2015 Volkswagen GTI long term final update (And Fun With Car Buying Scammers) - The automotive media drooled on redesigned 2015 Volksw...
The automotive media drooled on redesigned 2015 Volkswagen GTI in hatchback sport since its introduction two years ago. I put 13,500 miles on my own during the past year and I agree that it is one of the great cars all around fun available today.
I just went through the sales process, and that's when the real fun began. I sold the GTI last week for a number of reasons. First, its resale value is excellent, partly because VW is still not built enough of them - maybe they are distracted by other issues? -. And the litany of "Best-cars" provided to the small hot hatch
I am also concerned about the future of business in America, so I thought now would be to sell a hedge against future value . lost the GTI replacement is a white 2016 Mercedes-Benz C300 with optional Sports Pack (my first personal car without a stick shift in years -. sigh I must be getting old )
apart from a small occasional annoying problem entertainment system while playing my iPod (it shows the song name wrong), the VW worked perfectly. at 13,500 miles, it does there are no squeaks or rattles and the engine seems to strengthen the miles add up. I've had bad experiences in the past with turbocharged engines, but the 210 horsepower mill is very smooth and I got used to its light turbo offset.
in a previous update, I noted the fine painting of the GTI was likely painted by rocky Arizon chips. This remains true, as evidenced by the 10 or so chips on the hood and front fascia.
The cockpit-like Audi was extremely comfortable and funky seating Tartan plaid always made me smile. The ride was firm but not boring, a small compromise for what must be one of the best turn cars drive front-wheel available today.
The GTI manual transmission is EPA rated at 25 mpg city and 34 mpg highway. I averaged 30.6 mpg during the year on a 50/50 mix of city and highway driving, it usually five to 10 mph over the speed limit. Lowest mileage I saw was 24 mpg in an explosion winding towers on Mount Lemmon Tucson. Where can you find this type of economy combined with a 0-60 mph time of 5.75 seconds?
The GTI is an excellent combination of performance and practicality, and I miss it.
My experience in the sale of the car was worth. I posted the GTI at a firm price of just under $ 20,000 on craigslist and Autotrader, undermining all dealers pricing them at $ 21,000 to $ 22,000. I thought that after their negotiation games realistic retail price was just $ 20,000. For a car with an original MSRP of $ 25,605, the GTI was found to have a high resale value.
( As an aside, I know it is a semi-executive Autotrader attending CAPD, and that person I say: please train your telephone representatives on time zones, I did not like the 6:35 alarm clock to check my ad )
A number of devotees called GTI, desperately hoping. that my car had the optional Performance Package with 10 additional horsepower, bigger brakes and the performance differential. It was reported that there were zero new white GTIs with the upgrade in stock at a Volkswagen dealer between Denver and Los Angeles. I wish this package, but as I noted in my original story of buying my GTI, get the package accurate option and color you want from VW is almost impossible unless you order your vehicle. Go, Volkswagen, it's really hard to give volks what they want?
Most other prospects who have called or texted me were the usual gang of suspects. Some examples of questions:
"Can you keep the car until I fly in Chicago this weekend to watch?" No
"Can you deliver the car in Utah at that price.?" No.
"Will you take $ 15,000 in cash?" No. "But there is cash on the hood!" I only take money, I am not a merchant, dimbulb.
"Is this your car automatically?" No, read the announcement.
"your car is a 4-door" Nope, read the announcement
I also bombarded with surveys showing a new angle in the automotive world :. companies that "help you ?." sell your vehicle
With millions of private transactions take place every year, these parasites want to get their hands on some of this money. They call or text and make pretend to be legitimate buyers, asking all the right questions for a few minutes before revealing their true identity. the most misleading and annoying of these surveys were of a firm named beepi.com. I harangued too busy or hang up on these companies listen to one of their spiels, but I learned that beepi receives a fee of up to nine percent of the profit on the sale price of the car.
A new scam for me is the "fake VIN report" ruse. I received several texts from a location 800 miles with variations of this message: "This is Susan I want to buy your car today, I'm cash."
After responding, the "client" and said she needs me to run a VIN history report and referred me to this site -. Likely a fraudulent website designed to steal people's credit card numbers.
A man in his mid-20s came to watch the GTI. It was a dream buyer - newly arrived from Europe to work here for three years, excellent work, very smart, only conducts baton changes, loved GTIs, currently in a rental car, cash payments and has not abuse the car during the test drive. Add the fact that there were only four white, two-door, "S" model GTIs six reports listed nationally on Autotrader and it was ten minutes from his house, means that when he called later to say he was going to buy, I did not feel the need to request a non-refundable deposit to lock
I had momentarily forgotten the first commandment of selling cars :. if a deal happens quickly and easily, you will not have to agree.
he texted me the next day to say he changed his mind, as he claimed my price was too high. He said the automotive website Edmunds.com estimates that the retail value on my GTI was $ 18,000, a figure that was lower than the wholesale price offered by my local CarMax store to buy my car . In other words, Edmunds was at least $ 2,000 light. Maybe they throw the lowball figures so customers off sales of private parts and use their car buying service instead.
I told him to have Edmunds locate and sell him a GTI at that price, which, of course, they can not. I guess I learned that European Millennials are like their counterparts in America :. All the information they find while surfing the internet on their phones is the absolute truth
He probably changed his mind for another reason, he did not reveal, which means that I also Forgot the Second Commandment of car sales: buyers are liars
I sold the car and delivered the next day to another party .. It was much more fun to own the GTI than selling it !
[Images: © 2016 Steve Lynch/The Truth About Cars]
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