New Car GTI, STI, EVO....

eloplayspolo

So - Good news, i just got a very very good job working for a software company!!!
In this economy I am ecstatic to be making what I am with full benefits. The company is awesome and so are the people, and i really enjoy going to work.

So now the fun part. I have a pretty nice car right now, 2007 civic lx, i put some wheels on it and tinted it and have really enjoyed having it. However, for the past year or so I have become BORED out of my mind. It's awesome on gas but horrible on acceleration, it corners well but its slower than crap....

So here I am, 23 years old, solid job, and i have a paid off civic worth between 13-14k. Im looking at getting a new or used STI, EVO or a new GTI (dsg).

STI is my first choice but the price of them is really hard to go with, it is my "logical" dream car, but the 34k price tag is a little hefty for me. Looking at them used there isn't a big jump, so i have a lot of trouble justifying the purchase.

The EVO is my 2nd choice i think, New they are far too expensive, but used ive been seeing some 2008 models with 45-60k miles on them for 22-25. I sat in one today... I'm a bigger guy and have big thighs from playing water polo since i was 8... not very comfy for me. The recaro seats look great, but i just cant imagine sitting in there for 6 hour drives up the coast to santa cruz (where my girl was going to school).

So then, my boss (who owns a gti) says check out the GTI (dsg). So here i am looking online tonight and reading some reviews, and people are comparing it to porche and saying that its QUICK and handles ridiculously well. The issue is that i want either solid black interior or leather, and the leather package is another 5k (DUMB). So i would need to spend 1k-2k on after market leather, which isn't horrible because im sure i could get some extra leather for some a-pillar pods.

I guess im posting because im looking for educated opinions on these vehicles or any others you may think i would enjoy driving in this price range.

My main priority is reliability. My civic is built like a tank, I have had to do NOTHING to it besides breaks and tires, and im sure i wont for another 50k or so.

let me know what you guys think.

Thanks!

EBAN44

Infinite G37? or maybe last gen G35? Speed, very nice, roomie... well built engine

eloplayspolo

EBAN44 wrote: »

Infinite G37? or maybe last gen G35? Speed, very nice, roomie... well built engine

beautiful car, but not for me, maybe in 10+ years, i think im looking for soething more aggressive

elmobo

Yeah same to me... hoping to have some.. just like that.. maybe I can have that when I'm reach at the age of 50's something... hehe.. expected that gift to my grandchildren

arun1963

In the current economic situation, you are very lucky to be where you are. As you have rightly pointed out yourself. However, things continue to be fluid and could change on a dime. In which case companies usually follow 'LIFO and the youngest ones first' policy.

Honestly, I would stick with the boring Civic for a while. Just save up for now and if 12 months down the line things are still rosy then look at making a big ticket commitment. Maybe not what you wanted to hear, but that is what I would tell my 22 yr old son, if he asked this question.

Its a tough call between the Subaru and the EVO though.

nooshinjohn

arun1963 wrote: »

Its a tough call between the Subaru and the EVO though.

No contest here at all. Subaru all day long and twice on Sunday. Symetrical AWD will be a benefit you will be thankful for every time you drive the car. That system is so good that you won't even know how many times it saves the car from getting away from you. Grab the STI if you can and you will never have a regret.

The other aspect of a car's performance is always forgotten in the excitement of buying the car, and that is it's resale performance. In this economy, every advantage helps and here again, the Subi comes out on top. Think safety, reliability and again, Subi wins.

If I sound like a salesman, I sold them too. More than that, I built Subarus for a while in Lafayette, and I can tell you from first-hand experience just how anal they are about their quality.

I guess you know what my call would be, but best of luck in the new job and with your choice.


John

Ricardo

Why not the standard WRX? it's IMO a better choice than the GTI and still around 10 grand under the EVO/STI.

heiney9

Boy Racer, harsh ride, a little unrefined = Subaru

Refined, comfort, still fast, composed, killer materials inside = GTI

GTI all the way

H9

Ricardo

Brock, I think you are right on most (not sure what "boy racer" means).

For me, the AWD and the "still fast" vs "really fast" might be a decision point and be ok with the harsh ride and poor interior of the Subaru.

In terms of reliability I think they are very similar (good).

eloplayspolo

yeah if i do go with the sti, i will prob force myself to save more for a down payment.

As far as quality go i know the sti is the best, but i was more interested in knowing how the others are as well.

WRX = regret, i know i i will be angry for not getting the STI.


