Great acceleration and cornering (when it runs). Practical no fuss interior, good dash visibility, nice comfy chairs.

ZERO reliability. Problems started at 3000 miles. So far: broken seat frame, upper steering column, super-crunchy/notchy shifting (replaced all synchro rings with no great improvement), exhaust popping noises, engine shakes around 2000 rpm. Car has ~13000 miles on it now. I'm afraid to think of what will fail next but I've alread read all about it here: hht://www.myvwlemon.com

A tragically enticing POS.

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Great features (on paper).

Not reliable. Poor Service. Expensive to maintain.

I've owned a 1995 Golf GTI VR6 for about 5 years now. Being a European sports car enthusiest, I love the features. However, the reliability and vw service are HORRIBLE. The car is constantly in the shop, and vw service is constantly misdiagnosing problems -- wastings lots of my money. These seems to be consistent at all shops, so I presume the problem lays in the fact that there are poor tools and/or way too many issues with these cars to enable proper diagnosis of problems. The car is extremely flaky. I've spent huge amounts of money maintaining this car, these is some of the big ticket items (note that I've spent much time and money babying/maintaining this car trying to keep it mint -- I've given up now): - EGR valve (had to be replaced after VW service personnel damaged it during a major tune-up -- vw would not take responsibility) - Steering rack (it was cracked, leaked all the steering fluid) - Requires wheel alignments ATLEAST once a year - Moonroof cable connector snapped once (the part was cheap, the labour involved in replacing it was ridiculous). - Numerous paint and body issues (its been in the shop half dozen times for this). - Smoke from the steering column (cause, still a mystery). - Coil pack replaced. - Instrument cluster (guages not worked, shotty electonics). - Several belts (including expensive serp belt). - All shocks replaced once - All brakes (disks and pads) replaced once - Suffers from contstant irregular tire wear -- eats a lot of tires - There is an annoying loud knocking sound at the front right wheel that I've spent hundreds of dollars on service and parts. VW service can't isolate it. Given up on this one. They however assure me that my car is safe (wonderful). Stuff I haven't bother fixing that is busted: - Heated seats (needs some new electronics). - Heating/air fans don't operate at level 2. - ABS doesn't work. - Wipers don't work at highest speed setting (the controller is bust). - Rear windshield washer dispenser is failing - car drifts to the right (even have several alignments/etc -- again, another mystery). These are all the things that come to mind. I'm sure there are others...and much more to come.

luxary and power at an affordable price looks good and feels good interior,european,sound system and standard options

suspension could be better its looks like a standard golf except for wheels. it needs a body kit no gti badge on front grill or at front at all dont like the position of cup holders.

Before i bought the awsome gti, i owned a nissan skyline r33 which i owned for 2 and a bit years.I loved the car. it had power,looks and all that, but something was missing and that was, not forfilling my passion for european cars. Being european i have alwayz loved european cars but never had one, so after selling the skyline i went hunting with some friends for a car.after test driving the peugeot 306gti and a couple of other cars, nothing compaired to the Volks wagon golf gti.i bought it in black and it looks so stunning.the power of the car is exceptional for its size.its very good off the mark and the turbo ensures i always have power where you need it.when i want that right or left lane its alwayz mine.the the gear changes have a nice tight feel and the suspension can hold its own around corners, and my favourite part, the nice crisp roar of the engine as the turbo cuts in is beautiful. it reminds you of its german sports built engine. the combination of the luxury and the power at such an affordable price is what made me buy it. the interior is the best you will see than in alot of other sports cars which you pay alot more money for. if your looking for a a small european style car with looks,comfort, luxury and power then go and test drive a VW golf gti. you will be impressed.

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power handling style space feel

the cupholders could use some rethinking, i could have thought of better placement. the sun visors are whimpy, sun glasses are recommended. no fog lights?????? what tha....?

So far I Love this car. I read the reviews for it but dont see all of the bad things. It hadles very well, it has great power, and is soooooo much fun to drive. The turbo sounds great spooling up and the 5 speed manual just did it for me. The car is beautiful, i have never liked hatch backs, but this is a very pretty car. i got the 17" rims on it and...DAMN!

