GTI replacement thread
 

As mentioned in this thread-

http://forums.carmudgeons.com/showthread.php?t=159669

My 2019 GTI has been in the shop for over a month waiting for a new transmission. So I am considering tying to replace it with something else since I am frustrated not having a car.

Current fleet:
2018 Toyota 4runner - ~67k miles
2019 VW GTi - 47k broken miles

Setup:
Wife has a 25 mile commute to work.
I work from home so basically use a car to surf and mountain bike.
17 year old son that is finally getting his driving permit. Both of my boys are currently riding e-bikes to their high school (4miles)

My wife has been driving the GTI since the 4runner gets such bad gas mileage, obviously she is driving the 4r currently. Depending on what I get she might start driving it again instead of the 4r.

Budget:
Technically I have a pretty decent range but I was say under $100k. With that said I am kind into what is considered cheap reliable cars, ~30k ish, that i don't have to worry about a lot.

Cars:
Toyota GR86 - Searched around and could not find anything in 100s of miles. I did find a local Subaru BRZ that is coming in soon that the sales guy is claiming he will sell at MSRP with no stealth ADM.

https://www.sandiegosubaru.com/new/S...4a63d5e61d.htm

Besides that I am not sure, here are some cars that sort of peak my interest

M2 - Guessing hard to get and I don't like ADM
RS3 - Cons are automatic and basically a VW
Golf R - VW and touch crap.
Tesla 3 - Not for myself but for my wife. No charging at her work though.

I actually really like my current GTI, pretty ideal car for me. Fun to drive, gets decent gas mileage and can haul my surf/mtb around. The dealer that is is working on my car has this 2023 GTI with a pretty ideal spec for me

https://acceleride.vwofkearnymesa.co...deal_type=cash

Thinking maybe i can work out a deal of selling them my GTI and getting it. But seems like that would be foolish to buy another GTI with all the problems I have had with them(Bad engine in 2018, Bad transmission in 2019)

Finally , seems my older son will probably want a car soon. I have some older car options from family members but as you guys have pointed out maybe it is a better to buy a new car with more safety/reliability.

Any suggestions welcome

What about a Maverick? Might suit your use case and supposed to be kinda fun to drive. Or a Bronco for the same reasons.

Also there are the Kona and Elantra N, which are supposed to be kicks to drive.

Stinger GT would have good space for your bike and this is its last year.

Jetta GLI gives you the same stuff as the GTI without all the touch controls.

If you’re looking at an 86, I’d also think Miata and maybe GR Corolla, possibly Supra.

Good point. Not a GTI, but pretty damn good.

I like those but more for my kid and only if I could find the unicorn base hybrid.

Been eyeing the Bronco since it came out but that would be 4runner replacement. Been thinking MT 2.3T Sasquatch or even Braptor. Another impossible Ford to get again with ADM.

kona N is auto only and Elantra N is too ugly for me. Also would prefer to get away from FWD if possible. I would give an exception to Type R though.

Another auto only. Guess I should of mentioned I prefer manuals

I prefer the hatch and build of quality of GTI, another VW too.

Sorry, another requirement is 4 seats even if semi-useless, aka 911/86. Still like the option of cramming people/kids back there.


Guess I am kind of picky but I guess we all our :D Thanks

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...ckType=listing



new or used? An e90 e335 or f80 m3 manual seem to check all your boxes.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...ckType=listing

good suggestion, guess I prefer the m2 since new and full warranty. New M3 front end is difficult to digest too. It is supposed to drive nice, wonder if I could test drive one.

https://www.2addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1960999

this might be a cheap / fun option.

I'm guessing you'd be looking at at least 12 months out for an M2 allocation

Integra? I haven’t driven one but it comes in a 6M hatch and at least around here they seem more available than the Civic Si that they’re based on.

Josh, nice looking car but modded. Also not interested in older european cars unless super special car.

Not surprised with the long wait for a M2

yeah there are a lot, not my ideal car but I should go check out. Would be a good commuter for my wife. Maybe lemming can share his hoehn contacts;)

https://www.hoehnacuracarlsbad.com/n...icles/integra/

Edit: Annoying thing about the Integra for me is you need to buy the loaded up one to get the 6MT

There's not a lot out there anymore, its kind of sad. I grabbed this article that has all the manual new cars:
https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...8aAojiEALw_wcB

Camaro or Mustang might be interesting. The WRX is fun and checks the 4 door box

Didn't know the Mazda 3 hatch still had a manual. Minis are still a ton of fun, even though they're bigger and heavier now.

I agree w/ JST - it seems like the Integra might be the best bet.

huh, I hadn't even heard that Mazda nixed the RWD 6. I thought that was happening and was gonna suggest seeing what's what

https://www.motor1.com/news/575077/m...not-happening/

The Mazda3 hatch is theoretically available with a manual but you have to buy the spendy version to get one.

Honestly, if you want a hatch and a 6 speed it’s pretty much the GR Corolla, Integra, or GTI/Golf R.

base Taycan Cross Turismo for 99K. j/k

As JST said not much left that's available as a hatch with a manual. As tempting as another VW may be, I think you'll kick yourself if you have issues with it again.

Despite needing to get the loaded version in order to get a manual, it seems like it'd be worth atleast test driving the integra. They dont seem to sell well from what i can tell so maybe you can negotiate a discount.

thanks all, I am going to try to test drive that 6MT Integra this weekend.

complaining start...
Only problem is that it doesn't seem much of an upgrade over my GTI and for more money. Actually a downgrade on the engine 1.5T vs 2.0T. Seems like tech(and reliability) is the only upgrade.

