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VW GTI test Drive coming up.

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Driving a GTI for a week.
One with DSG, sunroof and Navigation.

I’ll answer any questions you might have about it.

Conversation 14 comments

  4. No, Vince.

    There is NOTHING nice about the GTI especially when you've owned a MK6 that was LEMONED by VWoA. It was in the shop for 45 days in the year that I owned it. DSG unit was replaced, ECU, and multiple other niggles in less than 15,000 miles of ownership.

    My previous vehicle was a 2006 MK5 Jetta GLI and it was problematic as well. I thought I just got a bad one, but it had more electrical gremlins than you can shake a stick at. It also had issues with the DSG but it never had to be replaced like my GTI.

    I drank the VW Kool-Aid starting with my Jetta. They are very nice vehicles before the problems start, which they will. There is a reason why they are rated one of the least reliable brands by JD Power and TrueDelta, I just chose to ignore that fact and take my chances. Never again.

    Don't forget how expensive they are to repair out of warranty, as they are a German brand. A simple part can cost 3x as much as that same part would be for a Mazda. I learned this with my GLI.

    Speaking of Mazda, my 2010 GTI was replaced with a 2011 Mazdaspeed3 and I couldn't be happier. It is better in every single respect than my GTI was, and it hasn't had a SINGLE problem in nearly 30,000 miles. The interior isn't quite as nice as the GTI, but honestly it doesn't matter how nice the interior is if your car doesn't run.

    Sorry for my long rant.

  5. Not sure who would ever pay $34 000 for one in the US???
    It starts at under $24 000 and mine, which is pretty loaded, is about $28 500.
    So I won'd be comparing it to $34 000 cars.

  6. The one thing I don't understand about VWs are the headlight switches. It's only: Headlights On, Headlights off. No parking light access?

    This is the only VW (4dr version) I'd consider because I don't trust the brand at all.

  7. Like all VW, I am sure you will like it for the first 10,000 or so miles before the warranty repairs start happening

  8. To VW no way,

    I have to respond to this rant. I've owned three VWs/Audis. I've also owned a Mazda 3S, along with Jeeps, a Honda and a Mercedes. My current cars are an audi and a BMW X5. My VW/Audis have been by far the most solidly built cars. No, the services aren't cheap, but they stay tight for far longer than anything else I've owned. The X5 is brand new, so it's too soon to compare. Compared to a Mazda, it was nice but there's no comparison. My Honda was a lemon, and I know that's rare, so I'm not going to rant about it. Given what you say about your experiences, I don't blame you for disliking VWs. But your experience is by no means representative of what Vince should expect.

  9. I bought a new, German-made Golf in 2001 and a new Mazda3 in 2006. The difference in quality was like night and day. The Mazda3 was superior in every way to that POS VW. Never again will I touch a VW/Audi product

  10. Does its performance make you say "Who needs an R32?" Also, is it packed with enough of the personal luxury you find in other performance cars to justify its price?

  11. I seriously wanted GTI to replace my Prelude for the driving dynamics and substantial German feel as I have driven Hondas all my life…But too many horror stories had me buying a nice 04 Acura TSX a few years ago…I hope the VWs have improved since then in the quality department.

  12. I bought a new GTI back in '08 with a manual tranny. I'm pleased to say it's basically bullet-proof. I drive the piss out of it too. I look forward to driving it every morning. I work for an automaker and have the opportunity to drive just about everything. Nothing I've driven has the magical, all-around appeal that my GTI does.

  14. I own a 2001 GTI and it is a great every day driving machine. Great workmanship and design. Since then I moved to a some more rural area and the family grew. I am looking to replace it with something bigger, like the Jetta Sportwagen or so.

    I have to admit that I was in for warranty work at the beginning. Little things here and there. The engine and transmission though proofed to be great with 130k miles on the odo. Things seemed to improve once I have started to do all services myself.

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