Golf vs Focus

MarkDavis said:
The cheapest, most basic spec Focus is almost £18,000! And it will be worth about 2p in 5 years time :eek:

The cheapest, most basic spec Golf is almost £15,000, with a similarly powered model (5% more power, 6 instead of 5 gears) costing £16,000.

And the Golf has vastly better residual values and will look significantly less tatty with age.

No contest.
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Great argument there.

You did know you get about £4000 knocked off the focus the second you walk into a dealer? Its for financial reasons (as in revenue recognition etc) that they're priced like that, as its easier to increase variable marketing.
 
Handling IMO between these 2 is horses for courses... the focus has more "modern" handling IMO - very point and shoot but a bit harder to tell when your on the edge... I dunno about the latest round of golfs but slightly older ones IMO have better tactile feedback and personally I prefer that.

Both are very fun cars to drive - but out on the open road I'd take the golf every time... for day to day driving it would be hard to chose - but with my love of the VR6 I would probably take a golf - that and I prefer the plain but tasteful(ish) interior over the slightly more tacky feel of the ford.

I don't have a massive amount of experience with the newer models of either tho.
 
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I had a Focus ST and get my Golf GTD next week (after a mere four month wait).

In the interim I've had a 1.6 low spec Golf and it is far, far better screwed together than the Focus ever was.

What really, really pains me though is this: with the options I've gone for on my (company) Golf GTD, the cost was just under £25k.

That's Focus RS money.

Criminal :(
 
Some great contributions here.
IMO the golf and whole VW range in general is overpriced and for that reason I would never buy a VW new.
 
That's ridiculous money for what's supposed to be the mass market VAG brand.

The whole point of the early introduction of the Mk6 was that the Mk5 was expensive to build and hurting the bottom line. So VW lop a chunk off their costs then whack up the list price by a good £3k+ then controlling the supply to keep prices high. Robbing barstewards.

Ford are discounting huge chunks just to sell cars, that said it's difficult to entice buyers when the engines are old tech, use more fuel and puff out a lot more CO2 than the competition. The chassis might be great but then again my Mum finds the yearly tax bill more relevant than on the limit handling...
 
Robbie G said:
What's bland about them though? Every time I've seen that comment, the person making the comment has provided zero tangible clear substance as to what supposedly makes it so much more bland than any other family hatchback. To me it's less bland, as I can worry less about the laughable interior falling apart and concentrate more on driving it.
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To me, a VW Golf is the epitemy of blandness, as are most modern VWs. They're all very nice cars but all very boring in my opinion. The design looks ok, but just does nothing for me. I never see a Golf and think "wow, that looks really nice". However, I do love the Mk2 golf :D
 
Kappa said:
Great argument there.

You did know you get about £4000 knocked off the focus the second you walk into a dealer? Its for financial reasons (as in revenue recognition etc) that they're priced like that, as its easier to increase variable marketing.
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But you can get the Golf for a similar price. Not £4,000 off, but given the big differential in initial cost, a 10-15% discount on the Golf brings its down to a similar pricing level. You could probably get even more of a discount, if you didn't mind waiting and going through a broker.
 
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MarkDavis said:
But you can get the Golf for a similar price. Not £4,000 off, but given the big differential in initial cost, a 10-15% discount on the Golf brings its down to a similar pricing level.
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The cheapest non-crap Golf is a 1.4 TSI 122bhp at £16495 for an S 3 door. The best brokers can get you £1679 off this so it takes it down to £14816.

The cheapest equivilent Focus is what, a 125ps 'Style' at a staggering £18381. Wow, why so expensive? Only a few years ago that got you into a Leon Cupra? Why have hatchback prices gone so bonkers lately? Anyway, you can get 30% off this from a broker which takes it down to a more reasonable £12866 - so £2000 less than a Golf.

So what of residuals?

After 3 years, based on the current residual value of a 2007/56 plate equivilent model Golf and Focus at say 40k miles, you'd be able to trade your Golf for £7550. Your Focus meanwhile would trade in for £5810 all else being equal.

Therefore, total cost of ownership over 3 years assuming you buy at the best possible price new and trade in at a franchised dealer which prices at trade book (Best we can go for for the sake of accurate comparison...

Golf: 14816-7550 = £7266
Focus: 12866 - 5810 = £7056

So as we can see the superior residuals of the Golf are more than offset by the better discounts on the Focus. But for the sake of 200 quid I'd probably have the Golf.

