The best all-around car I've ever driven

No CD player

This is THE car to own. For people who are not well informed about this car, it has the hybrid bigger turbo (compared to the 2000 year model). VW did not tell the truth about this car, the dyno shows 153HP (performed by "European Car Magazine") to the wheels, so this car boosts almost 173HP! I raced SIRs, GSRs, and recently my friend's modified VR6 and smoked them all.

I have 225/45 tires 17-Inch mags on it, together with Neuspeed springs and Sebring muffler.

Car potential: with a chip and the bigger turbo hose, this car can make 230HP!

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2000 Celica GT, 1998 GTI VR6

quick, fast, tight. acceleration, sporty. car loves to be driven. starts right up when freezing cold outside. the looks.

room, fan, emergency break, dash board shakes, noisy on highway, electrical(notorious on older models) door handles break, windshield wipers. rear defrost simply stops working,

bought my 88 gti 16v in 1999 with 88,000 miles on it. I had 2 other vw's and I could not kill em'. They fell apart in other areas but you can not kill the engine, too well built. The germans take pride in engine performance but need help in interior performance. After 3 vw's I am ready to move on. Love/hate thing, love the power and feel of the performance of the sport suspension and engine, hate all the little problems. wind shield wiper arm gets stripped on the inside and the wiper on passenger side will not operate. 16v's have a habit of getting oil in the distributor cap and this makes the cars completely shut off while driving at any moment. $400.00 to fix. interior fan blower is tempermental, in the winter, the only way to defrost windows and get heat in the car is when you are on the highway when the heat from the engine blows in the car. headlights crack easy and are not bright, very low interior illumination(instumentation panel). engine heats up high. eventually the door handles simply break and you cannot unlock with key or lock with key. add all this up and it puts water on the fire. looking into a nissan maxima for bigger size and performance, and comfort. vw's are a learning expirience.

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1984 jetta , 1986 jetta

Amazing performance: engine, brakes, suspension, all flawless. . Excellent build quality. (5-speed, standard on ANY VW, is a huge plus - try and find that on some American boat!) Interior that's perfect in look and feel. Unbelievable value for the price - true of any VW.

Styling's a bit bland, but 17" OEM rims and OEM spoiler help a LOT. There are a total of 3 rattles that are annoying, but these are 10x fewer than those in the Olds. Local dealer, Jim Ellis, offers only rudeness and incompetence for service, forcing me to go 30 miles back to where I bought it. (Dwight Harrison treats you well, and they know their work.)

I can’t recall ever enjoying driving before this car! The GTI, the most rock-solid and well-built car I've ever owned, feels equally stable and confident at any speeds, even when racing with traffic at over 100 miles per hour. What can I say, this car WANTS to go fast! It's far too easy to rocket past the traffic, thanks to the smooth-running VR6 motor under the hood. The engine makes for just part of the driving experience, made better by the road feel. I feel well-connected with the road, yet the ride is never harsh or uncomfortable. The engine and road noise are just loud enough to make for happy motoring, without being intrusive. Comfort is similarly excellent - something unexpected from a "compact" car. The sport leather seats are firm enough to keep you in place during maneuvers, without feeling like wooden benches; I felt good even after nearly four hours on the road without a break. The Climatronic air conditioning and Monsoon audio (with CD player and changer) work flawlessly. And I’m still amazed at the amount of storage space available from the rear hatch! I can't complain about fuel economy, either. Considering speed, A/C usage, and cargo carried, I can still averaged over 27 MPG, which is bound to improve with further engine break-in. By the way, I know my exact MPG because of the trip computer. It’s more than just a toy! Nothing like a "gee whiz" gadget that’s both cool and functional.

