Why do you have a GTI?

JC_451 said:

2006 Cayman S makes 251 ft/pounds and 291 HP with 3100 pound curbweight.

Closer to R levels, but I only searched for like 5 minutes.

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For me, the lure of Porsches is not the performance--hell, my R is all I really need, and more--but the, well, lure of the Porsche! The look, the design, the interior, the history, that sort of thing that allows them to charge an arm, a leg, and a pancreas for their cars. If I was able to have a Cayman, it would not be because of its track performance, it would be because it would be wicked cool to have and drive something that was pretty much designed just to be a beautiful toy. That's also why my dream Porsche isn't a 911; I like the look of the Cayman better and don't need eyeball popping track performance.

But yeah, if you're looking at numbers, especially if you compare the GTI/R to cars of yore, they are frickin' amazing.

I've always liked sporty compact cars, and have pretty much always owned them, and almost all of them have been Japanese (most of which have been Honda Civic Si in some variant or another). Right now, Honda doesn't sell anything that interests me, nor do Mazda, Toyota, or Nissan. I considered a WRX, but I decided that I wanted a hatchback more than I wanted AWD, and even though the 2018 was supposed to have huge improvements in comfort, the reviews I read all agreed that the interior is cheap and loud.

GTI offers a good balance of performance and comfort, and it flies under the radar while still looking good. The interior is arguably the best in class, and the Sport was rather well-optioned at a reasonable price. My brother's had his 2015 GTI for almost 3 years and hasn't had a single issue with it, which helped ease my anxiety about stepping away from the Japanese ownership experience.

Lastly, every review I read of the GTI contained a paraphrase of the following statement: "If you can only have 1 car, get a GTI."

TheWombat said:

For me, the lure of Porsches is not the performance--hell, my R is all I really need, and more--but the, well, lure of the Porsche! The look, the design, the interior, the history, that sort of thing that allows them to charge an arm, a leg, and a pancreas for their cars. If I was able to have a Cayman, it would not be because of its track performance, it would be because it would be wicked cool to have and drive something that was pretty much designed just to be a beautiful toy. That's also why my dream Porsche isn't a 911; I like the look of the Cayman better and don't need eyeball popping track performance.

But yeah, if you're looking at numbers, especially if you compare the GTI/R to cars of yore, they are frickin' amazing.

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Same here! I really want a Cayman and hopefully someday I’ll be able to swing it as a second car, even if I have to go a few years older to get one.

For someone who likes that type of car but need a versatile and economic daily driver then GTI is tough to beat. It’s really all the performance car I need to enjoy the hell out of driving.

TheWombat said:

I'd love a Porsche too, as a second car; in the frozen north, ain't no way a Porsche is going to be a daily driver.

But I'd take issue with the implication that the GTI isn't a "good car." Hell, you can't really buy a "bad" new car these days. The GTI is, on the contrary though, a very good car, no matter what price range you are talking about. What you mean to say I think is that you can't afford the car you _want_. Me neither; I want a AMG S63 or a an Aston Martin DB11. But that doesn't mean the VW is a bad car by any means.

Sort of like saying the lasagna at a family Italian restaurant is bad because it isn't a meal at the French Laundry.

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I know people who drive 911’s year round in the frozen north. Winter tires and rear engine make for great traction.

adam1991 said:

Has anyone found what year and/or model Porsche compares, performance-wise, to a current GTI?

Maybe it's just me getting old, but I remember a time when GTI-level stats were loudly celebrated as "never before achieved!" by the car magazines.

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The GTI's performance stats are on par with some versions of the Porsche 928S.
Granted, that was a long time ago.
But the 928 was a V8, and a pinnacle car.

MSchott said:

I know people who drive 911’s year round in the frozen north. Winter tires and rear engine make for great traction.

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I’ve heard they do surprisingly well. I hate subjecting my GTI to the Salty winter roads though, no way I could do that to a 911, haha.

B8 S4 was hit by a drunk driver, then stolen from the body shop. It was recovered but had mechanical issues that the insurance company kept going back and forth about and blaming wear and tear.

Planned on replacing the S4 with a CPO S6 or a new R. Couldn't justify buying another car that cost as much especially with me driving about 20k to 25k annually because it would depreciate faster than I'm paying for it. I previously owned a MK6 GTi and MK6 GLi and loved them.

What really set it in place was seeing the deals people were getting on GTis and i got a loaded 17' Autobahn for approximately 11k less than a comparable R.