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nothing similar 90 plymouth sundance, 94 mazda mx-6

Engine (smooth, incredible power) Handling Looks Driving position Safety Features Roominess Fuel Economy Build quality

Cupholder

POWER, HANDLING, Comfort, Looks. A true pocket rocket. A BMW/Audi at VW prices. What else can you ask for? The GTI was the car I replaced my 86 911 with when I needed a sporty but reliable car that the kids and wife could drive on occasion. I have not been disappointed. I swear it has more get up and go than the 911, especially on the low end. The 1.8T is very smooth and truly impressive. They say the turbo kicks in at 2200 rpm, but the only way I can tell is by a faint whine detectable if the window is open. Otherwise, I feel no lag and just highly impressive torque any time I step on it. The torque curve is very flat, not peaky like the Porsche. Don't know why anyone would want more power. The Tiptronic transmission takes getting used to in order to learn when to use it. The auto is really nice during stop and go traffic but the manual option is great for downshifting to decelerate. You can't beat the auto during the upshift during aggressive starts. So I usually accel in auto and decel in manual. I get a reliable 30 mpg in mixed aggressive driving. It corners great, with a little more lean than the Porsche, which was expected. The interior is very high quality. The body is very solid, not like the typical aluminum can thin metal so common now. Very quiet but you still hear a sporty engine growl during hard acceleration to remind you that you are driving a performance car. Lots of room. Air bags and side curtain bags and the highest NHTSA safety rating were a selling point to my wife. Very comfortable for four adults and incredible room in the trunk. Three kids across the back are fine. My only knock on the entire car is the cupholder which blocks out much of the stereo. The Monsoon Stereo is awesome especially when the volume is up. I can't stop listening to Phantom of the Opera.

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86 Porsche 911 Honda Del Sol

Looked good from 20 feet away Kinda quick the few times it actually ran without stumbling or stalling

Everything...and I do mean everything

Digi-fucted piece of sh*t. This by far was the worst car I have ever owned. It was even worse than the 1975 Dodge Royal Monaco i bought for $50 that had no reverse. I cant even remember how many times I had to have that piece of sh*t towed. Or how many times it stalled out and left me working on it. I was a technician at a VW dealership at the time. I had to bring that horrible car into the shop 3 to 4 times a week just for me te keep it on the road. Don't ever buy a VW. Funny thing is, the new ones are worse then this piece. Electrical nightmares. Thats why I jumped ship and went to work for Honda.

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89 crx si, 87 shadow turbo, 84 laser turbo, 83 86 88 89 5.0L mustangs

Looks & Interior. Size and speed. When it is moving I really like it. Very responsive and sometimes the turbo surprises me but, in a good way. The blue dials are very cool, a joy to look.

The transmission, argh!!! I still can't belive they let this kind of mistakes happen. VW wants to sell 40k and 60k cars but if they have these kind of "minor glitches", it is going to be though. Maybe they haven't heard of BMW or MB and what about the japanesse?. Not to mention the dealers, but that, is another horror story. Ah, forgot, the cup holders wont let reach the radio when open, either change the holder or put remote controls in the steering wheel. Did I mentioned the transmission?

I like the car very much but one thing: the automatic box is terrible. Everytime that I stop at a light the car vibrates in a very annoying way. It is not hard, but constant, can't take my mind of it and wishing for the green light. I have been told that is because the tranny is made in Japan, but I don't care, just want it fixed. Task that my dealers and others seem not to be able to do. It is shame that VW brings a car to market with this type of major problem.

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BMW 323, MINI

Best interior in any car anywhere near its price range and comes with lots of features. Powerful 1.8T engine that makes lots of torque from 2K. Very good brakes, steering and handling. Great heated sport seats. Unmatched praticality and got 25-30 MPG.

CAVEAT EMPTOR. Continuous coil pack problems that made driving the car an (unpleasant) adventure. Generaly poor build quality. Too many squeaks and groans from a new car. Looks like a box on wheels. 5 speed shifter felt sloppy. Engine sounds are uninspiring.

This car was the one of the biggest dissapointments ever. After 8 trips to the dealer in the first 7 months to repair defective coil packs, radio, seat noises, etc. VW just bought it back due to the lemon law. I replaced it with an Acura RSX-S and already notice a huge difference in quality. When it was running, it was fairly entertaining to drive and practical.

-The increase in horsepower -The sound of the turbo spooling up -Monsoon stereo system -Handling and breaking -Drives like a sports car at a fraction of the price -Overall design of the car

-No GTI emblem on the grill

Volkswagen has outdone themselves again with the 2003 GTI 1.8T. This sporty compact car sports a 4-cylider, 1.8 turbocharged engine which puts out a gorgeous 180 bhp and is available in either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic with a 5-speed Tiptronic transmission. The car handles and corners like a dream and has adequet seating for 4 people, but who wants to carry around the extra weight of 3 other people?!

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-torque -horsepower -great handling at high speeds -sounds A LOT better than a damn RICE BURNER -reponds great -nice gas mileage -chic magnet -great car!!!

nothing for the most part

My buddy Mark just bought a 1998 GTI in canary yellow. He's one out of 4 with a yellow GTI in MD. He sure does get any girl he wants, and a lot of his gf's say it is because they saw him in his GTI. So that's always a plus. They have serious power, excellent around turns, and it is easy to chirp first, second, and third gears. If you get the chance...buy one!