My dad's 1M or a brand new VW R

[abisson]

Alright... so I know I am on a BMW Forum, but I have a current dilemma. And I need your opinions.

My dad bought a brand new 1M back here in Canada when it came out. MSRP, nothing more or less. Forward to today, he has been using the car has his DD for the past years (he has a 911 for the weekend), and he is now getting to 85,000 KMs (53k miles). We always talked about me buying the car once I was ready for it.

In my case, I bought a brand new VW GTI back in December 2009 (MKVI model). I bought the car during my internships and first job... so I've always told myself that I should keep the car as long as I could to get into my "investment". The car enthusiast in me is tired of waiting, and I am in a need to change.

I have been eyeing the new VW R for the past few months. With an APR tune Stage 1, the car does 0-60 in 3.6 seconds. This is mighty. 4WD, 4doors and the new VW built quality is incredible. Plus, we have lots of snow back in here in Quebec... so 4WD in the winter is something I've always liked. The fact the car is new, is something appealing as well.

About the 1M. Like I said, it has been his DD for the past few years. Winter, summer... everything! 53k miles on the ODO and still counting. Car is fully packed.... Now my dad knows how much he can get for the 1M. He wouldn't sell it to me for what he can get over here on the Internet, but he won't let it go for 30k (CAD) as well. He loves me, but hey ahhahaha. He is in no rush to sell it. No car on the market excites him (DD wise I mean). If he was selling it today, it would be to me because I am telling him "I am ready for it". If not for that, he will keep it for the years to come as his DD.

So... question is, should I buy the 1M or go forward with the R. Honestly, it is between those 2. Not interested in a 235i or anything like that. R are pretty rare here in Canada and I like that. Plus, I simply love it. I am just having "mmmm" moment. I am 26, starting my business (things are going well as you can see) and with a girlfriend (love of my life). Not planning to have kids any time soon btw. A bit worried about the appereance of a 26 years old starting his business in a 1M TBH. Worried about the cost of keeping the 1M as well, since it will be my DD for me as well.

THE BEST OPTION: Buy the R, and when my dad is REALLY REALLY ready to move along (~2 years), I pitch in to keep it in the family. Is that even worth it?

Signed,

A confused guy

[ShocknAwe]

If the 1er doesn't make you sleep poorly at night pining over it, then you should look elsewhere.

[671rover]

Sounds like you want the R but just want us to tell you to get the R. Like you mentioned, you will still be able to get the M since your dad will be keeping it for a while.

[champignon]

No Clear answer, at least from me. This has as much to do with where you will drive it than anything else.

The 1M is a collectible car, which I sincerely doubt is true of the Golf R, however that is only a small piece of the puzzle. Where you live, they use road salt like there is no tomorrow, and any car driven year round in it will show the corrosive effects as time goes on. My 1M came out of Toronto, and it has extensive evidence of the road salt it was exposed to for 3.5 years, including 3 full Ontario winters. I doubt that your Dad's 1M is any different.

In the case of my car, it will never see road salt again, and I have done what I could to arrest the damage that has already taken place. My 1M is up on a lift in my garage, and other than for a drive around the block one or more times during the balance of the winter, it is going to be protected from further "insult." That will not be true of your "inherited" 1M, if you buy it and continue to use it as a DD.

I doubt that your potential new VW R would fare any better if used year round as a DD in your area.

So, if collectability is out the window because whatever you are going to buy is going to rust out completely after 10 or 12 or 15 years, then it just comes down to whatever you would enjoy driving the most, and the rest of it be damned.

[Shroom]

Champignon makes a whole lot of sense!

The 1M is a car they won't make anymore. As you get older and more well off ( hopefully) you will be able to get many VW R's. If it were me, I would snap up the 1M ( harder to get of the two) as fast as I could and then work toward getting the R as a second car in a year or two for a discount. That way you are paying the depreciated price on both. Appearance wise your ok in the 1m or M3. If you rolled up in a fat seven series then maybe that would be a bit much.

