Team-BHP - Volkswagen Polo 1.2L GT TSI : Official Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj (Post 5841444)

For some cars it is hard to fix an exact price range. If you take something like say a Creta, which has sold in massive numbers and availability in the used car market is also high, prices will mostly be standard based on year, km and location.

Something like the GT TSI was a much loved car and relatively a low volume car. It is also a model that people don't easily let go off and hence is generally in good demand in the used car market. Even today, from an engine + gearbox combo, there is probably nothing that matches the pleasure of this car. Finally it is a mod friendly car and there is no limit to the modifications you can do on it. The only real thing to worry about is the DQ200 DSG Failure.

Long story short, all this means that owners can ask hefty premiums and more often than not, if it is a well maintained car, they will get what is asked. Your experience also indicates that. Random check on Carwale is showing 2017,18,19 cars listed at 7-9 Lakhs, which is insane-But I think there are buyers for this car at such high prices also. So I guess you need to wait and watch to get a right deal or be ready for paying a premium which may not be logical.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pancham (Post 5841498)

I am/was in the market too. The range in NCR is 5.5 - 6.5 for 2017 /18 cars. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? Maybe not. But it seems when the car was available nobody bought it (relatively speaking) and now that they have stopped selling it everyone wants it. I have, kind of, given up searching for one given the pricing.

Good points. I was expecting a premium, both based on the merits of the car itself as well as the generally inflated used car market prices but I wasn't prepared for just how much higher it would be. For example two of the cars I was interested in that go sold before I could even take a look :

1) 2017 model 25k run : Asking price was 7.75L. Sold for asking price. I would have thought that 6.5 or max 7 was a good price

2) 2019 model 50k run : Asking price 7L. It was being sold by the 3rd owner and I would have been the 4th !! Sold for 6.8L. I would have offered 5.5-6L. I only considered it for two reasons. Newer car means I could keep it longer until registration expires in case Maharashtra also starts cancelling registration post 15 years and also the possibility of getting a more realistic price because of the three previous owners. It doesn't have to mean that the car is bad just because it has changed hands several times or it might even be something that can be fixed without much headache if you are smart about it

Are the prices I considered offering for the cars really lowball ? It seems like I need to increase my budget (by cutting down on planned mods :crying) but mainly I'm unhappy about the time pressure aspect of buying the car. I don't want to make a mistaken purchase due to "FOMO".

Can current owners tell me what the upper limit of kms run should be. Im ideally expecting something in the 50k range but can stretch to 60-65k km but then the price definitely needs to be right.

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Originally Posted by Mortis (Post 5841658)

Can current owners tell me what the upper limit of kms run should be. Im ideally expecting something in the 50k range but can stretch to 60-65k km but then the price definitely needs to be right.

Mine's at 80k and 9.5 years but as good as ever. It just depends how was the car kept, service record doesn't matter, but then its very difficult to know the truth.

Honestly milage doesn't matter as much as the type of usage. E.g. central city drives kill the gearbox and engine more, highways may kill the suspension. The suspension is fixable but not worn-out DQ200. Also, when you drive this little car with 4 people and luggage, that's more drain than office commutes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mortis (Post 5840918)

Guys I'm in the market for a used GT TSI. The prices being quoted for them right now are very inflated and yet somehow they seem to be selling. Two of the cars I shortlisted were sold out within a day of making a base offer before inspection. This was in spite of adding a decent premium on what is fair price for the car.

Can you guys let me know what a realistic price is for a GT TSI of 2017-18-19 vintage that has run approximately 50000km ?

Hi, I'd suggest looking for lower-mileage cars. The DSG ideally needs a service at 50k, and if that hasn't been done for the cars you are looking at you might be in for a hefty repair. If you're looking for a 1.2 GT, I'd suggest checking out some 2019 examples, since they would still be under warranty and you can also purchase an extended warranty. I see you are from Mumbai as well, do let me know if you need some help finding good examples, as a fellow owner I might be able to help you look out for things to check.

