Looks are to cars as location is to retail. This car (A2, for those keeping score) has the looks.

Stock 15" BBS wheels are so light, they bend too easily. 3 pc design, over $500 per wheel at the dealer, anyone want to buy a set?

Although made in Mexico, this car rocks my world. Fctory Recaro interior and BBS wheels make it German inside and out. Looks new, even though it's almost 10 years old!

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Owned a 1988 1.8. The 2.0 has MUCH better acceleration, but still won't take a P-Flow. Damn CIS...

The fit and finish are first rate. My previous 1998 Gti was made in Mexico and the current one was made in Germany. Interior materials are very high quality. The 4 cylinder is much more responsive. The leather interior stitching is impressive. Good stereo, great brakes, nice steering wheel.

High clutch takeup.

This is a great vehicle. Since these cars are currently made in Germany it is an exceptional value.

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Acura GSR, Prelude, Miata, RX7, Eclipse GSX

Kudos to Volkswagen for building such a superb vehicle. They really did an excellent job designing this car, featuring all the luxuries of a BMW at a more reasonable price. I'm really surprised that VW doesn't sell more of this car in the US... people are missing out!

None to speak of, although I would prefer a power driver's seat.

I would highly recommend the Volkswagen Gti VR6 for it's unique styling, and superb performance. If you're in the market for a more upscale European automobile, but aren't exactly in the mood for shelling out the $30k necessary, then you wouldn't be settling at all for the VW GTI VR6. Options such as a leather interior, heated seats, wood trip, automatic climate control and others won't be seen on anthing else in its price range. You can't go wrong with this purchase.

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2000 BMW 325i sedan. Quite similar in handling, although somewhat smaller interior dimensions!

effortless torqeu
beautiful rare Mulberry paint
got a great price

no leather avail in 1995
insuance for me is 120.00 a month..

This car is great. I found it in San Francisco at a SAAB dealer for 9500.00, nearly 3000.00 below Blue Book, and in absolutely fantantic condition, a rare color (less than 300 Mulberry GTI's made). I couldn't have found a better deal,really. I have the most fun on the highway. Since purchasing I have added a Techtinics Exhaust, TT Chip, and K & N Filter. These simple mods transformed the car from strong to simply fast. At 75mph a drop to 3rd gear and I AM GONE!!! This thing is solid, solid at 125mph and over. I have seen 135 before the mods. I could drive all day long and my girlfriends '95 Golf Sport is just as comfortable and competent on the highway, if only a little slower.... VW GTI VR6 - catch me if you can!!

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1984 GTI w/ many mods sadly departed

Love the engine,heated seats are nice, Steering wheel controls for radio nice to have. Love the key/remote fob. Seats made my drive when I moved from Florida to DC 15 hours of FUN! Extremely comfortable seating up front. Like the practicality of the hatchback, I can haul quite a bit of stuff in the back. I also like the fact that you don't see too many GTI's on the road. Maybe there are more than I think but I am going too fast to notice!

I have a rattle or two I could live without, but it is a hatchback and I make exceptions for that. I seam to scuff the map holder on the front door when getting in and out too quickly. Left blinker light came loose a couple of times making the front blinker INOP. Would have bought the VR6 if it had come with an automatic transmission, Shifting is not for me anymore.

This is my first European car, I have mostly owned Japanese vehichles particularly Honda/Acuras. I still think the build quality is better in the Asian products, but feel confident that the GTI will be reliable transportation for me over the next few years. I think there is plenty of value in the VW as compared to other products.

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I had an Acura CL 3.0L, I thought I would be missing out on some power/performance. Didn't happen, the GTI moves!

The engine in this car just doesn't want to stop. I can't tell you how many times I've hit the REV limiter and the speed governor. I guess a Garrett Chip would solve that, but @ 120+ MPH...that's fast enough...(for now)

I'll have to get back to you on this one...

