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Ok, first off I'm new to the small performance car world and I've never owned or even considered purchasing a VW. I'm 34 years old, married with 2 kiddos (6 and 5 months). We recently purchased a Honda CRV as the "family car" and I'm looking to upgrade my current old tired ride a 1999 mazda protege. This car would be for my transportation to and from work and to take my boy to school. Rarely do I ever have anyone else in my car so I want something small, fairly economical, but fun.
So Saturday morning we set off to look at 3 cars on my short list:
1. Mazda3 (sport, touring, and grand touring)
2. Honda Civic (standard and the si)
3. VW rabbit
I hit the Mazda dealership first. I like the overall looks of the Mazda3's and the first one I drove was a standard transmission which is what I wanted. Well, the first thing I noticed and didn't like was the gas pedal is way too close to the brake and my foot would get stuck when I tried to shift. No good there so on to the auto. I liked it a lot more even though I prefer to shift my cars myself but I could live with it. The grand touring package is nice with heated leather seats etc. Two things I noticed about the car that I didn't like though.
1. HUGE blind spot
2. Front divers seat area felt a bit too cramped (Im 6'4")
So..the Mazda is a "maybe".
On to the Civic. I used to have a 2004 and liked it for the most part....it was boring but reliable. We looked at the new models and the first thing that I noticed and didn't like AT ALL is the weird placement of the speedometer! I don't think I could put up with that for long......it looks like it was made for someone who can't see etc. I didn't even look at the si since they didn't have a 4-door model.
We then went over to the VW dealership. All I kept hearing from friends was "don't buy a VW they have the worst car reliability" but I wanted to see one anyway. I drove a 2-door rabbit since they didn't have any 4-doors. I didn't like it all that much. It was TOO basic for me and didn't feel like it would be all that fun after a while. So we started to leave and I saw the GTI's. They had 3 2-doors on the lot and I test drove the standard transmission. As soon as we pulled out of the dealership lot I was impressed! Wow...this car didn't feel anything like the Mazda or the Rabbit. This car felt awesome! I wanted it right then and there! However, I really need the 4-door......which I think I can get for a decent price after researching a bit.
So here are my main concerns with the GTI
1. Overall reliability
2. Rattles in the Cabin (I keep hearing about this)
My heart tells me to go for the GTI and have fun. My practical side says get the Mazda3. I'm torn! Any advice?
Thanks in advance!
AC
So Saturday morning we set off to look at 3 cars on my short list:
1. Mazda3 (sport, touring, and grand touring)
2. Honda Civic (standard and the si)
3. VW rabbit
I hit the Mazda dealership first. I like the overall looks of the Mazda3's and the first one I drove was a standard transmission which is what I wanted. Well, the first thing I noticed and didn't like was the gas pedal is way too close to the brake and my foot would get stuck when I tried to shift. No good there so on to the auto. I liked it a lot more even though I prefer to shift my cars myself but I could live with it. The grand touring package is nice with heated leather seats etc. Two things I noticed about the car that I didn't like though.
1. HUGE blind spot
2. Front divers seat area felt a bit too cramped (Im 6'4")
So..the Mazda is a "maybe".
On to the Civic. I used to have a 2004 and liked it for the most part....it was boring but reliable. We looked at the new models and the first thing that I noticed and didn't like AT ALL is the weird placement of the speedometer! I don't think I could put up with that for long......it looks like it was made for someone who can't see etc. I didn't even look at the si since they didn't have a 4-door model.
We then went over to the VW dealership. All I kept hearing from friends was "don't buy a VW they have the worst car reliability" but I wanted to see one anyway. I drove a 2-door rabbit since they didn't have any 4-doors. I didn't like it all that much. It was TOO basic for me and didn't feel like it would be all that fun after a while. So we started to leave and I saw the GTI's. They had 3 2-doors on the lot and I test drove the standard transmission. As soon as we pulled out of the dealership lot I was impressed! Wow...this car didn't feel anything like the Mazda or the Rabbit. This car felt awesome! I wanted it right then and there! However, I really need the 4-door......which I think I can get for a decent price after researching a bit.
So here are my main concerns with the GTI
1. Overall reliability
2. Rattles in the Cabin (I keep hearing about this)
My heart tells me to go for the GTI and have fun. My practical side says get the Mazda3. I'm torn! Any advice?
Thanks in advance!
AC