Would you buy a Golf R at this point in time?

[HaydEn]

Yeah I wouldn't wait for used prices to free fall. The Golfs tend to be excellent across the board for resale values. Look at the second hand prices of a MK5 GTI compared to any other "hot hatch" of a similar vintage with a similar new price...

This is a pretty bad example. The prices of mk5 gti's is ridiculously cheap.

(Currently one with 30xxx for 20k)

Can get well used ones for 10k.

However xr5 turbo's are still pretty expensive.

[Tom87]

mk5 had a 6 yr lifespan whereas the mk6 has really only a 3.5 yr lifespan (4 for australia because the mk7 is delayed to get here compared to rest of world). So it is an unfair comparison. There was no XR5 focus in 2005 the only comparable hatch is the Meganne RS which has the resale value of used condom.

[SilvrFoxX]

Have to say I don't know why you would have thought that an 86 would have been a refined version of an MX5 for half the price. Anyway lets not get into the comparison conversation it goes nowhere.

I am with the others, if you like the R get it now, though I sense you are moving around on choice

[alebonau]

I faced this dilemma as a mk6 gti owner. and I agree 100% one of the joys of a gti is the rapid fire dsg. its upshifts and down shifts. to be perfectly honest, having driven an R I didnt see it as a massive step up from the gti. The golf R wasnt in a whole other quantum. And seing I could only afford a bare bones one would be more missing of the few creature comforts have on my gti as options. To me I would just keep my mk6 rather than spend so much more on a stripped golf R.

people are different though. there are plenty pretty happy with stripped cars. for them its just the driving experience and no doubt a golf r great option for them.

given you were ok with the 2 door of the 86, have you considered a scirocco R ? a dsg version of that would be in the same price bracket as what your looking at ? the scirocco is also a recent release so resale wise probably wont be hit as much in the long run ?

with regards resale, if buying a new car that is on the way out, you want to buy it at quite a discount because day new model is released expect the value of your car to drop. same with buying a new model you probably want to buy with as little options as can as no one wants to pay anything for options down the track.

re the merc a250 its what I ended up pre ordering. It competes well with the golf gti I think. go check out for yourself see what think. probably best way to decide if something for you to consider

[SilvrFoxX]

people are different though. there are plenty pretty happy with stripped cars. for them its just the driving experience and no doubt a golf r great option for them.

given you were ok with the 2 door of the 86, have you considered a scirocco R ? a dsg version of that would be in the same price bracket as what your looking at ? the scirocco is also a recent release so resale wise probably wont be hit as much in the long run ?

with regards resale, if buying a new car that is on the way out, you want to buy it at quite a discount because day new model is released expect the value of your car to drop. same with buying a new model you probably want to buy with as little options as can as no one wants to pay anything for options down the track.

re the merc a250 its what I ended up pre ordering. It competes well with the golf gti I think. go check out for yourself see what think. probably best way to decide if something for you to consider

Cant say I agree with your view of R pricing, given the interest rate there is going to be little movement on the price. As the OP indicated the second hand market isn't showing signs of the price dropping so expectations of a sudden reduction is premature.

The other side of this is the demand for Rs is still strong even new so if the MK7 is going to be like the MKVI then it will be a 9 month wait before it turns up. This contributing to the ongoing value proposition.

Bang for buck the GTI is a winner every time, though I would argue that the R does differentiate it self and even in base level format the options cannot be found on the base GTI. The figures have been done before and the difference is roughly 4 K and that doesn't cover AWD, brakes or strengthened engine. Anyway don't want to relive 2 years of GTI v R conversations.

[Greg Roles]

If you are going to turn it over in under 3 years, I would bet the R will hold better resale, being both harder to get, and lesser numbers than the GTI. Being dearer, the proportionally greater devaluation amount may negate that though....

Also in response to the Scirocco R idea above, one downside is a full blown tune file on the R FWD makes it pretty much undrivable, and all my Scir R customers are running mid levels tunes to simply get traction!

[cktsi]

re the merc a250 its what I ended up pre ordering. It competes well with the golf gti I think. go check out for yourself see what think. probably best way to decide if something for you to consider

Congrats! Didnt realise you had.

Back on topic to the OP if you were ok to go slightly backwards in the straight line acceleration stakes, and didnt mind returning to fwd or awd, performance doesnt seem to be overriding priority whilst it is important to you.

So i would say test drive a A250 and if you like it go for that if you are not even going on track days with your car.

If you are a track day driver then the R might be the better option.

[jdimitri]

Have to say I don't know why you would have thought that an 86 would have been a refined version of an MX5 for half the price. Anyway lets not get into the comparison conversation it goes nowhere.

I am with the others, if you like the R get it now, though I sense you are moving around on choice

My MX5 was a 2001 model. $40,000 gets me much more today than 12 years ago. Imagine the mk4 gti vs mk6, entirely different car for similar money!

I popped down to my regular dealer and after a big negotiation I traded in the 86 for a white '13 MY13 R with satnav and rearcam.
Not my choice of options tbh (I'd go with black wheels and ACC if any, but neither are on cars in stock anywhere) but they got me a cracker deal! Both those things are things I'd appreciate as I use it anyway.
1.5% finance and a few grand off the list price isn't bad at all! The finance itself is around $8-9k in savings if my calculations are right.

I was highly considering holding on for the next R but that's at least a year away and won't get the same kind of deal unless I wait a further 1-2 years.

Thanks all for your help and suggestions