2009 Vw Gti

[Nancy Boy]

Well, fellas, my lease on my 2006 Passat is ending in January. I was first looking at the Jetta Sportswagen and then thought about the Passat Wagon. Went back to the Vdub dealer and fell in love with the new 2009 4-door GTI. They had the car totally tricked-out with the Thunderbunny kit and it looked smoking sweet.

I ordered the car on the spot and it's going to take about three months for the dealer to take delivery.

My question is do any of you guys drive or had a GTI and what are your opinions/impressions? Thanks.

[Suzuki]

Well, fellas, my lease on my 2006 Passat is ending in January. I was first looking at the Jetta Sportswagen and then thought about the Passat Wagon. Went back to the Vdub dealer and fell in love with the new 2009 4-door GTI. They had the car totally tricked-out with the Thunderbunny kit and it looked smoking sweet.

I ordered the car on the spot and it's going to take about three months for the dealer to take delivery.

My question is do any of you guys drive or had a GTI and what are your opinions/impressions? Thanks.

All I can say is make sure you're covered under a comprehensive warranty for the duration of your lease.

As for the particular model you've chosen, it looks like its smaller and more fun to drive than the Jetta wagon (but less storage space as well). I don't know about the current versions, but my wife's VW has a turbocharged engine and its required a fair bit of maintenance (expensive!).

I'm not a huge fan of turbocharged engines, as the turbo can kick in when you don't expect it, but it is a good way to get more juice out of a small engine.

Now for my anti-VW rant:

After my wife's experience with her 2001 Passat and my mother-in-law's experience with her 2003 Jetta, my wife and I agreed that we would never again own a VW or consider buying an Audi.

You clearly liked your Passat (and, in fairness to VW, the newer models are better than the older ones) and if your plan is to lease them for a couple of years, you should be fine. My experience and the experience of other VW and Audi owners I know is that these cars have much higher than average maintenance costs than comparable models - no big deal if the car is under warranty, big deal if the car isn't.

Also, VW Canada doesn't provide independant garages with the software to run emissions diagnostics tests, which means you have to take your car to the VW dealer (and my wife's car has had a ton of emissions issues), where there's always something that they say needs to be replaced and every time the car's been tuned up, its needed major work (certainly more work than you'd expect for a 2001 that's been well maintained and that has just over 80,000 km on the clock). Also their shop rates are very high and they once tried to bill me for a technician's dust mask (I'm not joking) and they quoted us $750 to replace a trim part (glovebox door that broke) that an independent garage found used/reconditioned for $70.

Sorry for the rant, but I'm totally put off VWs and, by association Audis, from my experience with the cars and dealers that I work myself into a lather every time I think about them

[Lynchmeister]

I own and drive a 2002 VW Jetta 1.8T. I love the car as it's a blast to drive, but I didn't do my homework prior to buying it. What? Turbos need premium gas? What? Turbos don't get great mileage despite the tiny engine? What? German cars are...uh...quirky as far as maintenance can go?

I'm not as jaded as Chris, in fact, I'm not jaded at all, but when it comes right down to it, I don't think my next car will be a VW. Regardless, I know you'll love the car. I love mine.

Enjoy!

[wtruitt]

I traded in a Ford F150 for a VW Bettle Turbo S.. extremely fast little buggy!

Wayne

[jtoddaz]

My moms 2000 Passat has over 150,000 and still has no idea of how old it is. Other than some electical gremlins (which you are going to get in EVERY VW) it still runs very smooth. Congrats on the purchase, now prepare to think about driving your new car for the next 3 months!! Good luck.

Jeremy

[DunEdinRanger]

I drove a Wolfsburg Edition German built Jetta for 8 years. That was a fun car to drive. I took it in for regular maintenance and never had a problem with it. I also did some HW and found a very good dealer that sold exclusively VW. I think that made a huge difference in the care and attention my car received.

