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What hot hatch do you own? This poll is closed. |
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| Golf GTI / R / R32 |
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196 | 0.02% |
| Impreza WRX / STi |
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133 | 0.01% |
| Mazdaspeed 3 |
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92 | 0.01% |
| Veloster Turbo |
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20 | 0.00% |
| Focus ST |
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149 | 0.01% |
| Other Hot Hatch |
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230 | 0.02% |
| Elantra GT |
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1000001 | 99.92% |
| Total: | 1000821 votes | ||
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Hi all -- I'm in the market for a new car and wanted a m/t hatchback or wagon that gets 30+ MPG and has good cargo capacity. I recently learned that 2015 and newer GTIs have the same cargo capacity as the Honda Fit, which means they meet my requirements. Cool! It looks like the only other hot hatch that would is the Focus ST (Fiesta ST is too small), but I hear they are really unreliable (even more than VWs) and IMO the GTI is an infinitely more tasteful vehicle inside and out. What should I be looking for when scoping out GTIs? My price range is up to $19k, and there are a few GTIs near me going for around that which I hope to take a look at when I get home from traveling.
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Jun 22, 2019 08:19
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 07:45 |
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BraveUlysses posted:unless you get a certified used (which is prob over 20k range) you might want to consider a PPI and maybe avoid any car with significant mods or the "returned to stock for sale" look which sometimes could have been done to cover up something For perspective, I'm coming from a grad student special 1998 Ford Escort wagon with a slushy automatic transmission that likely falls well short of its original 110hp and my wife feels embarrassed to have in our driveway, so I'm really not going to miss a few extra features. Honestly a base (non-GTI) Golf would be a huge step up for me. Night Danger Moose posted:I've had my FoST for just over 3 years, 31k miles. Only issue I've had is the timing cover gasket replaced under warranty. Still on stock brakes but I dont abuse them. Full bolt ons, 30mpg hwy 25mpg in city with tune. Tons of cargo space. I love it, definitely wouldn't trade it for anything. What do you carry around in it? Also, how's the visibility? And do you have the Recaro seats, or no?
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Jun 23, 2019 02:00
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Night Danger Moose posted:Visbility is absolutely fine, between my rearview, shouldercheck, and side mirrors I barely have a blindspot if at all. The recaros were a bit stiff when I got them but I've worn it in enough to be very comfortable (for the record, I'm a 5'4" 160lb female - those on the larger side may not find them as enjoyable so YMMV). As far as cargo, it was really helpful when moving from Annapolis to northeast Baltimore and back, it can comfortably take 4 tires and still have room to spare. I'm sure others have taken much more in it as well. Do you have the MFT screen or just the little recessed screen? I have a hard time imagining that the back-up camera would be much use on such a tiny screen, but there seem to be plenty of FoSTs with it.
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Jun 23, 2019 06:45
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Night Danger Moose posted:I've got the MFT, and the camera is excellent. Ah, so would it not be worth getting a FoST without MFT then?
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Jun 23, 2019 14:44
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Residency Evil posted:
I mean... doesn't a GTI just do everything a Golf does, but cooler? I'm looking at it as a daily driver that might be more fun to drive than a Fit or whatever, not because I want to take it to the track. But this BlackMK4 posted:They are not exciting or involving to drive. and this revmoo posted:The GTI is a good car, but FWD sucks rear end. Also it's unbelievably flimsy and I dont trust it past 100k. are very discouraging.
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Jun 24, 2019 00:41
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I wish I held on to my old GTI. I think many people who can't wait to get rid of them are only looking to have a single, do everything car. The GTI does everything well, but it's not an M3 or a 911. Once you're able to move past your beater/commuter car also having to be your 10/10 doriftu car, having a more boring car with space, a good interior, etc becomes pretty nice.
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How about white? It seems like lots of gently used GTIs in white are floating around and I like the look of it combined with the black and red accents.
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Jul 1, 2019 08:32
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So all of a sudden I now own a GTI. Pretty pleased with it so far! It’s nice to have a car that does not produce deep antipathy in me towards it when I am in it. Also Apple CarPlay is super convenient. Now I just have to not spend all my money on accessories and tuning, which I can tell is going to be hard. If I, uh, were to want to start modding it, maybe I should start with something small like a shift knob and short throw shifter, right?
