Why so many people selling their R after only 10K km or less?

[RDIRTYTOO]

Then, wait a little over 3 yrs for the next version to come out, since there is no reason to change.
I want to compare ours against each other though. How much power ya got, sorry I forget.

im at 410 whp at 13 psi

[ThatVdub]

im at 410 whp at 13 psi

Is that AWHP? What fuel? Water/meth?
Which Kit? Which turbo? Which dyno? lol
Can 13psi create that much power on the R32???
I used to run 12psi on my HPA kit, and it was supposed to be 360-380 crank hp.

[blackdemonGTI18T]

traded my R last Friday. it wasn't a financial issue, it wasn't that i was bored, i was just over it. i have been a VW diehard for quite sometime. i have owned numerous GTI's (various states of tune) and a 2004 .:R32. in 2007 i sold the R and purchased a Toyota Tacoma. I drove that truck for over 5 years and it was flawless.

this past March i started looking into getting back into a VW and had been waiting for the R. i went to the dealership a few times to take a look but declined a drive. after the third visit i was convinced to take it for a drive. needless to say i went ahead and bought the car. the next month i had it reflashed (Unitronic 93 oct tune) and drove it through the summer.

a few months later i started to think about getting another Tacoma (same truck except a 2012 model). went to the VW dealer to find out what the actual cash value for a $7,300 mile base 2dr CSG R was worth. i was given a number of $27,000. i called a friend who is a VW sales manager (i also have a background in the car business) and asked him what it was worth. he also thought $27,000 was market value ACV.

i visited my local Toyota dealer (they had the exact truck i was looking for Tacoma access cab, TRD Offroad V6 Magnetic Gray). put the numbers together asked them for another $1,000 for my R and drove away the next day leaving the R as only a memory. Sure, i miss the acceleration, the braking, the handling, the build quality, the comfort, the technology but day to day it's difficult to beat the utility of the truck. i look at it as i can only drive so fast and if i do drive fast (which i found myself doing a lot with the R) i am going to get in trouble (i was pulled over twice in the R but not ticketed, i have a spotless driving record btw). this past week with the truck i found myself driving very slowly and i don't even mind it.

[Alive By time]

traded my R last Friday. it wasn't a financial issue, it wasn't that i was bored, i was just over it. i have been a VW diehard for quite sometime. i have owned numerous GTI's (various states of tune) and a 2004 .:R32. in 2007 i sold the R and purchased a Toyota Tacoma. I drove that truck for over 5 years and it was flawless.

this past March i started looking into getting back into a VW and had been waiting for the R. i went to the dealership a few times to take a look but declined a drive. after the third visit i was convinced to take it for a drive. needless to say i went ahead and bought the car. the next month i had it reflashed (Unitronic 93 oct tune) and drove it through the summer.

a few months later i started to think about getting another Tacoma (same truck except a 2012 model). went to the VW dealer to find out what the actual cash value for a $7,300 mile base 2dr CSG R was worth. i was given a number of $27,000. i called a friend who is a VW sales manager (i also have a background in the car business) and asked him what it was worth. he also thought $27,000 was market value ACV.






i visited my local Toyota dealer (they had the exact truck i was looking for Tacoma access cab, TRD Offroad V6 Magnetic Gray). put the numbers together asked them for another $1,000 for my R and drove away the next day leaving the R as only a memory. Sure, i miss the acceleration, the braking, the handling, the build quality, the comfort, the technology but day to day it's difficult to beat the utility of the truck. i look at it as i can only drive so fast and if i do drive fast (which i found myself doing a lot with the R) i am going to get in trouble (i was pulled over twice in the R but not ticketed, i have a spotless driving record btw). this past week with the truck i found myself driving very slowly and i don't even mind it.

Hey as long as you don't have remorse in your new purchase thats all that matters. I sold my R on a whim and got a BMW and could not be more unhappy. I am stuck in a lease and have to live with my choice for 2 years. "You never know what you have till' its gone" is ringing in my head every time I think about it. If I could have purchased the b8 S4 like I had planned on I would be singing a different song.. but It didn't work out.

[Cozotess18]

I love my R. For the price there isn't another car on the market I'd rather have. All of its competition is at least $10,000 more. The RS3 would be nice, but if it's not available as a 2-door I don't want it, even with the extra power. If I wanted a 4-door I'd buy an S4.

