soopa

OK... well I am in need of a cheaper... and more importantly... more fuel efficient vehicle.

My new job is 50 miles away... requiring a 100 mile commute daily. The CL, being the pig it is... chokes down gas... and could easily cost me several hundred a month in gas alone.

Second to that, I'm trying to consolidate... and I want to get a bike as well. So cheaper car is a must.


I'm leaning towards THIS:




the 20th Anniversary edition of the VW GTI. Roughly 23k.

What do yall think?

astro

love them vw's.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

I love those cars too... and the 20th Anniversary edition is very, very sweet.

beerknurd

GTI:
EPA Mileage Estimates: (City/Highway)
Manual: 23 mpg / 30 mpg

CLS:
EPA Mileage Estimates: (City/Highway)
Automatic: : 19 mpg / 29 mpg


1MPG difference is worth the $ to trade?

mantis23

mini or neon srt?
just tossing out ideas here.

Me likes that Vdub though.

soopa

Dunno what color tho, Blue Yellow or Black are my choices.

Leaning towards the metallic black...

with these wheels, powder coated black.

davo-cls

Saw one at the dealer the other night when we picked up our new Jetta. I had to do a double take thinking it was a R32 with those wheels.

soopa

The CL's MPG figures are completely skewed. Not many people here are getting those figures...

Im certainly not... and I havent with either of my CLs.


I get like 200 miles out of a tank

Beltfed

The 20th AE is very hot, not to mention extremely tunable if you choose to do so at some point.


I like the car in Yellow or Blue (not to mention they are exclusive to the 20th AE), don't pay over MSRP either.

soopa

neon: could get it very cheap... but... its a neon... and im not sure its got the build quality id want... plus its a neon. haha

mini: def consider it... but costs alot o money the way id want it... came out to 29k. I could prolly sacrifice some things and get out the door at 26k... but is it worth it?

beerknurd

highway I get 30/31MPG when on the highway for any decent stretch. Around town I can't keep her out of Vtec and the MPG suffers.

astro

go with the blue gti.

I like that someone else suggested the SRT tho

soopa

Luckily I've got a good bunch of VW dealers round me and one of them (Capital Cities BMW/VW) is realllllly good. I doubt they would try to fuck me too hard... I was going to buy an X5 from them at one point back in the day and they were very accommodating.


I like the yellow... but dont know if i like being that bright.


The blue... I havent seen in person yet. But im worried it might be TOO vw blue. Too plain golfish. Then again... could be hot. Is it a FLAT blue? Like Audi, or a metallic blue?


The black... my dealer has on the lot... and I thought it was metallic grey... thats what attracted me too it. Lots of metallic. Something I dont usually like... but it is a really nice paint. PLUS... I want black wheels... so I think it would go best. But yellow goes nice with black too... hmmm

astro

get the blue, it's metallic as fuck.

the yellow is not that great in person..and black, come on man, haven't you learned yet!!

soopa

yea...

i get lots of free stuff from my friends over at www.apgmotorsports.com

and since their traditionally VW/Audi tuners... and they all have VW/Audi's... i can get some nice hookups

Beltfed

Mini is more fun to drive than the 20th AE, but not as tunable and won't make as good of an everyday car. The VW has a nicer interior IMO.

soopa

in fact... theyve had this nice stoptech big brake kit for a gti sitting in a display case for wayyyy too long

sundance_gold

Make sure you check with other owners before making your decision to by a VW. I purchased a 2002 Passat (new) based on the stellar reviews (just about everwhere). In the first year of ownership I had seat motors replaced, a new transmission, and problems with the connections between the steering wheel and the axle--that the dealer did when they were replacing the transmission! Oh and the plastic on plastic interior starts to creek and break after about 6 months. When you look at the car, look at the thin pieces of plastic that hold on the arm rest (if yours has one) and the glovebox door). These all squeek if I don't keep them wd40'd. A friend of mine with an 02 passat had her glove box door fall off because one of the plastic connectors broke.

One thing any VW owner will tell you is these cars are "Quirky". They have a lot of technical gizmos and we all know the more toys the more things there are to break. But the car does weird things like the AC will malfunction (not turn on) but when it does that I know to press on the fuse panel, shut off the car, and turn it back on (an that works!). Also, my AC fan will chirp (like it needs some oil or the bearings are bad) only if I hit "that 1-in-a-million bump in the road". The car will never make a noise--that drives you out of your skin--all of the time and almost never when you drop it off for service.

A word about service.

