First Car suggesting VW?

[carsonc10]

Hello Im 15 and looking for my first car. My family has been pointing me at a VW Golf Gti. I kinda like them but i hate the seats. Anyways I've been looking around on eBay and i found the R32. Whats the difference? whats better and better price wise. I know the R32 is a bit more pricey and my budget is $15,000. And i wanna make it cool. maybe put some cool rims on it or something. My sister knows a guy who works in a VW dealership and ca help me out on the side. I don't want to be like a ricer or have that farty exhaust. I like them with some sound but not anything that pierces your eardrums. Give me your suggestions please!

Thanks,
C

 

[Famine]

My family has been pointing me at a VW Golf Gti. I kinda like them but i hate the seats. Anyways I've been looking around on eBay and i found the R32.

The various Golf GTIs run, depending on the generation, four pots up to 2.0 with up to 200hp and are front wheel drive. The R32 is a 3.2 litre V6 with 240hp and is four wheel drive.

 

[YSSMAN]

I've owned two Volkswagens previous to my current Celica, and while I still think they are great cars to own and drive on a daily basis, there are a lot of extra costs involved that a lot of people don't consider.

1. Volkswagens are notorious for being unreliable. Generally, it is true for all models, engines, transmissions, etc.
2. Worse yet, Volkswagens are very expensive to insure. Why? Parts, man.
3. Replacement parts for the Volkswagen? Expensive. You think a BMW or Mercedes is bad? Volkswagen is just as much, if not moreso.

The good news is that middle-aged Volkswagens are easy to work on, and can be a good place to learn a thing or two about keeping your own car together. But, you're rolling the dice on reliability every time. Here's what I'd look at if you're dead-set on a VW...

1996-1999 MKIII Volkswagen Golf/Jetta (2.0L I4): The later versions of the MKIII were vastly more reliable than the original models. I had a '96 Wolfsburg, modestly equipped, it was a pretty nice place to be. It was quiet, decently fun to drive, and managed 32 MPG without working too hard. You could do a decent amount of work yourself, parts are fairly easy to come by, and you can pick up a fairly decent one for well-under $5k.

1996-1999 MKIII Volkswagen Jetta GLX VR6: If you want a "fast but cheap" Volkswagen, the GLX VR6 is the way to go. You get the MKIII stuff from above, plus a 176 BHP VR6. They're fairly reliable (for a VW), and are decently quick (as fast as a BMW E36 of the same era), and can be found for pretty reasonable prices. If you want a quicker car to learn with, this would be a decent place to start.

1999.5-2002 MKIV Volkswagen Golf/Jetta/New Beetle: Avoid, avoid, avoid, avoid, AVOID at all costs. All engines, all transmissions. No. Don't. Reliability is terrible across the board.

2003-2005 MKIV VW Golf/Jetta: There are a lot of variants at play with these models. Reliability is improved, but it isn't anything to shake a stick at. Extremely expensive to insure and repair, even more difficult to work on. The 2.0L was a carry-over from the MKIII, the 1.8T received a power boost in 2003, and the VR6 soldiered on with its 203 BHP the entire time. My friend's VR6 GTI is okay to drive, but it is more of a luxury car than a sport compact.


If it were my money, and I was dead-set on getting another Volkswagen, I'd be looking at three separate models:

• VW Corrado SLC: Avoid the ladder-charged G60, go straight for the VR6. Thing is, these are collector items these days. They should be treated as such.
• MKIV VW Jetta GLI 1.8T: I like the look, the comfort, and performance of the car. Nothing to shake a stick at, more of an "adult" car than anything else
• MKII VW Jetta GLI: I want a 16V Jetta for one reason: 16V 1.8L I4.

Generally, avoid collector models. That includes the R32 (MKIV and MKV), 337, or any of the Anniversary or Fahrenheit models. Collectors keep the prices up, and it just isn't worth the extra money. Stick to the value packages, the Wolfsburg Jettas are a "best of both worlds" trim that often included the better options, but wasn't enough to consider itself a luxury package.



Still, if you're spending $15K?

You're better off getting a Mazda 3. Drives like a German car, has the Japanese reliability, and the prices aren't half bad. Just stick to '09 and older.

Or if you really want a reliable sleeper?

Get yourself a Toyota Camry or Solara SE with the V6. Not only will it slide under the radar of just about everything, it'll blow the doors off most of the "fast" Volkswagens without breaking a sweat. That, and you can get well-kept examples for under $10k without working too hard.

 

[Jet Badger]

1. Volkswagens are notorious for being unreliable. Generally, it is true for all models, engines, transmissions, etc.
2. Worse yet, Volkswagens are very expensive to insure. Why? Parts, man.
3. Replacement parts for the Volkswagen? Expensive. You think a BMW or Mercedes is bad? Volkswagen is just as much, if not moreso.

Wow. It's the actual opposite on this side of the Pond. The German-built VWs last forever and parts are very easy to come by

 

[E28]

Now, no offence, but if you're 15 and it's your first car, don't get a GTi or an R32. Go for one of the slower ones, it'll be cheaper to insure, run and if you (almost inevitably) crash into a tree, you'll either be going slower or won't have lost control in the first place.

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

FWD? Not losing control? Ever heard of tank slapper or fishtailing?

