R32 Owner Poll (Or if you know a lot about them)

[Brad K]

It's been about 14 years since I sold my '68 Type III Fastback and I'm looking to get back into the VW scene.

An ad for an MkIV R32 is what brought me back to looking at VWs again. It's a body style I've always really like and the performance made it a no brainer. With a couple of kids occasionally riding in the back the safety features and AWD are a definite plus. However the availability, especially in Canada, makes me wonder if it's worth waiting for.

Ultimately I'm curious how the R32s hold up over time. Are there any owners here that have had one for a number of years or put a lot of miles on them? If so have they been pretty reliable, require a lot of maintenance or become money pits to keep running? Please let me know how long you've owned your R32 and how many Kms you have put on it and maybe compare the cost of ownership to other cars you've had.

Thanks for your time and feedback!

[P Arkus]

Re: R32 Owner Poll (Or if you know a lot about them)

To be honest, this is something you should research on Vortex. There really arent many owners (if any) in calgary that have owned an R32 for over 2 years since thats when they passed bumper laws in Canada. I can say that the import process is pretty easy if you decide to get one, but to find out about the reliability is a better suited question for the American .:R owners who have owned them for 5+ years and done all their maintenance and dealt with their own problems.

Short term wise, i've put about 8000 kms on my .:R without a single problem. The oil change was one of the easiest i've ever done, and soon to do my Haldex oil change as well. I'm sure a few of the other will chime in with their short experiences thus far.

[luunta]

Re: R32 Owner Poll (Or if you know a lot about them)



A3 still looks much nicer in my eyes, and if you want to mod it it can be a pretty sweet car. But the import process isn't that bad anymore, but it does take some time and paperwork.

[GINCH]

Re: R32 Owner Poll (Or if you know a lot about them)

Pretty sure you cannot get the 3.2 in the A3 with a manual transmission. That kills it for me!

[luunta]

Re: R32 Owner Poll (Or if you know a lot about them)

Pretty sure you cannot get the 3.2 in the A3 with a manual transmission. That kills it for me!

*Shrug*

The 2.0T and the TDI are what appeal to me, but no AWD with the TDI. :(

2.0T it is.

Doesn't matter though my girlfriend wants a Mini instead.

[P Arkus]

Re: R32 Owner Poll (Or if you know a lot about them)

I think its the 2.0T you cannot get in Quattro AND manual transmission. I'm pretty sure you can get the 3.2 quattro in a stick shift. Good luck finding one for sale though. I think i'd rather dig for diamonds. There was a thread not too long ago about the availability of the A3's where some of the guys from the Audi dealerships spoke up about it.

[luunta]

Re: R32 Owner Poll (Or if you know a lot about them)

This one is about R32's though. :P

I'd steer clear, personally. But I looked into the border thing, it was more work than I wanted.

[Brad K]

Re: R32 Owner Poll (Or if you know a lot about them)

This one is about R32's though. :P

I'd steer clear, personally. But I looked into the border thing, it was more work than I wanted.

What's your hesitation with the .:R ? Other than styling?

[luunta]

Re: R32 Owner Poll (Or if you know a lot about them)

See above image.

[Brad K]

Re: R32 Owner Poll (Or if you know a lot about them)

See above image.

???

[P Arkus]

Re: R32 Owner Poll (Or if you know a lot about them)

Steering clear of a vehicle because you think it is over rated is hardly a justifiable reason. That would be the same thing as saying steer clear of all Avants because they look like old peoples grocery getters.

Brad, check the R32 forums on vortex. The reliability of the car has been discussed a few times on there, you just need to find it. Like any other car, there are some unlucky owners who seem to have gotten the short end of the stick and bought a lemon, but otherwise, the info there is pretty good!

[luunta]

Re: R32 Owner Poll (Or if you know a lot about them)

I'm sure the .:R32 is just fine. If you're into that kind of thing.

[Circuits]

Re: R32 Owner Poll (Or if you know a lot about them)

Brad,

I've had mine for almost a year now (next week)... it's been great so far.

Maintenance has been a few regular oil changes, changed the Haldex fluid, new rear brakes and a new MAF sensor; nothing major... but as previously pointed out by Patryk (EuroDub PL), we haven't really had our R32's up here long enough to let you know of any long term impressions; Vortex would be the way to go.

...but I love mine!!

Cheers!

[Al]

Re: R32 Owner Poll (Or if you know a lot about them)

See above image.

He's asking about a MKIV R32.

[luunta]

Re: R32 Owner Poll (Or if you know a lot about them)

:P Graeme teased me about the same thing.

It took me 6 months to hate my allroad's maintenance bill. But I had a lemon. One thing I do like about the R32 is the blue paint. Best blue ever.