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Hello all, my name is Chris and I need help choosing a new car. I know that the opinions will be biased here, but I'm willing to take that chance. I am in the market for a new GTI, and was also thinking about getting a 325xi. Today I went to my local VW dealer to just check the GTI out, later on the salesman allowed me to drive it. Well, one thing that i noticed RIGHT away was that this thing is F#$%!&G FAST!(VW wasn't kidding) When I first heard that it had 200 HP and 207 TQ (correct me if I'm wrong,) I thought it would be a slug because of it's weight, but boy was I wrong! This thing is a rocket ship on wheels, much faster than my current 96 Audi A4 Quattro which is going to be sold soon, and it "felt" quicker than my Mom's Infiniti G35 which I use more often than the A4, my Dad's Infiniti M35x, and definitely faster than his Mercedes-Benz ML350(it's an SUV). One thing I loved about it was the gearbox, silky smooth, and ever so willing to downshift and hold third gear goin 50 MPH, and the gear changes were so rapid and fluid that aside from the increased revs from the engine the shifts were imperceptible(I tested a DSG equipped GTI.) There were a few "downsides"though:
1) The steering felt a little lighter and "looser" than I had expected. It felt like the slightest nudge in either direction would send it flying into the opposing lane and it felt a bit lifeless aswell, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt that the wheel and seat adjustments weren't how I prefered it. Maybe I have to get used to it (I'm used to driving the G35 which has VERY heavy steering)
2) While on the drive I also noticed that there was a little hump bulging out on the side in the footwell, and it was SO annoying to have my knee resting on it because it I'm used to having a footwell that is perfectly straight and not with a little hump on the side. Once again though I will give it the benefit of the doubt that my seats weren't adjusted to my liking.
3) No AWD was a relatively large downside for me because I live in Northern NJ and although it doesn't snow as much as in say, Buffalo NY, I still feel safest in and AWD vehicle like the A4(which is unstoppable in the snow with Quattro), but I can get away with just putting winter tires on it, right?
4) My experience with Audi service hasn't been a pleasent one. My Audi, when it used to belong to my mom had the A/C crap out in the middle of one of the hottest days of the year, bot to mention a host of other problems in it's lifetime. The car literally had 20,000 miles on it when that happened, and the response from Audi after about 4 hours of waiting at the serviec center was was that the evaporator, compressor, and all of these other thingys had to be changed. Well, the total amount to fix it was hovering at around $3500, so we brought it to a family friend and he took a quick look and said that all that needed to be done was to have two cables be plugged back into eachother! After he did it, it started to work again, THOSE F'ING SHEISTERS! I just hope that VW doesn't do something stupid like that to me!
5) Although this is an "Oh my God, can you quit with your whining?!" nitpick is that although this is a GREAT overall car the BMW has the well...BMW factor. It carries a lot of prestige, and is a status symbol, but with the VW, at the end of the day you are driving a VW, but with the amount of fun you have driving the GTI, I think that I can live through it
The BMW is a great car. If you want to know what steering SHOULD feel like IMHO I think you should test out any BMW. The one thing I remember while driving was how perfectly weighted the steering was, and how exact the handling was. It felt like the car was on rails. Also the sound system and Navigation system were pretty nice too (some people don't like the imfamous "I-DRIVE" command unit but I thought it was pretty cool!) The power was well, underwhelming to say the least. Especially because of the X-Drive AWD system draining precious resources form the engine. Also the rear end of it is well, "okay" and nothing more. Before the E46 platform stood out and said BMW, but now the E90(2006+) just seems to blend in except for the front which IMO is actually pretty cool looking, especially with the trademark "halos" The seats were also very nicely bolstered and were very comfortable, I couldn't make any judgment on the GTI seeing as the one I drove had cloth and not leather which I plan on getting. But there were things I didn't like on the BMW either:
1) Although the BMW "factor" as I stated earlier is a pretty nice plus side while it sits at home in your garage, and while driving, it can catch the attention of others who might be jealous and make them want to key your car, pop your tires, steal your valve stem caps(that has happened SOOO many times and is so irritating) or just plain screw up your car, which makes the BMW more prone to vandalism and such.
2) Insurance for me is high enough for my parents already (I'm 17) but a bimmer would take a huge toll on their wallets. And especially now with college coming up for me, higher insurance won't help my cause.
3) The almighty Gasoline God's have begun to become even greedier and charge a lot more for gas than a few years ago for example. The BMW isn't all that great on gas being that it is a 3.0 liter I-6 which as of now is limited to just Cold Air Intakes for modification, as opposed to a very powerful and VERY upgradable 2.0 liter Turbocharged 4 banger found in the VW.