If anyone seriously thinks the R32 is a better car, you're fooling yourself. It was a great car in 2004, but it can't even compare. See any dyno. See any true tuner or unbiased reviewer's opinion. The R32 was too fat, slow and unbalanced.

They do sound great, though.

I don't see that many R owners jumping ship. I think this is something that happens with all cars. People buy cars, realize they want something else or don't want it as much as they thought, and sell them. It could be any of a thousand reasons.

I love my R as well. It's a fun car to drive, just stock, and puts a big grin on my face when I drive it and see it. I don't think many R owners are selling their cars. Has anyone compared nationwide numbers of used Rs with other used sports cars (bought and sold within the same timeframe). And unreliable? - this forum is so hyper-vigilant about reporting anything awry, that there's certainly a biased for reporting any small and large issues. I agree with Jordan, people sell their cars for a number of reasons: they're financially not in the position to make the monthly payments, something unexpected comes up that requires them to sell the car, some people had certain expectations that the car didn't meet (whether reasonable or not), and others just get bored, even after spending massive amounts of money modding the car - and sell it or trade it in for another new car. An expensive hobby that is "out of the reach or consideration" for most people. While I can't relate to that kind of spending, more power to those who can. I'm too much of a pragmatist.

[Cozotess18]

Enjoy the Tacoma. I was very close to buying one this past spring, but for me the utility of a hatchback was greater than a pick-up.

$27,000 for an R with 7,300 - that's hard to believe. Especially when I see on cars.com that there are 2008 R32s with 30,000/40,000 miles that are going for $26,000. Not that they'll get it.

[blackdemonGTI18T]

i will definitely have a bit of buyers remorse, i have been there once before when i sold my R32 for my first Tacoma. the reality for me is that the truck is easier and more useful than the R. i can tow with the truck. i don't have the constant worry about dings and scratches, i don't have wipe it down everytime i see dust and bugs on it. i have always looked at my Tacomas like a Leatherman all in one super tool. it can do more things than the R. for me the truck is the answer.

sure $27,000 is a fair number. If I were to sell it on my own I could have asked $30,000 if i wanted to do the work and wait for a buyer. A dealer wants to own a used vehicle with about $4,000 in margin. the dealer has it listed for $31,and change. you mentioned the 08 R32's for 27,000, back out $3,000-$4,000 in profit potential and they own them for around $23,000-$24,000. Eventually, the R will depreciation will flatten out a hold in the mid to upper twenty thousand range for quite some time. being that they are still on dealer lots its hurting the used value at the moment. my plan was to drive it for 2-3 years buy it down making my monthly payments and by the time i planned to sell i would have been in an positive equity situation, then choose my next vehicle. thats what i did with the R32.

[joeduck]

I suspect the R will stick with people for reasons that are difficult to market - consequently, the marketing may miss the mark, if you will, drawing buyers that don't fit the car. Impulse buying aside, the demographic for a car like this just isn't that large if you have 35k to spend on a car (which is probably why they don't plan to sell very many).

ESC non-disable (for US buyers like me), the older EA113 mill, and the availability of higher (sometimes much higher) power cars for a similar price point is a disincentive if you want a track or stoplight drag car. This isn't cheap but functional fast, the territory defined by the GTI. Expecting the R to be the same kind of value proposition will disappoint - that is, you don't get 10k more "racekar" than the GTI. And it certainly isn't flashy fast, a divergent arena including the new pony cars and the usual suspects from Japan.

If you want an upscale, mature small car, you can shop entry-level Audis, BMWs, MBs, Lexusi (?), etc. You'll get more jujubes, and a fancier badge too. The R is too subtle to tell your friends and coworkers you've "arrived", and isn't the most complete amenities package either.

But for me, the target demographic, it is unquestionably the best car in the world - the perfect balance of all the things I need from a daily and enjoy as a driver. I don't just love driving fast, I love driving, period. I know I'm not the fastest guy on the road, so the extra tenths of a second a DSG would gain me isn't worth losing the sense of connection I gain from a real third peddle and a stick (we're a lingering ~7% of the market these days).

