A mate at work has Punto which has been handed down through the family and has finally died. Head gasket needs doing and it's a 52 reg one with towards 80k on it. He asked me today whether he should go for a Golf GTi of similar vintage as a replacement. He's 27. I think the insurance will be mad and surely the Fabia vRs or Octavia are cheaper and better. Obviously I'm biased but there might those of you out there that aren't. I managed to put him off a "modded" Saxo. That really would be taking the .....s.

I would recommend the Fabia vRS definitely

Only group 9 insurance IIRC, and a hoot to drive

Also with a couple of mods, should easily see 165+bhp and a whole load of torque :eek:

Its upto him if he decided to declare the mods, but it should still be cheaper than the GTI

Cheers

Damian

Surely insurance wouldn't be 'mad' for a 27 year old? MK4 Golf was a classy choice in it's day. As long as he avoids the 2.0 115hp model then all will be good. The Anniversary's were around that sort of vintage too - very desirable, with the 180hp MK1 Octy engine.

Think about the 170hp Golf V5 too... It's an interesting choice, and sounds great.

The Furby is also a great car, but obviously a size smaller, plus remember now there's bigger difference in price between petrol and diesel, it's hardly worth buying a diesel for economy unless you're doing massive mileage.

My tip would be a MK1 Octy vRS though.

Moved too general car chat

If it's a 'hot hatch' he's after ... Golf for me. I'm amazed at the loss of objectivity on here when it comes to considering other cars against skodas! Unless, price and low insurance are the most key factors, then the golf is the natural choice. The 1.8T engine is ripe for modding and there will be plenty of people out there with experience.

Anniversary Golf GTI, has the same 180bhp 1.8T as the Octavia vRS, comes with a nice body kit, lush wheels and is well kitted.

Will also be much quicker than the Fabia

So unless he needs the fuel economy, then go for Golf!

Anniversary Golf GTI, has the same 180bhp 1.8T as the Octavia vRS, comes with a nice body kit, lush wheels and is well kitted.

Will also be much quicker than the Fabia

So unless he needs the fuel economy, then go for Golf!

You missed the most important point... the Golf doesn't sound like a tractor..

I always found the Anniversary bodykit to be a bit OTT - it just looked cheap and aftermarket on what was otherwise quite a classy shape. Best version of the MKIV regardless though.

Anniversary Golf GTI, has the same 180bhp 1.8T as the Octavia vRS, comes with a nice body kit, lush wheels and is well kitted.

Will also be much quicker than the Fabia

So unless he needs the fuel economy, then go for Golf!

yup, a quickish diesel so isn't anything like as much fun as a quickish petrol. the the anniversary is nice looking and would most probably whoop a Fabia vRS (standard or remapped) in terms of speed (albeit with lower mpg ) but wouldn't it feel just as...wooly?

what about a Golf v6 4motion, with a nice exhaust?

I don't know how the Anni could be described as "OTT"? I've always though it was quite subtle, at least compared withthe R32!

Anniversary:

R32

V64M is a good choice, however you'll have to put up with fake wood on the inside!

I'm guessing that budget must be coming into it if he's trying to square a fabia up against a golf. If true, the Anniversary still goes for silly money and he'd be better off getting a bog standard 150bhp 1.8t gti and then have it mapped to 225bhp if he's craving speed. I'm sure the 150bhp would do though. I've seen some low mileage / fsh 52 plates etc going for about £4.5k on autotrader recently.

Not sure that a Fabia vRS would be cheaper than a Golf GTi...as they are diesels the prices are quite high for low mileage examples.

An Octy of the same age and mileage would be cheaper and more practical than the Golf GTi but then going from a Punto I don't suppose he needs a massive boot.

If buying a Golf GTi only the late model 150bhp ones (or the 180bhp Anniversary) are remappable to more than 200 bhp, the earlier ones had a smaller turbo and only remap to about 175bhp.

However, if you did want big power, then get an early one with the AGU engine

If it's a 'hot hatch' he's after ... Golf for me. I'm amazed at the loss of objectivity on here when it comes to considering other cars against skodas!

Totally agree with this comment, as too many people wear blinkers, and cannot see the value of other makes.

In this thread, there is one recommendation for the Fabia, most others opt for the Golf, so hardly biased.

I have had both the Fabia vRS and a Golf GTi 1.8T, and they are both great cars.

I would have another Fabia vRS, but not another Golf (mk4)

That's just my opinion, which everyone is surely entitled to.

Now, if it was a mk2 golf, then that's a different story...

If I could afford to run one, I'd have the anniversary. I like the extra touches over a standard GTI, and I do like the 1.8T. But, I couldn't really afford the insurance on one!

What about a Seat Leon Cupra as an alternative?

If i wanted a hot hatch it would be neither, as IMHO both handle like a barge as standard.

Has everyone forgot the Anni Golf also come with the 150bhp PD in it?

Thats the GT-TDI PD

If i wanted a hot hatch (I do hanker after one!) I'd get the Mk2 Golf GTI I soooo want one

you say similar "vintage"

27 Insurance isnt going to be sky high unless the driver has 0ncb and/or 1/2 claims.

I think your mate needs to work out his budget then see what falls into that.

There's no point suggesting any car if he can't afford to buy/insure and run it.

The GT-TDi PD and the Anni are different models.

You can get a GT spec 150bhp (ARL) MK4 Golf that wasn't a special edition.

Thanks for the posts. I think it has to be diesels - we both do about 20-25k a year for work (and play) of course. What he gets is down to him and his budget. I get the impression he's looking at about £4k plus the Fiat...so that's a top up of about £4.50 or a fiver if someone's generous. He quite fancies the Golf and I thought that this being a Skoda forum, you'd all be going for the Fabia. I know someone with a previous generation vRS and he's well pleased with it in terms of performance and economy.

Seat Leon Cupra/ FR Tdi IMO

I'd agree that it's either the Furbie or a Seat Leon, but there's really only one way to settle this:-

FIGHT!!

Id go for the fabia over the golf as where im lurking theres about 10 golfs to 1 fabia. But tbh i love both cars and would be happy with either