I believe in driving what your heart tells you. What you look at on the magazine rack over and over and posted on your walls in high school. For me that was the 320i, 3.0 CSl and M1. I'm a BMW guy and always have been. If that's a VW R for you, then go get it! The 1M will be in the family for awhile it sounds like so like you said you could get that later.

[EldRick]

Speaking financially, the VW will lose half its value in 3-4 years, while the 1M is unlikely to lose more than 20% of what you pay for it. Maintenance costs are likely to be higher on the 1M, of course. Insurance? I'm guessing both would be pretty high for a younger guy.

[Dee Pee]

You're in an enviable position but you need to get the R. Put the 1M in a collection for occasional use only. It's too special to beat on or risk wrecking.

[IEDEI]

1M.

the best daily driver ever.....and yes these 1Ms are meant to be driven so drive the hell out of it....just like your father has been doing.

there is no Golf R that will be as enjoyable as a 1M....no matter how much you tune it, mod it, whatever...

[COChris]

I wouldn't DD the 1M in snow. I live in Colorado and don't bother ruining the 1M with corrosion and paint chips, or an idiot sliding into me. It stays in the garage for 80% of the winter. I used to daily my M3, and while it was fun, it was always a compromise in the snow.

I would daily the 1M. I imagine it would be a really fun car every day.

So get the 1M, but find a cheap FWD Honda for snow days (or days when they've dumped gravel all over the road).

[Alby_416]

I personally daily drive my 1M all year, even in the snow with no problems.
A good set of winter tires and a sensible driving style and you'll be ok.

Of course it's a powerful RWD car, but if you keep the controls on (which are quite conservative) and you dose your right foot you'll have no problems.

If you're getting the 1M thinking about resale value then you might wanna consider keeping the mileage down, but personally I wanna enjoy my car every day so I would even DD say a GT4

[Norm1M]

I would say buy the 1M for summer and buy the VW R for winter. Nothing drive like a 1M and it's such a fun car to drive on road or even on track.

[abisson]

Originally Posted by Norm1M

I would say buy the 1M for summer and buy the VW R for winter. Nothing drive like a 1M and it's such a fun car to drive on road or even on track.

Thanks guys for the feedback!

This is what I might be doing in the long run. My dad isn't ready yet... so maybe for Summer 2017 I will be starting to buy it, and meanwhile continue my purchase of the R. Work will be paying a car allocation that will pretty much cover 75% of my monthly payments. So it is cool on that side.

I want both. I really do.

[Gangplank]

Buy a used Audi A3 or A4 w/ AWD for winters. Get it paid off & snap up your dads 1M or buy your own off the market.

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by Alby_416

I personally daily drive my 1M all year, even in the snow with no problems.
A good set of winter tires and a sensible driving style and you'll be ok.

Of course it's a powerful RWD car, but if you keep the controls on (which are quite conservative) and you dose your right foot you'll have no problems.

If you're getting the 1M thinking about resale value then you might wanna consider keeping the mileage down, but personally I wanna enjoy my car every day so I would even DD say a GT4

same here.

driving a beater is the equivalent of giving up on your daily experience!

the 1M is great in snow with snow tires......have never had an issue even in massive storms and blizzards.

i'm like you...i would DD any car.......there is nothing more valuable than the enjoyment of EVERY DAY!

[Gtrain]

why not just keep your current gti as your daily while having the 1m to enjoy on better days? instead of modding the vw r, you can mod the 1m easily to enjoy and the gti being fwd with winter tires would manage fine in the winter time.

[M3 Adjuster]

These cars can be AWESOME as Daily drivers.. and they were designed for such use... in a country with cold climates.. it's not fragile!


I love to make my sportscar a garage queen, because i have the luxury of an SUV daily driver.... although currently getting the itch for a BMW Daily now.

Use them sparingly, use them hard.. it doesnt matter.. with the low numbers produced... just like E30 M3s.. most any 1M will be desirable to be restored from most any condition.. whether its a car with 195K miles or even a car that was turrned into a total track machine..

This is a no brainer decision for the 1M. If you think driving a VW is a nice car to daily.. just wait until you are in the 1M every day. The fact that it will be worth the price of two VW Rs in 5 years is like you would be giving away money to drive a VW R.