But as much as I love driving, I'm a great driver only in my mind. I don't have the time to maintain or run a track car, and the R is capable of far more than I can deliver, with some safeties so I don't kill myself or others. It also accommodates my family easily, my wife is comfortable driving it (this was one of the key selling points), it handles well in the snow, and I don't feel like a douche parked next to my teacher friends' old beaters.

While I'm confident it would make an amazing platform for the track (as some other guys on here have demonstrated) and it is definitely the nicest interior setup I've ever experienced, I can see how someone might purchase the car and not get what they expected. But the appeal for me continues to be the subtle things, that, when combined, make it the most rewarding car I've owned and the only one like it for the price.

[b-R-ad]

I suspect the R will stick with people for reasons that are difficult to market - consequently, the marketing may miss the mark, if you will, drawing buyers that don't fit the car. Impulse buying aside, the demographic for a car like this just isn't that large if you have 35k to spend on a car (which is probably why they don't plan to sell very many).

ESC non-disable (for US buyers like me), the older EA113 mill, and the availability of higher (sometimes much higher) power cars for a similar price point is a disincentive if you want a track or stoplight drag car. This isn't cheap but functional fast, the territory defined by the GTI. Expecting the R to be the same kind of value proposition will disappoint - that is, you don't get 10k more "racekar" than the GTI. And it certainly isn't flashy fast, a divergent arena including the new pony cars and the usual suspects from Japan.

If you want an upscale, mature small car, you can shop entry-level Audis, BMWs, MBs, Lexusi (?), etc. You'll get more jujubes, and a fancier badge too. The R is too subtle to tell your friends and coworkers you've "arrived", and isn't the most complete amenities package either.

But for me, the target demographic, it is unquestionably the best car in the world - the perfect balance of all the things I need from a daily and enjoy as a driver. I don't just love driving fast, I love driving, period. I know I'm not the fastest guy on the road, so the extra tenths of a second a DSG would gain me isn't worth losing the sense of connection I gain from a real third peddle and a stick (we're a lingering ~7% of the market these days).

But as much as I love driving, I'm a great driver only in my mind. I don't have the time to maintain or run a track car, and the R is capable of far more than I can deliver, with some safeties so I don't kill myself or others. It also accommodates my family easily, my wife is comfortable driving it (this was one of the key selling points), it handles well in the snow, and I don't feel like a douche parked next to my teacher friends' old beaters.

While I'm confident it would make an amazing platform for the track (as some other guys on here have demonstrated) and it is definitely the nicest interior setup I've ever experienced, I can see how someone might purchase the car and not get what they expected. But the appeal for me continues to be the subtle things, that, when combined, make it the most rewarding car I've owned and the only one like it for the price.

Well said.

[RDIRTYTOO]

Is that AWHP? What fuel? Water/meth?
Which Kit? Which turbo? Which dyno? lol
Can 13psi create that much power on the R32???
I used to run 12psi on my HPA kit, and it was supposed to be 360-380 crank hp.

cts kit 6262bb, dyno jet i think or dynamo..not sure but i also have schrick 268 cams in it too with inline pump and 550 inj with um tune.

[Whisp]

what i learned from this thread:

- no one will ever be happy with what they have
- Need to spend $$$$ on mods to justify buying the R
- Mk4 R32 is better (was this news to anyone?)
- People who have never owned VW's bought R's expecting them to be an S Class Benz

[Baylorguy]

You summarized what I could not. I came from a modified 2011 Mustang 5.0 and was convinced I just wanted fast. The R just has it...I can't necessarily explain why I love the car so much... it is just so well balanced. It has power, it has refinement and it has a slight rebel factor, but not so much to where you are concerned about how it looks professionally.

Sure, the Mustang was fun, but where am I going to use 409 rwhp in commute traffic when it is my DD and I drive 5 miles to work one way? The R is worlds more comfortable and refined, and I LOVE the exclusivity of it... Mustangs are a dime a dozen, but the R is unique. I love the look of VW and Audi... and I can definitely see myself staying with these cars. The S4 is my realistic dream car, but I don't quite have the cheddar to opt for that yet

[MKIINIK]

I had a 4X4 Nissan Titan I traded for a TDI.

I traded my paid off GLI for a Golf R.

If I need to haul something its cheaper to rent a truck or borrow a truck than it is to make a payment and fund gas for the bitch. The TDI was a no brainer.

It was harder for me to justify buying a 2.0T AWD when I already owned a FWD 2.0T. When I drove one it was a wan't. I went to the dealer .. walked out of finance because I wasn't 100% sure I wanted it. 3 days later I ended up buying. No regrets on this purchase. If it wasn't this I would of eventually ended up in a Subbie or a used S4 since it crossed my mind when we bought the TDI.

Either way this car is a great. Haters gonna hate

[acrobate]

If you want an upscale, mature small car, you can shop entry-level Audis, BMWs, MBs, Lexusi (?), etc. You'll get more jujubes, and a fancier badge too. The R is too subtle to tell your friends and coworkers you've "arrived", and isn't the most complete amenities package either.

About the incomplete package amenities, I totally agree. I still can't believe VW product manager decided to not include auto-dimming mirrors on this car...my favorite and most useful feature on previously owned cars.

Nevertheless I think I'm a good candidate for a Golf R as I can relate to everything you wrote.

Thanks for your well-thought feedback.

[luckeydoug1]

I had terrible buyers remorse for nearly 2 months after I purchased my new Golf R in May and posted in nearly every thread in this forum about how much I disliked the car.

Fast forward several months.... It is now my car of choice to drive (and I have not done any mods to the car at all). I think it was just a matter of getting use to the shifting (and maybe the fact that I have made a few payments so it feels more like it is mine )

I am very glad I got the sobering valuation of $30,000 as a trade in value at the dealership where I purchased the car a mere month after purchasing the car. Had I received a more favorable amount I no doubt would have traded it/sold it..

[climbingcue]

I have waited for the R to make it to the USA for over a year. I ordered mine in September of 2011 and picked it up at the end of March 2012. I came from a 04 R32 that I owned since new in July 04, and the car was great, but did have a few issues.

I only have 4,500 miles on my Golf R right now, I have just an intake and put some lightweight 17 inch wheels with real tires on the car. I have all the parts for stage 2+, but I am waiting. The car is pretty good, there are a few things I hate about the Golf R so far.

1) ESC can not be turned off, and if that does not get solved by someone this car will never see a road course. That will save me a ton of money.
2) Gas tank is too small at 14.5 gallons, it should be 16.4 like the 04 R32.
3) Getting the same gas mileage as my cammed 04 R32, this is a 4 cylinder car should be better.
4) Gearing is way too short for this car, and I think that is what is killing the MPG.

Since I can not track the car with the ESC, I would have been better off getting a TDI. I am still holding out hope that someone will have the balls to get the ESC switch worked out. If I can not get the car to tail out when I want too there is really no reason to have AWD.

Bill

[BC R]

i will definitely have a bit of buyers remorse, i have been there once before when i sold my R32 for my first Tacoma. the reality for me is that the truck is easier and more useful than the R. i can tow with the truck. i don't have the constant worry about dings and scratches, i don't have wipe it down everytime i see dust and bugs on it. i have always looked at my Tacomas like a Leatherman all in one super tool. it can do more things than the R. for me the truck is the answer.

Of course the real answer is to have both. Also you don't have to wipe down R all time- mine is covered in bugs and dust and my wheels are black from the brakes.

[BC R]

no one will ever be happy with what they have

[Copizza]

A world of complainers
waaaa....waaaa.....waaa....

[asiantrick]

Coming from a supercharged S2000, and buying the R for practical reason. All I can say is WOW. The S2000 has a much better gear box than the R, but imo the R is definitely surpassed the s2k in luxury, comfort & fun factor.

[blackdemonGTI18T]

Of course the real answer is to have both. Also you don't have to wipe down R all time- mine is covered in bugs and dust and my wheels are black from the brakes.

you are correct sir, the answer is both. i wish that i was that fortunate. as far as keeping it clean, i could never own one of these cars and neglect to keep the road grime off of it. hell, even my old 07 Tacoma was spotless and this new one will be that way as well. i just appreciate a clean vehicle i guess, i may have a touch of OCD as well.

[joeduck]

Nevertheless I think I'm a good candidate for a Golf R as I can relate to everything you wrote.

Glad to hear it! If you get one, I hope you enjoy it as much as I'm enjoying mine. As some of the others here have alluded too, though, contentment is a discipline (and not one businesses aim to cultivate - where would Apple be without gratuitous cannibalization?). Appreciate the R for what it is, and don't look back.