MKV GTI --- I'm a fanboy but is it "execuitive" enough?

[r3cc0s]

Oh god, I'm in love with the GTI

The torque with an almost lagless 2.0 w/ the DSG

Gorgeous well bolstered leather seats and such nice interior quality

Question is...
With my peers all buying cars like the G35, 3series, and A4s... Does the GTI look too "boy racer" to drive to the country club, and client events?

I know that in Europe the GTI is a well regarded and considered a "stylish" car

but in North America, it appears most people categorize them in the same class as other hatches ranging from the Yaris to the Sentra

I dunno... I love GTI's for their "style", history and practicality
In fact, it is the only smallish car that I can comfortablly sit in the back and has tremendous storage capacity with the seats down

I really like the Volvo C30 & the A3
However, I cannot justify the A3 as it really is just a longer platformed version of the same car, with just about the same styling appeal

The C30, I am a fan of, as I had spent quite a few days with an equivalent Ford Focus RS in England last year...
However I was absolutely unimpressed with the condescending and dismissive attitude of the salesmen at Valentine's
I dropped by the first time after work, all suited up... and arrange for a test ride
Came back on the "same" weekend with the other half, wearing more casual (I mean by casual a Polo-T and a nice pair of Jeans) and... when I had waited to get some pricing info
I was handed a brochure and was told to read it!
In front of the Wife.... by the same f'ing salesman

Now, since I have found reasons not to like the C30... mostly due to lack of truck space and it's handling characteristics (far softer and less precice to it's RS cousin)

anyways

[vtec4life]

i think its a nice car too but if you can afford something a bit more "executive" to drive clients around in then you probably shouldn't buy the GTI. are you a younger guy? girlfriend? family? might also want to think ahead a little bit and see if the GTI fits into your future or not. but if you cant justify spending more money on a vehicle then dont. the GTI is a really really sweet car and its not exactly cheap either.

[rc2002]

To be in the same class as the "G35, 3series, and A4s... " you'd have to buy an Audi. VW plain and simple isn't upscale.

[r3cc0s]

GTI 5 door was what I was thinking... loaded to the tit w/ leather

I mean there is a GLI option with the Jetta, and of course the A3

However with the exception of a nicer "grill" on the A3, you'll find that the three cars I listed are incredibly simular, which doesn't justify the 47K price I saw for the A3 2.0 DSG

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by vtec4life
i think its a nice car too but if you can afford something a bit more "executive" to drive clients around in then you probably shouldn't buy the GTI. are you a younger guy? girlfriend? family? might also want to think ahead a little bit and see if the GTI fits into your future or not. but if you cant justify spending more money on a vehicle then dont. the GTI is a really really sweet car and its not exactly cheap either.

no not that cheap at all, but to image and car-retarded people they might think "zomg another golf/rabbit"

Honestly i LOVE the GTI, riding around in the interior is enough to change their minds, and who cares really what other people think - YOU enjoy what YOU drive.

[teggypimp95]

The GTI, GLI and the A4 all have the same 2.0T engine. If i were you, i would go with the Getta GLI. Same great engine, interiors are awesome. I think the out side looks fantastic, still fun to drive, but you look more your age in it also.

[r3cc0s]

Originally posted by richardchan2002
To be in the same class as the "G35, 3series, and A4s... " you'd have to buy an Audi. VW plain and simple isn't upscale.

Must be a north American thing...

I think we've been plagued and haunted by memories of the old Fox and MK2 series cars

Possibly to due with the Mexican built cars as well, we might experience more issues than elsewhere

I know in the UK, alot of people would class the GTI in the same boat as the BMW 1s if not the even the 3s
And find it a better car as a whole than the Peugot 207, and other european varities

but yea... I know that here in Canada, a GTI is basically the same class as a Civic or a Hyundai Accent

[Mr. Burns]

I drive a 5 door gti with all options... and while I absolutely love the car, I do find myself wishing I ponied up the extra cake for an a4

[r3cc0s]

Originally posted by teggypimp95
The GTI, GLI and the A4 all have the same 2.0T engine. If i were you, i would go with the Getta GLI. Same great engine, interiors are awesome. I think the out side looks fantastic, still fun to drive, but you look more your age in it also.