What happens when we pick models you might actually want to buy? Lets go for a 140ish BHP diesel in Sport trim. Annoyingly they didnt do a 2.0 TDCi Zetec 3 years ago so we'll go for 2 year old cars instead.

Ford Focus 2.0 TDCi 136 Zetec 5d @ £20900 (WTF is that £21k for a mid spec diesel Focus? What the hell?) - 30% broker discount = £14630. Value @ 2 years and 20k miles = £10700. Total cost of ownership over 2 years for the Focus...

£3930..

Golf time. 2.0 TDI GT. It's 500 quid more than a Focus at a staggering £21500 and a broker can get you 12% off this. So its £18920. At 2 years and 20k miles it trades in for £14950. So the total cost of ownership over 2 years for the Golf is....

£3970.

Again, Focus cheaper. But there is 40 quid in it.

If you are going to make me drive around in a hatchback with a stupid diesel engine I at least want the door to go 'thunk. Golf please. But it isnt really any better than a Focus residual wise, so the choice is down to personal taste as there is no clear financial winner.

What I find really stupid is.. what the hell is going on with the list prices of these things? 21 grand for a 2 litre diesel Focus with windup windows in the back? The world has gone crazy. A BMW 118d Sport (Same power) is CHEAPER!!!

Yes people, you heard it here first - at list price, a 2.0 diesel BMW 1 Series Sport is CHEAPER to buy than a 2.0 diesel Ford Focus Zetec. And its cheaper to tax

:confused: :confused: :confused:

Actually thinking about it with the 118d Sport cheaper than a Golf why would you buy the Golf? I guess because the 1 Series, as brlliant as it is, was styled by a complete ****. So what can Audi offer us?

A3 2.0 TDI Sportback Sport (What a stupid name) for £20560.

Thats CHEAPER than a Golf 2.0 TDI GT.

There we go then guys. The answer. If you want the cheapest diesel hatchback, buy an Audi or a BMW :confused:
 
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Post some links to support your figures, purchase price, residual values etc. And try not to pick and choose links just to support your argument (whatever that is). Let's see if we can have an objective exercise on OCUK Motors for once.
 
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Support my arguement? I've destroyed my own argument that a Focus is miles cheaper with those figures. I dont think there is any question of bias. I've just posted hard figures to show a Golf is probably a better buy. And I hate Golfs.

No bias here. No links either - I just looked up the tradein price in this months Glass's and worked out the list price based on advertised 'best' discounts from 5 major brokers.
 
[TW]Fox;15739330 said:
Support my arguement? I've destroyed my own argument that a Focus is miles cheaper with those figures. I dont think there is any question of bias. I've just posted hard figures to show a Golf is probably a better buy. And I hate Golfs.

No bias here. No links either - I just looked up the tradein price in this months Glass's and worked out the list price based on advertised 'best' discounts from 5 major brokers.
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Did you take into account the MK5 models were around 2.5-3k cheaper to buy compared to the MK6 equivalent or did you adjust the trade in values of a MK6 ?

Although in saying that the Focus has had price increases aswell but I don't think they were quite as big a increase as VW mad prices.
 
[TW]Fox;15739252 said:
analysis
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The price increases are to do with exchange rate differences, minor increases, and mostly somewhat 'creative' accounting. Discounts given (variable marketing), and RRP dont go hand in hand when it all comes back to the financial accounting for the sales.
 
We'll keep it based on 2 years as per the others.

No values for 2008/57 118d Sport, think there was a period when it wasnt in the range, but for the Audi..

About £19k discounted, value at 2 years 20k miles £15300 so loss of £3700 making it cheaper to own than either the Golf or Focus in the example.
 
Dangerous Dave said:
Did you take into account the MK5 models were around 2.5-3k cheaper to buy compared to the MK6 equivalent or did you adjust the trade in values of a MK6 ?
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No account taken for that at all - difficult to know whether the increased RRP has much effect on used prices.

Although in saying that the Focus has had price increases aswell but I don't think they were quite as big a increase as VW mad prices.
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Focus increases are just as bonkers. Over 20 grand for a diesel Zetec. Ripoff.
 
That price should make the Golf cheaper to own - though Zetec is a better spec than Golf S, might be worth comparing with Focus Style.
 
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