2015 VW GTI, one of the best under $30k?

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Originally Posted By: Vikas
why checkered fabric on the seat covers? do buyers of GTI consider that aspect to be high class? personally, that design of the fabric alone will make me not buy the GTI.

I understand VW has been doing that since the first GTI came out in early eighties. I still don't like it after 35 years.

how many of you like that fabric pattern on the seats?


I love it. For me it was a selling point.

My wife loves it too. It's one of those things that reminds her of when we started dating, because it stood out to her as a quirky part of the car.

I can see why some wouldn't like it, but you do have the option of getting leather.
 
Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: MCompact
Agreed- I love my 2007 Mazdaspeed- especially after I tweaked the motor and suspension a bit(shame on me- how impractical!). It returns 26-28 mpg and has more than enough cargo space for my needs. That said, those with a hand-wringing fixation on fuel economy and cargo space should look elsewhere. Me, I'll gladly trade a few miles per gallon in exchange for a 0-60 time in the low five second range and a 1/4 mile run of under 14 seconds. To each his own...


Did you buy your MS3 new? I think I read in another thread that you've got about 135,000 miles on it? That's awesome, I hope you can squeeze a lot more out of it.

I can't wait to see what Mazda comes up with for the third gen MS3. I love the new styling, I really think they can pull out something special this time around.

Originally Posted By: buster
I've been told the WRX will most likely be more reliable, overall, than the GTI.


Having owned both I would call it a coin flip. Subaru went through the whole "glass transmission" thing with the WRX about ten years ago and has had a fair amount of oil burning issues, and many WRX owners ended up with cars that had bad ringlands and/or blown head gaskets. A friend of mine nuked his WRX's engine because of the old EJ's bad cooling design around one of the cylinders.

Issues I had with my WRX's included bad radiators, timing belt tensioners, and oddly.... the windshield washer pump (I have never heard of this failing on any other car).

Still, they're great cars and I'd buy one without being overly worried about reliability. They generally hold up just fine as long as you look after them and don't abuse them. Some people report struggling with Subaru over warranty claims, but it's hard to separate fact from fiction on forums when at least half the people complaining about their cars not being fixed rolled in with modified vehicles.


Good points.
 
Vikas said:
why checkered fabric on the seat covers? do buyers of GTI consider that aspect to be high class? personally, that design of the fabric alone will make me not buy the GTI.

I understand VW has been doing that since the first GTI came out in early eighties. I still don't like it after 35 years.

how many of you like that fabric pattern on the seats? [/quote

The one I test drove had it and I loved it!
 
That particular aspect always screamed "boy racer" to me, it ranks right with the oversized Mistsu/Subie spoiler.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: badtlc
I couldn't justify that much coin for a car that small.

Maybe for someone who buys cars by the pound.

Gti is actually quite spacious and the hatch is very practical. It'll hold larger items than even a full size sedan.


Absolutely. It's amazing what we can fit in my wife's rabbit 4dr.
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
why checkered fabric on the seat covers? do buyers of GTI consider that aspect to be high class? personally, that design of the fabric alone will make me not buy the GTI.

Yeah, I don't quite get it either, other than just paying homage to the original GTI. Thankfully, you can get it with nice full leather seats instead.

GTI-15-0452-DIG-3000x1948.jpg
 
I also prefer cloth with leather bolsters, as in my Club Sport and MS3. If I bought a GTI it would have to be the S trim level- every other trim level forces you to take the hole in the roof. I doubt VWoA would allow you to delete it...
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas

how many of you like that fabric pattern on the seats?


I personally love it and glad they returned it. I think it should be a choice of black leatherette vs plaid cloth at base model.
 
There is a lot to like about the GTI: great looking in and out, excellent handling, practicality of a hatch, everyday driveability with performance in reserve. Unfortunately, VW's hit or miss reliability would keep me from shelling out my hard earned dough for it.
 
Agree, Buster. The German excellence in engineering, which seems apparent in the design and execution of the vehicle, does not, for whatever reason, translate into longevity, at least for the North American market. I have heard, though not verified, that VW, MB, and BMW fare better in this regard in Europe.
 
They might fare better with their different driving habits. They drive less miles per year and own cars for shorter periods of time.
 
I test drove the 2013 or 2014 GTI and i loved it but after doing some extensive research on the car, i decided in my best interest to stay away due to reliability issues. The car had serious water pump issues and some other misc issues.

This new model has gotten me excited again.. I think it would be smart to wait a year or two for VW to fix the first year issues and to see what problems are typical in this generation before any serious consideration.

If this car had honda/toyota reliability, this car would be a top seller for sure...It looks great and drives extremely well...
 
Originally Posted By: k24a4
Agree, Buster. The German excellence in engineering, which seems apparent in the design and execution of the vehicle, does not, for whatever reason, translate into longevity, at least for the North American market. I have heard, though not verified, that VW, MB, and BMW fare better in this regard in Europe.


I think that this is true. When I lived in Europe I was surprised how it all panned out. American cars there were less reliable than many European marks--opposite of here (U.S.) I think it has to do with the repair culture.
 
I checked the prices of the GTIs that are available in the San Antonio area on VWs web site, and those are all upscale models with the asking price in the neighborhood of just under 30 grand. The GTI may be the best vehicle in its class, but people looking to buy those often want value. At 30 grand, it doesn't seem such a great value any more. I don't know if these prices will continue as is, or perhaps right now the dealers are receiving the more upscale models only because of the "new shiny object syndrome" experienced by people who have been waiting for this GTI generation for years.

If I was shopping for a pocket rocket right now, I'd look at Ford Focus ST and Ford Fiesta ST. People on forums are saying you can get Focus ST sometimes for not much than the price of a Fiesta ST or a Honda Civic SI. It's a great value, and probably faster than the GTI.
 
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Just test drove a gti w a manual trans. I found the turbo lag pretty annoying. Maybe its a matter of getting used to and learning to give it more gas a lot earlier on. Not really sure i could learn to live with it.
 
Sure, if you buy you had better be ready to live with relatively high maintenance costs post-warrantee. Otherwise, I'd look elsewhere.

It is hard, though, to find another car with the blend of driving fun, interior quality, and livable fuel economy which a GTi provides.
 
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Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Just test drove a gti w a manual trans. I found the turbo lag pretty annoying. Maybe its a matter of getting used to and learning to give it more gas a lot earlier on. Not really sure i could learn to live with it.


Good to know. That would bother me too. I wonder if the turbo lag is as apparent in the WRX?
 
Even when you're cruising at 3k rpm in 4th and gun it, there is a lot of lag.

I guess i have just forgotten what its like to drive a turbo car.
 
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