GLI's rear headroom is unfortunately the only fault... well perhaps the styling isn't quite as revolutionary as I would have hoped with the new line MKV Jetta

but otherwise it is a great car with a large boot

[gpomp]

i think the GLI looks more "upscale" than the GTI. at $38k, GTI/GLI is right around the same price range as g35 and lower end 3 series and a4's...

personally, i would pick the 5 door GTI on fun factor, DSG, versatility, and price.

maybe Aleks will chime in... he went from a e90 330 to a mkv GTI.

[r3cc0s]

Originally posted by Mr. Burns
I drive a 5 door gti with all options... and while I absolutely love the car, I do find myself wishing I ponied up the extra cake for an a4

& Why?

Fit & finish? Quattro?

I know that the Quattro is a great feature, but to be honest... a set of snow tires on Golfs are already quite good with it's ESP and relatively heavy front weight...
(I own a MKVI GTI)

I do have to hand it to Audi with the styling... I'd love a S4 Advant, but with a new house being built... and planning on keeping my Condo for rent, as seriously limited my leveragability

[Aleks]

I am going from a 2006 BMW 330I to a 2008 VW GTI 5 Dr DSG fully loaded. The DSG is a blast, interior is best in class and has big room inside due to hatch design.

The only thing I might worry about is reliability but our Rabbit has been trouble free so far so I hope the GTI is the same.
I'll post some pics tomorrow when I pick it up ;)

[Mr. Burns]

Originally posted by r3cc0s


& Why?

Fit & finish? Quattro?

I know that the Quattro is a great feature, but to be honest... a set of snow tires on Golfs are already quite good with it's ESP and relatively heavy front weight...
(I own a MKVI GTI)

I do have to hand it to Audi with the styling... I'd love a S4 Advant, but with a new house being built... and planning on keeping my Condo for rent, as seriously limited my leveragability

Mostly quattro, and a 6 cylinder engine (I used to have a 24v VR6). If I was to get rid of the GTI it would be for either an A4 Sline, or a 335i.

Don't get me wrong, I love the car, but given the chance to do it over I would get the Audi or BMW.

[r3cc0s]

Originally posted by Mr. Burns


Mostly quattro, and a 6 cylinder engine (I used to have a 24v VR6). If I was to get rid of the GTI it would be for either an A4 Sline, or a 335i.

Don't get me wrong, I love the car, but given the chance to do it over I would get the Audi or BMW.

You have the Mk5 or Mk4 currently?

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by Aleks
I am going from a 2006 BMW 330I to a 2008 VW GTI 5 Dr DSG fully loaded. The DSG is a blast, interior is best in class and has big room inside due to hatch design.

The only thing I might worry about is reliability but our Rabbit has been trouble free so far so I hope the GTI is the same.
I'll post some pics tomorrow when I pick it up ;)

man thats sweet, i really want a GLI jetta, its classy enough to pass off as a luxury euro sedan and has a good amount of UMPH.... only problem is fwd but meh whatever, as long as it grips better in corners than my cobalt :thumbsup:

[Mr_ET]

The country club? lol

I think you should buy an M3 man;)

I think though the GTI is less expensive than some of the other cars quoted it is quite upscale for a young business man. It is fun yet still classy when needed as long as you get a leather interior.

The only thing I would really worry about is, as Aleks mentioned, reliability. Maybe think about a 2-3 year lease?

[The Cosworth]

I wouls still say an A/S 3, Sister in law to be just bought one and it is damned sexy.

and from what I understand it should be the same car as a GTI almost identically.


and yes I think the GTI would be seen as boy racer

[Mr. Burns]

Originally posted by r3cc0s


You have the Mk5 or Mk4 currently?

I currently have the MKV GTI. My old car was a Jetta GLI VR6.