Yup. I think you're basically trading features and power for (hopefully) reliability and a bit more room. Plus a better feeling manual shifter from what i've read. As far as price, I guess the loaded integra is still cheaper than the Autobahn GTI - but I realize that's a moot point for you since you didn't want all those extra things anyway.

Crosstreks are available with a stick, if you can find one. I think the newest models will be CVT only.

They are pretty low on power through, and the manual is not supposed to be so great…

Nor is Subaru reliability...

The Integra seems like it sits in a strange spot. They've stuck it exactly in a slot between the Civic and the Type-R.

Not really clear that the 20hp justifies the price premium over the 180hp 6MT Civic.

I assume that the CTR is impossible to get. Too bad there.

The 6MT hatchback Civics are hard to find and the Sport Touring (which has the 180 hp turbo engine) is 32.5; at that point, you’re probably better off with an Si.

Sometimes things just suck, in a perfect world the gti is the answer for you but in real life you did it and done that and unfortunately the gti is out of the question.

Forgot everything else and try out the new Nissan Z …. Now that looks like fun :D

C&D just released their picks for hatches at various price points:

https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...YM_xnju3V5nOWQ

LOL.

Most of those cars are unobtainium

I'm confused. Your wife is the one commuting and the main user of the broken GTI (as the 4runner doesn't make sense for that); what does she want?

yeah, the 4runner is technically her car but we decided that she would drive the GTI to work for fuel efficiency reasons. When we originally bought the 4runner almost 6 years ago we were ok with the gas mileage and did not have the GTI at the time(turbo or e36M3).

Her feedback is being included in the decision, going to update this thread soon.

Test drive #1 - 2023 Integra A-spec Tech 6MT

Pros:
-Power seemed decent, did not feel like a big drop from GTI. Did not rev it that hard though since want to be nice to a new car though. Seemed like a lot of fake engine noise which I could not figure out how to turn off.
-Transmission was super nice, short distinct throws. A lot better than the GTI
-tech/interior quality seemed fine. GTI again is very similar, front seat touch points high up are good. Rear seats have hard plastics up high.

Cons:
-Clutch had a high vague pickup, GTI wins on this
-Rear entry was not ideal with fast back style. My short 5'3" wife commented on almost hitting her head getting in.
-Read seats is kind of cocoon/tank like.
-Rear view through hatchback was bad.
-Rear bumper to load into hatchback is high and not ideal
-We do take the GTI on some road trips but my wife thinks this car would not be any good for them based on above cons.

Other notes:
-Wife did not like the red interior. I was fine with it but the alcantara middle with leather side bolsters seemed a bit strange. I actually would prefer all leather leather like the rear seats
-Transmission felt too far to the passenger side, seems like it would better to move the switches to the other side. Assuming I will get use to it
-Did not realize it was auto rev matching when I first was driving it, thought the throttle was overly sensitive when heel toeing:lol:

anyways, not a bad car but not a super exciting car for me. In some ways it would be a good replacement for the GTI in that wife could drive to work but still have a somewhat fun car for me. Value wise it seems like saving $10k for civic si would make more sense but I am a bit old for that.

Good notes. Definitely seems a little hard to get excited about compared to a GTI.

Nice detailed review of the Integra. Surprised about the materials used on the front seat. I can see your wife's persective- the red alcantara kind of reminds me a little of the "plush velour" red interior of an 80s GM or Chrysler product. And yeah - disappointing that the liftover height of the rear hatch is so high. Its' more like a liftback than a hatchback

That was absolutely my thought when I looked closely at the interior pic

Test Drive #2 - Tesla Model 3 RWD

I drove one awhile back when I was getting my GTI so this was more a refresher. This time the tech did not scare me as much, either more use to it or more comfortable since it has been vetted for a while.

Notes:
-Acceleration was pretty good but not mind blowing, maybe that requires the performance version? I will still end up driving it like a dick:eeps:
-Standard(?) seats sucked, I was falling all over the place. I guess they were comfortable at least.
-I am liking the clean interior nowadays, all digital interface was not terrible and I could use to.
-Like Josh said, ton of value with the base model for the money. All the tech of the Acura plus more.
-Hate to admit but the fart for turn signal gave us a pretty good laugh:eeps:

Pros-wise my wife definitely liked it for her commuting car to work. I like the reduced maintenance/cost and in theory less guilt of driving it around.

Cons wise it seems like every other car is a Telsa in my area(and most driven terribly) so I would have to get over that. Also first time not have a manual car since my first car. Guess in the not far future, my soon to be driving son could use the 4runnner and I could get something else.

Ha- on my short test drive i was definitley guilty of that :eeps:

Seems like the 3 is the way to go…Great for your wife’s commute and gives you more time to find something inspiring when your son starts to drive.

Out of curiosity, I built a 430 GC and it gets quite expensive quite fast. But, it’s also practical and a very nice car.

The i4 is alas even more pricey.

My 440 GC is about 3k more now than when I bought it a year ago—on par with most i4s.

One thing you might look for is a previous generation 340 GC with a stick…I think Equ may still have his.

I surrendered to the LA-ness of my life. And am getting a PDK equipped commuter car.

Good luck to you, @JeffDML, in finding something fun and suitable for you.

would you guys get a demo for ~1k saving? Not a lot of miles but also not a lot of saving so I am tempted not. Also reduces the warranty a few months since used.


https://www.tesla.com/m3/order/5YJ32...ct=no#overview

I’d just want to be sure that it still counts as “new” for the purposes of the federal tax credit…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Did you check the income limitation … pretty much eliminates the tax credit … really sucks …

I think a demo with a few hundred miles on it wouldn’t scare me, but I’ll be god damned if I ever buy another Tesla.

Wat happen?

I was assuming #Elon

Yeah, just Elon’s bullshit. I don’t want to be associated with it.

Which is too bad, because the car is fine.