Regarding the services (at least for our Jetta), yeah they are a little more dough, but they spec synthetic oil and the intervals are longer apart than other vehicles we've had . . . mostly domestics mind you. We figured that the annual cost per year for servicing, was not much greater than a domestic once you factored everything in . . .

 

Yes, GTI parts are more expensive! My friends downpipe ALONE was 600 bucks. He has close to 800 dollars in ecu programing 95/100/110 Octane Prg's. Modding a Honda is less expensive with better results in the end!

VW=electrical nightmare:eek:

GD3blaze07':)

 

I love my Fit don't get me wrong but if you can affordd it why wouldn't get the Gti, they're so badass and every review I have seen of them say that thye're great.

 

i cant help but to think if this were true than wouldnt audis and porches and all those other cars have the same problems??? its all the same company so im assuming the standards are all the same? and if its true that gtis are made in germany and not in the mexican plant than wouldnt they be the same quality as a audi ? wich ive never heard to be a problematic car brand? correct me if im wrong

 

Just buy a fit already and start modding@!

 

fit=16k
stage 2 turbo=4k plus installation
rear rotar conversion=who knows how much....
hid conversion=500-1k
and were about even on price...
and i then the gti still has a better interior and more horsepower and all i had to do was buy it...
it seems like just buy the fit and mod it isnt the answer to me lol

 

The GTI will still be a heavy pig of a car, and it WILL give you electrical problems. Doesn't matter that its built in Germany, or that Audi is a sister company, these things just have issues, check engine lights being one of the biggest annoyances. YES, it is a more luxurious car, YES it is more technically advanced (both engine and suspension), however, the Fit appeals to me BECAUSE of its simplicity. Complicated systems break in complicated (and expensive) ways, just a simple fact. And in the end, a modded Fit should be faster, more fun, and more reliable than a stock GTI. Just something to think about...I love VWs, but the ones I love are the old Rabbits and Sciroccos, the ones that were simple, light and handled very well.

2007 Volkswagen GTI Reliability Review - Best Cars & Trucks - U.S. News Rankings and Reviews

 

Agreed with SciroccoTDI. Also fallinging within the price range is the Mazdaspeed3 which blows the doors off a GTi not to mention a Fit. A local guy here compete in D-stock (I think its in D stock). He is a talented driver and with the MS3 in his hands he'll routinely put in times faster than Sti and Evo drivers in autox.

It seems like your mind may already be made up, but if you are going to forgo the Fit buy the Mazdaspeed3 (which has a slightly lower base price as compared to the 4-door GTi).

 

some parts are more expensive. but to get a stock si and gti putting out the same numbers costs quite a bit more in the si than in the gti.

so therefore, modding a honda sometimes is cheaper, but not always. and results are totally subjective.

 

sOx, glad you appreciated the post!

to echo what someone said earlier, newer vw's use synthetic oil, which is more expensive. the offset is that you have 10k between oil changes. the offset to that is that unless you specifically ask for just an oil change and tire roatation, the dealer will perform every check up and flush that has to be done at that interval. thats what gets expensive.

if you know someone who is proficient with german cars, they should be able to take care of the changes. the parts do have to be ordered from germany regardless.

 

anytime you mod anything, you techically throw reliaiblity out the window. i have many a friend with a modded civic that has his car constantly in the shop.

scirocco, i think that being a old school vw fan, you just have it out for the newer models. there are lots of people who feel that way, and then guys like me who embrace all generations.

if you really want to get techincal though, it WAS the old mk1's and mk2's that got vw noticed for having a great car that was fun to drive, but was built horribly but had a ton of issues.

sure, there are legions of guys with older vw's without a single problem to report...but why is the conecpt of a newer vw without problems so difficult to grasp?:confused:



lets not all assume that there are not a ton of guys with honda reliability issues either; i'll stress that i had more 'issues' with my 06 civic than i ever did with my 07 rabbit. personal experience speaks more loudly than 'well, i have a cousin's brothers half sister twice removed and she had a ton of problems!....' ever will.:D


the mkV gti has been hailed as being close to having the same fun to drive factor as the mk1, more so than any other version before it. and the mkV has gotten loads of praise. and there is no solid 'run away because it'll break' reliabiltiy data on it. go ahead. search myvwlemon.com; you'll be hard pressed to find many mkV horror stories.


don't call out the gti on its weight either, 3000+ is becoming the order of the day. and for people who like highspeed cruising, its one helluva ride.