[joel]

My wife has a VW Jetta. We'd never (and I mean NEVER) buy another VW. Uncomfortable, doesn't handle well, slow (and she has the hotted up model), expensive to maintain, riddled with issues, loud, rides rough, do I need to go any further?

For the price of a 4 door GTI, you could get a Civic SI, Mazda 3 or 6 (they make a REALLY beefy/inexpensive version of the Mazda 3 with a big ole turbo that makes near 270hp which will EAT a GTI, or for that matter, an R32 alive) , Nissan Altima, Subaru WRX or Legacy, or a Volvo s40.

I'd take any of the above choices over a VW anyday... some of the above have SILKY smooth, refined and fuel efficient V6's, and others are road monsters - but all of them (at least in my opinion) are more comfortable, more refined, more reliable, and more fun.

Go to a Mazda dealer and test drive a MAZDASPEED 3 and i'll bet you'll be cancelling your GTI order immediatly. While not my deal (however seems like it may be yours as you seemed to like the racy hatches, and liked the modified GTI) I was stunned when I drove a friends Mazdaspeed 3, as it handles like a 3 series BMW, had a really crisp 6 speed tranny, has a low profile (a stealth cruiser and not a cop magnet) and was a total rocketship. With 263hp, that sucker hustles from 0-60 in 5.6 seconds which is enough to smoke and/or keep up with an Audi S4 (which has a V8), a BMW 650, Honda s2000, Mercedes CL550, Nissan 350Z, Porsche Boxter - I think you get my drift, it's really dang quick.

Depends what you're looking for, however at least for me, the GTI has no appeal.

YMMV.

[Nancy Boy]

Thanks, everybody for your replies.

This is my second Passat and although I have had minor problems with both cars, all covered by the warrantly, I still like the quality of VWs fit & finish. Both my Passats have been excellent cars and real pleasures to drive. I also looked at the interiors of several of the other makes mentioned, and it just isn't as good as VWs. I also want to avoid a V6 for obvious reasons.

Again, if anyone currently owns or has own a GTI, please let me know your comments.

Robert.

[chickpea]

Jettas and Passats had notorious maintenance issues 3-5 years back. FWIW they are better now.

We had a 2004 Golf (base model) and LOVED that car. We had to trade it in for a 2008 Rabbit. We are happy with the Rabbit, but its 2.5 litre V5 sucks WAY more gas than the Golf's 1.8 litre V4. Golf was also smaller better in many ways, but my wife needed a very light steering wheel (for medical reasons) and the Golf's wheel is heavy compared to Japanese cars and the Rabbit's is the softest wheel we tested.

Rabbit has one HELL of a lot of zip to it, but we would have been much happier with a car with less engine.

Then again, that GTI will have a monster engine no? We don't have the $$$ for a GTI, but I'm sure you'll have fun. They are sporty little monsters.

I have to say that we MUCH prefer the VW fit/finish compared to japanese cars (don't even get me started on American cars, we will never own another american car). Mazda3 might be nice though, didn't look into it when we were shopping.

[analog_kid]

German cars are...uh...quirky as far as maintenance can go?

After doing a lot of work on my father's Merc's (99' CLK 430 and '82 SL 300)all I can say is...German engineering my ass!

That being said, if I woke up tomorrow and could buy any car I wanted, it would be between a BMW M3 and Audi RS-4.

[htownmmm]

Let's see:

84 GTi; pocket rocket before and after modifications. A bulletproof little beast that i put over 260K miles on before selling it when I broke my leg and could no longer shift gears.

86 audi Quattro; saved mine and my wife's life!(flipped 3-4x on an interstate before coming to rest in the opposite direction-the brand new pirellis were at fault.)

88 vw jetta; when vw were scaring the pants off the rising sun. My first new car-and a babe magnet. Glad she couldn't talk and tell my wife what went on.
a trunk large enough for 2 bodies, 'fo doors,plenty of room and get up and went from 1.8l engine modded.

