New Mk7 VW GTI

True.

I met a VAG mechanic that does nothing all day but swap out turbo systems (mostly under warranty.) He thinks the cars are great but not durable.

As for the $10K premium:

I assume the manual will cost a bit less. Also, if you haven't, see the evo Car of the Year videofor a bit more on the R. They were enthralled.

 

FWIW:

German Reliability: The Greatest Myth Ever Sold to American Car Buyers


I am still wary of turbos.....

 

Had a 2011 GTI--owned it for 4 years. Only problem was a water pump at 3.5 years--covered under the 5 year powertrain warranty. What worries me more is the general horror stories regarding direct injection and intake manifold/valve deposits. The warranty on my car had been extended (I can't recall how long) for problems related to this.

 

New EA888 powered(IIRC, US spec mk7 GTI is EA888, but not Sure if gen 3) VWs have both port and direct injection, thus solving the issue of carbon build up. Also features on latest Audi V8 and Lambo/Audi V10 engines.

 

My entire immediate family's car history has been all European cars, with a few exceptions. Non had reliability issues. Maybe a little on the expensive side service wise, but all have been reliable, including Jaguars. My only fault with Mercedes is deprecation, other then that they have been the most reliable.

 

Had a 2002' Audi A4 we purchased new. We were replacing the o2 sensors every year, replaced the rack, the engine expired but was replaced under warranty and the sunroof leaked and soaked the passengers carpet. We sold it to our son for $1.00 and he traded it in on a 2014 Focus ST which hopefully will be more reliable for him. In addition, our office manager just purchased a new three series Mercedes sedan and she can't get the
doors to lock ( bad striker?) and as a result, the car won't start. One more trip to the dealership and she mentioned it will be eligible for the Ohio Lemon Law.....

 

BMW 3 Series? Mercedes C Class or E Class?

 

Personally, I DD a MKVI Golf 2.5 — frankly, the car does more sitting than anything as the press fleet keeps me busy. I didn't opt for the MKVI Golf GTI because of the turbo, the four-banger sound and the traction system was a bit too intrusive.

I love the fact I get 34-35 mpg if I were to drive from Bergen County to Jersey City for my commute, I have a manual transmission and the vehicle is as simple as it gets. Had it modified quite a bit for fun and now the five cylinder sounds pretty interesting — I admit, it's not for everyone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5-Xzx7qpuY (wait for the drive bys)

Best part, it was built in Germany and has not been problematic with exception of one sensor going belly up.

Drove the MKVII Golf and Golf GTI and found them both very impressive. The Golf arrived with not one, but TWO problems; however, the GTI was fine. GTI is both quick and engaging, just I would opt for a six-speed over a dual-clutch if I were to keep it long term. In addition, the interior doesn't seem as nice as it once was in the MKV and MKVI.

At the end of the day if I were looking for something all-new I'd actually suggest you look at the all-new MINI with the three-cylinder engine. Better driving dynamics, better sound and does everything just as well as the Golf and Golf GTI.

 

2015 C Class.

 

My current dd is an e90 rwd 325 with 152k miles. LOVE the n/a straight six-may just get a cpo one as the new chassis' dynamics, electronic power steering and turbo 4 don't thrill me.

 

Buddy of mine just leased one and he loves it. Luck of the draw I guess...