Either way.. it sounds like the 1M is in good hands..

Enjoy!

[eeghie]

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

These cars can be AWESOME as Daily drivers.. and they were designed for such use... in a country with cold climates.. it's not fragile! ...

+1

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

... This is a no brainer decision for the 1M. If you think driving a VW is a nice car to daily.. just wait until you are in the 1M every day. ...

A usually stoic driver's reluctant admission: i'm smiling probably every moment while driving the 1M. Beware: once you own one, you'll miss not driving it!

[JH135is]

The 1 will most likely cost you less due to holding its value, also its rare...2nd of all if you buy a new R and mod the engine you risk losing your warranty so its no different then driving the 1 out of warranty when it comes to engine issues. 1 all the way, you'd be crazy to pass up the option to own such a coveted car, you can own a VW R at anytime you choose.

[2010MSPORT335i]

I came from a MKV GTI and for as much as I loved that car, I will never go back.

The new Golf R is nice but I much prefer the dynamics behind an N54 powered RWD car.

If youre just going to destroy the 1M and not appreciate it, let your dad sell it to an enthusiast. But if you truly want it, buy it from him and dont look back.

[robspec]

how about a Polstar V60 for dads DD?

[Jay-K]

The 1M,
keep it in the family,
it would be more than cool to pass that car to generation..
so sick bro!

[Pete_vB]

The good news is that you can't go wrong with either car. The bad news is that the two cars are completely different driving experiences, meaning you'll make a significant sacrifice either way.

I've owned an 08 R32, WRX wagon, and recently got an Audi S3 (the R's big brother dressed in a suit) for my girlfriend, so I know the charms of the small 4wd Swiss Army knife. I also put 75k miles on a 1M as a daily driver. And just for perspective I own a few Porsches, and have owned an even dozen over the years.

You mention 0-60, but the more I drive the more useless that stat becomes. It impresses guys who have no clue about cars. In terms of driving experience however it says very little. Yes the R will feel fast (if you're willing to do the whole "flash back to stock and hope they don't void my warranty" dance). It still won't feel as fast as a 1M with traction control off. So let's forget speed and talk driving experience:

The R is hugely competent, to a fault. You need to be a complete idiot to get it out of shape, and even then it's going to do its damnedest to save your butt. You'll find yourself chucking it into corners ever faster and jumping on the gas ever earlier, but you'll strain to hear a whisper of complaint. While willing, however, the R doesn't always encourage shenanigans. The steering is aloof and lacks feedback, while the chassis does "stuck" far too well in the dry. Come wet or winter you'll appreciate all that grip, but in the dry it's simply not hugely playful. German efficiency. Call it "intro to driving" for the Xbox generation, much like your GTI. Good fun on most dry roads only at ludicrous speed...

The 1M is in contrast a graduate level course. Obviously not in the dry and with traction control on, but switch it off and suddenly you're playing in the pros rather than little league. It's a far more involving car, much more feedback, interaction and sensation of speed. The R's powerband is smooth, linear and flat. The 1M has drama in comparison- lag, peaks and valleys. The steering is alive, the chassis rolls and pitches. Most important it wants to dance, and it loves to slide. Like a wild mistress it's a flawed thing, but those flaws make it all the more compelling...

The smart move is unquestionably to get the R. It's the more sensible car, and as a bonus it won't try and kill you. It will be easier to live with given your local weather, and in terms of practical capability it simply has more breadth and depth. On a wet or snowy road the 1M won't see which way it went, and real world it will be just as quick almost everywhere. That said...

If you're a skilled driver who wants to get better (not to be confused with the average overconfident fool who has never seen a closed course or held a drift), you'd be foolish to turn down a stint in one of the last great old school drivers cars. Get a second set of wheels with winter tires and convert to the church of opposite lock. The R is in my mind a very talented SUV, a hugely capable machine that's actually more than decent from behind the wheel. The 1M lacks some of that capability, but it makes up for it with passion.

Either has advantages and disadvantages. Pick your poison...