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Buying recommendation MK7 GTI

alpher

New member
Location
Toronto
Car(s)
GTI MK7
Hey,

I have been wanting to buy a MK7 GTI (and a car in general) for quite a while and my finances are finally making sense to get one. In my area, it doesn't seem like there are many private sellers, most GTI's are at the dealerships. I test drove a couple and found a private seller who is selling his 2017 3dr. It looks like an okay-ish deal but has almost 90k kms on it (55k miles). It also has a bunch of mods on it which I'm kinda wary about. He has a tune, lowering springs, muffler delete, and some other small reversible stuff. This is a leased model so I'm assuming he would face penalties if he returns the car modded. He's also above the mileage of his lease. He is asking around 21k CAD for it (15.8k USD) Also, he was in a not-at-fault accident that left some scratches and dents on his car but he got it fixed at the dealership.

- Is this a reasonable price considering the mods and milage or do I have some negotiating power?
- Would I be better off getting a stock car and modding it myself?

Sorry if these are dumb questions, I'm a first-time buyer. Thanks in advance!

Edit: I forgot to put the trim. It's an autobahn with the driver-assist package but not the leather seats.
 
Last edited:

alpher

New member
Location
Toronto
Car(s)
GTI MK7
Personally I'd be concerned about the accident more than anything. Do you have any proof that's all the accident did to the car?
He showed me all the pictures for it and I do agree it looked like a lot. The dealers quote on it to fix was 6500k CAD (4892 USD) and it was a snowplow that hit him on the side and dragged the scratch all the way. They replaced the quarter panel and painted the side and replaced the lights and fixed the bumpers.
 

vj123

Autocross Newbie
Location
The Detroit
Car(s)
19 & 16 GTI - sold
Personally, i prefer buying stock vehicle with documented service or update history directly from the owner. Based on your post, you might want to expand your search.
 

Ghost GTI

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Cockpit
Car(s)
'19 GTI SE DSG
I will give you MY opinion which may be opposite of what most people normally think. I am never personally comfortable even buying a used car (I know, its extreme), but since I meticulously take care of my cars, I can't really trust that some previous owner was the same way. To add on to that, for a car like a GTI, where a lot of buyers are modding and pushing the car, that's even more reason for me to not buy one. Like vj123 said, for a GTI, if I was to buy used, it'd be a stock car, with a CPO warranty.

Another few things for you to consider is this...If its a Manual, then what clutch does the guy have in the car? If its the stock clutch, and he has been tuned, it's likely gonna need a replacement. What tune? What stage? Lots of things you need to check if you're gonna buy a modded car.
 

alpher

New member
Location
Toronto
Car(s)
GTI MK7
I will give you MY opinion which may be opposite of what most people normally think. I am never personally comfortable even buying a used car (I know, its extreme), but since I meticulously take care of my cars, I can't really trust that some previous owner was the same way. To add on to that, for a car like a GTI, where a lot of buyers are modding and pushing the car, that's even more reason for me to not buy one. Like vj123 said, for a GTI, if I was to buy used, it'd be a stock car, with a CPO warranty.

Another few things for you to consider is this...If its a Manual, then what clutch does the guy have in the car? If its the stock clutch, and he has been tuned, it's likely gonna need a replacement. What tune? What stage? Lots of things you need to check if you're gonna buy a modded car.

Yeah, I'm like you as well but I can't really afford a new one atm so it would have to be used or no car at all. I don't want to get like a cheap civic or something either because I don't really need the car for commuting. I just want it for fun.

I am leaning towards stock as well now because of you guys lol. When I first saw the car, I thought I'd save money doing mods that I'd do anyway. I reckon he has spent about 2k doing them. He is a car guy so I'm sure he takes good care of it but he does have the stock clutch and shocks. I didn't really push it in the test drive so not sure if it slips.

