Looking for 16 yr olds first car - MK6 Golf typical issues?

[1ashchuckton]

Heck I'm so old I hardly remember what it was like to be 16. I do know that I really did a lot of stupid things & it is a minor miracle I'm alive.

As far as cars go I think a nice used Civic will teach your son the finer points of driving & caring for a car. He can auto-x it if that floats his boat. Make sure to take him to a Street Survival Course. What he learns can save his life.

Once your son is proficient enough move him up to a GTI. Just my .02 here, because you asked.

 

[sterkrazzy]

Can also confirm kids are dumb. Went 120+ more than once in my 12v vr6. Can't imagine what I would have done if I had this car instead lol

 

[zrickety]

You can search autotrader.com for the car, expand to any miles and you'll see if it exists in that configuration.

Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk

 

[RND1]

If you want to get them a car like this, I think your on the right track with a TDi or 2.5L. I had a mk6 Golf TDi before my GTI and loved it. Only got rid of it because VW bought it back over a year after I got it due to Dieselgate for $3k more than I paid for it.
The engine on the TDi's are tanks and last a long time if maintained. 200k+ is not uncommon at all, my buddy has one that just hit 330k miles.
Their not nearly as fast as a GTI but have a lot of torque so their fun to drive. Plus 40+ miles to the gallon is pretty sweet compared to around half of that that I now get in my stageII GTI.

Agree - my first choice would be a 4 door golf 2.5L 5 speed, but I believe those do not exist so we're left with the TDI, which seem to be readily available as it appears the cars bought back during dieselgate are now returning to the market.

Make sure to take him to a Street Survival Course. What he learns can save his life.

He's already signed up for May 18 at Louden, NH. I hope to find his ride by then or else he'll have to take the M3.

 

[MLue1]

Agree - my first choice would be a 4 door golf 2.5L 5 speed, but I believe those do not exist so we're left with the TDI, which seem to be readily available as it appears the cars bought back during dieselgate are now returning to the market.



He's already signed up for May 18 at Louden, NH. I hope to find his ride by then or else he'll have to take the M3.

Great call on the Golf 2.5, that's what I bough my Son; we've put on alot of mileage and it has been reliable as any Japanese product I've owned. Since he is mostly away at school I've been driving it and have grown some what attached to it so looking for another low mile Golf 2.5.

Street survival course well worth it. :thumbup:


BTW Lots of 4 Door Golf 2.5 in Canada, the opposite is true here in Canada, more 4 door Golf 2.5s than 2 door. The US$ is worth 35% more here, so possible to get one pretty cheap. All the great used sports cars and trucks are heading south to the US, so why not a Golf. Just saying.... .

 

[sneedfeed]

I feel like I'm one of the younger members of this forum (just turned 20) my mk6 gti was my first ever car (at 18) and while I've done some dumb shit in my car I think it depends on how responsible your son is if you can't trust his decision making maybe get him a slower car to start off in.

 

[uglybastard]

the 2.5L golf will be fine. Kids will be kids.

 

[RND1]

Great call on the Golf 2.5, that's what I bough my Son; we've put on alot of mileage and it has been reliable as any Japanese product I've owned. Since he is mostly away at school I've been driving it and have grown some what attached to it so looking for another low mile Golf 2.5.

Street survival course well worth it. :thumbup:


BTW Lots of 4 Door Golf 2.5 in Canada, the opposite is true here in Canada, more 4 door Golf 2.5s than 2 door. The US$ is worth 35% more here, so possible to get one pretty cheap. All the great used sports cars and trucks are heading south to the US, so why not a Golf. Just saying.... .

Did you guys in the Great White North get the 5speed manual option in the 4 DR Golf? Not 100%, but don't think that was an option here in the states???

I feel like I'm one of the younger members of this forum (just turned 20) my mk6 gti was my first ever car (at 18) and while I've done some dumb shit in my car I think it depends on how responsible your son is if you can't trust his decision making maybe get him a slower car to start off in.

We're also considering the N52 inline 6 BMW e90 6 speed which is similar in power and torque to the GTI. I'm not ruling out the GTI yet.

the 2.5L golf will be fine. Kids will be kids.

Again, this would be ideal, but not available in 4 Door manual tranny configuration AFAIK? Looking at dieselgate buyback TDI's now.

 

[SnailPower]

I think a used VW is perfect for a new comer. Sure, he might ding and dent it up but it should be a pretty safe car and they are sloooooow as shiiiiiieeet stock so you don't need to worry about him going fast.

If he has it for a few more years and then wants to tune it for some more powa but nothing record breaking, he can do that.

