Honda Civic Si or VW Golf GTI?

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Y'allo. I'm in the market for a new car and have a recent fascination with sport-backs. With the Civic Si and Golf GTI look great, I plan on modding them into oblivion, building this one for a racing circuit near my house. I am not sure which one to get though. Both are nice looking cars in my opinnion and would be perfect for the circuit (sportbacks only).

Heres what I am asking: Which would you choose: Are there any other sportbacks you'd suggest (Do not say Ford Focus :banghead: )? And what are some websites you know of that sell parts for these types of cars? Both for cosmetic value and speed.

I have no real stores for racing around where I live, closest one is 200 miles away :odd: so I need to get most everything online, anyone know some good cataloges online? Thanks in advance. Cya later ;)
 
Iwould go with the VW Golf.If you can find it get the limited edition R32 Golf TDi.

I think that the new Mazda 3 is a pretty good sport-back myself.
 
Even I'm an Honda fan, the Si is kinda bit under-powered for its size, but unlimited "JDM/Euro" tuner parts availability. The VW has a decent power line (esp. the R32), it too has a unlimited "Euro" tuner part availability. Its all up to you if you're into Euro or JDM customization.

If I'll pick one, I'll pick the Golf GTi w/ VR6 (if you can't afford the R32, why bother? Get the EVO or the STi). Too bad, the US doesn't have the [EP3] Civic Type-R.
 
Hmm... I'll think about the Mazda... It look kind of large for my wants though. Atleast in pictures, I'll have to go and look at them upclose. :)
 
I've owned the Mazda3 (for a while), it was a fun car (oversteering delight).The problem is, there is something holding the car back (slow 2nd gear, off the line) and of course the governor @ 120 mph (w/c I think that the car is capable @ 150+ mph).
 
Honda Civic Si. I am a fan of cars that market to the underground, not to the grocery-geters. The Honda is like a blank (and a little bland) slate, ripe for customization.
 
Well, having driven both, I'd lean towards the GTI. THe Civic felt a bit looser, and not quite as stable as the GTI.

While the VR6 is nice, the 1.8 turbo will keep up with it in acceleration and most other areas.

My vote is for the GTI. IF you can afford it, the new R32 is perhaps the hands down choice. I might be a bit biased, as I've been driving the same VW now for 5 1/2 years. I've totaled nearly 120,000 miles of my own on it, and it's nearly 170,000miles. A simple testament to how well engineered cars they are.

At 170,000 miles, a honda will not feel as solid as a VW does. Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

AO
 
I'd drive both and see what you like more, really I don't think you could go wrong with either.

Are there still Mazdaspeed Proteges sitting on any car lots? Those sound like they were good cars.
 
Originally posted by skylineGTR_guy
or save a few more thousand and buy an 1994 BNR-32 GTR from RBmotoring pull the boost restrictor and slap the competition silly.
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hahaha, i would leave the restictor in and still slap the competition silly
 
The GTii s an amazing car. I've driven one a few times and I can say that there a great little compact. The VR6 put the right amount of power, which is alot. I'm a big fan of these cars.
 
I would lean towards the GTi. I drive my friends around all the time at school and its jst a fun little car to drive. For some reason though i feel the slightest of oversteer while taking sharp corners:confused: . GTi hands down though.
 
Its front wheel drive not much you can do about oversteer. Plus with a few Neuspeed parts that can be fixed.
 
This guy just has new coil overs and new absorbers. I remeber driving it when he first got it and it was stock...terrible oversteer. Was constantly counter steering.
 
WTF? You're complaning about oversteer in an FF?!?!?!!!!

You're gonna be in for one hell of a shock when you drive a real car.....
 
Originally posted by Takumi Fujiwara
WTF? You're complaning about oversteer in an FF?!?!?!!!!

You're gonna be in for one hell of a shock when you drive a real car.....
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What is that supposed to mean? I drive a 95 camaro so i dont know waht your considering a real car or not.
 
Where to start, really. They're both as crappy as it can get, if you're in the market for a "hot hatch".

The Golf is a pig, for starters. A GTi weighs over 3000lbs, while the Civic weighs around 2700lbs, give or take a few pounds for both. This is a very noticeable difference, especially around a racetrack. And the aforementionned R32 weighs nearly 3400lbs. It'll get outpaced by the EVO and the STi, which are priced similarly.

The biggest problem with both cars reside in the suspension/brakes/tires department. Seems like both manufacturers decided to equip these cars with rubber designed for a Buick. First step would be to get some stickier, more agressive rubber, with some lighter wheels than the lead blocks found on both cars. The aftermarket has good option for both cars when it comes to suspensions/brakes, too.

The Si feels more like a driver's car inside, with grippy seats, and a well positionned shifter, whereas the Golf's seat are, IMO, pure crap. They don't hold well, they're slippy, and more importantly, they're freaking heavy.

Engine wise, you can always swap the Si's pile of crap for the RSX Type-S engine, which has a better aftermarket, but that's a lot of fiddling around. The VR6's been tuned for years, and it's a good engine, but I never liked the 1.8t, which just seems too fragile.

So, in the end, you're kicking a dead horse, if you choose any of those two. You'll likely be spending way too much money on them to get them to a level of performance where they should be anyway. Have you thought about the Biggie Cooper S? It's pretty potent, if you can get used to the whine...

Since you want to tune up your car for the racetrack, have you thought of a slightly used car? You'll be less likely to deal with a very long warranty period, for one, and you can get pretty good deals. Something like an Integra GS-R, an earlier, 99-00 Civic Si or a Neon ACR (if you can find one) will make a very, very good track car from the get go, and with the money you'd save from not buying one of the two piles you mentionned above, you can get a pretty good amount of go-fast stuff. Heck, you can get an Integra Type-R for less then 17 000$, and that's the best handling FWD car ever, even better than the Neon SRT-4 (which, lets face it, gets most of that praise because of the stupidly good engine). And I don't say that because I've owned one. :p
 
I'm just messin' with you. It's just that FFs , by nature, understeer, so I was implying that an oversteery FR would be one heck of a shock compared to the tiny amount of oversteer possible with an FF.

I'd think you may not see a lot of oversteer with a Camaro, because they are tuned toward straight-line racing, which usually will understeer, and also because it is a long, heavy, car, with the large engine creating a lot of weight toward the front.
 
On subject, it's really a shame the Nissan Pulsar GTi-R isn't available in the US. SR20DET with VVTI, pushing about 240 PS, ATESSA ET-S, the same AWD system found in the GT-R, all in a light weight hatchback car of just the sort you're describing.
 
a good mate of mine owns a GTIR and i dont think they are all that exciting, a RPS13 (180sx)is more fun
 
GTI. PunkRock is way off-base on some of his criticism of the current GTI - the 1.8T is a great engine that finds its best Volkswagen application in the current GTI; the VR6 is a monster. The Civic isn't a drivers' car at all. It's slow. It doesn't handle very well. It looks like it's meant to compete with a Golf GLS rather than a GTI, and that may be because it is. The GTI's not a great car, but it's definitely better than the Civic Si.
 
And me personally I can't wait til the dealer around here gets an R32 in cause damn. Everything I've read makes me want to sell my Blazer and get that, and the R32 would have to be in the cool blue colour.
 
Originally posted by VIPERGTSR01
a good mate of mine owns a GTIR and i dont think they are all that exciting, a RPS13 (180sx)is more fun
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Well, obviously, but he wants that kind of body style. And I think the GTi-R is the best car with that kind of shape. Of course a 180SX or an S13 Silvia is much more fun. Of course, we don't have either of those, being stuck with our truck engine and all....
 

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