About to purchase Mk7 GTI

[jungle]

Hi all, long time lurker here.

Looking to trade in my Mk5 GTI for something a bit newer and have shortlisted two 2014 imported Mk7 GTI's. Just after some opinions from the VASK hive mind. Option 1: Black Mk7 GTI, tartan interior, 35,000km. Option 2: White Mk7 GTI, leather interior, 65,000km. Both fully stock, both with similarly specced and priced, and offering same trade in value for my Mk5.

I do prefer leather interior, but I'm based in Invercargill and that option is arriving in Chch (still do-able, will be a cool road trip...). The black one with tartan interior is arriving to Dunedin so easier for me distance-wise.

Are km's super relevant between these two options? I bear in mind that lower km's may not equate to engine running time.

I also ride a lot of MTB so need to fit a towball for my carrier. What options might be reasonably available in NZ? Preferably after one that doesn't require cutting a hole in the bumper. I.e. swan-neck style. Are the stock Westfalia ones available? Pricing advice?

Also, what recommended initial maintenance should I do once I take possession? I'm thinking normal oil + filter servicing, plus DSG service and brake flush (i.e. all fluids).

Cheers in advance!

[LouieP]

Hi mate,

I've had my 14' mk7 gti for just over a year and currently at 114km. They are awesome daily cars and very fast even in stock form. Maintenance wise - upon receiving i would do oil change, dsg service,coolant flush and then do a walnut blast on the intake valves (later along the line). I would also buy mechanical warranty (must). Why? because almost everything on this car is plastic underneath including majority of the cooling system. The MQB platform are notorious for the waterpump housing to crack and leaking coolant. This was done on my car in December (under warranty) and they also found the radiator was cracked. Around a 3.5k-4k bill in total but all i paid was the excess.

I am looking at going down the hybrid turbo route this year and am aiming to build a 280-290kw street weapon. Feel free to pm me if you have any more questions about its running costs. I absolutely love it.

There are also a lot of vagcom mods available for these and changing jap frequency to nz on the MIB is one of them

I moved from a mk4 gti to this

[The Red Warrior]

I’ve got a Mk5 GTI which you’re obviously familiar with. I too do a lot of MTBing and got a towbar fitted for my bike rack. It does go through the bumper which I realise you’re trying to avoid. What I’m wondering though, is being a GTI that is already lowish and having a deep rear bumper, will a swan neck style townar have almost no road clearance under it?
This would be doubly concerning if your taking your car on gravel roads with a hump in the middle of the road/lane when going to trail heads and forests.

[liv]

I’ve got a Mk5 GTI which you’re obviously familiar with. I too do a lot of MTBing and got a towbar fitted for my bike rack. It does go through the bumper which I realise you’re trying to avoid. What I’m wondering though, is being a GTI that is already lowish and having a deep rear bumper, will a swan neck style townar have almost no road clearance under it?
This would be doubly concerning if your taking your car on gravel roads with a hump in the middle of the road/lane when going to trail heads and forests.

Not sure if there is a retrofit option for the OEM towbar, but on my 2018 7.5 GTI, I had a factory retractable towbar option, which didn't go through the bumper, and had no issues towing or using a bike rack.