Originally Posted By: Blue_Goose
Just got back into town and see a lot of informative posts!
I'll try to touch on some of them.
Charger is a great car. Just too big for what I need right now. It's a pain to park and it's tough to transport anything as the roof line is real low trying to fit something in the backseat. The trunk is spacious but shallow. And lets just say at 48k the Dodge quality or longevity is starting to show a bit?
I'm not upside down in the car at all, I'll probably walk away with 2-3 grand in equity
Tires are a 1000 dollar item at minimum (20")
I haven't seen any deals like the Chicago area deals in NH. Best I have been quoted so far is 19.3 for the Golf and 18.8 for the Jetta. The Jetta does come with a lot more bells and whistles as mentioned such as the push button start, heated seats, fog lights etc I don't know how much more lower they would go off those prices. I try to use carsdirect.com as a barometer on pricing to get a feel on a good deal. Are there other places should look to see what the best deals on these cars right now?
I'm probably calling the kettle black harping on Dodge longevity vs VW though? lol
Golf all the way. Partially because I just bought a MK7 GTI.
The MQB platform is incredible. This car is way more solid than it should be. I have no issues with ride quality, and already have 2200 miles on the car (I bought it 7 weeks ago). I seriously considered the Charger and had a 2015 8 speed auto SXT Charger rental for 8 days that "almost" sold me on the Charger. Then I drove the GTI and was totally blown away, 5 minutes into the test drive told the salesman what I needed for an out the door price (during the test drive) and bought the car.
Everything about the MQB has a high quality feel. At speed the car is rock solid. It feels like an Audi.
It's also WAY smaller than a Charger. It's noticeably smaller than my 2nd gen 2012 Mazda6, super easy to park, very easy to maneuver in traffic, little in the way of blind spots, and overall very comfortable to be in. The hatchback configuration is quite versatile as well. The car itself is a top safety pick.
In my GTI I am averaging 29mpg running 93 octane, in a mix of city and hwy driving. A Golf TSI will get better fuel econ.
Honestly, I had full intention on buying either a Charger R/T, BMW 535, or a MB E-350. I never, ever, EVER, had planned on buying a compact, FWD, 2.0L turbo, hatchback. Ever. And yet, I did, and I couldn't be happier.
I'll try and answer any other questions you might have.