2016 Golf R 6-sp vs 2019 Golf R DSG?

[KevinC]

Every time question like this is asked all the forum guys suddenly act like they never spend money on anything, drive the same car for 15+ years and invest every cent they have into stocks and mutual funds.

His "same payment" continues on for 3 years beyond when the current car would be paid off and owned free & clear - for essentially the same car, only newer. What does he gain for all that added expense? A fresh 6/72 warranty and a "new" version of the same car. Is that financially sane? Not on the planet I live on.

Ultimately it's his decision, but your analysis sucks. In the end...

 

[Golfs everyday]

Thanks guys! The payment would stay the same, but adding 3 years to the loan. I'll think about this for a while, I'm not dead set on doing the trade. And of course I'm looking at the cost of the upgrade, but we all spend money on stuff we like. If we all penny pinched and bought the most financially sensible cars, we'd be driving second hand Honda Civics. I'm only interested in changing to DSG since I'm stuck in horrible rush hour traffic every day, and I maybe get my car into 3rd once during my 45min 10km (6mi) commute.

My commute can be very bad too since I live close-ish to the city, but for me I get up before 4am and beat traffic morning and evening. Maybe do that and you can keep your R without spending any extra money. It's pretty amazing how much money you can save and spend more time on just by changing your daily routine.

I travel for work getting on those first flights of the day often so getting up at 3am is not an issue for me. Might be worth something to look into.

 

[Wastegate13]

His "same payment" continues on for 3 years beyond when the current car would be paid off and owned free & clear - for essentially the same car, only newer. What does he gain for all that added expense? A fresh 6/72 warranty and a "new" version of the same car. Is that financially sane? Not on the planet I live on.

Ultimately it's his decision, but your analysis sucks. In the end...

Again, how many of us actually keep a car longer than 4-6 years? Paid off sounds great except for many people that's precisely when the itch to get something new comes along. My GTI was nearly paid off when I sold it last month but I was ready for something else to play with after almost 5 years. His situation is more of a lateral move for sure but my 7.5 R is nicer than my buddies 7 R. Just as someone else stated if we based our car decisions on what made financial sense we'd all be on the Corolla forums talking about how to make the car last 500k miles.

 

[DAS_STIG]

Again, how many of us actually keep a car longer than 4-6 years? Paid off sounds great except for many people that's precisely when the itch to get something new comes along. My GTI was nearly paid off when I sold it last month but I was ready for something else to play with after almost 5 years. His situation is more of a lateral move for sure but my 7.5 R is nicer than my buddies 7 R. Just as someone else stated if we based our car decisions on what made financial sense we'd all be on the Corolla forums talking about how to make the car last 500k miles.

I disagree with the financial sense comments. The GTI for me makes financial sense. It ticks all the boxes - good MPG, fun, hauls stuff, fits a baby seat, and is relatively cheap. I can afford a used 911 that would do the same (and I am sure there are plenty of folks that can afford brand new 911's on here that still drive a GTI/Golf R), but I do not want to spend that much. So yes, financial sense does go into a lot of forum members' decision making.

 

[vj123]

I might be able to trade in my 2016 Golf R 6-sp manual for a 2019 Golf R DSG, while keeping the same monthly payments.

Every time question like this is asked all the forum guys suddenly act like they never spend money on anything, drive the same car for 15+ years and invest every cent they have into stocks and mutual funds. If the payment stays the same and you don't expect your lifestyle to change dramatically in the next 5 years then buy the damn car. You only live once and it's your money.

I think the whole financial discussion started based on the monthly payment statement in the initial post as young kids fall for this tactics from sales people very often. Its a lot better if OP has other reasons for this swap and looking at the whole upgrade cost as well.

 

[KevinC]

Again, how many of us actually keep a car longer than 4-6 years? Paid off sounds great except for many people that's precisely when the itch to get something new comes along.

All you're doing is proving my point - financially, this is a stupid idea. If he wants to do it and can afford it - more power to him if he doesn't care about being buried forever in car debt and taking a bit hit every few years.

 

[dr1980]

And let's face it, buying a $40+K Golf isn't exactly an unquestionably rational decision; you spend the money and buy an R because it's the car which you want.

Exactly. When I traded in my GTI for an R I knew it was a dumb decision financially but in the end you gotta make some decisions based on fun and happiness. I make most life decisions based on well rationed, financially sound reasoning but this time I decide to say screw it I’m doing this.

If I was making car decisions based on finances I’d be driving a corolla or some other snooze box.

 

[pnwbrdr]

Drive a DSG in stop and go traffic before you commit. IMO, it's horrible. My wife couldn't stand it as a passenger, lots of lugging and jerky responses. My MT is much smoother in stop and go. If the clutch action is too much for your legs, maybe start going to the gym and doing some squats and leg presses...

And I still LOL all all of the guys saying "don't buy a manual, you have to replace the clutch right away", then the next minute "if you tune the DSG it gets rid of all of the issues with the DSG"... As if spending $2,500 on the DSG option, plus another $500-1,000 on a DSG tune, and then continual maintenance (including clutch packs) is somehow cheaper than a clutch change that you might need a few years in the future... If you don't like to drive a manual, just say it. There is no financial reason to buy the DSG, period.

 

[DAS_STIG]

Drive a DSG in stop and go traffic before you commit. IMO, it's horrible. My wife couldn't stand it as a passenger, lots of lugging and jerky responses. My MT is much smoother in stop and go. If the clutch action is too much for your legs, maybe start going to the gym and doing some squats and leg presses...