 

[YSSMAN]

Wow. It's the actual opposite on this side of the Pond. The German-built VWs last forever and parts are very easy to come by

See that? That's the key.

The more-recent GTI has been able to escape some of the issues, as have previous versions of the Passat that were assembled in Europe. The overwhelming majority of our Volkswagens are assembled in Mexico, poorly, and it often isn't until well into the model run that things even out between those manufactured in North America to be on-par with that of Europe, and even then it is often not the case.

The new Passat, which is screwed together down in Tennessee has thus far escaped some of the quality issues. Still, however, these aren't going to hold a candle to some of the higher quality Ford, Honda and Hyundai vehicles.

 

[Tornado]

I don't want to go against Brad on this (and I suppose I'm not really), but if you are looking at a decent powered VW I wouldn't personally even consider a 1.8T. Look purely at VR6s.

• The VR6 is a butter smooth, wonderful sounding engine.
• VR6 models generally aren't as "wanted" by the groups that would do undesirable things to them, so you may even find when you go looking for real that they pop up much cheaper than the 1.8T equivalents even though they tend to be better equipped (this kinda depends on where you live, though).
• VR6 models don't break as often, nor are they as expensive to fix when they do.

Basically, what I'm saying is either get one of the these-days-somewhat-rare high power NA motors and end up with a slightly older model (Mk. II era; which, as a plus, means that it probably would have been German-built), or spring for a newer VR6. Something like a Mk. III Jetta VR6 would probably be about perfect for you, as Brad mentioned above.

 

[MatskiMonk]

1986 Jetta 1.6cl for the win... it's the only VW I'd get. Besides maybe a last gen Phaeton.

 

[carsonc10]

I've owned two Volkswagens previous to my current Celica, and while I still think they are great cars to own and drive on a daily basis, there are a lot of extra costs involved that a lot of people don't consider.

1. Volkswagens are notorious for being unreliable. Generally, it is true for all models, engines, transmissions, etc.
2. Worse yet, Volkswagens are very expensive to insure. Why? Parts, man.
3. Replacement parts for the Volkswagen? Expensive. You think a BMW or Mercedes is bad? Volkswagen is just as much, if not moreso.

The good news is that middle-aged Volkswagens are easy to work on, and can be a good place to learn a thing or two about keeping your own car together. But, you're rolling the dice on reliability every time. Here's what I'd look at if you're dead-set on a VW...

1996-1999 MKIII Volkswagen Golf/Jetta (2.0L I4): The later versions of the MKIII were vastly more reliable than the original models. I had a '96 Wolfsburg, modestly equipped, it was a pretty nice place to be. It was quiet, decently fun to drive, and managed 32 MPG without working too hard. You could do a decent amount of work yourself, parts are fairly easy to come by, and you can pick up a fairly decent one for well-under $5k.

1996-1999 MKIII Volkswagen Jetta GLX VR6: If you want a "fast but cheap" Volkswagen, the GLX VR6 is the way to go. You get the MKIII stuff from above, plus a 176 BHP VR6. They're fairly reliable (for a VW), and are decently quick (as fast as a BMW E36 of the same era), and can be found for pretty reasonable prices. If you want a quicker car to learn with, this would be a decent place to start.

1999.5-2002 MKIV Volkswagen Golf/Jetta/New Beetle: Avoid, avoid, avoid, avoid, AVOID at all costs. All engines, all transmissions. No. Don't. Reliability is terrible across the board.

2003-2005 MKIV VW Golf/Jetta: There are a lot of variants at play with these models. Reliability is improved, but it isn't anything to shake a stick at. Extremely expensive to insure and repair, even more difficult to work on. The 2.0L was a carry-over from the MKIII, the 1.8T received a power boost in 2003, and the VR6 soldiered on with its 203 BHP the entire time. My friend's VR6 GTI is okay to drive, but it is more of a luxury car than a sport compact.


If it were my money, and I was dead-set on getting another Volkswagen, I'd be looking at three separate models:

• VW Corrado SLC: Avoid the ladder-charged G60, go straight for the VR6. Thing is, these are collector items these days. They should be treated as such.
• MKIV VW Jetta GLI 1.8T: I like the look, the comfort, and performance of the car. Nothing to shake a stick at, more of an "adult" car than anything else
• MKII VW Jetta GLI: I want a 16V Jetta for one reason: 16V 1.8L I4.

Generally, avoid collector models. That includes the R32 (MKIV and MKV), 337, or any of the Anniversary or Fahrenheit models. Collectors keep the prices up, and it just isn't worth the extra money. Stick to the value packages, the Wolfsburg Jettas are a "best of both worlds" trim that often included the better options, but wasn't enough to consider itself a luxury package.



Still, if you're spending $15K?

You're better off getting a Mazda 3. Drives like a German car, has the Japanese reliability, and the prices aren't half bad. Just stick to '09 and older.

Or if you really want a reliable sleeper?

Get yourself a Toyota Camry or Solara SE with the V6. Not only will it slide under the radar of just about everything, it'll blow the doors off most of the "fast" Volkswagens without breaking a sweat. That, and you can get well-kept examples for under $10k without working too hard.

Really? Ive heard the complete oposite. I know two people who just got a jetta and a jetta sports wagon and they love it and have had no problems at all. Im not sure... I also hate those plaid seats. Anyways Thanks for your input.