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Help me out. New to VW, test drove a couple GTIs. Have a question.

Bmr4life1

New member
Alright, so my current DD is a 2010 V6 camry (~270hp non-SE). While decently quick, it handles like crap. My budget it roughly $15k (before tax and fees) and the GTI appears to check the majority of my boxes. (Fun, decent reliability, price, mod friendly, family friendly). I drive 25k miles a year, if that's a problem for this car please call it out. I'd plan to keep it well past 100k miles.

So I test drove a 2015 DSG and 2011 DSG. The 15' definitely felt quicker without any throttle pedal hesitation and a lot tighter. The 11 had 40k miles on it and felt a decent bit slower than the 15 as well as my Camry and there was a dead spot with the throttle pedal off idle (these must be drive by wire). I drove the 11 in both D and S. S seemed to just hold the gears longer and I floored it several times in both modes and was honestly disappointed (I really want this car to suit my needs)

Obviously the 15 is out of my price range and was really just for curiosity.

So my 2nd question is would a stage one wake the MK6 up enough to make it more comparable to the 15 and my Camry? If not, what would it take?
 

Taiso0019

Ready to race!
Stage 1 MK6 is a noticeable upgrade. Definitely quicker than a stock 2015/Mk7. From all accounts you will be spinning through first and second with OEM spec tires as opposed to a more mundade experience in a stock Mk6. If your budget is 15k I suggest trying out a Stage 1 Mk6 first since it is definitely more in your price range than a 2015 4 door DSG GTI.
 

blingdub

Go Kart Newbie
GTI MK6 < GTI MK7 < GTI MK6 Stage 1

if you enjoyed the 2015 you'll enjoy the MK6 stage 1 even more. also, you can also tune the DSG in the way it shifts

the GTIs are turbos, so if you want to drive it like a honda fit, just stay under 3k RPM. if you want it to go fast you need to rev way higher.
 

Vroomer

Banned
Stock GTI is kind of slow in straight line, pretty sure new v6 Camry is actually faster. Since you drive a lot just keep in mind that DSG needs it's oil changed every 60k (km not miles) and that will run you $300-500 unless you do it your self. Other then that you should be good.
 

blingdub

Go Kart Newbie
just looked it up... 2015 v6 camry does 0-60 in 5.8 seconds.
 

sticksabuser

Ready to race!
At this point it should be less about speed and more about what you're going to be happier in.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 

Bmr4life1

New member
At this point it should be less about speed and more about what you're going to be happier in.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Off the line response does make me happy though. I was perfectly happy with the 15s performance so I guess what I need to do is find someone local with a stage 1 that's willing to let me check it out.
 

ChrisB1

Go Kart Champion
Off the line response does make me happy though. I was perfectly happy with the 15s performance so I guess what I need to do is find someone local with a stage 1 that's willing to let me check it out.

If you are looking for off the line response, forget front wheel drive all together! You need something with rear wheel drive or all wheel drive.
 

Bmr4life1

New member
If you are looking for off the line response, forget front wheel drive all together! You need something with rear wheel drive or all wheel drive.

I DD a Camry, have a G8 GT, and used to have a 2011 Mustang GT. I'm aware of the differences. At this point all I'm trying to do is verify that a stage 1 will remove the missing off the line punch the MK7 seemed to have (both on full and partial throttle). As I said in the previous post my next step is probably to meet up with someone that has a stage 1 mk6 so they show me what's up.
 

ChrisB1

Go Kart Champion
I DD a Camry, have a G8 GT, and used to have a 2011 Mustang GT. I'm aware of the differences. At this point all I'm trying to do is verify that a stage 1 will remove the missing off the line punch the MK7 seemed to have (both on full and partial throttle). As I said in the previous post my next step is probably to meet up with someone that has a stage 1 mk6 so they show me what's up.

In all honesty, if I put 25k a year on my vehicle, I'd keep the Camry as my daily driver. Why? Because the maintenance over the long haul is way cheaper on the Camry.

With the GTI, you'll have DSG service to contend with, and it isn't cheap if done at a dealership. You'll also have carbon cleaning to deal with, which again isn't cheap. Then, if you are looking at a 2011, you have the timing belt tensioner, water pump, and intake manifold runner flaps that are also problematic. Oh, and coil packs, but those are cheap and easy to change yourself.

Now let's look at the Camry... Aside from fluids, brakes, belts, and tires, which you will also have to deal with on a GTI, what else is there to go wrong? Sure the Camry is a boring car, but in stock form, a MKVI GTI is pretty boring too! I once drove close to 32,000 miles a year and used a Honda Accord, then a Honda Civic, to do it because the maintenance was so cheap compared to the Infiniti G series I was considering at the time! Lastly, since you already have a second fun car, I don't even see why you are looking at the GTI unless you just want a smaller car to zip in and out of traffic in.
 

Bmr4life1

New member
Thanks for the extra info. I plan on getting rid of both cars and having only the fun DD. The G8 is about as fast as its going to get with dumping about half the cars value into it.

I have pondered a SE Camry but I highly doubt it would be much better.
 
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