[Brewpralgar]

I'm thinking about buying a new 2008 GLI due to my 83' camaro crapping the bed. I just need a reliable car that is okay on gas mileage and that will be fun when I hit the gas :P. I was talking with my local dealer and he quoted me an all black GLI with the autobahn package for $26,560 which from what I'm seeing isn't too bad due to it's usally a $27,000+ MSRP for the car. What do you guys/gals think? Just looking for some constructive criticizim. Oh btw this is my first time buying a new car so any advice would help!

[Nautilus]

VW's are pretty cool here a few pros:

-Pretty dam quick
-Looks good
-Nice Interiors
-Good Resale values

only cons I can come up with is sometimes VW's known to have some problems time to time. It's usally electrical from what I have read on the net.

[Brewpralgar]

Hmmm I'll research any issues with the GLI. Thanks Lord inf!

[siklop]

Stay away from VW... in the 90s they were pumping out lemons left and right with major electrical problems. They still to have electrical problems but not nearly as bad. They give headaches. Honestly go japanese. Honda makes great cars, toyota makes reliable boring cars, nissan altima *the new ones are also nice, and mazda 3 series are awesome too. MazdaSpeed 3 is one of the fastest under 24grand hatchbacks.
I think 2 good options would be 4dr Civic Si and 5dr MazdaSpeed 3 hatchback. Honestly for 24grand the MazdaSpeed gives you sweet (good quality) leather bucket seats, 6 gears, 283tq 265 hp turbo 4, 18in rims with good Potenzas, great handling, lots of room, and blah blah.. It's one of the best values interms of quality and performance for the price. A lil loud tho.

[Pmeidstc]

I own a MK4 04 GTI and Love it, although it does have it's quirks. Things seem to be harder and more complicated to do than other cars and mine has a lot of squeeks and creeks. No maintance problems at all and it's been very reliable. Check out www.vwvortex.com and go to the MKV forums and read/search some posts to see what you think. One great thing about VW's is that they give you a nice luxary feel

[Brewpralgar]

I was thinking of the Mazda speed 3. I see it has a 0-60 in about 5.8 sec? Much better than the GLI :P. Hmm I dunno. I was thinkin about srt-4/MS3/GLI hmmmm the choices :P

[hasasnn2345tv]

Why not a 2008 GTi?[thumbup]

[Brewpralgar]

Haha good point DN. My friend Jess has one and she loves it. Hmmm

[siklop]

When it comes to performance/handling/interior quality/price. The MazdaSpeed 3 has them all beat under 25grand. :P Go test drive the cars on you're list. Save the MazdaSpeed 3 for last. You will forget about the rest when you test drive it. I walked into Mazda dealer exactly a year ago to see if i could reserve a 2008 Miata Hard top. They told me good luck too many people in line.... I hate soft tops... So i was dissapointed and then i noticed there was a MazdaSpeed 3 sitting there... They let me test drive it... Well lets say I forgot about everything else I had driven :P Including the GTi and Si. The mazda dealer was a half mazda/VW dealer. If they brind a new MazdaSpeed Miata with the MS3 engine.. i'm going to trade in a heart beat... this engine is insane... It just hauls ass in 3rd and 4th.. 5th is good too.

[Brewpralgar]

Well Shervin I'll take your advice. I'll be heading to the VW dealership right now and I'll be test driving both the GLI and GTI. Then I have a Mazda dealership 15 minutes away from my house so I'll be heading there after and I'll test the MS3 out. I'll post my results when I get back :P

[Brewpralgar]

Well I didn't get time to go to the Mazda dealer today but I did head down to the VW dealership. I liked the GLI, I couldn't gun it which made me sad (driving a gli with 55 miles on it, still in breakin period) but it felt nice. Now I wanna try the MS3 to see what that's like.

[Nautilus]

The only things I don't like about a Mazda is it's kinda ugly (looks better than most cars tho) and it has a lot of Ford parts on it. The speed is fast , good handling / braking and has nice leather seats I will give it that.

[tmobmobfil]

, toyota makes reliable boring cars,

I don't find my boring at all.
________
EXTREME VAPORIZER

[Brewpralgar]

MMm I hear ya. I don't like the hatch aspect but hey I mean you can't ask for a perfect car.

[siklop]

Well I didn't get time to go to the Mazda dealer today but I did head down to the VW dealership. I liked the GLI, I couldn't gun it which made me sad (driving a gli with 55 miles on it, still in breakin period) but it felt nice. Now I wanna try the MS3 to see what that's like.

You should have gun it :P
Thats the point of the car the dealer chooses as the "test" drive car. Now im not talking about hitting the red line... but flooring it is part of the point. Not driving like a careless fool. Common sense ... Anyway if you get in the mazda then i recommend this... do not floor it in 1st :P floor it in 2nd 3rd and 4th... The engine gets it peak torque at 3k rpm and the power surge is gone when you hit 5.5k +. So shift at 5.5k and enjoy the fun!

The mazda may use ford parts but its still an excellent performer and reliable too. The mazdaspeed 3 has awesome breaks due to the rotors being so huge.

Now as you know I own an MS3.... But seriously I looked at alot of cars and I just could not believe what you get with an MS3 for the price. I really love this car hehe.

[Brewpralgar]

I felt like gunning it but I mean I didn't know if that would be acceptable and or I didn't want to scare the dude in the passenger seat. But yeah on monday I'll definitly put that MS3 to the test.

[mireOpekrhype]

I recently bought a Jetta SE (I'm a bit too old and/or wide to be comfortable in the GLI/GTI seats plus I wanted to keep the price under $20k) and absolutely love it. I drove a Civic, Corolla, Sentra, & Mazda 3. All were great but the Jetta felt like it was in another class as far as build. Interior is anything but economy class.

It's too new to tell if there will be mechanical issues but the warranty is better than on the Japanese cars so thats a plus as long as it doesn't end up being in the shop a lot.

Sure there are quicker cars, more efficient cars and cheaper cars but the VWs offer a real good balance of the 3- it makes them a real pleasure to drive. . .

[daasayse]

Aren't VW's in the US made in Mexico?

[Nautilus]

Aren't VW's in the US made in Mexico?

Yeah the Jetta is made in Mexico. Except for the Wolfsburg editions.

[hasasnn2345tv]

Hey just get a new wolfburg edition jetta[thumbup] only about 21k and it comes w/ the 2.0t engine.


PS i got an 08 R32 two weeks ago...im in love, coming from my 05 GLI