As far as the risk of picking up a big payment in this economy. I am in a secure positions, i was hired because of my experience in the industry. The company has been around for 25 years and was recently acquired by one of the larger medical software companies in the world, we are still hiring, the job isn't going anywhere. Not to mention that I've already talked with upper management about them helping pay for school, im so lucky.


As of now - we are looking at a White STI 5 Door

o yeah - work is only 1 mile away. yay gas prices and putting no miles on my car.

heiney9

Ricardo wrote: »

(not sure what "boy racer" means).

Subaru's of that type tend to have a lot of wings, flares, scoops, funky colors, odd colored rims, etc. That screams boy racer.

I did notice the OP is 23 so perhaps the Subaru is more appealing to him as that;s the demographic they shoot for with those cars vs. the GTI being a little more refined, upscale, etc.

This is the GTi to get but sadly even I think it's over priced

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/07/2012-volkswagen-golf-r-first-drive-review-road-test/

H9

eloplayspolo

heiney9 wrote: »

Subaru's of that type tend to have a lot of wings, flares, scoops, funky colors, odd colored rims, etc. That screams boy racer.

I did notice the OP is 23 so perhaps the Subaru is more appealing to him as that;s the demographic they shoot for with those cars vs. the GTI being a little more refined, upscale, etc.

This is the GTi to get but sadly even I think it's over priced

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/07/2012-volkswagen-golf-r-first-drive-review-road-test/

H9

i really like this look





"NOT"... not into the "ricey" style... im looking at going more classey i guess

heiney9

eloplayspolo wrote: »

i really like this look





"NOT"... not into the "ricey" style... im looking at going more classey i guess

No offense but that screams "boy racer" :biggrin: I'm older than you and past that stage. Again, nothing wrong with that.

Ricardo

heiney9 wrote: »

This is the GTi to get but sadly even I think it's over priced

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/07/2012-volkswagen-golf-r-first-drive-review-road-test/

H9

Nice; goes from 200 to 260ish HP, AWD.......I like it. Might be my next car :cool:

heiney9

Ricardo wrote: »

Nice; goes from 200 to 260ish HP, AWD.......I like it. Might be my next car :cool:

I want one too, but I admit, I can't really swing it anytime soon. Probably part of the reason I think they are asking too much :biggrin:

If you get one, you're driving to Polkfest 2013 and I'll help :biggrin:

H9

newrival

heiney9 wrote: »

This is the GTi to get but sadly even I think it's over priced

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/07/2012-volkswagen-golf-r-first-drive-review-road-test/

H9

I'm guessing the R is the new evrsion of the R32 (?)

I had an '02 R32. Awesomely fun car. Had it for 8 years and put 170k miles on it. Other than preventative maint. I spent maybe $700 on repairs. I'm sure it would've gone another 100k easy but some dbag broad-sided me and it was totalled.

I agree that they're a little over-priced for the person that is primarily performance driven. These VW's offer a great amount of bells & whistles. And if you're into design, industrial or otherwise, VW wins hands down with innovation, fit, and finish.

If I were only cnocerned about performance, I'd be in an a/c-less Mitsu Evo. I pulled one out of a car trailer and ripped it around a test track in the united center parking lot a few years back, and it's insane. As good as an STI is, an Evo is even more confident, even more poised. I think they look classier too. But the interior finish is not as refined as I would like.

heiney9

Yes, the new "R" is a continuation of the "R" spec VW's and is the 2012 equivalent to the R32, the biggest change being it has the 16V 2.0 4cyl turbo instead of the 3.2L VR6. The 2.0 is a great engine and with the right exhaust can sound pretty damn good. There is still nothing like the sound of a WOT VR6 with proper exhaust, the sound is intoxicating and I find myself revving my VR6 just to hear the sound. (Techtonics SS exhaust w/Borla muffler)

But the 2.0-4cyl is an engineering marvel and 200+lbs lighter than the VR6 and it just makes the car at the limit much better to drive, so I get that.

Our local VW dealer has an '08 R32 with 11K and they are asking $28K, that's ridiculous for a car that MSRP'd at about $32 and many of the '08's sat on the lot and people were buying them at a 20% discount just to move them.

Since I don't go to the track an R32 with VR6 or the new R-GTI would be fine by me, a superb balance of refinement, fit and finish, comfort and enough power and chassis to have a lot of fun. Not a balls out street racer. That's not what they are for nor have they ever been for that.

