Interest in buying, mk7 vs mk8

Hi all,

I’ve been very interested in buying a GTI as my new daily driver, i’m a younger guy who likes to work on my own cars and right now i have a bmw 335 (tuner boy special). I won’t lie, when i bought my 335 almost 4 years ago i had tons of plans and wanted to go to car meets and be really fast, the whole nine. But, now that i’ve grown up a bit, I need to be a bit more responsible and have a bit more reliable of a vehicle. Im not into car meets and being a menace to society anymore lol. The GTIs have really caught my attention as i have developed a love for wagons/hatches and they are within my price point. I still want to mod and make my build nice and this would 100% be a long term vehicle for me so i know that these cars have options and lot of potential.

Mk7 to me would be cheaper but mk8 obviously newer features etc. i can’t totally afford a mk8 out the factory so i’d have to buy something used like 10-30k miles on it if it is a mk8.

How do these gens differ? what are some pros - cons? I am curious to hear from those who may have experience with both generations and can tell me your thoughts on which you think is better?

I’m a full blown beamer boy so i know nothing about Volkswagen lol. Any helpful insight would be appreciated.