[Weapon_R]

Golf's are definately not upscale at all. But why base your decision on what others drive anyways? If you like what you drive and you are happy with it, then get what you love and not what others want you to drive.

[r3cc0s]

Originally posted by Weapon_R
Golf's are definately not upscale at all. But why base your decision on what others drive anyways? If you like what you drive and you are happy with it, then get what you love and not what others want you to drive.

I guess the GTI/GLI are the "high" end sport compact cars in their class

But ultimately, yes I do enjoy the car and just based upon initial driving impressions

It has everything that I'm looking for
-Minus the "prestigious title in North America of being a Merc, Audi or BMW"

However if badges didn't matter, I think I'd be all over this car...
But all in all... like the new Honda Accord Couple
No matter how good of a car it is, it will remain to have a reputation of being what it was...
In the Accord's case, is an old person people mover

In the Golf/Jetta's cases, it's the unruley poor university student budget car... who has a flare of German made cars

[Weapon_R]

Originally posted by r3cc0s

In the Golf/Jetta's cases, it's the unruley poor university student budget car... who has a flare of German made cars

That's just something you'll have to deal with. All my friends in University had golfs/jettas/civics and the like, and their reputation as cheap, reliable, and fun cars for the younger crowd has become what most people associate with those cars...not that it's a bad thing :D

[ZorroAMG]

Drive what you want, eff what other people think. Don't be a sheep. Country club? Shit I would go to the glencoe in both the 997 and the W124 and could care less what the soccer moms and mid-life crisis men thought.

[Aleks]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG
Drive what you want, eff what other people think. Don't be a sheep. Country club? Shit I would go to the glencoe in both the 997 and the W124 and could care less what the soccer moms and mid-life crisis men thought.

:thumbsup:

some of my friends think i am nuts to go from bmw to VW, i could care less, as long as I like it I'd drive any car out there.

[VWEvo]

Originally posted by Aleks


:thumbsup:

some of my friends think i am nuts to go from bmw to VW, i could care less, as long as I like it I'd drive any car out there.

Aleks, I'm kinda in the same boat. I miss my vw's like crazy. I'm still torn on whether to keep the bmw or get rid of it and mod up a GTI.

[A790]

If you like the GTI, get it. It's a fine car, with great built quality and excellent customer satisfaction. I think you'd be happier with it anyway.

[Aleks]

Originally posted by VWEvo


Aleks, I'm kinda in the same boat. I miss my vw's like crazy. I'm still torn on whether to keep the bmw or get rid of it and mod up a GTI.

335i sedan would be a nice upgrade :D

[pinoyhero]

I really like the car but if you wanna be exec you have to roll

Audi, BMW, Infin, Lexus, Merc etc.

Honda, Nissan, Toy, VW dont do it

[canuckcarguy]

You know, image isn't everything. If you're building a house and keeping your condo, it's just possible you're already smarter than your colleagues - and in my book, you don't really need to "keep up" with them on the car front. Okay, don't show up at a golf tournament in a 1982 Sunbird; but really, if you've got a clean, well-cared for vehicle, good enough.

For work I used to drive a 2 year old 5-series, when meeting clients and such, and I found all it meant was that I was expected to buy lunch more often :). Now I have a fun car for weekends that I don't drive to work, and I drive an older vehicle, still clean and straight, for work. Frankly, I'm not sure anybody's noticed, and even if they have, there's nothing better than being underestimated. Both cars are paid for, and most of my colleagues are leasing something shinier.

More than half the BMWs that leave the showroom are financed, and the ratio is even higher for non-luxury brands. I mean really, the BMW doesn't mean you're wealthy, it means you've got a higher payment. I changed my driving preferences when I encountered a client in his 50s worth 8 figures driving an eight year old Dodge Caravan. When he finally traded it in, it was for a Subaru Forester. Sure, he could afford any car on any lot, but I guess the image becomes less important when the substance is there. If you like the VW performance and you're comfortable in it, I wouldn't worry about the rest of it.