These two cars are both great, they are both fun to drive and are both handsome looking cars. The BMW screams sport and sophistication, while the GTI screams youth and just driving like a mad man(I'm a pretty cautious driver though... ) My problem is WHICH ONE? Please help me out in my decision making process. Oh, by the way my VW dealership has a MY07 allocated to them next Wed. It has everything I want (PKG 2?) except it is white, which is okay, but I prefer United Grey/Gray(I dont remember how to spell it) or Black. Should I take it because a MY07 PKG 2 may be scarce for the next few months as they claim, or take that as a sign of pressure to make a deal quickly and hold off for a color I want? Do you think they will be discounting the 07's soon? Thanks for reading my VERY FIRST POST! albeit a tad long, but if you have gotten this long I apologize for wasting your 5-20 minutes Thoughts and opinions are more than welcome.
1) The steering felt a little lighter and "looser" than I had expected. It felt like the slightest nudge in either direction would send it flying into the opposing lane and it felt a bit lifeless aswell, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt that the wheel and seat adjustments weren't how I prefered it. Maybe I have to get used to it (I'm used to driving the G35 which has VERY heavy steering)
2) While on the drive I also noticed that there was a little hump bulging out on the side in the footwell, and it was SO annoying to have my knee resting on it because it I'm used to having a footwell that is perfectly straight and not with a little hump on the side. Once again though I will give it the benefit of the doubt that my seats weren't adjusted to my liking.
3) No AWD was a relatively large downside for me because I live in Northern NJ and although it doesn't snow as much as in say, Buffalo NY, I still feel safest in and AWD vehicle like the A4(which is unstoppable in the snow with Quattro), but I can get away with just putting winter tires on it, right?
4) My experience with Audi service hasn't been a pleasent one. My Audi, when it used to belong to my mom had the A/C crap out in the middle of one of the hottest days of the year, bot to mention a host of other problems in it's lifetime. The car literally had 20,000 miles on it when that happened, and the response from Audi after about 4 hours of waiting at the serviec center was was that the evaporator, compressor, and all of these other thingys had to be changed. Well, the total amount to fix it was hovering at around $3500, so we brought it to a family friend and he took a quick look and said that all that needed to be done was to have two cables be plugged back into eachother! After he did it, it started to work again, THOSE F'ING SHEISTERS! I just hope that VW doesn't do something stupid like that to me!
5) Although this is an "Oh my God, can you quit with your whining?!" nitpick is that although this is a GREAT overall car the BMW has the well...BMW factor. It carries a lot of prestige, and is a status symbol, but with the VW, at the end of the day you are driving a VW, but with the amount of fun you have driving the GTI, I think that I can live through it
The BMW is a great car. If you want to know what steering SHOULD feel like IMHO I think you should test out any BMW. The one thing I remember while driving was how perfectly weighted the steering was, and how exact the handling was. It felt like the car was on rails. Also the sound system and Navigation system were pretty nice too (some people don't like the imfamous "I-DRIVE" command unit but I thought it was pretty cool!) The power was well, underwhelming to say the least. Especially because of the X-Drive AWD system draining precious resources form the engine. Also the rear end of it is well, "okay" and nothing more. Before the E46 platform stood out and said BMW, but now the E90(2006+) just seems to blend in except for the front which IMO is actually pretty cool looking, especially with the trademark "halos" The seats were also very nicely bolstered and were very comfortable, I couldn't make any judgment on the GTI seeing as the one I drove had cloth and not leather which I plan on getting. But there were things I didn't like on the BMW either:
1) Although the BMW "factor" as I stated earlier is a pretty nice plus side while it sits at home in your garage, and while driving, it can catch the attention of others who might be jealous and make them want to key your car, pop your tires, steal your valve stem caps(that has happened SOOO many times and is so irritating) or just plain screw up your car, which makes the BMW more prone to vandalism and such.
2) Insurance for me is high enough for my parents already (I'm 17) but a bimmer would take a huge toll on their wallets. And especially now with college coming up for me, higher insurance won't help my cause.
3) The almighty Gasoline God's have begun to become even greedier and charge a lot more for gas than a few years ago for example. The BMW isn't all that great on gas being that it is a 3.0 liter I-6 which as of now is limited to just Cold Air Intakes for modification, as opposed to a very powerful and VERY upgradable 2.0 liter Turbocharged 4 banger found in the VW.
These two cars are both great, they are both fun to drive and are both handsome looking cars. The BMW screams sport and sophistication, while the GTI screams youth and just driving like a mad man(I'm a pretty cautious driver though... ) My problem is WHICH ONE? Please help me out in my decision making process. Oh, by the way my VW dealership has a MY07 allocated to them next Wed. It has everything I want (PKG 2?) except it is white, which is okay, but I prefer United Grey/Gray(I dont remember how to spell it) or Black. Should I take it because a MY07 PKG 2 may be scarce for the next few months as they claim, or take that as a sign of pressure to make a deal quickly and hold off for a color I want? Do you think they will be discounting the 07's soon? Thanks for reading my VERY FIRST POST! albeit a tad long, but if you have gotten this long I apologize for wasting your 5-20 minutes
Thoughts and opinions are more than welcome.
