an M3 for those Sunday morning mountain runs.

But that's only half the point. The other is that I believe the Golf R, and indeed the Golf GTI, as I currently drive a MkV, is one of the best all round performance cars money currently can buy you. Regardless of the spend. VW is now my car of choice.

I just found it hard to believe that most of us self confessed auto enthusiasts and even more so, VW enthusiasts, have in fact settled. So are we not true enthusiasts, as we have just come to be enthusiastic about whatever it is we are able to afford to purchase. If we could all afford a $200K Porsche, then we all may suddenly become Porsche enthusiasts.

I purchased a VW because nothing else fits this need as well, does price play a part, well yes I suppose. But only in that I couldn't spent $170K hard earned of my savings on a car that is slightly better dynamically than something more than $100K less, as well as not giving me four doors, a hatch, some sort of economy, AWD etc. This is my point, it is not a question of being able to afford. And I'm sure I'm not alone. Value for money and fit for purpose would be the best descriptions.

[Tobes_WIR35]

I chose the GTI based on overall value for money. At the time I was also looking at the BMW 135i, STI, EVO, Focus RS - All good cars in their own right, but the GTI was the best value and the best all-rounder, best value retention after 3 years, best safety and efficiency credentials (for the dollar), and as someone else has said you can fit plenty of big stuff in a fully functional hatch back. Another issue was that I found out I was only allowed (as part of my salary agreement) up to $56k which wiped any other euro off the listing.

The funny thing about car sales people is that some of them are so pretentious, especially BMW sales people, yet most of us could buy and sell them with the spare change in our wallets.

[Ryan_R]

That's why I generally just play their game and dress up in a business suit if I'm seeking a test drive or just their time in general.

[Diesel_vert]

Some interesting comments there and herein lies my point to this. The common expectation seemed to be that we would all be driving the most expensive cars we could should we be able to afford them.

And I wanted to know if I was in a lonely group in having chosen a $55K car above one $100K more. The fact is that if an M3 was immensely better than the R, not only overall, but more importantly for what I wanted it for, then I would have ordered one. All of our situations will be different, I know many BMW owners who didn't care what the car drove like, but just wanted it because it was a BMW.

My decision makes more sense when you are aware of the fact that I have a second car at home which is used for the track and weekend blasts, and one I would choose without a thought over an M3 for those Sunday morning mountain runs.

But that's only half the point. The other is that I believe the Golf R, and indeed the Golf GTI, as I currently drive a MkV, is one of the best all round performance cars money currently can buy you. Regardless of the spend. VW is now my car of choice.

I just found it hard to believe that most of us self confessed auto enthusiasts and even more so, VW enthusiasts, have in fact settled. So are we not true enthusiasts, as we have just come to be enthusiastic about whatever it is we are able to afford to purchase. If we could all afford a $200K Porsche, then we all may suddenly become Porsche enthusiasts.

I purchased a VW because nothing else fits this need as well, does price play a part, well yes I suppose. But only in that I couldn't spent $170K hard earned of my savings on a car that is slightly better dynamically than something more than $100K less, as well as not giving me four doors, a hatch, some sort of economy, AWD etc. This is my point, it is not a question of being able to afford. And I'm sure I'm not alone. Value for money and fit for purpose would be the best descriptions.

So you didn't want the M3. Big deal.

I think you should stop caring what people think and stop justifying your purchase.

[Tobes_WIR35]

Haha, yeah, one day just for a "social experiment" I went into the Lexus dealership in my crappy old Foo Fighters t-shirt and a pair of shorts and thongs, and then went in later that day in my business attire - just to see what happened. Needless to say, they wouldn't even look at me the first time, the second time I was fighting them off.

[SilvrFoxX]

I just found it hard to believe that most of us self confessed auto enthusiasts and even more so, VW enthusiasts, have in fact settled. So are we not true enthusiasts, as we have just come to be enthusiastic about whatever it is we are able to afford to purchase. If we could all afford a $200K Porsche, then we all may suddenly become Porsche enthusiasts.

I purchased a VW because nothing else fits this need as well, does price play a part, well yes I suppose. But only in that I couldn't spent $170K hard earned of my savings on a car that is slightly better dynamically than something more than $100K less, as well as not giving me four doors, a hatch, some sort of economy, AWD etc. This is my point, it is not a question of being able to afford. And I'm sure I'm not alone. Value for money and fit for purpose would be the best descriptions.

The definition of enthusiast

en·thu·si·ast

/enˈTHo͞ozēˌast/
Noun:

1. A person who is highly interested in a particular activity or subject.
2. A person of intense and visionary Christian views.

I would suggest we are the former

If you liked a 1984 ford falcon & washed it every week with affection I would call you an enthusiast. It has little to do with affordability or badge cred. If you are looking for something that defines you as an enthusiast then all you really need to do is buy a magazine. I know 9 year olds who are car nuts and have the disease worse than me.

Like you said the Golf seems to cover all bases and you have no requirement to defend, compare or even belittle other cars with it.

You will be happy once it arrives