GTI Waffle thread

[FC]

Originally Posted by RMR

I'm out of the GTI loop lately but I ordered my 2015 GTI Autobahn with the PP. I agree with Equ.....it is a must IMO. Made the MKVII so much better. Is the PP still an option now or is it standard? It was an option in 2015 even on the Autobahn and that is why I had to order and wait for the car for 2 months.

PP is standard across all models now.

I thought LED headlamps were also, but after checking, they become standard on the SE. Frankly, that may push us there.

[Jeff_DML]

Originally Posted by RMR

I'm out of the GTI loop lately but I ordered my 2015 GTI Autobahn with the PP. I agree with Equ.....it is a must IMO. Made the MKVII so much better. Is the PP still an option now or is it standard? It was an option in 2015 even on the Autobahn and that is why I had to order and wait for the car for 2 months.

PP is standard since MY2019

I have white silver which I think is a great color but it is not available on the S anymore. Cornflower is available on the SE too, trying to push people away from the S it seems.

[Jeff_DML]

Too bad they don'tto offer the Rabbit anymore, that had the best options all included IMHO plus special colors.

[robg]

Originally Posted by FC

Well, it looks like VW extended the holiday offers through March 1st. For 60 month loans, 0.9% on MY2021 and 0% on MY2020 GTI's.

I think that is good enough for me to pull the trigger at the end of February. I can put the Miata up for sale in March in time for the nice 2021 top-down season and we should still have plenty of production time to get the configuration we want.

Nice. I'm kinda tempted as well now.

[clyde]

Originally Posted by FC

Good point. Then again, white is not exactly a color a car can hide in (except winter), but certainly can blend with the masses.

Originally Posted by JST

Counterpoint: you want the kids to be driving something very bright, both so that other people will see them and to dissuade them from going fast. All kids' cars should be safety orange. Which I guess just means they have to drive the M3 (something, btw, that my daughter has already suggested).

Originally Posted by Alan

That was a good one ... that was a joke right ?

Originally Posted by JST

I mean, there was a time when I got pulled over 7 times in 14 days and eventually I started being smarter about where I was speeding.

But I was also driving a white car, so who knows what that means.

There's also something about shitting where you sleep...and if you're going to drive like an idiot, not doing it in/near your neighborhood in a recognizable car that your neighbors recognize and complain to your parents about you peeling out, doing donuts, weaving through traffic, and so on. Not that I would have any teenage memories of that kind of experience.

[FC]

Originally Posted by clyde

There's also something about shitting where you sleep...and if you're going to drive like an idiot, not doing it in/near your neighborhood in a recognizable car that your neighbors recognize and complain to your parents about you peeling out, doing donuts, weaving through traffic, and so on. Not that I would have any teenage memories of that kind of experience.

That was my initial angle re: color.

[Terri Kennedy]

Originally Posted by JST

I mean, there was a time when I got pulled over 7 times in 14 days and eventually I started being smarter about where I was speeding.

I got pulled over twice in the Atom in 7 years and 36,000-ish miles. The second time the cop was busy apologizing on the way to me, as he'd mis-read the state on the license plate. And if there ever was a car that screamed "pull me over", it's an Atom. In dark maroon on silver (technically, Wildberry Metallic over Pearlescent Lounge Grey).

Granted, I'm probably the only person who ever reviewed medium-soft A048's on TireRack and stated my driving style as "leisurely" . However...

The first nice day in the spring one year was the first time I'd had the Atom out since the winter and as I was getting onto the NJ Turnpike at 15E I realized I'd have to drop 40MPH or so on the ramp in order to be going slower than the fastest traffic on the actual Turnpike.

And then there's my infamous 135MPH runs down CA 190 in Panamint Valley (a perfectly straight road down into the valley and back up - around 5.5 miles). In pitch blackness. With headlights that illuminate the footwell nicely, but don't do squat for illuminating the road.

In 2006 I discovered that all the younger female staff at Panamint Springs Resort REALLY liked the Atom. I probably gave 7 of them or so rides across the valley and back. I'm not sure if it was the car, the speed, or the vibrations - it certainly wasn't me. In 2010 I gave the guy running the gas station a ride after 10 PM when he closed up the station. Earlier in the day I'd asked him if he had a helmet and he said "yeah, somewhere". He comes out with a WWI-style "elephant trunk" canister gas mask someone had given him as a gag gift a few years earlier because he couldn't find his real helmet. It probably would have been worth getting pulled over to see the look on the cop's face.

The stated top speed of that generation of Atom is 174MPH (it's about as aerodynamic as a brick, surprisingly). I didn't have any trouble hitting 135, though I did start on the downhill slope. But with 300 HP in a 1250 pound car, you can chirp the tires starting in 3rd gear from a dead stop.

Here's a shot from the afternoon before the 2010 night run. It was 126 degrees then and there were still some stragglers from the Badwater Ultramarathon running in that. Don't worry, we made sure they were all well past before the nighttime run.



For those who lost track, my purchase goals was for something "more fun and less practical" than my E46 wagon. I think I succeeded.

[equ]

Originally Posted by FC

PP is standard across all models now.

I thought LED headlamps were also, but after checking, they become standard on the SE. Frankly, that may push us there.

Good on the PP. Research the roof a bit if it comes with the SE. Ours started leaking before 4 years (but after warranty ended). Band-aid solution and blowing out drains did not do the trick. As much as I like better headlights, leather & stereo, if it's not going to be a lease (I forgot this and don't want to read the whole thread again), I would avoid vw panoramic roofs.

[FC]

I was at peace with the S, be the lighting situation really bothers me. I had hoped maybe the halogens would be good enough, but apparently they are mediocre. This link suggests it is a PITA to retrofit the LED lighting. I do want to keep it long-term, and I would prefer not dealing with a known, expensive issue like the leaking roof.

GRRR.

EDIT: Apparently, there was enough of a market for these to be available aftermarket. There are others. Probably worth a shot.



FWIW, we have definitely settled on white. My wife wanted nothing to do with the bright blue color. I tried. Even showing her fancy GT3's in Mexico Blue did nothing to move the needle. We are down to S vs SE now. And my wife REALLY wants the cloth interior, apparently, so it's likely to be an S and save the $4k.

[Jeff_DML]

Originally Posted by FC

I was at peace with the S, be the lighting situation really bothers me. I had hoped maybe the halogens would be good enough, but apparently they are mediocre. This link suggests it is a PITA to retrofit the LED lighting. I do want to keep it long-term, and I would prefer not dealing with a known, expensive issue like the leaking roof.

GRRR.

EDIT: Apparently, there was enough of a market for these to be available aftermarket. There are others. Probably worth a shot.



FWIW, we have definitely settled on white. My wife wanted nothing to do with the bright blue color. I tried. Even showing her fancy GT3's in Mexico Blue did nothing to move the needle. We are down to S vs SE now. And my wife REALLY wants the cloth interior, apparently, so it's likely to be an S and save the $4k.

I have those aftermarket lights and they suck. Pain to install and the optics are terrible but hey they look cool