Also if it's going to be manual, the clutch on the GTI is super soft and easy for a beginner. It would make an easy car to learn on, plus you get the hill assist. I'm not saying that he should get assistance when learning manual, but if the convenience is there, it'll help. Just make sure he does drive a manual afterwards that doesn't include it so he can understand the difference and be ready for that scenario.

 

[RND1]

I think a used VW is perfect for a new comer. Sure, he might ding and dent it up but it should be a pretty safe car and they are sloooooow as shiiiiiieeet stock so you don't need to worry about him going fast.

If he has it for a few more years and then wants to tune it for some more powa but nothing record breaking, he can do that.

Also if it's going to be manual, the clutch on the GTI is super soft and easy for a beginner. It would make an easy car to learn on, plus you get the hill assist. I'm not saying that he should get assistance when learning manual, but if the convenience is there, it'll help. Just make sure he does drive a manual afterwards that doesn't include it so he can understand the difference and be ready for that scenario.

Interesting - didn't know the manuals came with hill assist? Is that something that can be turned off? He's already learned to drive stick on our other cars - Miata and E36 M3 29 years old and 21 years old respectively so no hill assist lol.

 

[SnailPower]

Interesting - didn't know the manuals came with hill assist? Is that something that can be turned off? He's already learned to drive stick on our other cars - Miata and E36 M3 29 years old and 21 years old respectively so no hill assist lol.

Yup, it certainly can if you have VAGCOM or OBD-eleven. OBD Eleven cheaper and worth it if you have VW/Audi in your life.

 

[gijoewoz]

I think a used VW is perfect for a new comer. Sure, he might ding and dent it up but it should be a pretty safe car and they are sloooooow as shiiiiiieeet stock so you don't need to worry about him going fast.

I suspect you've never driven any other car. You are frequently talking about how terribly slow the GTI is, yet you own one, and yet just about everyone across the world agrees that they quick cars. No, they aren't super fast, but they are much quicker than the cars most of us normal folk drive most of our lives. Even my today's power standards the GTI is quicker than a lot of cars.

"sloooooow as shiiiiiieeet" Really? "Don't need to worry about him going fast"? Really? The quickest speed limit that I'm aware of is 75mph, a GTI is very capable of getting someone into a lot of trouble. Sometimes is tough to take the things you say seriously.

 

[MLue1]

Did you guys in the Great White North get the 5speed manual option in the 4 DR Golf? Not 100%, but don't think that was an option here in the states???

Yup manual was available in ALL MK6 models in Canada.

 

[SnailPower]

I suspect you've never driven any other car. You are frequently talking about how terribly slow the GTI is, yet you own one, and yet just about everyone across the world agrees that they quick cars. No, they aren't super fast, but they are much quicker than the cars most of us normal folk drive most of our lives. Even my today's power standards the GTI is quicker than a lot of cars.

"sloooooow as shiiiiiieeet" Really? "Don't need to worry about him going fast"? Really? The quickest speed limit that I'm aware of is 75mph, a GTI is very capable of getting someone into a lot of trouble. Sometimes is tough to take the things you say seriously.

Lol, Okay sorry, I should of clarified. Mostly in the performance car world I would rank it as one of the slowest I've come across. I still wouldn't run against a 6 cylinder Camry, lol.

 

[dfelicia]

My son is 16 and will most likely get my GTI at some point. He's a responsible kid and this car is not crazy fast in stock / de-tuned form.

A 2013 GTI will likely fit your budget and probably have the usual issues already sorted out under warranty (intake manifold & water pump). Just make sure to find 1 that hasn't been molested by multiple owners. Maintenance is very easy on these cars.

^ This.

I am about to close a deal on a 2010 GTI (bone stock) for my about-to-be-seventeen year old. He’d been driving a 2004 Honda Odyssey until it gave up the ghost last week. I can’t think of a less cool first car, but he was grateful to have it.

I disagree with all the “no way would I let my kid drive a GTI” comments. If you have a super responsible kid (I do) and make it crystal clear that a speeding ticket means the car is going on Craigslist, there’s really no issue. (As long as you’re serious about that threat, and I am.) In my state, kids have to be licensed two years before they can even drive anyone other than immediate family, so I’m not any more worried than I’d be if I went for the Civic LX that was runner up. Does a GTI accelerate faster? Yeah, but it also handles better. If if he’s not speeding it’s not an issue.

Edit: Welp, so much for my big ideas! My mechanic said NO WAY to the GTI I was going to buy. So, Honda Civic it is... I stand by what I wrote above, though. Good luck, everyone!