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1996 Old Gutless (Olds Cutless): Hahahaha, the Olds is more joke than car compared to a VW
2000 New Beetle: Not as cool-looking, just as rock-solid, no contest in performance (though harder to drive as a result)

Hey, I hadn't bought a brand new car for over 10 years so maybe I was impressed easily but I noticed the fit and finish of this car immediately. Of course, I had been admiring the new VW body style for some time anyway. The car is packed with features that I didn't figure I need but after 2 weeks I'm spoiled. If you can afford a Corvette, go for it, but if you want fun driving for far less money, take a goooood look at this car.

I guess the car isn't perfect. I replaced the cheesy floor mats today. I suggest you make your dealer throw in a set as part of your deal. VW wanted $440 to install a CD player. Turns out there is only one player on the market easily compatible with the Monsoon system. I bought mine over the internet and installed myself (soooo easy to do) and saved over $170.

Have had this car less than two weeks, but since I checked out this site prior to buying, I'm anxious to weigh in. I love this car. I had been driving a Suburban and no longer needed all that room. Wanted something sporty but still some utility. When I fold the seats down I can load this car with nearly as much stuff as you can get in a small SUV, but this car is MUCH more fun to drive. I test drove the 4 cylinder turbo first, and have to say almost bought that car, but a test drive of the VR6 convinced me I wanted the heftier engine. I'm averaging about 23-25 miles to the gallon around town, but haven't taken it on a trip yet.

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I had an '84 BMW 533I and this car exceeds the quality of that car. (Of course the REAL test will be whether I can say that in 24,000 miles or so??)For sport driving it compares fully with an '87 BMW 535IS. It will get to 60 nearly as quickly but sticks to the road much better than that model BMW could.

Reliable. Looks. Cornering and quickness.

Electrical (sometimes won't start right away if engine is very hot)?? Parts are expensive. Tear drop wheels aren't my favorite. New GTIs seem a bit pricey.

This car is awesome. I bought it with 88k, it now has 117k. If you own a car for 5 years and still love it, you know you have the right car. I love the euro (four round) headlights on the A2s. I think the 91 and 92s are the best looking GTI besides the 1999-model. Great interior, no problems as others with things breaking except rear window defog. Some electrical problems but never a break down. Awesome car, especially in red.

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'92 accord lx. Doesn't compare in sporty feel, cornering, etc. Just doesn't really compare actually.

Powerful VR6 engin with sport suspension, 17in. wheels, high quality Leather for comfort, and four disc brakes. Great pickup and torque in 5th Gear.

Because Golfs are "rare" it is hard to find parts to hype them up. Go to 2Kracing.com and lightlens.com. Also the biggest down fall is the sound system. The Monsoon sound system is good however you can't but a subwoofer or and sound equipment in the golf unless it is made by VW or Panosonic (Which sucks).

The GTI GLX is the best compact sport car around. The value is great and The customer satisfaction is even better. The cars speed, handling, exceleration, etc. is better than the competition. However is expected out of a well made German car. Though the golf isn't as popular as a Honda Civic or a Suburu, the sheer looks and great reputation of the growing VW recieved my buisness. The car's interior is eye catching, with it's unusual blue and red interior lights. I recomend the VR6 with the very quick 5 speed manual. The GTI GLX has the top notch quality leather and wood trim, while you also get one of the safest cars out on the market. If you have noticed everyone has a honda civic. You get tired of seeing the same car rolling down the street. The Golf is the next step in Compact sport cars.

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Honda Civic (hatchback. The golf is quicker and overal faster. More luxirious.

-looks,with black on black and 17inch rims, clear lens headlamps
-power:155lbs/ft of torque@1750-4500RPM, and 176hp engine which transmites 153hp to the front wheels via 4 speed auto trans.
-sound: great engine rumble, 200 watt monsoon 8 speaker sound system
Luxury- heated front seats, chrome accents,blue backlit speedo and tach, red control button lightings, heated wipers, sport leather seats, leather door inserts,leather shift knobleather multi-funtion steering wheel, handstiched leather e-brake, tinted tilt slide and muti positioning sunroof.
-safety: 8 airbags, solid doors, solid body, traction control(esp,asr,edl,epc)

stiff ride( its a sport suspension so its not that bad)
some rattles when stereo is a full blast

This car looks very nice and fells great. its fully loaded with high quality leather and materials. the 1.8 liter engine is the best 4 banger in the worl. the torque is amazing and so is the power. my GTI is black on black leather and it has th 17inch monte-carlo rims, which are two tone. this is german engineering at its best. i just wish that the euro version could have been available, and i wish hat the Audi TT 225hp engine has available along with 4 motion on this car.

