Hello everyone!
I just picked up a 2018 GTI Autobahn DSG in dark iron blue metallic for $23k even.
Car has just over 10k miles on it with a clean Carfax. Took it for an extended test drive (~50 miles on both local streets and the highway at various different speeds, on my own, for almost 2 hours). The car felt solid and planted. It actually surprised me when I took it around the first corner and stepped on it for a little bit (more on that later).
Only issues I found were the following -
1. a minor dent on the right front fender (which the dealer said they will fix);
2. some chipped paint on the surface of the front passenger side wheel;
3. some curb rash on the rear passenger side wheel;
4. a spot on the front bumper (near lower valance) with chipped paint.
Other than those, the car is super clean. I mean, there are other minor cosmetic imperfections on the paint and trim pieces due to normal wear/tear but that's about it.
Back to the surprise I mentioned earlier.....The car chirped the tires and the traction control kicked in when I came out of that first corner during the test drive. I was thinking to myself, this thing must be tuned/modded as it felt like it was making way more HP than stock (I used to own a MK6 back in 2013-2014). So after I parked the car, I popped the hood and voila - APR carbon fiber intake! The exhaust or downpipe is also not stock based on the sound alone (I will have to put it up on a lift to see exactly what the previous owner installed). So, I'd assume the car is at least Stage 1, if not Stage 2. (BTW - is there a way to tell??? maybe an APR dealer can?)
Surprise #2 was the price ($23k). I was scratching my head when saw the advertised price on the dealer's website, because it was close to $4k to $5k lower than everything else I saw with the same MY/trim and similar options/mileage/condition/history. I thought there must be some kind of catch.....that is, until I saw the dealer descriptions calling this an S trim instead of Autobahn. I was able to tell this was indeed an Autobahn before I set foot in the dealer because from the pictures I saw it has the 12-way power driver's seat. So when I saw that I basically rushed into the dealership and prayed that the car was still available. The test drive sealed the deal and the rest is history.
Sorry for the long read but I'm super excited to be back in a GTI after a 5-yr hiatus!
I just picked up a 2018 GTI Autobahn DSG in dark iron blue metallic for $23k even.
Car has just over 10k miles on it with a clean Carfax. Took it for an extended test drive (~50 miles on both local streets and the highway at various different speeds, on my own, for almost 2 hours). The car felt solid and planted. It actually surprised me when I took it around the first corner and stepped on it for a little bit (more on that later).
Only issues I found were the following -
1. a minor dent on the right front fender (which the dealer said they will fix);
2. some chipped paint on the surface of the front passenger side wheel;
3. some curb rash on the rear passenger side wheel;
4. a spot on the front bumper (near lower valance) with chipped paint.
Other than those, the car is super clean. I mean, there are other minor cosmetic imperfections on the paint and trim pieces due to normal wear/tear but that's about it.
Back to the surprise I mentioned earlier.....The car chirped the tires and the traction control kicked in when I came out of that first corner during the test drive. I was thinking to myself, this thing must be tuned/modded as it felt like it was making way more HP than stock (I used to own a MK6 back in 2013-2014). So after I parked the car, I popped the hood and voila - APR carbon fiber intake! The exhaust or downpipe is also not stock based on the sound alone (I will have to put it up on a lift to see exactly what the previous owner installed). So, I'd assume the car is at least Stage 1, if not Stage 2. (BTW - is there a way to tell??? maybe an APR dealer can?)
Surprise #2 was the price ($23k). I was scratching my head when saw the advertised price on the dealer's website, because it was close to $4k to $5k lower than everything else I saw with the same MY/trim and similar options/mileage/condition/history. I thought there must be some kind of catch.....that is, until I saw the dealer descriptions calling this an S trim instead of Autobahn. I was able to tell this was indeed an Autobahn before I set foot in the dealer because from the pictures I saw it has the 12-way power driver's seat. So when I saw that I basically rushed into the dealership and prayed that the car was still available. The test drive sealed the deal and the rest is history.
Sorry for the long read but I'm super excited to be back in a GTI after a 5-yr hiatus!