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SpaceGhost said:

Cause I’m poor and can’t afford a good car. On my limited budget it was the best I could do. Maybe someday I will win the lottery and get a Porsche


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Porsche 986?

wanted a GLI cause i can afford, got a mk6 gli. totaled in 5 months. didnt feel like buying the same car again so went for the gti because i like vw and something sporty

Second VW, first GTI. Came from a '97 civic before with no power steering, no power windows, riverside window that wouldn't roll down (more accurately wouldn't roll back up if brought back down) and had no AC. I live in Tennessee... so anything would be an upgrade. Civic just wouldn't die, so it finally outlived my patience to sweat to and fro work everyday. Gave it to a buddy who was broke and he drove it from Nashville to LA without issue before ultimately selling it.

I bought a '15 Jetta TDI new because I wanted a mileage workhorse that wasn't a soulless econobox like a prius. I loved the car. Didn't consider GTI then because I wasn't crazy about the hatchback, for some reason. Was just starting to make decent money, but not ready to really splurge either, so wasn't considering performance as much. When diesel gate started to hit, I started thinking about replacement options if money was right. My brother in law had gotten me interested in GTI when i bought the Jetta, so my research really picked up. Everything I read made me think it was the perfect all rounder. When i drove one, I knew that, at least in this case, everything I read was pretty spot on. Just felt so good to drive. Handled great, plenty of stock power (now I want more, of course), felt luxurious inside, and was super practical with the hatch (which I had now come to love). JUST big enough for rear facing car seats with baby well on the way.

Diesel gate buy back, combined with "goodwill package" and someone backing into the jetta which I pocketed rather than having fixed meant I was able to upgrade from a '15 TDI Jetta SE to a '17 GTI SE for about what the taxes were. Couldn't complain with that. Haven't looked back since. Love it. There are better cars for just about anything you want to do, but there are very few cars that do everything as well as this one.

Way back when, dad drove a Bug when I was tiny. Fast forward, my mom bought my kid her friend's mom's 2009 Jetta for going to school activities and work and so on. The Jetta was nice to drive, and another acquaintance had taken me to lunch in her new one-nice, especially for the money.

Wanting to get out of a Kia Sorento which was getting too tall for my aging dog to jump in/out of, and pretty thirsty, I noticed the Golf wagon. Hmmm!! I'd been thinking of a Subaru but only tiny power or else in Outback guise back to a V6 which I knew would be not as thirsty as the Sorento but not a big improvement. So I bought a Golf Alltrack wagon. Not a GTI, no, as I wanted more cargo space to camp (Alltrack, Chaco Canyon here we come!!). Plus, often carrying rear passengers, the Golf like Mini and others simply does not have as much rear crush room.

So far, pretty good. Not super fast but zippy, and using 20-30% less gas. Strictly around town, not quite what I had hoped for so far. Amazing how startup eats a chunk of gas; no substitute for hybrids I guess (I also have a Chevy Volt which is a wonderfully engineered vehicle).

Have had a variety of vehicles in my life, from air cooled bug to Italian convertible and Omni GLH, BMW’s, Jeep’s, caddy and honestly always just wanted a GTI. Like smaller cars that can go fast if wanted, and can carry people as daily driver as well. Plus at age 64, why not get it while I still can drive it like I stole it if I want to.

MEM GTI said:

Second VW, first GTI. Came from a '97 civic before with no power steering, no power windows, riverside window that wouldn't roll down (more accurately wouldn't roll back up if brought back down) and had no AC.

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Ha. 96 Civic here. Same issue with the window. Could take that door panel off in about 10 min, put window back on track and be on my way.

Worst was forgetting about the window issue in a storm and going through drive through.

Whatever other enthusiasts think about the previous golf generations, no one can deny the ridiculous value found in the mk7. In the words of Chris Harris, " the golf always does poorly when compared to the rest of the top tiered sports cars every year, and the mk7, albeit the best mk yet, hasn't broken this tradition. However, let's be honest, the reason it performs badly In these types of tests is because at the end of the day, it's the car youd actually go and buy with your own money."

The mk7s blend of daily drive ability and enthusiasts potential is unprecedented when valued and compared. The mk7 marks the new age of street racing, ending an era of displacement measurers and v8 mileage. There finally is a replacement for displacement and it's found in ground breaking diagnostic tools, ease of cutting edge tuning, hybrid turbos and 400 tq on 3k lb car. It marks a new era of street tuners imho, as we will be tuning from home and buying hybrid turbo configurations much like mustang owners shopped for the perfect catback ten years ago. Times be changin..

My first car was an Audi A6 2003, then BMW 2012 528, an Infiniti Q60 2017, and various asian cars..

I was bored with all those cars, big fat, not fun to throw around. I wanted something cheap, modifiable. I want a Porsche Macan GTS..so then..I never have had a VW before..lets try to get feet wet with the children..GTI..I LOVE IT. 2020 I will buy a Macan just cause I love this GTI but I want the luxury=]