[pinoyhero]

^ well put, to some extent

The fact that he's asking means that he does want the image, which is fine, that and maybe he himself wants a nice ride. So far as your 8 fig client how drives a minivan, its almost miser like. Some would ask what the point of all the success and money is if you (and others for that matter) can't see the fruits of your labour. I'm not leaning either way, just provinding and alternate view of a good point.

[Redlyne_mr2]

If you're buying a car for an image you're hurting for sure. It's like those people that buy a super base BMW 320. What's so special about a BMW, or MB, the bimmers and MB's in that price range are lame anyways.

[analbumcover]

hes not necessarily buying it from the image of himself, he has to uphold the image his company has, and all of his peers surrounding him are driving luxury vehicles, he doesn't want to get lost in the rat race with a sport compact...

think of it this way 30-40 something business professionals with mercedes benz/bmw/audis. and you roll up on a VW, you dont think critisism and snide remarks will not be in hand?

keeping up with appearances is what its about...

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by analbumcover
hes not necessarily buying it from the image of himself, he has to uphold the image his company has, and all of his peers surrounding him are driving luxury vehicles, he doesn't want to get lost in the rat race with a sport compact...

think of it this way 30-40 something business professionals with mercedes benz/bmw/audis. and you roll up on a VW, you dont think critisism and snide remarks will not be in hand?

keeping up with appearances is what its about...
this isn't high school anymore, it's the business world and anyone who thinks like that will never realise their full potential. It's amazing how many people piss away money on depreciating goods to make themselves appear wealthy. It's the ones that reinvest their money instead of showing it off that make it big. Some of the richest people in the world drive 20 year old Volvos and old 4runners. You'd be surprised how many multimillionaires in Calgary cruise around in tacomas and ford escapes.

[pinoyhero]

^ agreed with 99% of your point but really would you want to have $10,000,000 in the bank when you 60 and have not had nice things or would you rather have $1,000,000 in the bank and have lived in a great house traveled luxuriously and driven nice rides all your life, at some point theres a balance between saving for ever and living it up

[analbumcover]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2

this isn't high school anymore, it's the business world and anyone who thinks like that will never realise their full potential. It's amazing how many people piss away money on depreciating goods to make themselves appear wealthy. It's the ones that reinvest their money instead of showing it off that make it big. Some of the richest people in the world drive 20 year old Volvos and old 4runners. You'd be surprised how many multimillionaires in Calgary cruise around in tacomas and ford escapes.

hey man, i know what you mean, but if you're spending a little bit more for a luxury over a gti, and its going to help keep up with appearances (which he needs to do in his job) then what is the problem

pinoy has a point too,when you're 60 you wont enjoy life as much as you would have living it to its fullest when you could appreciate it...

[sputnik]

Originally posted by Mr_ET
The country club? lol

I think you should buy an M3 man;)


Agreed you cant look like a 20-something douchebag without both a BMW and a country club membership.

[benyl]

Originally posted by Aleks


335i sedan would be a nice upgrade :D

:werd:

BMW in this city isn't about image anymore. You have to be rolling in an Aston Martin or a Bentley.

BMWs are like civics.

[mark4091]

As long as there is enough room in the car so that the people you are driving around are comfortable you should be fine

[euro_racer]

Originally posted by mark4091
As long as there is enough room in the car so that the people you are driving around are comfortable you should be fine

i agree with this :werd:

the new mkV GTI's are not really looked upon as "boy racer" cars...yet. if you examine the type of drivers in thease cars, you will notice that they are younger (mid 20's-low 30's usually) but yet more sufisticated than the boy racer types. i think this is because they are not that affordable yet but in a couple of years they will be and that is generally when they will start to get modded. IMO that is

[Team_Mclaren]

Originally posted by benyl




BMWs are like civics.

:rofl: :rofl: :werd:

I think there are more highschoolers on beyond with bmws than civics

[canuckcarguy]

Originally posted by pinoyhero
^ agreed with 99% of your point but really would you want to have $10,000,000 in the bank when you 60 and have not had nice things or would you rather have $1,000,000 in the bank and have lived in a great house traveled luxuriously and driven nice rides all your life, at some point theres a balance between saving for ever and living it up

I sort of agree with that, but I guess it's just that some people don't care about cars that much, so they don't spend the money there. This rich fellow travels a lot, and he's got a great house, but if you saw him on the street, you'd figure him for a civil servant or a bank teller. His wife, on the other hand, dresses to the nines and drives around in a new BMW 7-series, which as far as I can tell gets traded up to the latest model every couple of years. So I guess the image is more important to her. But he must not like the ostentation, because when they're out together, it's in the Subaru. Go figure...

I do think that sometiimes a hot car gives you some confidence, though... it might be shallow to think of it, but just like a nice watch and a good suit, sometimes you can derive some confidence from your image. I just know that from my experience, I'm less concerned about a high-image daily driver now that I'm a bit more established.

[KRyn]

I would rather take the fully loaded GTI over the entry level BMW.

[Aleks]

08 interior with dual zone automatic climate control
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z312/ATPhotodesign/DSC_2849.jpg

07 interior with single zone
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb61/azn_dubz/4e8b33b9.jpg

This change alone makes the interior look nicer IMO.

[Destinova403]

Originally posted by KRyn
I would rather take the fully loaded GTI over the entry level BMW.

werd... IMO GTIs are very nice cars.

they are fast, nice on the inside, practical, relatively cheap, fairly fuel efficient and fairly reliable cars, you cant really argue with them. of course they dont have the image of a BMW or an Audi or a MB... but dont buy a car for the image alone, buy it because its what you want.

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2

this isn't high school anymore, it's the business world and anyone who thinks like that will never realise their full potential. It's amazing how many people piss away money on depreciating goods to make themselves appear wealthy. It's the ones that reinvest their money instead of showing it off that make it big. Some of the richest people in the world drive 20 year old Volvos and old 4runners. You'd be surprised how many multimillionaires in Calgary cruise around in tacomas and ford escapes.

Hell if i had all the money in the world id get somethign simple like a dodge charger srt-8. Its roomy, coomfy, and hauls enough ass ;)

[danno]

to bad dual climate was only in the states for the 07 model year.
either way it looks great but wouldn't it be rather pointless in smaller cars??

[Crymson]

This is from an article about rich people and sensible vehicles.


Ingvar Kamprad, founder of Swedish furniture company IKEA, is the proud owner of a 15-year-old Volvo 240 GL - a sensible car that barely made a dent in his $33-billion savings account.

[pinoyhero]

Originally posted by canuckcarguy


I sort of agree with that, but I guess it's just that some people don't care about cars that much, so they don't spend the money there. This rich fellow travels a lot, and he's got a great house, but if you saw him on the street, you'd figure him for a civil servant or a bank teller. His wife, on the other hand, dresses to the nines and drives around in a new BMW 7-series, which as far as I can tell gets traded up to the latest model every couple of years. So I guess the image is more important to her. But he must not like the ostentation, because when they're out together, it's in the Subaru. Go figure...

I do think that sometiimes a hot car gives you some confidence, though... it might be shallow to think of it, but just like a nice watch and a good suit, sometimes you can derive some confidence from your image. I just know that from my experience, I'm less concerned about a high-image daily driver now that I'm a bit more established.


Agreed, in this case though the thread starter whom I'm answering is concerned hence my post.

[pinoyhero]

Originally posted by 403Gemini


Hell if i had all the money in the world id get somethign simple like a dodge charger srt-8. Its roomy, coomfy, and hauls enough ass ;)

Yeah, either that or an '88 stang. If i had all the money in the world I'm pretty sure I'd be going away from a DODGE

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by pinoyhero


Yeah, either that or an '88 stang. If i had all the money in the world I'm pretty sure I'd be going away from a DODGE

haha thats true, GT 500 would make me happy too

[Eleanor]

It will be enough for someone who can't spell executive :D

(Can't believe no one pointed that out)

Don't get a BMW [/thread]