None of these cars were difficult to maintain(on my own). In fact, they were the tuner car for those old enough to drink. After they changed body styles, kept adding weight, and wanted to go head to head vs. benz/bmw(remember the phaeton?). they lost their appeal.

Before what you paid and the performance,fit, and finish you received was a great ratio. Now, they all are high maintenance items(and and weighted heavily)- and that's with minimal wear and tear. Outside of a diesel version, i would not touch one now-although i do have a soft spot for the passat.

Check out consumer reports on the problems reported by owners of these vehicles. If you get one w/o problems(or one that develops serious problems with normal usage), you'll be one of the few.

I currently own 3 vehicles: Chrysler 300T(first american car purchased in over 20 years), Volvo 850 turbo, and a Subaru legacy for the wife-notice what you don't see?


marty

[Unit 91]

We own a 2002 Jetta 2.0 and it will be the last VW we ever buy. After 50,000 miles everything went South in a hurry. Every time I wake up there is something wrong with the thing. We've replaced the battery multiple times, alternator, water temp sensor (known issue), instrument cluster (guess where all your CAN-bus and immobilizer controls are), radio... it's a long list. Even being in the business the thing is costing us too much to keep on the road. Burns a ton of oil (I'll admit that could be my wife's fault). Yesterday it wouldn't start. Yet again. It also gets crap gas mileage, handles like a Caddy, rides like a rickshaw and has some VERY odd quirks.

It makes me sad because the 80-whatever GTi that I used to have (dual headlights) was awesome. Even with the tranny losing synchros the thing was bulletproof. I want to like VW, but I just can't. Good looking new models. They're alright if you only plan on keeping them for 24,000 miles. Anything over that is just asking for it in my opinion.

I love turbo cars. They've been how I make my living for years. They just require a bit more attention. Just a bit. With the way modern turbo cars are you can almost drive them like there is no turbo and be fine. Water and oil cooling has done wonders for the reliability of forced induction motors. I'd agree with the boost catching you off guard more in the past. Better engine management and system engineering has made power delivery so linear in a lot of turbo cars that it's almost seamless.

After my wife dropped me at work yesterday I picked up a 2009 Subaru Legacy. I'll fix the Jetta this weekend and it's auf weidersehen.

[Suzuki]

I picked up a 2009 Subaru Legacy.

The ain't fast, they aint' sexy, they ain't that great on gas, they don't handle like a race car, but they're great cars - especially the models built after 2000.

If you're looking for good reliable, comfortable, safe transportation, the Subaru Legacy should be on your short list. My wagon is the most practical car I've ever owned.

While its not a babe magnet, I often get the satisfaction of passing the babe wagons stuck on the side of the road or crawling along when there's snow on the ground - thanks to one of the best AWD systems on the road.

I now take you back to the VW thread - sorry for the OT post, but I really like my Subaru - my family has owned 10 and never had any serious maintenance issues.

[LexusAussie]

Now for my anti-VW rant:
After my wife's experience with her 2001 Passat and my mother-in-law's experience with her 2003 Jetta, my wife and I agreed that we would never again own a VW or consider buying an Audi.

You clearly liked your Passat (and, in fairness to VW, the newer models are better than the older ones) and if your plan is to lease them for a couple of years, you should be fine. My experience and the experience of other VW and Audi owners I know is that these cars have much higher than average maintenance costs than comparable models - no big deal if the car is under warranty, big deal if the car isn't.

Also, VW Canada doesn't provide independant garages with the software to run emissions diagnostics tests, which means you have to take your car to the VW dealer (and my wife's car has had a ton of emissions issues), where there's always something that they say needs to be replaced and every time the car's been tuned up, its needed major work (certainly more work than you'd expect for a 2001 that's been well maintained and that has just over 80,000 km on the clock). Also their shop rates are very high and they once tried to bill me for a technician's dust mask (I'm not joking) and they quoted us $750 to replace a trim part (glovebox door that broke) that an independent garage found used/reconditioned for $70.