He said he also always got it serviced at a vw certified mechanic every time so I'll ask him for proof. All of his miles are apparently on the highway because he used this car as a commuter. It's a stage 1 unitronic tune. I'll obviously get it checked out by a proper VW specialist if I go this way but maybe I should pay a couple of grand extra and get the stock car. (Stock ones are averaging about a grand or two extra for the same specs)
 

Ghost GTI

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Cockpit
Car(s)
'19 GTI SE DSG
Get a stock car, a Cobb AP with EQT maps, and if you're getting a manual, put money aside for the clutch, cause its gonna go. (y)
 

TheMechanicDude

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Fl
Car(s)
17 GTI Sport
This is a leased model so I'm assuming he would face penalties if he returns the car modded. He's also above the mileage of his lease. He is asking around 21k CAD for it (15.8k USD) Also, he was in a not-at-fault accident that left some scratches and dents on his car but he got it fixed at the dealership.
 

DarkArrow

Drag Racing Champion
Location
OC
Car(s)
'18 R
The guy is really in the hole. He has mods he would need to remove (time and/or $$), mileage penalties (more $$), and isn't going to get anything back from the lease. If you are really interested in this car, that should give you some leverage to lower the price.

If the mods are what you're going to do anyway, then those shouldn't be a big deal. From your list, they seem quite mild and common. Just make sure you do your due diligence before you buy it. Get a pre purchase inspection at a mechanic of your choice (local to seller). Preferrably a VW specialty shop so they know to look for the common trouble spots on the Mk7, like water pump/thermostat, clutch, thrust bearing, etc. Ask the seller if he'll split costs 50:50, and if it passes, you'll reimburse him by adding his amount to how much you pay for the car. If he's not willing to allow you a thorough inspection, walk.

Would you be better off getting a stock car and modding it yourself? Sure, because you know exactly who and what is being done to the car. But, that's going to cost more time and $$ and you need to make the decision if it's worth it.
 

IanCH

Autocross Champion
Location
MA
Car(s)
'20 GTI
Don't think the price is even close on this (way too high) but not sure what trim level this car is or the details about it...
 

alpher

New member
Location
Toronto
Car(s)
GTI MK7
Don't think the price is even close on this (way too high) but not sure what trim level this car is or the details about it...
Oops, really sorry about that, its the autobahn and has the driver assist package but not the leather seats. I'll update the post as well.
 

Chogokin

Autocross Champion
Location
So Cal
Car(s)
GTI Sport | Audi A3
I'd try to find one that has not been modified. Take your time and look at everything on the car...especially the nuts and bolts. They can generally tell you if things have been removed. You really...really don't want is a car that has been modified and then loosely put back to stock.

Prices in the US have really dropped. I have seen a lot for sale recently for pretty cheap.
 

The Fed

Old Guys Rule
Location
Florida
IMO, the price and mileage are too high. He's going to take a real beating on turn in. You would just be bailing him out and wind up with a car that probably will needs constant repair. look for a certified car at a VW dealer.

Where does this certified VW mechanic work? Only dealers have them. Even if he previously worked at a dealer he's not certified now.

I'm surprised your Autobahns are not leather, ours are.

The 2016 model year was good too.
 

alpher

New member
Location
Toronto
Car(s)
GTI MK7
IMO, the price and mileage are too high. He's going to take a real beating on turn in. You would just be bailing him out and wind up with a car that probably will needs constant repair. look for a certified car at a VW dealer.

Where does this certified VW mechanic work? Only dealers have them. Even if he previously worked at a dealer he's not certified now.

I'm surprised your Autobahns are not leather, ours are.

The 2016 model year was good too.

Yeah, in Canada, all GTI's (Mk7) have cloth seats and leather is an add-on package. Maybe they did that to make the price lower due to the currency conversion.

Here's a link to the 2016 sell sheet if you're interested: https://www.vw.ca/content/dam/vw-ng...e.download_attachment.file/2016SellSheetE.pdf
 
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