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Originally Posted by razzor228 (Post 5842476)

Thanks for the advice. I would love one that has run fewer KMs but those are likely to be very rare since most GT owners enjoy driving their cars !! Prices for there are also quite inflated. Im trying to strike a balance of paying the premium yet not getting fleeced.

2019 cars seem extremely rare, I guess because they might just be coming on sale now due to the common '5 year upgrade cycle'
I've only come across two. One had run 65km+ and the asking price was 9.80 including a couple of frankly avoidable cosmetic mods.
The other one is the one I mentioned previously in one of the posts above.

I did my research. There are two common failure points with the DSG.

1) Mechatronics failure due to cracked accumulator housing. Will order an upgrade kit for this the next time someone comes down from abroad or I will order it directly.

2) Multiclutch wearing out : Obviously this depends driving conditions and how the driver handles the DSG. Luckily the Multiclutch is being manufactured by LUK locally and the price is 38k with the flywheel. Add in the gearbox oil and labour and right now replacement doesn't cross 1 lakh like it used to.
It's a manageable expense and since I'm planning a TCU remap, I would like to get it done when a fresh clutch is installed anyway.

Basically I have adjusted my expectations from getting a "good deal" to getting a "decent deal"

Do let me know if you have any leads within your circle. As you said, I'm based in Mumbai. PM me your number I'll message you on WhatsApp.

Few cars have held their value as well as the GT TSI has . As most of the owners (self drivers mostly) continue their love affair with this beauty , very few cars are up for sale in the market. This model is much maligned with the threat of sudden huge expense of a DSG failure. However, I dont find too many owners in this forum reporting an actual failure.

My 2017 baby has 32000km on the clock and I am madly possessive about her. This car is compact, well built , perfect road manners , good audio and in short what else is available for 7 lakhs in the present market ,assuming that 7 lakhs is what I will get, if I were to sell now.

Very few cars can depreciate from 11 lakhs to 7 lakhs in 7 years. Only irritants I have faced with the car in the last 7 years is failure of 4 or 5 sensors. And a water pump failure. The car is still running on the original set of tyres and I do see more than 50% tread remaining. But no doubt ,for safe running the tyres should be replaced.

My only grouse against this car ( and VW cars in general) is poor battery life - you are asking for trouble if you keep using a battery beyond 3 years.

On the open highway, this car is pure thrill , aditionally you will get and average of 18-20 kmpl.

This car is a classic, it is sad the VW discontinued production. They dont make 'em like that any more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mortis (Post 5841658)

Can current owners tell me what the upper limit of kms run should be. Im ideally expecting something in the 50k range but can stretch to 60-65k km but then the price definitely needs to be right.

Mine is a Vento 1.2 TSI DSG. Almost 11 years and 90k now. Did the DSG Oil changes 2 years back at around 75k along with the ECU and TCU remap.

50-60K should be good but should be ok to stretch a little further both in km and also in age(considering you are ready for the DSG Expense). The GT TSIs (along with the Vento TSI's) were very well built and even older examples are likely to retain a fresh look and would normally not have issues of rattling or wear and tear.

Just to update everyone who has been giving me advice so far.

On Friday I got a chance to check out a 2017 GT TSI that has done 48k km although it was on the other side of town (technically another city)but atleast it was still available as compared to the other cars I was interested in :)

Single owner. It's a late 2017 model (with the RCD340G and reverse camera)

Mechanically the car was well sorted and nice to drive. Gearbox was shifting smoothly and had a software update in 2020. I did the Multiclutch janky health check of releasing the brake after spotting into D. It started to creep almost immediately and got up to the 7-8 km/hr speed mark which I believe is normal. No error codes when scanned via Torque Pro.

According to the dealer, the owner is selling it because he has been spending most of his time travelling and has no need for the car anymore.

I'm inclined to believe it because I paid for and got the Cars24 service report which shows that there was low kms covered in the last couple of years compared to the previous years.