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1999 VW Passat GLS 1.8T- really luxurious and comfortable ride, powerfull and fast but not as fast as this.
2000-Integras( all models:ls,gs,gs-r,type R) fun to drive and race but they all lack low end power and torque plus they are extremly low quality. they are only fast cause they are light, so if someone sits in it, since it has no torque to support the horspower, the car loses its power.
-Civic SI: like integras this car has no low end power. it has 160hp at 7600rpm, i get all my power at 5200rpm. also it has no torque and its peak toque is 111 at 7300rpm, i get all my torque from 1750-4500 so that power all the way, unlike the civic which has no torque and has what it has at a very high rpm, meaning that its not fast of the line.

It's ginster yellow.

HEAT SHIELD: replaced in 8 months
TRANNY: i have had to replace it once less than 2 years after i got it. In shop 15 days (two different dealers) so i can get it done quicker. Plus i used to work at the second, i would rather have guys i know replace it. The problem i was having was that i would go from reverse to drive and the car would still role about 10 feet backwards before bucking, almost inflicted whip blash, and then going forward. And we're talking every single time. they checked it out, my trans fluid was black and of a plasma state.
MULTI FUNCTION SWITCH: FAULTY? OR IS IT THE TRANNY AGAIN? Well considering i'm on the 8th switch in 6 months. what do you think... and it has broken down twice when i was over 500 miles from home. forcing me to purchases plane tickets. What is the problem? Computers. Compuers that no one seems to know how to fix. My car thinks it's in drive all the time. that's what the dash tells me, but however it will be in park, or reverse, or nutral and perform in that way, it just think's it's in drive, so if you shut the car off, it will not start, because you can't start a car when it's in drive. so... we are currently waiting for the 2nd swtich in 6 days but the dealer is booked solid for 2 weeks and will not be able to check it out until next monday. Me only being 20 years old can not rent a car. and i do not live with my parents so i can't use one of their cars unless i fly the 500 miles home to get my MOMMY'S car to drive back the 500 miles to where i live, just so she can rent a car for $25 a day. and then fly to get her car back and drive the 500 miles home. Now does that seem fair? NO THAT IS WEAK!

This car craps out when the warranty is up, if not before.

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None

Clean lines, simple controls and easy interface, super quick yet quiet engine, smooth ride make this car great. The Monsoon is hard to beat. Gets good gas mileage with the Turbo.

The only problem I have really had with the car so far is a rear passenger side window. It doesn't always go up and sticks. I have had it fixed but still have the problem again. The warranty is taking care of the problem.

This is a very well engineered car. It's fun to drive, handles well, quick at the light. It definately rules the hatchback scene. I recently moved and you wouldn't believe the amount of stuff i can cram in the back. I got the Golf 1.8T because I wanted the performance of the turbo (150Hp as I understand) but didn't want to lose the 4 doors. Seats fold down easy. A great car. I plan on possibley getting an ECU upgrade for fun.

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I had a Mazda 323 and a Mitsubishi Mirage. The VW is in a class way above those. You just can't beat German engineering.

Speed, handling, fit & finish. Best 'bang for the buck' on the market.

I think I liked the seats in my old GTI better, at least on long drives.

My second GTI in a row. VR6 engine is just incredible, great fun to drive. Have had some minor electrical problems which the dealer addressed (replaced a defective switch and a defective seat warmer). Lots of storage room, amazing what I have been able to fit in with the seats folded down. Would definitely consider getting another when the lease is up. There is no better value out there.

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1996 GTI