This will be my first ever full fledged post and with this, I'm writing about my experience buying my first ever car.
Der Golf
It is one masterpiece of a machine that VW has produced. Like how GDP judges a nation, the VW Golf is more of a standard against which other cars in the similar category are compared. That standard is called Golf-Klasse (the Golf class)!
When did I fall in love
I admired this car while I was in Germany in 2002 doing my masters and I thought to myself that one day I would buy it. To me that day has come.
Used or New
There is a concept with VW called Jahreswagen (
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahreswagen). Such cars are sold exactly after one year of registration and use. Such cars additionally carry a rigorous quality check and once they pass that check, they get labelled as "Das Welt Auto" and then sold through VW dealers. Hence, I decided to settle for a used one.
Which avatar
There were a couple of open questions that I had to finalize in order to pin down on the exact model that I wanted. I did a bit of a research (I call it golfinale, translates to "the final Golf") for about 2 months after which I decided to go for a used Golf 6 2012, 105 PS, 1.6 TDI. The one that I got is a special edition (Sondermodel) called "Match". Oh yeah, it's all just marketing jargons. VW offers a set of common features around this model for a price that looks reasonable (reasonable price.... ehem...only in the advertisements). I wanted to have a Diesel as I would be doing long trips often times.
Color
The color I wanted was "United Gray Metallic", as I'm fond of this color. My two motor cycles that I had earlier were also gray in color. Should this color not be available, I was prepared for a metallic graphite blue.
Features
I wanted my Golf to definitely have the following features:
(1) Cruise control
(2) Multi-functions steering wheel
(3) Parking assistant with acoustic warning
Cruise control definitely helps during long drives while with the multi-functions steering wheel, I could control the car's on board computer. Without a Parking assistant, I need somebody's help every time I park my car on the pavement. I remember driving around for 20 minutes to find a parking slot near by to where I live. It is a pain in the ***. I have to squeeze in my car in a slot that I find. A parking sensor to me is mandatory. So I was after these three features in the Golf that I wanted to buy.
Every other feature like the automatic climate control, Radio, CD player, Aux-In, ABS, ESP, alloy wheels, fog lamps, air bags, rain sensors, seat height adjustment, fold able rear seats, steering adjustment were quite common across the range. So I did not have to worry about it. One thing that came as an addition and took me by surprise is that Golf that I bought had an auxiliary heater. Very useful during winter season. I can configure the heater to warm up the car in the morning when the temperature drops below a specified level. This also helps with the FE.
The Golfinale
After a rigorous search for about 3 months and numerous test drives from different dealers, I was able to find the final Golf that I would end up buying. As mentioned before, it would be a Golf Mk 6 with a 1.6 TDI heart, 105PS of power and loaded with features. Actually she was lying with the dealer for quite some time (say since June 2013) but her price was more than what I could afford. It was a waiting game where in the dealer every month had to reduce the price to get rid of her. As I had been analyzing the trend for this particular Golf model and the price point at which they are sold (through other dealers), I realized that it is the best time to grab her. Well, actually when I went to test drive it, there were a couple of other interested parties that would also like to take a look and eventually buy it. So I did not want to waste any time. As soon as I test drover her, I told to the dealer that I would buy it. Sorry that the others had to leave disappointing. But I remember leaving disapointed myself as I was in a similar situation last month wherein I had to loose 2 other United Gray Golf's to other competent buyers. I remember one of my English class lessons that taught me "Everything happens for your own good". Yes, it did and what good happened to me is that with this Golf I got a "Standheizung (the auxillary heater)". This came at a price point much cheaper than the other Golf's that I missed.
Formalities
Registration, selecting the number, printing the number plates, insuring the car, tax and other miscellaneous things around the bureaucracy of making the vehicle road / traffic ready went really smooth.
Some pictures
Here are some of the pics that I clicked of her! A stunning bold front grille!
This is how she looks after I took her home. The dealer had to change the summer tyres to winter tyres and unfortunately, he did not give me any alloys for the winter tyres.
The side view
The lack of alloys do not justify her real beauty!
A look at her back! I really like the Golf's rear geometry, feels that the Golf 6 rear is a lot better than the Golf 7.
First impressions
The ride is solid and smooth. The car remains stable on the lane and does not veer to the sides. It easily accelerates to 160 - 180 Kmph and after which it becomes a bit sluggish. Cruise control works like a charm wherein I can accelerate / decelerate with the click of a button. Bluetooth pairing is excellent. My iPhone 4S pairs very quickly as soon as I get into the car. I feel the car to be very well suited for city drive as the first 3 gears are peppy and pulls really well with revs below 2000 rpm. On the seating front, there is ample leg room at the rear even after pushing the front seats back to its maximum. The driver seat height adjustment and the steering adjustment are good enough to find a comfortable driving position. I completely love this car. To me this looks like an all-rounder.
I did take the car for a long drive over the last weekend and as I drove on the highway at a cruising speed of 130 Kmph, and as I applied the braked gently, I started to notice that the car was shaking very badly. I was hearing some sort of rattling noise. For a moment, I was shocked. I immediately came back home, rang up the dealer and asked him what it was. I was asked to bring the car to the workshop. Fortunately, it was just a minor wheel alignment problem which was rectified within minutes. But I had to leave the car with the dealer for a day. Now I have it back and I do not hear or feel the rattling problem anymore. I'm yet to drive on the highway after she was checked for the rattling, but I'm sure that the problem is now gone.
Fuel Efficiency
On an average with 50% city and 50% highway drive profile, I get to see an FE of around 5.2 liters per 100 Km which to me is awesome. I always make sure that I do not rev it up more than 2000 rpm, change gears on time, use the motor brakes when shifting down and use cruise control whenever possible. I also ensure that on highways, I do not push her beyond 130 and I constantly try to maintain a speed between 100 and 130 Kmph. Is there anything else that I could do? Let me know your thoughts.
More review coming soon...
Can anyone suggest me on an issue that I have with my VW Golf? I noticed that the Car veers to the right when I drive on the highway. I noticed this problem whenever I drove more than say 80 or 100 kmph. I took that today to the service and I don't know what they did. Now the car veers very strongly to the right even at less than 10 kms per hour. I'm terribly concerned and I feel like I'm cheated. I will go to the service center again and check with them why it actually went bad after repair. But out of curiosity, what would it cost to have a new axle mounted on the car? Any ideas?
Thanks for the suggestions! I did take the car to the dealer and they told me that they messed up the alignment. Originally, the left front wheels had only 15 degrees and 23 degrees but after alignment which was done improperly, it shot up to 53 degrees. They now fixed it, but I still see that the car veers to the right. It is quite annoying. I will go to the dealer again and ask him to fix it again!
It has been just over a year since I have been enjoying with my Golf and the car goes strong! I have driven almost 15k km's and I would like to know if it is already time to change the engine oil. Given that it is a Diesel car, what do you guys recommend? Should I change the oil right now or wait until the next service which would be in 6 months from now?
I'm also planning to get the tyres changed on my Golf. Currently I have a 16" running. Planning to go for a 17". What would be the benefit and drawbacks of this upgrade? Need your help!