Now for the shortcomings :

1) Car was last serviced a year ago. But it's only covered 2000km since so should be relatively ok. Engine oil looked decent. Will anyways do a comprehensive service.

2) Car had a minor accident in its first year of ownership. It was likely only a scrape because it was repaired under insurance and only repainting was required. Partial front bumper and passenger side quarter panel. Repaint was good, could not tell the difference. Viewable underpinnings in those areas looked undamaged.

3) Currently the car has a golf ball size dent on the running board under drivers door down to the primer but no rust. It also had several scratches on the boot hatch (looks like it was done by a dog). Will need to get both repainted ASAP.

4) Car has a lot of dust and grime in the nooks and crannies, door shut areas, weather stripping, under the hood,etc and smells a little dusty. Will have to get it cleaned thoroughly.

I don't think there is any water ingress because it had rained that day and there was no dampness inside. Couldn't see any obvious signs of the car being flooded and there was no mention of anything like that on the service report. Last year we didn't see much rain or flooding in Mumbai so it's unlikely to have happened since the previous service and this year's damage would have had some signs.

5) Minor stuff - the centre trim in the boot near the loading lip had been removed and refitted badly. I removed and had a look inside for damage but couldn't see any. Anything to be concerned about ? (Drain hole or too high ?)

The rubber guides at the edges of the cowl panel were missing so not all of the water was flowing into the drain hole near the hinge and some was flowing down the channel into the engine bay.

Exposed aluminium of the engine block had some light white spots and minor pitting.

No User Manual available.

Original key was a VW key but had a BMW logo. Spare key is available.

What do you guys think ? Is this acceptable or should I avoid in case there are some hidden problems which would probably be cosmetic or to the body only.

Price quoted by the dealer is 6.85 L. Would have paid, judging from the feedback here with a little bit of minor haggling because it's expected and factored in so why leave money on the table.

Due to the shortcomings my final offer was a flat 6 with a max of 6.25 if I can't find anything else. Dealer said he would get back to me in a week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by corvus corax (Post 5847316)

As an ex 1.2 GT owner I say BS. Its a seven year old car. Means its out of warranty. Which inturn means when the inevitable DSG failure crop up you will have to shell out approx. 3 lakhs from your pocket. The car is a Democles sword, buddy. Let her go.

I was very 50-50 about the car and truth be told Flash Red (or Sunset if it was available in the 1.2 ?) is my preferred choice since we have never had a red car and it's "the" GT TSI colour.

As such the gearbox felt good as far as non computerized diagnostic "tricks" go so I'm not too worried about that. Also like I said the service intervals do show reduced running in the last 2-3 years so it may be true. Anyways unless I get lucky with a 2019 models (other than the third owner one I was lucky or unlucky to have missed) I don't think I will get a 1.2 with a valid warranty. A 2018 would run out in a few months.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mortis (Post 5847305)

5) Minor stuff - the centre trim in the boot near the loading lip had been removed and refitted badly. I removed and had a look inside for damage but couldn't see any. Anything to be concerned about ? (Drain hole or too high ?)

The rubber guides at the edges of the cowl panel were missing so not all of the water was flowing into the drain hole near the hinge and some was flowing down the channel into the engine bay.

Exposed aluminium of the engine block had some light white spots and minor pitting.

No User Manual available.

Original key was a VW key but had a BMW logo. Spare key is available.

As an ex 2016 GT TSI owner, all of the above points are major warning signs of something bigger, likely accident damage or flood damage. These may have been fixed away from VW so won't show up on the Cars24 report. I personally wouldn't touch this car as there are just too many no-no's for me.

I recommend to be patient till you find the right car in perfect condition. When I was searching for mine in 2018, I saw at least 10 cars that just didn't measure up for me, till I found mine which was 99% perfect. I know the market is different now and there is very less available, but I am sure you will eventually find one.

Either way, for whichever car you buy, please physically take it to VW and get them to do an inspection of it on the lift. This is completely worth the money spent as they will identify things that you will not be able to see.

All the best!