Just bought a new GTI

[stratking]

Title just about says it all. My '03 Mazda B3000 was starting to have some problems. Nothing that couldn't be fixed but it also had a tendency to cut the engine off via the inertia switch if I hit a pothole of any size, and around here that is quite often. I drive a good bit on the interstate and was worried that it would cut off on me or even worse my girlfriend while going down I-85 which would not be pretty.

So last week I picked up a Candy White 4-door 2011 GTI w/ manual transmission. I absolutely love this car. The build quality is leagues above any car I've had before. Still breaking her in so I haven't been able to give it the beans much yet but damn is it fun to drive.

 

[Elfear]

Grats OP. Looks like a fun ride.

 

[coxmaster]

Welcome to the club!

If you've got any questions or anything there are plenty of us here that can help you our (and of course VWVortex is a good source of info too)

 

[HAL9000]

Like it, definitely looks nicer without the front number plate.

 

[punjabiplaya]

grats, looks good in white. kudos on 3 pedals, we all like you now.

 

[vshah]

sweet car...get an ecu tune for some easy HP!

 

[stratking]

grats, looks good in white. kudos on 3 pedals, we all like you now.

That's actually why I bought it. I was worried that there were some folks on here that were a bit ambivalent towards me. This should fix everything.

I will probably wind up getting the stage 1 tune at some point but for right now the car has plenty of power. The only thing that is bothering me is media browsing through the touchscreen isn't all that great. Navigating folders is cumbersome and you can't use the steering wheel controls for going through folders, just from track to track.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

i test drove one and the shifter was so... i don't know the word for it. vague? imprecise?
i drove my buddy's MKV GTI awhile back and remember that it felt better than this.

sorry, i come from a long line of hondas.

 

[stratking]

No worries. The only other manual I've had was a '99 Saturn SC1. As you can imagine this is a big step up. So I don't have a lot of experience with better gearboxes.

 

[RKS]

Congrats on the GTI, looks nice.

My NSX had the smoothest clutch/manual I have ever driven. My wife's Passat had an awesome manual drive-train but the rest of the car wasn't up to par.

 

[vi edit]

i test drove one and the shifter was so... i don't know the word for it. vague? imprecise?
i drove my buddy's MKV GTI awhile back and remember that it felt better than this.

sorry, i come from a long line of hondas.

It's a shame actually. VW has really crappy gearboxes for being somewhat upscale and trying to draw a sporting crowd. I had a MKIV GTi VR6 and the gearbox in that was okay. I drove a B4 series A4 & GTi and it was a step backwards. They haven't gotten any better since.

Mazda has one of the clutch & shifters out there that I've drove. My Mazda3 was a treat to drive.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

It's a shame actually. VW has really crappy gearboxes for being somewhat upscale and trying to draw a sporting crowd. I had a MKIV GTi VR6 and the gearbox in that was okay. I drove a B4 series A4 & GTi and it was a step backwards. They haven't gotten any better since.

Mazda has one of the clutch & shifters out there that I've drove. My Mazda3 was a treat to drive.

actually, i do believe it was MKIV. i got my VW's mixed up.
it looked like this.

 

[cyclistca]

Nice, I'm waiting for the VW R20.

 

[Doggiedog]

Congrats! 5MT? 6MT?

 

[stratking]

Thanks, 6MT.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Sigh, i miss mine more every day.

 

[vi edit]

actually, i do believe it was MKIV. i got my VW's mixed up.
it looked like this.

Dang. I had a MKIII. Not a IV. I'm retarded today. The shifter in mine was much better than later gens IMHO.

 

[PricklyPete]

Congrats OP! Awesome car and perfect color/transmission combo.

 

[bruceb]

I tend to agree, Mazda manual shifters are very good. As to white color, I have owned both white and black cars in the past and both were a real bear to keep really clean and shiny. Keep it shiny side up.

 

[amdhunter]

My MKV Jetta's shifter got really loose over the course of 2 years, but it was really easy to drive. It was notchy at times, especially in cold weather, but you never had to guess with it in a rush.

My RX-8 shifter is in a different league though -- short shifts + I can move it with a finger with a perfect feel when it goes into gear.

Despite how shitty everyone claims the RX-8 is - EVERYONE who drives it comes out with a smile on their face.

 

[amdhunter]

Also, nice car OP. Got any interior pics?

 

[punjabiplaya]

Also, nice car OP. Got any interior pics?

 

[amdhunter]

Hahahaha. :biggrin:

 

[zerocool84]

Not really a fan of them as the GTI and R32 both are woefully underpowered from the factory but at least the interiors in them are nice.

 

[vi edit]

Not really a fan of them as the GTI and R32 both are woefully underpowered from the factory but at least the interiors in them are nice.

Eh different strokes for different folks. It's not a pavement shredder like a Mazda 3 Speed or an SRT-4 or Cobalt SS. But for it's price, it's a very well balanced blend of comfort, fun, refinement and economy. It'll run sub 7 second 0-60 stock and still pull over 30MPG on the highway.