This vehicle kicks a$$. Literally. I can't remember the last car that passed me on the highway since I got this car, and that was almost 2 1/2 years ago. The VR6 powerplant is something that you must experience to truly believe. Combined with such a small car body, it is truly the SLEEPER car that everyone wishes they had. It can easily handle 100 MPH in 4th gear, which leaves one more gear that gets the can of "whoop ass" opened up properly.

Also, if you're looking for a vehicle that handles like a Porsche, for half the money, change the stock tires first, and maybe even the springs, and you've got yourself a contender.

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BMW 5 series & AUDI A4

Drive it....You will be sold too

Warranty...Help Need to buy extended warranty...any suggestions

Great car...Better than any BMW

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BMW 325 Honda Prelude

Decent power, sharp steering, lots of room with seats folded down, strong VW fan support base with many aftermarket tuner parts available, dependable start/run, design was a first in the industry (hot-hatch).

Cheap materials for the interior and switches/dash. Everything was breaking. Dash moved so much the cd player (alpine) had to be moved down to keep from skipping. Tranny ratio's were great for mountain driving, but made for very LOUD freeway driving as the firewall has no sound insulation. Electricals are touch and go at best. Forget trying to get parts from your local NAPA type stores. Grip in winter is atrocious...a beetle outran me handily from a stop on the snow, and I had snow tires on.

I was really impressed with my GTI. It had much more power than I was used to at the time ('92) and the handling was quite sharp. It is definitely a versatile car, being both a mini station-wagon and a sports car which comes in handy when moving things. I actually managed to stuff 16 banana boxes in mine!

One thing people need to remember about VW's, especially the older ones, is VW is the entry-level car of the Audi/VW line. Parts will be made of cheaper materials, especially interior plastic, and electricals are not reliable. Sound insulation is non-existent anywhere so road noise is quite loud. VW seemed to concentrate more on the performance aspect of the GTI than the comfort level. I believe cars made after 1986 were much better made than mine, being the first-run model. Get the 16v if you can.

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Audi 4000q, Subaru 4wd wagon

Good power, great stereo, nice clean look, very refined details.

Black interior shows dirt easily, the clutch seems to catch at an odd point.

I've owned this car a little more than two months, and I'm still totally in awe. The power the engine kicks out is nothing less than thrilling. My daughter recently moved about 6 hours away (by car), and I had the opportunity to really put this car to the test. Cruising between 80-100 mph is nothing to this thing. It tracked straight (17-inch wheels), it was a pleasure to drive, and the stereo was killer (Monsoon with CD changer). In fact, the trip was over well before I tired of driving. I now find that I make excuses to take the long way home with this thing. The Rave Green color turns a few people off, but I love it because it seems to be a rare color around here, and I don't look like ever other white vehicle out there.

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None

Engine, fit & finish, lots of cargo space, great climate control system.

Suspension could be stiffer. The stock Michelin tires aren't really sticky, either.

I've owned this car for over two years and have close to 50,000 miles on it. I paid about $2,500 over list. I was first on the waiting list and got the first '99 GTI VR6 in central Florida. The engine has been flawless. It has lots of torque and more than enough power. The fit and finish are spectacular. There are no gaps anywhere and still not one squeak or rattle. The only problems I've had are the power windows. Both motors went out, but were replaced under warranty. The rear wiper is spazzing out and will be serviced shortly. But, that's it for problems.
My car is silver and still is new and glossy. It doesn't get washed that often, because I drive on dirt roads several days a week. This car is a tank. I was rear ended by a Nissan Maxima last week and the Maxima sustained much more damage. As for the design, I wanted a hatchback. I keep the rear seats folded flat and there's plenty of room for my mountain bike in the back. This is the only car made today that matched my list of requirements and I highly recommend it.

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Acura Integra GS-R, Honda Prelude, BMW 3-Series.
None of these cars come close to having all the features in the GTI and they all cost more, except for the Integra. I test drove a BMW M3 and when I told the salesman about the things I didn't like about the car, he recommended a VW.