H9

gwg_97

+1 on the golf R or wait a year for the completely redesigned WRX.

http://www.vwvortex.com/artman/publish/vortex_news/article_2948.shtml

Now, if you want to be more practical, keep the civic and buy a house.

heiney9

gwg_97 wrote: »

Now, if you want to be more practical, keep the civic and buy a house.

I just bought a house, so that's why I have to keep my VR6 GTi for awhile

H9

Ricardo

heiney9 wrote: »

If you get one, you're driving to Polkfest 2013 and I'll help :biggrin:

H9

I'm pretty sure it would be more fun to drive than the Jetta....

praedet

All right, I have owned 2 of the cars and test driven the other 1 extensively...

First, stock for stock, and all from the equivalent model year
Handling
1. Evo
2. STi
10. GTI

Handling
1 and 2 Tie. Evo and STi (Really depends on distance and roll vs. stop)
10. GTI

Creature Comforts
1. GTI
2 and 3 Tie. Evo and STi (Really depends on what you look at, most would say the STi is slightly better)

Daily driveability (Harshness)
1 and 2 tie. GTI and STi (The GTI is the more upscale, and softer, the STi is not too bad and will be MUCH better in rain or snow)
5. Evo (Pretty harsh)

Reliability
1. STi
5. Evo
10. GTI

Once you start modding, it depends on how much you spend and what you are interested in basically...

heiney9

Care to elaborate one's which you;ve owned? Also Handling???? You give no criteria. The GTi will never be a track monster like the others, it's not marketed that way.

I disagree with your findings, but then we both just have our own opinions. What does the numbering have to do with anything, again no criteria.

H9

praedet

GTI and STi...

It is an absolute scale with the top always occupied by one of the 3. In other words, handling in the GTi is FAR below that of the STi or Evo, even on the street. It is only more pronounced at the track.

Which ones do you disagree on? No person that has experience with all three, or worthwhile magazine/consumer ratings site will disagee with me/ The GTi has better creature comforts and snob appeal, but worse reliability and performance...

heiney9

I didn't understand what the numbers meant, 1,2,5,10. Snob appeal, that's funny because (and this is a general statement as I'm sure your's was) I find more annoying, snobby people driving around in EVO's and STI's than I do in GTi's, by a long shot.

I would disagree that the GTi is FAR worse at handling. It's not a track car like most STI's and EVO's, but then it doesn't make your teeth fall out driving in the Midwest either.

As far as reliablity, I assume you are basing on having owned it. I myself have had few issues with my GTi so I disagree it seems Newrival would disagree as well.

There is no correct answer here, you prefer the other's. That's great. I prefer the GTi like I prefer SDA while other's prefer Maggies. I just wanted a little better understanding of your criteria. Still not understanding the handling as you have just used "street" and "track" but I don't race on the street so do you mean going over rough pavement, carving up a winding road and then I'd assume you drove all 3 on the same road and same conditions, etc.

H9

eloplayspolo

what did i start.......

also looking at the a3

heiney9

eloplayspolo wrote: »

what did i start.......

also looking at the a3

Nothing, I was just commenting. Not discounting his findings, I just don't agree 100% and I didn't understand his criteria. Talking about cars has even more opinions than talking about audio :eek::biggrin:.

Seriously, it's all good.

IMO, the A3 is an over priced Golf in general One big advantage obviously is the Quattro feature, but you will pay dearly. I don't mean that negatively, it's just a fact that Quattro usually comes with the high end package.

If I had my choice between a loaded A3 and the new R-GTI, no contest, R-GTI.

H9

praedet

^^^I agree

R32 and other R versions of the Golf line fair better against the STi and Evo

eloplayspolo

honestly i may end up just waiting to get that dream STI

eloplayspolo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOsIFJwS--4

This would be similar to what i like. im not a fan of the big spoiler.
i would PROB go for 5 door.

eloplayspolo

100% tint all around though.


I'm already thinking about what speakers im going to put in it. SRs are so hard to find and im not going to put anything mediocre in it.

Pretty sure an SR 12 will be the sub of choice as well as PDX amps.

I am going to sound proof the crap out of this thing - gonna be fun to rip apart my dream car in my driveway and watch the people next door and my girlfriend wonder why the hell im doing it.

I figure with the power the sti has the weight shouldn't be a big deal.

nooshinjohn

eloplayspolo wrote: »

Freaking SWEET!!!

Another thing to consider is to go WRX and tweak it as you go. A friend of mine has a WRX that is pushing 400 to the wheels, looks box stock, andhe did it for about 4k less than getting an STI.:cool: