Drove a 2019 GTI Rabbit edition today. Thoughts inside

[jeff]

Jeff I think I'm gonna go your route and keep the FiST and get a fun daily beater.

*Searches for Preludes and Civic Si*

I've really enjoyed having a revolving beater over the years along with my "main" car. I usually spend $2-$3k, keep it a few years, and sell and make my money back in full. I've had a '99 Ranger, an '80 Civic, a '98 Civic, and now the '01 Prelude. It's nice to have a car you can take a sawzall to and not worry too much about it. And in ever case I've actually made money when I resold it so it's like having a free car that you just maintain and put gas in.

If you go that route I suggest getting something reliable (NOT an older GTI) that won't kill you in upkeep/repairs. Finding a $2k beater that's actually been taken care of is hard, I spent about 6 months looking for my current Prelude. But that's half the fun really. You learn alot about different cars as you research and drive them. Me and some friends have made a bunch of road trips over the years to get a car only to find out it's total crap. We go home emptyhanded but the trip is fun, we find something cool to eat on the way, etc. Good memories. Then you find the needle in a haystack - a cheap car that someone actually cared about. The ad says alot. This guy I bought the Prelude from vacuumed it every day, he was about as bad as me.

I looked forever for a Civic Si and honestly there aren't any out there in decent shape for under $5k. I did find one and drove it but honestly I wasn't impressed, even with the B16 motor there's only about 111 ft/lbs of torque IIRC and it's just no fun unless you wind it to redline. Driving one helped me decide against it. But yeah you can get a nice Prelude if you look hard for around $3k for sure. One thing I've discovered is you can get a high mileage car that's been taken care of for a lot less than a low mileage car that hasn't been taken care of. I looked at some Preludes with almost half the mileage as mine and they were total junk. So keep that in mind...a car with tons of miles, but that has been maintained, may last a lot longer and ride a lot better than something with less miles that costs more money.

If you want a Honda and are in that price range, I think the Prelude is the way to go. That or a cream puff Civic LX or EX of even HF with a 5 speed, I'd have taken one of those too.

 

[HBEcoBeaST]

With any of the new GTIs or Rs you need to get the DSG if you plan on adding any power. And with the DSG you have to pay for an expensive service every 40K and it costs more than a FiST clutch replacement. VWs are great until you add up maintenance costs and reliability.

 

[Blindeye_03]

I had a mk6 gti (2014) with the DSG that I kept until 30k miles. During the time I had it, I had to get my water pump replaced 3 times and had some weird electrical issues with the tail lights. The dealer couldnt even tell there was a problem with the lights (I kept getting dash warnings about the bulbs being burnt out when they were fine). The water pump was always replaced with the same part and kept having problems leaking water. I also had neck issues with the way the seats were shaped - I think the mk7 seats are a lot better.

The car was pretty quick, and in the 3 years that I had it I grew increasingly bored of the car. Mainly due to not having a manual transmission. My wife wanted me to get another GTI because she liked it so much but I love the visceral experience of the FiST. I actually went GTI -> FoST -> FiST -> Civic Si -> FiST ... lol.

 

[polyphonic]

Not exactly apples to apples but I did own an 09 GTI about 10 years ago. Had bought it brand new and immediately did quite a few things to it including a tune, intake, full exhaust, and suspension. I drove it for about 30k miles before trading it in for something else. I enjoyed it for what it was but didn't miss it. Almost 10 years later, I was back in the market for another hot hatch. My #1 priority was getting the most bang for my buck which meant the GTI was immediately scratched off the list. I did check out a few Civic Si's but again, the cost was considerably higher compared to the FiST. All in all, nothing comes close to the FiST when comparing the fun-to-$ ratio. The downsides are obvious - it is the size of a sub-compact, the interior feels cheap, and the paint chips when you look at it. Beyond those minor quibbles, it is a magnificent driving machine

 

[TDavis]

I try to convey to my fellow VW owners, my friend group is 90% GTI's, how fun the FiST is and that the GTI is just a robot in comparison. But they're VW fanboys so they refuse to accept it, doesn't matter what you say, they pretty much hail Hitler lmao

I've driven numerous GTI's. Even my friends MK6 which has the pump gas 1/4 record on a K04. While its obviously faster(for now), it has zero character.

I don't like when people compare the FiST interior to the GTI. Its a more expensive car, its more grown up. Obviously it'll be nicer, I would hope so lol, but I still love my interior. It doesn't have excess shit that you don't need.

 

[Wes7]

I don't like when people compare the FiST interior to the GTI. Its a more expensive car, its more grown up. Obviously it'll be nicer, I would hope so lol, but I still love my interior. It doesn't have excess shit that you don't need.

I agree that it doesn’t make sense to compare interior quality across two cars in such different price and size segments. That said, I was surprised by the ergonomic issues in the Fiesta. For me at 5’9”, the steering wheel doesn’t drop enough. The shifter is both too far away in sixth and too close to the armrest in 3rd, even with a short shift adapter. The touch screen is too far towards the windshield. The center console armrest is useless. I think a lot of that stuff is just a product of packaging such a small car, but it still strikes me as not being very well designed.

Those issues are minor quibbles to me though - the big deal is the driving experience, which is better in the Fiesta. Also, Sync 3 is quite a bit better than the current VW infotainment - it is more responsive and less buggy.

 

[OneFord]

It's all about smiles per miles, and the FiST takes the cake every time

 

[Jay86]

I’ve owned enough VAG products to decide I never want to own another modern vw without a warranty lol

Another consideration for modders is that vw tends to build with just enough clutch for stock power levels, meaning those easy apr flashes usually mean a clutch in your near future.

Dsg’s are great now that they behave in traffic. First gen dsg’s in traffic were... not smooth.

One of my favorite vw’s was a.... 2008? Vw golf 2.5 5 cylinder. Super reliable and a really neat engine sound, did its job of lugging server equipment while being easy to park admirably. I beat and neglected that car and it just kept taking it. I’ve also owned a few gti’s and I do not know whom at vw signed off on the plastic intake manifold but they deserve a beating.

I don't really feel the new ones are smooth either. They're great at high speed, but become slow and clunky at low speed/traffic situations.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

I don't really feel the new ones are smooth either. They're great at high speed, but become slow and clunky at low speed/traffic situations.

Traditional autos are getting so good it might be a moot point soon - the one in the Giulia is absolutely amazing (traditional auto)

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

Are those front brake calipers just sliding deals with really fancy covers on them??

WHAT COVERS???

 

[M-Sport fan]

WHAT COVERS???

They look like sliding (vs. fixed/BBK type) calipers, why I asked.
On closer inspection they do look like sliding calipers, but well painted and stickered.
Did the R32 and Golf R come from the factory with FIXED front caliper brakes?