Make sure you look at the VW sites (like this one) before buying. VW's big negative is the service experience. Its a combination of attitude (bad) and unwillingness to do more than whats at hand. Like if I tell them the wheel creaks, they will come back and say "could not duplicate" rather than asking me what sets the scene for the probelm and looking based on that.

When I had the driver's side seat frame replaced, it was only after 6 months of taking the car back and forth to the dealer for service (mainly for them to say they couldn't duplicate the problem). Then the last time I took it in, a service rep from VW happened to overhear me describe the problem, sat in the car, wiggled, and said, yeah the seat frame is broken. That took care of it. Its things like that that characterize VW.

Otherwise I like the car--its fun to drive. I just hate when I get a "new" creek or have to take it in for service.

I could go on all day about why I'd never buy one again (things I went through with this car) but thats another discussion. Just make sure you do your homework!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

soopa

ya I agree... the vdub has a very nice interior. comparable with the CL. almost. IMO...

feels very solid.

danny25

I just started having to commute to work 20 miles each way, and I just filed my tank yesterday. I got 28.8 mpg, I was quite happy and surprised. But if you do decide to switch, that GTI is sweet. Go watch the Itailian Job, then you'll want a Mini.

Beltfed

Want to talk to owners.........no forum better for the 337/20th Aniv. than this.

I say get the 20th AE if it makes financial sense

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zeroforum...page=3&days=14

Aegean_Blue6

Soopa, If you're as heavy on the gas in the VW as you are in the CL, your gas mileage will be just as low. Your resale on your car will be low, and you'll lose money in the trade as well. I say keep your CL, it's a sweet car, and if you can learn how to use cruise control you can get better mpg on your commute. Or keep driving at your 20 mpg style, but with the knowledge that your gas bill will be higher.

soopa

ya VWs are quirky i agree.

my friend just bought a couple yr old golf and its in the shop alot...


but... unlike acura... i CAN get decent service on a vdub in my area.

sundance_gold

Flipside of my argument is I don't know what car I would buy if I were to get rid of my Passat. There is just not allot out there that 'flips my switch' if you know what I mean.

liquid_x

please no neon that car is good for like the first couple months then shit just starts to go wrong. this guy that used to work with me hated his neon. i think the blue gti would be nice.

Beltfed

soopa

no nice... its NON metallic. like audi

soopa

im not keeping my cl. its too expensive...

580/mo car payment.

3800/yr car insurance.

it hurts.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

What about a WRX? You could probably scoop up a one year old model for cheap and it'll still be under warranty? Insurance should be low even though it's turbo b/c it's only a 4-banger. That way if and when we have another nasty winter you'll be AWD all the way....

GreenMonster

I used to drive a one way commute of 65 miles in the tbird. It's a big car for a coupe (3800lbs), and I can't see driving a smaller car on a commute that long, but that's me.

If you're looking for a econobox, then I'd have to say the Veedub is the way to go (less ricey then say, a civic). The GTI has a lot of equiptment for the price (like the cls) so it's a decent ride.

I've always wanted to own a yellow car, but I like the blue better.

As an added bonus to owning a veedub, I've always noticed that there are lots of hot chicks in the watercooled area of the local VW shows

CLpower

it probably won't be lower insurance wise. A turbo on a 4 banger basically makes it a 6 in their eyes and you are insuring a brand new car as opposed to a 3 year old one

Bluto

Does the 20th = 337? Exact same car?

CLpower

no it's different, different suspension, accents, ECU is different, and a few other things. Brakes are different too I think.

Beelzebub

I get about 400 per tank, Soopa if this is highway driving your mileage will go way up.

mantis23

3800 / yr? Holy Fuck!

GreenMonster

No shit, that's what I said

I have 3 cars insured (all have full coverage) and I pay less then that per year.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Seriously... I drive about 65-70 miles round trip and I get about 330 miles per tank or so. If I drive easy I'll get better MPG. Last tank was 25mpg and that's with the A/C cranking and still driving rather fast....

But.. I know you're doing this for more then gas mileage... but out of the cars listed... I'd go either WRX or Mini.....

CLpower

I was paying close to 5600/yr at one point

Zapata

Civic Hybrid if you really are getting rid of the CLS for the MPG. You'll burn about 2-3 gallons of gas per day and plus you can use CHEAP gas.

Windsor

Just get a base 350Z for $4K more, coming from a CLS you'll probably end up spending at least that in mods to get the power and the handling you are accustomed to...... BUT insurance would be even higher.

Dude I used to live in Irvine and never paid insurance like that!!! What's up with your driving record.....