I test drove a used 2018 Golf R for which the asking price was more than the MSRP for a new Golf R. It's gone, proof of "the greater fool" premise. Similarly I found a tuned 2018 Golf SE (380 h.p. and was as fast as a bat out of Hell) with 60,000 miles on the odometer and an asking price more than a new Golf SE. It too is gone. Even more proof of "the greater fool" premise.
They were fun to drive, but no way would I pay such crazy prices. At such prices, you can buy a jen-you-wine sports car.
Though I think the USA worker makes lousy vehicles, the "supply chain" problem seems a long-term problem, so I am leery of buying anything manufactured overseas… and all the VW Golfs are now manufactured in Wolfsburg, Germany. That problem was compounded when a cargo ship sank in February. The ship was carrying 4,000 mostly high-end cars.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/business/felicity-ace-car-ship-sunk/index.html
Yeah, it's a pretty terrible market right now. The lease for one of our vehicles is finally coming to an end in November, so we've been looking. And there's just not a lot out there that's worth the asking price.
Edmunds.com has an email list for car purchase and lease discounts, but everything I have seen so far is junk.