What's the deal with the R32?

Question

Answering any one of these questions would make my day, thank you!!

1. How suitable would it be for day to day? Honestly I don't know that much about cars, I'm a girl, 18, and haven't been a "performance car" driver. But I am a pretty good driver and I want power and good handling. Comparable to a BMW X5 I suppose, which I like (only nice car I've driven). Would the R32 be too much for me to handle?

2. How are resale values? I know they're supposed to stay high but I saw a 2004 for just over 50%, is that typical?

3. Are there any new cars for 2009 or were all 5000 shipped at the same time last August?

Answer 1

The R32 is a great car. AWD, 250HP V6, big trunk and back seats.

NO new cars for 2009. There were only 5000 2004 R32's made and 5000 2007or 2008 R32's made.

I have never heard of any reliability issues with the R32.

But other VW's have been known to get electrical problems like fuses or power windows getting stuck.

The R32 is not too much to handle. It is a safe and stable car with AWD.

In 2004, the R32 cost $32,000.

They stayed at 30,000 for another 3-4 years eventhough they had 50,000-70,000 miles on them.

When the new R32 came out, the prices of the old R32 went down to $20,000-25,000, which is still a great resale value.

Answer 2

1) As suitable as any other 6 speed manual car with a tight suspension.  Older drivers may have an issue with comfort with the sports seats and tight suspension, but since you are only 18, you will be fine.

2) In terms of resale, German cars are better than the American cars, but worst than Japanese. 50% after 4 years sounds about right.  Remember, you are looking at a sports car with a manual transmission.  You immediately limit the number of people looking to buy this car.  Supply vs. Demand is always going to be a major factor in determining resale value.

3) Don't know around the R32, specifically.  Typically, they are shipped at different times since they won't sell them all at once.

Did you look at the 2008 MazdaSpeed 3, by chance?  It is not quite the performer of the R32, but it does have a 263 horsepower turbocharged engine.

In addition, it will have better resale and reliability than the VW.  

Lastly, it starts about $10K less than the R32, brand new ($23,300).