1ashchuckton
Autocross Champion
No regrets with my GTI. Nice comfortable car & when I want a nice back road fun machine.
6
Anybody regret buying a GTI for a daily driver?
- Thread starter McGuillicuddy
- Start date
thatspsychotic
Ready to race!
'11 GTI here with 137k miles. No regrets, loving the car still. I've found that pretty much everything I've been annoyed with by the car (with the exception of the APR Stage 1 V2.0/2.1 issue) has been my fault in one way or another, and the money I put into the car is still worth it to me.
Since the car has been paid off for a while now, the opportunity cost of monthly payments on a new car can buy an LARGE amount of repairs and upgrades on this car over the course of each year. I've started to set a precedent of spending a certain amount on upgrades and key big maintenance items each year... did tensioner/carbon cleaning/DSG service last year, did brakes/wheels/nice tires this year, will do some degree of suspension and chassis work or an LSD next year, etc.
It feels good to be keeping such a nice piece of machinery running so well. I look at it like the difference between motivation and discipline. Motivation can run out when you get annoyed with things, but it's the discipline that keeps you powering through, and when you come out the other side of whatever issue the car has (busted CV joint twice, chasing boost leaks, junky tune, improperly torqued spark plugs, etc), you feel that much better about yourself. I honestly think I can keep this thing going well into the 200k mile range and it will still feel worth it.
Since the car has been paid off for a while now, the opportunity cost of monthly payments on a new car can buy an LARGE amount of repairs and upgrades on this car over the course of each year. I've started to set a precedent of spending a certain amount on upgrades and key big maintenance items each year... did tensioner/carbon cleaning/DSG service last year, did brakes/wheels/nice tires this year, will do some degree of suspension and chassis work or an LSD next year, etc.
It feels good to be keeping such a nice piece of machinery running so well. I look at it like the difference between motivation and discipline. Motivation can run out when you get annoyed with things, but it's the discipline that keeps you powering through, and when you come out the other side of whatever issue the car has (busted CV joint twice, chasing boost leaks, junky tune, improperly torqued spark plugs, etc), you feel that much better about yourself. I honestly think I can keep this thing going well into the 200k mile range and it will still feel worth it.
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riceburner
Autocross Champion
theres a few things about the car that don't make daily driving it all to enjoyable.. at least in my case the DSG just isn't much of a pleasure to drive normally. Its great when spirited but on a quiet cruise and stop and go it just doesn't feel that nice with the clunking and vibration.
Other than that the suspension, though tight and sporty, of course compromises the ride and again, makes the daily commute sometimes not so fun, with the rattling interior and harsh ride.
Pay to play, i guess.
But would i ever trade this for something without those problems at the compromise of not being fast and fun to drive? FACK NO!
Other than that the suspension, though tight and sporty, of course compromises the ride and again, makes the daily commute sometimes not so fun, with the rattling interior and harsh ride.
Pay to play, i guess.
But would i ever trade this for something without those problems at the compromise of not being fast and fun to drive? FACK NO!
flakomk6
Ready to race!
Bruh I seriously don't get that rattle every one is talking about . Do you get it at a certain mileage? Seriously maybe I am deaf but I wanna know where exactly this noise comes from
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rawbdog
Go Kart Champion
The GTI was an absolute blast until I hit 68k and had my first PCV go out. Then I had to replace cool packs and plugs, fuel filter, carbon cleaning on the valves and an 80k DSG flush and filter all in 15k miles and it has been getting quit expensive. Now I have another PCV failure and I am looking to get a catch can. But they are so damn expensive.
lilonespaz
Drag Race Newbie
I do not regret my car. I regret how much i paid for it but i dont regret my choice.
Fantom1107
Passed Driver's Ed
I really enjoy my GTI when it is running great. I am now stage 2 and it's just so fun to drive. There is a feeling of regret though every time something does go wrong and like you it feels like it is constant.
Since I bought the car two years ago I've had an injector, water pump, and intake manifold replaced. The water pump was not covered under warranty. I just did the timing chain, tensioner, and guides at 70k because I was worried about it. My TOB also went bad and installed an RSR clutch while they were in there. This was all done prior to getting a tune so I can't point blame to the extra power.
I did a lot of research before buying this and even reading in this thread the MK6 GTIs sounded reasonably reliable. Coming from an Acura RSX Type S my first German car experience hasn't been the greatest. I guess it confirmed my questions if a German car was really more expensive to maintain. Always wanted to own a BMW, but this experience has shied me away from that for now.
Since I bought the car two years ago I've had an injector, water pump, and intake manifold replaced. The water pump was not covered under warranty. I just did the timing chain, tensioner, and guides at 70k because I was worried about it. My TOB also went bad and installed an RSR clutch while they were in there. This was all done prior to getting a tune so I can't point blame to the extra power.
I did a lot of research before buying this and even reading in this thread the MK6 GTIs sounded reasonably reliable. Coming from an Acura RSX Type S my first German car experience hasn't been the greatest. I guess it confirmed my questions if a German car was really more expensive to maintain. Always wanted to own a BMW, but this experience has shied me away from that for now.
Car has been great. My only regret was not initially dumping the 18's and getting a lighter weight set of 17's w/ All seasons instead of having the 18's and a set of 16' winter beaters. Not that swapping is a big deal its just now I have 2 sets of tires to worry about, plus an extra 4 summers for when I get another bubble...
pdan
Ready to race!
x2. Really love it, but definitely overpaid. I did a bunch of research beforehand, but sorta got put in a pinch and found one that exactly matched my want list and snagged it.
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McGuillicuddy
Passed Driver's Ed
Your experience sounds a lot like mine. I had a 2002 WRX Wagon for several years that I adored and that gave me very few problems up to 100K miles. It just felt reliable and well constructed. On the other hand, the two VWs I have owned since (2003 Jetta TDI, 2013 GTI) feel like they have been engineered with much less margin for error in their construction, if that makes any sense. The GTI in particular feels like every part has been pushed near the limit of it's capability and can fail if anything is not quite perfect.
I love that the GTI is like a pair of nice jeans; it can do almost everything well (fun, practical, classy without being pretentious - see the Audi RS7 above
). I just don't like being constantly worried that every little noise is my next $700 repair bill.
red_stapler
Ready to race!
That's interesting because I feel the opposite. To me everything seems way overbuilt. I guess it depends on your frame of reference and what sorts of cars you're used to.