Sorry for the rant, but I'm totally put off VWs and, by association Audis, from my experience with the cars and dealers that I work myself into a lather every time I think about them

Very interesting. Before moving to Lexus I have owned Audi's and a solitary BMW. I found Audi's to be excellent although service costs were somewhat high. My experience with BMW gave rise to my shift to Audi and I formed a similar view to Suzuki that " I would never again own or consider buying a BMW". My primary issue was the build quality (or lack of it) and the abysmal service offering and expensive charges by BMW dealers.

I would strongly suggest that you consider non "Eurotrash" marques in your search for a new vehicle. I switched to Lexus 9 years and 3 vehicles ago and will now not even consider another brand (unless Lexus drop the ball).

Check out JD Power as a start, look beyond the marketing badges and take a few different cars from different manufacturers out for a spin before you commit yourself.

[Gruder]

I picked up a 2009 Subaru Legacy.

The ain't fast, they aint' sexy, they ain't that great on gas, they don't handle like a race car, but they're great cars - especially the models built after 2000.

If you're looking for good reliable, comfortable, safe transportation, the Subaru Legacy should be on your short list.

Actually, the Legacy SpecB is fast and sexy, if the 2008 I've driven is any indication. This is an amazing car.

But, as Suzuki said, it's not a VW. I, too, shall return you to your thread...

[kongjie]

The first good used car I owned was a VW Dasher Diesel. I drove it for 6 years. Back then you actually had to think about where you could find diesel, pull up among a bunch of 18 wheelers and have someone come running out yelling "Stop, that's diesel!"

In 1999 I bought my first new car, a 2000 Golf Diesel that I'm still driving. I love my car but I will admit it has had "higher than average service." But most of it was under warranty (the original as well as a third-party warranty from Warranty Direct). The problems were the driver's side window (for which there was eventually a service bulletin issued), the glovebox (which is just poorly made and eventually one hinge breaks) and most seriously, a problem with the mass air intake caused by soot, which affected the EGR and eventually the turbocharger.

VW Corp eventually refunded me for the repairs related to the soot, and since the service bulletin came out, the problem with the window was fixed.

I am looking forward to the next gen diesel and would definitely consider buying one. I haven't looked at new VWs but my Golf has 125,000 miles and is going strong; it had some issues but my overall feeling is one of reliability.

[Unit 91]

Actually, the Legacy SpecB is fast and sexy, if the 2008 I've driven is any indication. This is an amazing car.

But, as Suzuki said, it's not a VW. I, too, shall return you to your thread...

One more quick hijack.

The SpecB is all of the above. Great for those that are just too grown up for an STi. The regular Legacy can be made to handle like a race car. This one will stay stock, though. It's a lease. I'll pick up another toy at some point.

I'm biased. I've worked for Subaru for almost 10yrs.


Back to VW -

I maintain I like the look of the newer VW, decent looking cars. I really like their older diesels which seem to have none of the same issues.

[LexusAussie]

Just don't buy a Jaguar or if you do, buy two of them.

One to drive while the other one is being fixed!

[ECOSSE]

All I say is Bring back the Scirocco!!!!!!!

[Aevum]

the scirocco is back, on sale in europe this winter,

my dad had a passat and an audi,
the passat was a 1995, reliability issues all around, we crashed thanks to a direction error (wheel locked when a jag passed us at around 120-140MPH) the funny thing is that it was just out of service, the airbags didnt deploy either to add insult to injury,

then the audi A4, based on the same plataform, 2000 model, piece of junk, the electronics failed, all the electrical indicators went off, stopping for gas every 100 miles becuase you dont have a fuel indicator, the windows kept fogging up becuase while it was -5 degrees outside, the car was convinced it was nice and warm with the sun outside and 35 degrees C, meaning that the windows would fog up all the time,

or the little fault that the whole car opens up when you break the boot lock, the whole car opens up, the on board computer was stolen that way,

so, yea, theres alot of love for VW in our family,