 

and not to mention an si or mugen si.(but no one mentions that do they?;) )

not everyone buys cars to autox. having said that, there are plenty of autox gti's that are abosolute terrors on the track. its a moot point we could argue all day long, and it wont help him determine whats best for HIM. besides, it could be as simple as looks, and thats enough to sway a lot of people.


the stock ms3's ride is a lot stiffer than the gti as well, so we could argue that the gti is a better daily driver and a more 'grown up' vehicle. not to mention that it comes with a dsg, and the ms3 is a manual only. (and a not so great manual to boot.) throw in the the gti's lack of torque steer and you make a strong case for it.

oh yeah, don't forget that between the si, gti and ms3, its the mazdaspeed that does the absolute worst job in covering its economy car roots. hell, even the rabbit has a stellar interior, so its a wonderful starting point for the gti. it really plays the luxo part well, and some people prefer that over a balls out type of car like the ms3. in the same vein, we could argue why don't all the si, ms3, and gti drivers just pony up for sti's and evo's since they perform so much better? thats the reason we have a choice people. you pay more for different things.

 

IF you have the money to buy AND maintain the GTI then go for it!
But if you don't......stay away until you got some bucks in the bank. Before the Fit I owned an R32 and it was great! But in the one year that i had it, it wans't a no problem car...shit costs bro. On top of the price that I paid for it I spent an additional $5000 maintaining it during that one year. So figure out what's economically good for you and go for it.

 

The point I think may people have attempted to make in this thread IS personal experience (having owned two VW's over the years). Thankfully with my mkI GTi I could find the problem unlike the gremlins that crawled around the mkIV Jetta. We can and have gone round and round on the reliability of VW.

It really comes down to trade offs and personal taste. Having had to live with and work on VW's over the years...I say its not worth it beyond a weekend car. However, if you are willing to foot the bills the newest installment of the GTi with DSG is a hoot. Best of luck in your choice Sox :) .

 

i forgot; you asked what is it that costs around 500$ to get the gti at those numbers; there are very german tuning companies that sell bigger bolt on turbos for gti's, jettas, and even r32's.


apr tuning is one such company, and they have a simply ecu upgrade that stretches the stock turbo a bit. like i said, the turbo in the gti is like a like a can of whoop ass waiting to be opened. (sorry, i have never found a legitamate reason to use that phrase, so that one more thing to mark off my list of things i personally want to be able to say in my lifetime.:D ) it requires no internal modifications, and dealers can't detect the new software. its so seamless, it even allows you to put it into a valet mode just in case your crazy buddy wants to drive it, that retards the turbo so to speak and it limits boost. it has a stock mode and then the apr tuned mode. the 250hp is whp too by the way.


mazdaspeed3 who?;)

 

i feel ya man. heck this is somewhat the reason we got rid of the rabbit (expensive to own) not so much because of problems, but just service in general. it was a great drive though. and it was cheap too. and the interior ran laps around my civic. (which is quite nice also).

another perk was not having to see a bunch of other rabbits on the road, as vw limited how many they imported to the US, as there is very little profit involved.

us fit drivers are very lucky that are cars have not gone the way of the civic.

 

APR is a great company. I always appreciate a company willing to do the hard engineering to get a great product to market. That and I love a German marque oriented company headquartered in Alabama.

With a reflash the GTi will be around the same peak level as a MS3 with a turbo back exhaust.

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/0610_gti_civic_mazdaspeed3_dyno/index.html

For a better comparison than I can convey: 2006 Sport Compact Comparison

I guess this is getting way off topic for for a forum about the Honda Fit...

Cheers!

 

I think that many people prefer the Rabbit and the GTI not for the power... its for the Transmission semi-automatic (and paddle shift in GTI). (its Genuine like Ferrari). thats why this car i like so much. the power that has those car suck cuz you can find those power or more in a Japanese car.. but the Japanese car sucks in his transmission. very old technology in this area compare with the European.

Many people like the Manual transmission,but i hate it.. for me, Semi-Automatic its more pro... like a Formula 1.. in my next car i´m gonna look for the true genuine F1 Transmission.. I hope that the Japanese learn now that the Semi-Automatic Transmission and the paddle shift can increase the sales in this car.

The bad problem about the European car is the expensive $$ in maintenance. but damm... When you see the web page in the ¨build you car¨ you can see the many option that they offer in his carrr. the stupid Japanese have to copy this. the color...interior....chassis...transmissions....dam m.. its expensive but if you have the money??? some people can paid this and if you dont have the money, just don´t install this.

i have the money for buy an Honda fit with a Genuine Semi-Automatic with paddle shift. but they don't have this option, cuz they think that not many people like it. thats sucks.

 

hmm..i've always thought japanese transmissions were pretty dang good, even if they seemed decontended compared with what europeans offer.


although i have no idea where you get that they usually have no power, considering that at least in the U.S., even the rabbit has more torque than an si or civic.

 

You aren't going to find a TRUE F1 tranny in a non-F1 car for this cheap, it's way too expensive to produce. These manumatic productions are as close to the incarnations you are going to get, and even then transmissions won't be up to par to the F1's. Honda does make an F1 car. Paddle shifters are a luxury as well as a pain since they add added stress to a half manual half automatic transmission. They don't do it not because people won't like it, because they know they don't need gimmicks to sell their cars and they don't want the consumer to bite a huge bullet in production costs and possibly repairs. Honda/Toyota have an image of being reliable cars, when you add something they don't produce regularly into the mix you lose that reliability for them.