And I still LOL all all of the guys saying "don't buy a manual, you have to replace the clutch right away", then the next minute "if you tune the DSG it gets rid of all of the issues with the DSG"... As if spending $2,500 on the DSG option, plus another $500-1,000 on a DSG tune, and then continual maintenance (including clutch packs) is somehow cheaper than a clutch change that you might need a few years in the future... If you don't like to drive a manual, just say it. There is no financial reason to buy the DSG, period.

I had jerkiness in my mk5 dsg, but not mk7. It's definitely not as smooth as a torque converter automatic, but still not bad in stop and go.

 

[pnwbrdr]

I had jerkiness in my mk5 dsg, but not mk7. It's definitely not as smooth as a torque converter automatic, but still not bad in stop and go.

The situation I had, a slight uphill, total stop and go (like, creeping for 1/2 mile), was awful. I occasionally pass other GTI's and can tell when they have a DSG vs manual on this particular hill because the car is constantly bouncing. Either that, or they're just a really bad MT driver.

I had given it a chance... if I went DSG, my wife would be able to drive the car, but she refuses to touch MT (can drive MT, just scared of a 300 hp MT). She didn't like the DSG jerk, so I went MT and she just doesn't drive it... no harm done.

 

[ATR]

Drive a DSG in stop and go traffic before you commit. IMO, it's horrible. My wife couldn't stand it as a passenger, lots of lugging and jerky responses. My MT is much smoother in stop and go. If the clutch action is too much for your legs, maybe start going to the gym and doing some squats and leg presses...

And I still LOL all all of the guys saying "don't buy a manual, you have to replace the clutch right away", then the next minute "if you tune the DSG it gets rid of all of the issues with the DSG"... As if spending $2,500 on the DSG option, plus another $500-1,000 on a DSG tune, and then continual maintenance (including clutch packs) is somehow cheaper than a clutch change that you might need a few years in the future... If you don't like to drive a manual, just say it. There is no financial reason to buy the DSG, period.

On that note if anyone complains about the stock clutch I just laugh. I now have a south bend stage 3 daily clutch in my R. Stuck in a backup today for 30 minutes to go 5 miles only going 5-10MPH

While I did mind sitting in traffic I didn't mind the extra weight of the clutch. It's a purposeful amount of weight. And now getting into a stock GTI the clutch is hilariously light

 

[mk6-k]

I like rowing the gears and have been all my life. This is my 4th GTI, a 16 'S' APR Stage III IS38 (yes clutch has been upgraded). I test drove a 16 with DSG, yeah, quick, no doubt. Then I test drove the car I bought and thought, this is the best for me, plus the savings over the DSG, I was able to go APR Stage 1. It wasn't a money thing for me, it'a all about how you want to get from 'Point A to Point B'. For me it's a manual.

 

[Mk_GTI]

Drive a DSG in stop and go traffic before you commit. IMO, it's horrible. My wife couldn't stand it as a passenger, lots of lugging and jerky responses. My MT is much smoother in stop and go. If the clutch action is too much for your legs, maybe start going to the gym and doing some squats and leg presses...

And I still LOL all all of the guys saying "don't buy a manual, you have to replace the clutch right away", then the next minute "if you tune the DSG it gets rid of all of the issues with the DSG"... As if spending $2,500 on the DSG option, plus another $500-1,000 on a DSG tune, and then continual maintenance (including clutch packs) is somehow cheaper than a clutch change that you might need a few years in the future... If you don't like to drive a manual, just say it. There is no financial reason to buy the DSG, period.

I currently own a 2010 GTI DSG bought new. It does have a rough take up from a dead stop and has been like that for the 128k miles I put on it. I'm used to it, but my Girlfriend complains about it.

Test drove a 2019 DSG Golf R today and can say that rough take up from a dead stop is practically gone from the 7 speed DSG trans.

It makes tons of sense to get a DSG if you drive the car with any enthusiasm as the stock manual clutches are known to be a major weak point. For the money you'll save getting a manual, you're going to eat that savings in a clutch replacement within the first 30k miles. Plus, no human can shift as fast as a DSG can.

I enjoy manuals, but my daily commute involves heavy traffic in a major city for most of it and that means a manual is not the best choice. I don't enjoy spending most of my commute rowing between first and second gear. It doesn't have anything to do with strength for most people, so stop being a asshole about it.

 

[RudyH]

Thanks guys! The payment would stay the same, but adding 3 years to the loan. I'll think about this for a while, I'm not dead set on doing the trade. And of course I'm looking at the cost of the upgrade, but we all spend money on stuff we like. If we all penny pinched and bought the most financially sensible cars, we'd be driving second hand Honda Civics. I'm only interested in changing to DSG since I'm stuck in horrible rush hour traffic every day, and I maybe get my car into 3rd once during my 45min 10km (6mi) commute.

To be honest, I would go with the DSG /w the driver assistance package if you can. It will make that portion of the drive more bearable. When I am stuck on the busiest highway in the world (literally), my wife says a new person starts driving that she hadn't seen before. It irritates the heck out of me with the 6MT.

Factor in though say your payments were $500 x 36 months = $18,000 - it's a lot of cash. Though it is a lot of sanity back in your life

I love my 6MT, but like pnwbrdr, my wife doesn't drive manual. So I offered to teach her but she said she needs more seat time. I don't like driving her automatic Subuaru if we traded keys...so we have mutually accepted it's my toy and we share the Subaru for Toronto traffic and long distances

 

[Cliff p.]

OP- All variables aside, this is what you should do. Go to the dealership and drive the new R. Then you'll know whether you want it or not.



So many people would argue one way or the other, but they're not YOU. I get that you're seeking input from other R DSG and 6MT owners, whether you should be committing to financial decisions based on their input. That in my opinion doesn't matter at the end of the day. If you want it, you buy it. If you don't, you wont. Who cares what another person's opinion is?