I been committed to Honda my entire life. I have a 07 civIc at 225k, still pushing great. However, I think it’s time to me upgrade. I Always took good care of it mechanically so I never really had any problems. I was planning on getting the 2017 hatchback touring, but then I saw the GTI. I heard mixed reviews about VW’s service and reliability, however I’m seriously interested in getting a 2017 GTI SE. Does anyone have any problems with their GTI or can anyone tell me why GTI are better than the civic hatchback? How is the maintenance and expenses? I plan on taking good care of the car and keeping it for a long time. I really want the GTI, but I feel like I need more information from actual owners. Any information would be appreciate.
I traded in my 2009 Civic Si to get a 2017 GTI Sport. At the time, nothing in the Civic range was the least bit interesting to me, not even an Si with a Hondata tune (because with only 1.5L, that was basically all I'd ever get out of it). So far, I've had it a week shy of 3 years, driven just under 23,000 miles. In that time, I've been to dealership for warranty repairs twice; the oil pressure sensor failed at 1,200 miles, problem has not re-occurred. About a year and 8,000 miles later, I started hearing a banging noise over bumps, coming from the rear. I thought it was a faulty stabilizer link, and so did the tech, but after replacing it, the noise was still there. To eliminate the issue and save me repeated trips back, he then replaced the right rear damper and upper strut mount, since it could have been either of them. I've had no issues since then, save a squeaking noise from the left rear window (which I never open) that can probably be fixed with a shot of silicone lubricant.
Maintenance costs are all down to your driving habits; since I don't even drive 10k/yr, I do an annual oil service in my garage using an oil extractor, at around $60 for the oil and filter. If you're used to doing your own maintenance, there shouldn't be any items on this car which will cause you any difficulty. I'm due for a brake fluid change at the 3 year mark, but that can also be done at home with a pressure bleeder so it's a one-person task. You may find replacing the windscreen wipers costs more, since the the GTI's wipers do not have replaceable inserts like Hondas do.
In summary, aside from the 2 unscheduled trips for warranty work, the car has been completely problem-free. Some might argue that's down to low mileage and spending most of its time parked in my garage, but when I do drive, it's as the car was meant to be driven. It's possible that I would have had 1 or 2 fewer service visits if I'd gotten a Civic, but these days, Honda reliability isn't what it used to be. Before I purchased the GTI, I did express some hesitance to the salesperson (who is a friend of mine), and she said that while everything I'd heard about VW was true of the older ones, they've made huge strides in reliability in the last few years, and based on my experience, I agree with that statement.
