paper1122

on the highway i get up to 32mph....... if you want fuel economy... go Honda insight

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.....

soopa

lol, 4k more is alot of money.

im not looking to lease... and ive been paying my $30,800 CL for nearly 2 yrs now and still owe like 21K

it would be nice to start around where I owe now rather then throwing even more money away.


I wouldnt get a civic because its not a car i would still enjoy.

Im just looking to downsize... as well as get out of my piece of shit car.


I dont need the "power" and anything I do to the VW i will get for essentially free... so I'm not worried about it boring me.


Im not interested in Subaru... I dont find them to be attractive cars... and the interiors are gross.


The thing I like about VW is they still have sexy solid feeling interiors. Thats as important as the exterior...


As for the mini... I'll still consider it... but I dunno. The mini seems to be more money for less of a car...

mattg

understandable. my payment, insurance and gas costs less than that a month.

the vw will be a cool ride. so many different options to make it perform and look sweet.

and i can't blame you for needing a change, you've been pushing an acura for how long now?

soopa

since 99 baby!

mantis23

What in the hell do you guys do to get it that high? :scary:

soopa

under 25. lots of tickets. couple accidents...

Live IN THE CITY.

acuraman32cl

a co-worker has one in blue. really nice exterior, exspecially those 18 inch rims. my only beef is the interior, whic i pretty cheap and the comfort compared to the cl.

Beltfed

If you're saying the interior is cheap....its not, less luxury doesn't = cheap.

The 20th AE interior is nice, the Aluminum is real and there is nothing wrong with the plastics (everything is solid).

acuraman32cl

its just my opinion. cheap isnt the word i should of used. basically i dont like the brushed aluminium nor the excess of plastic. i like wood, whether its fake of not. IMHO

Sarlacc

i like the look of the look of that interior, i just feel the VW interiors can be too in your face, you know? honda and acura are kinda more lax and not so close to the driver giving a more open feeling. VW is too..claustraphobic i guess is what the word im looking for?

that and i would think youd be paying an assload tp maintain it in the long run.

Beltfed

So you would rather have fake wood (that looks like painted plastic to resemble wood) than real aluminum trim?

Ok, that's cool.......oh and the GTI doesn't have any more plastic in it than the Acura does.

Claustrophobic is definitely not the word to use to describe a GTI interior, the car is actually very open and has lots of glass. I would describe it as more sporty, which it is.

MistaE13A

i sat in one and the seats are very uncomfortable compared to the CL. they were really hard, not cushiony at all

acuraman32cl

they are true racing/bucket seats. i forget what company makes them. i believe they arent stock vw buckets if my memory doenst fail me. anyone know who makes them?

CWdub

Rocaro makes the seat. The 20 AE is a very nice ride I'm looking at one now.

Sarlacc

That stomp pad (dead pedal) is huge as hell!!!

amir was here

i saw a blue one last night!!


we all thought it was a R32!

that shit looked soooooooo goooood.!!

it was the blue color, which is the color i recomend u grab

Slimey

FWIW, Somebody once posted that our CL Type S seats are also made by Recaro (they saw the labeling when the took it apart).

KCPreki11

WHAT?

soopa

the vdub interior is NOT cheap. everything in it is real... our cars are made of tons of faux materials... so i dunno how we can call something else cheap?

we have fake aluminum and fake wood.

it also has alot more room inside then our cars...

rise

how about the SVT Focus?

KCPreki11

The VW really only beats the CLS in interior room when it comes to luggage...but I know what you mean if your saying that it feels a lot more open.

A FORD!?!?!?

dbox

go for it bro.

will look sick with those rims and i'm sure it's a blast to drive.

Sarlacc

Ummm cause its a Ford?!? nuff said


KC: when we talking about openess we were referring to the feeling of being a in a tiny cockpit or a more roomy cockpit.

astro

adam ain't allowed to buy a ford focus LOL

Beelzebub

Soopa

Heres a list a a few Fuel-Efficient cars

EPA Class Vehicle MPG (city/highway)
Two-Seater Honda Insight 61/68
Minicompact Car MINI Cooper 28/37
Subcompact Car Volkswagen New Beetle TDI 42/49
Compact Car Toyota Prius 52/45
Midsize Car Honda Accord 26/34
Large Car Chevrolet Impala 21/32
Small Station Wagon VW Jetta Wagon TDI 42/50
Midsize Station Wagon Ford Focus Wagon 27/36
Pickup Truck (tie) Ford Ranger 2WD
Mazda Truck 24/29
Passenger Van (tie) Chevrolet Astro 2WD
GMC Safari 2WD 16/20
Minivan (tie) Chrysler Voyager 2WD
Dodge Caravan 2WD 21/27
Sport-Utility Vehicle Toyota RAV4 25/31


Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

vinnydahitman

i know people have told you that vw's can be quirky as with any car. i only know 5 people with vw's including my wife who has a 1.8t bug and every one has had electrical problems, maf problems, and alternator problems. i know thats a very small percentage of vw owners but in my experience that is 100% of the ones i know that are quirky...


just my .02 ... i would agree that it looks hot though!
i still say go drive a wrx.. yeah the interior leaves something to be desired but it is a fookin blast to drive!

WhiteCL2003

First of all, the GTi looks amazingly better than any stock CL or CL-S I have seen. I also keep hearing about the Jetta. I am sure you guys know the Jetta is built in Mexico (unlike it's other VW/Audi counterparts) that are built in GERMANY. Yes, where the car is built has a lot to say with how it will last. I believe the GTi anniversery is built in Germany. Secondly, the electrical problems are with the older VW's, and since the OBD2 system has come out, the dub's have been stellar. Third, AC problem?? Seems like you are stuck in the early 90's with your VW logic, they havn't been know for any AC problems since '97, considering they had to re-design their entire AC system. As far as the interior goes, it's a true "sports" coupe. If anyone has sat in racing seats (recarro etc.) you know that you are giving up comfort for performance, it's how it goes, the CL's are way more geared for "luxury", although the wood interiors look cheap as hell. As far as performance, the GTi is unbelievably tunable, it is easily the track favorite from any account. It basically comes down to this; do you want a big body, that weighs as much as a yacht, with nothing much to tune. OR, would you like an amazingly sporty, limited production, far sexier, with everything yanking towards the track and/or a little street dragging machine?

also, keep this in mind- the CL "look" will fade VERY quick after next year when they pull the plug on production. The side of the vehicle is where I am bothered most, the big door seems WAY to pronounced and doesn't look right. It almsot needs rear doors to justify the length, lookwise I think the CL needs a HUGE improvement. (maybe this is the big reason they took it out of production and they can't sell 50,000 a year). food for though. :P

Sarlacc

Cl bitch bitch bitch CL bitch bitch...Oh wait sounds like you shelled out the money for one, guess it cant be that bad or "ugly" then can it.

beerknurd

"Secondly, the electrical problems are with the older VW's, and since the OBD2 system has come out, the dub's have been stellar."

Wrong! so very wrong.

Doc.Booty

If i were looking at a car in that price range, i would DEFINATELY consider it.

zigzagzig

the civic hybrid is america's most gas thrifty car.

zeroday

Soopa, that GTI is a damn nice car...don't listen to the critics...Those things are fun AS HELL to drive. Yeah vw's have a few more problems than some other import brands, but it's mostly easily (dealer) fixable electrical shit not asthetic stuff like bad paint etc. that will really drive you nuts. Get roadside assistance, problem solved. Oh and I love the blue illumination at night too...more cars should come with that.

vinnydahitman

until the warranty runs out of course and then your sol... parts/maintenance from vw dealers is in no way cheap.

i am in no way bashing the gti. i really like everything about it. the electric problems and ac clutch problems (had to be replaced) on the bug are on an 01 with less than 28K so the statements about the ac and electric problems only on 90's cars does not hold water. just weigh out all of your options and make a wise decision. you can come up with problems with all cars:
VW = bad electric
CL = Shitty tranny
WRX = not as nice interior
SVT= ford
good luck!

Jens H.

Well my vote is for the VW ! I bought a Reflex Silver GTI 1.8 turbo yesterday loaded with all the goodies.I had looked at several other cars but I liked the VW the best .It has a nice interior ,great seats (good quality leather on the seats!) nice paint seems screwed together fairly well and is blessed with very good road manners .The drivetrain provides decent power and is turbo (read lotsa MODS!!!!! ).
Besides the whole deal can be had for around 20 large, it get's good gas mileage provided your right foot is not entirely constructed of lead .I did see the anniversary car but was not interested in it as a daily driver.That car I would buy as a weekend cruiser .
Oh one thing I noticed that really sold me .VW's have real sunroofs as opposed to many other cars where the roof seems to only pull back so far then it stops leaving part of the sunroof still in sight .This thing when fully opened completely dissapears .
Jens

soopa

jens, congrats!

how come u didnt get the 20th edition? just curious

Zapata

VW looks hot. my only concern would be the reliability. Although i like the way they are handling the coil pack issues.....albeit having no first hand experience with the process. All i've heard is what i've picked up in the papers.

Jens H.

Soopa ,
Mostly it comes down to money and availability .The anniversary car is in short supply and another easy 3000 dollars more than a regular GTI .I got a lucky break on my old Honda which had no options (not even AC) and I owed way more on than it was worth .So when I got an opportunity to sell it to somebody who was willing to pay what I owed on it I had to go for it figuring it was a lucky break that would not readily come along again .
However selling the car was great but it left me high and dry for a daily driver.So of I went to road test cars.
I drove :
Hyundai Tiburon V6 6 speed ,not a bad car at all but it lacks refinement in few areas .The suspension thumps and bangs about quite a bit and there is a not enough head room in the car for a six foot plus driver like me .In it's favor is a great warranty a smooth V6 with a 6 speed both of which do a nice job of getting the car down the road in good speed .

Honda Civic SI ,this was the big dissapointment in my eyes .I had thought it would be a fun car to drive but with a suspension straddled with both lousy tires and way to soft spring /damper settings and add to that a very weak feeling engine I walked away from the car completely .In it's favor was a cheap price even less than the fully loaded Tiburon .The funky supposedly rally car inspired shifter actually works far better than it looks although it has a certain perverse look to it .

Mazda 6 V6 .Not a bad car and a legitimate competitor to our own Acura TSX .But four doors is two too many for my bachelor life.In it's favor was a surprisingly fun to drive side to this car and good looks for a small four door.

Acura RSX Type S 6 speed .I work on these things for a living so I can say they are well made reliable cars .The engine seats and shifter are the high points .On the other hand the interior is uninspired and the instruments look like crap .It is a small car for a big dollar so no deal for me .

Acura TSX 6speed navi ,Nice car but way over budget for me in the end .When equipped with the optional nav system it is worth it if not go buy a Mazda 6 it is equal to it in most ways that matter .And ofcourse a four door again not my cup of tea.

VW GTI 1.8 turbo ,this was the surprise of the day .I had not considered VW but my neighbor prays at the alter of VW and finally convinced me to go and at least drive the car .WOW nice car .Good power delivery with a very moddable turbo drivetrain .Excellent seats , good shifter lots of nice features like the Monsoon audio system a real sunroof that really dissapears, telesoping steering wheel ( a big plus for me ) very nice leather that smells like it belongs in a BMW .The road test was a big surprise as well .This car felt planted solid on the road with no apparent bad habits .The price was also a good deal at 20 grand and a few dollars. I had considered the 20TH anniversary car but it would have to be ordered and it was another 3000 dollars more and I was not that knocked over by it that it was worth both the wait and the money to get it.I had a budget to keep in mind as well so the GTI get's the vote and VW get's my money.

My aim was to be around 20 k in price for a new car with as many options as possible .The VW came in as the winner here for me .I had heard about VW having some issues with some of the stuff they make but honestly all cars have issues .Hopefully the car will go 3 years without too many issues .

Something I want to add here was that the dealer was a truly a delight to go to .They did not hassle me with endless sales pitches or needless phonecalls .They called twice ,once to answer a question about mods ( they were realistic in the answer) and once to see if they could be any further assistence or had questions .The day I bought the car was a revelation ,the entire transaction was pleasant and hassle free.I was approved quite literally in less than five minutes .If the car is half as good as my sales experience I think I will have done well .

Jens

WhiteCL2003

jen,

you just bought one of the best if not THE best car for 20k. You should have a nice pocket with mod money now and having a GTi means a ton of mod fun. Not to diss any CL's as I am an owner, but the GTi with 5k in mods, which would be a total of $25,000, can completely beat an Acura CL-S, quite amazing how tunable those GTi's really are.

Beltfed

Just another car to consider while the interior definitely isn't as nice as the GTI, is the SRT-4. For 2004, they are adding a power sunroof optional, aluminum pedals, and the much needed LSD standard.

Price is $20,450 + dest. I also hear the HP might be bumped up by 15, that's a rumor I think though.