Advice on buying a Mark 5 GTi

[ginginho78]

Hello Everyone,
This is my first post on this forum. On the weekend I test drove a Tornado red 2005 Mk 5 Gti. Comprehensive service history up until the last 2 years, then couldn't see anything from 2024 onwards. 86k miles, so pretty good. Cambelt and Water Pump changed back in 2020. Bodywork in great condition. Drove really nicely (though I did feel the steering was a touch heavy, but was comparing that to my Toyota Alphard which has very light steering so probably no issue there!)
Here is my dilemma. He is looking for 6k for the car. He said that he would get the cambelt and water pump done and we could negotiate from there.
This would be my very first foray into the world of GTi ownership. I have 2 kids, so whatever we buy needs to be pretty good from a reliability perspective. My other option is a Suzuki Swift Sport.
So my question is, what sort of price should I be negotiating to to make this a good deal for me? Anything else I need to watch out for?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202602159948667?sort=relevance&searchId=bdbfaddc-c79c-4ceb-ba9c-bead851fa091&aggregatedTrim=GTI&make=Volkswagen&model=Golf&page=1&postcode=rh15sa&radius=15&advertising-location=at_cars&fromsra=&backLinkQueryParams=aggregatedTrim%3DGTI%26channel%3Dcars%26make%3DVolkswagen%26model%3DGolf%26postcode%3Drh15sa%26radius%3D15%26sort%3Drelevance%26flrfc%3D1&calc-deposit=625&calc-term=48&calc-mileage=10000

[johnsimister]

Looks a very nice car in the ad. If the cambelt and water pump are changed and there are no other 'to-do' items, then £6K is a fair price especially given the low mileage.

[MKVASMR]

If the lack of any equipment doesn't bother you than go for it. I would thoroughly check the car for rust (especially the sills and underbody).