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Jul 3, 2019 01:26
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sneakyfrog posted:heheheh sure. Am I missing something? It’s been like 7 years since I’ve had a car with a manual transmission, so I haven’t thought about them much (but luckily have been able to stay in practice in my wife’s cars)
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Jul 3, 2019 01:31
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:My advice is to drive it stock until you get bored Yeah it's such an improvement in driving experience I don't think I'll want to change anything for a while. Except maybe the shift knob.
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Jul 3, 2019 12:59
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Don’t get me wrong, I love the way the OEM GTI knob looks but it just feels too light to me.
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Jul 3, 2019 13:41
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BlackMK4 posted:i was serious about the two clutch changes i mentioned BlackMK4 posted:either way, remove the clutch hydraulic fluid flow restrictor and spring on the clutch pedal Are these things I should need to get a professional to do, or as someone generally handy (but not experienced in working on cars) could I do them myself?
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Jul 3, 2019 18:10
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sneakyfrog posted:if you feel comfortable separating the transmission from the engine and replacing the clutch you are fine for literally any car maintenance task for a contemporary car friend. Oh I’m not comfortable with that by any means. I was referring to the hydraulic fluid flow restrictor/delay valve removal and the spring removal. The latter seems easy enough, not sure about the former since it seems like a lot of fluid would bleed out.
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Jul 3, 2019 18:25
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BraveUlysses posted:clearly already there! Heh. I'm only bored with the OEM shift knob and the Soundaktor is a little annoying. I really like it otherwise. It is especially nice to have a car that will actually accelerate when I press the accelerator, and the improved fuel economy over my late 90s econobox is a big plus too. KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:is it the golf ball one Yeah I think it's neat it just feels very plasticky. BFI makes one that looks similar but apparently has more actual heft to it, as well as various other options that look good. I'm also looking into the Raceseng offerings. Suburban Dad posted:OBDeleven and a d-dock for your phone are my favorite little things. revmoo posted:Don't do this, just spend the $50 on a OBDELEVEN So an OBDeleven (plus the app) lets you just disable the soundaktor? That's good to know.
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Jul 4, 2019 00:35
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revmoo posted:Among many, many, many other things. An OBDELEVEN must be a day one purchase for anyone that gets a GTI. It should probably come with the car. Doing some reading up on it, I see what you mean. It looks like something I need for sure. I have an iPhone and they iOS compatible OBD11s are out of stock, but maybe I can just use my wife's Amazon Kindle Fire. Or buy a refurb one.
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Jul 4, 2019 02:59
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It turns out the previous owner of my GTI already removed the clutch assist spring, so that was half an hour wasted. Oh well! I wonder about the clutch fluid flow restrictor, too...much harder to see without opening it up.
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Jul 5, 2019 16:32
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So it turns out that I happen to live in between Deutsche Auto Parts and Black Forest Industries, and would probably look to go to one of them to tune the GTI. I've been reading up on these and I'm wondering whether, before I do any modifications to the engine performance, I should first replace the clutch at the 60k mark with one that can handle the greater torque...or if I should just go for it and let the stock clutch fail when it fails.
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Jul 10, 2019 01:36
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Oh those white wheels are coool.
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Jul 10, 2019 02:03
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I just got one last week with about 50k on it. The PPI turned up no issues and it’s a joy to drive.
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Jul 11, 2019 22:02
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As an addendum, I got the GTI because it has over 50 cu ft of cargo space which is more than other hot hatches (except the Golf R I guess); I think the FiST is significantly less though it’s a great car in all other respects from what I’ve seen.
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Jul 11, 2019 22:35
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I’m the same way but with whiskey instead of cigars.
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Jul 13, 2019 00:05
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 07:45 |
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Update on the GTI after 4 weeks is that I love it and so does my wife. Its getting just under 39 MPG highway and just over 33 MPG overall, while accelerating fast enough to make passing a breeze and just being a genuinely fun car to drive. Apple CarPlay is also super easy to use and really improves the experience.
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Jul 28, 2019 15:14
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