Printable View
I always thought VW took a big step forward when it launched the Golf V and it really attracted me to the brand. I liked the GTI but always thought it was a little too plain jane and painfully FWD for my liking - as well as way too common. For the money there were alot of choices on the market when I bought the R32. But ultimately I liked the reliability, quality, decent performance and road presence the car has. Always puts a smile on the dial so kudos to VW.
2004 -- First year uni. Walking with a mate to a lecture and see this car go through the roundabout as we were crossing.
Me: "Whoa, what was that? Sweet car!"
Mate: "VW GTI. My brother is getting one. Has to wait 6 months for it to arrive."
Me: "Damn. Made to order or something?"
Mate: "Don't think so. Just not many sitting around waiting in car yards."
From that moment on, I became a little obsessed. It was a car that I thought I would never own or justify the price. But when I was looking at getting a new Lancer to replace my 96 one, I pulled into a VW dealer just to see what they were like. Took it for a test drive and then it was all over...
Couldn't be happier with it -- Sorry my story isn't as epic as some of the cool ones on here. :)
My TFSI Jetta is the first VW I have owned. Its also the first non Japanese car I have owned also.
We basically had a 2 car garage of a Nissan Murano Ti and a Honda Jazz VTiS. As our baby got older, my wife stole the Murano from me and left me with the Jazz. Whilst its a nice car, I just couldnt feel right driving it so I had to change to something else.
I wanted a sedan (never owned one) and it had to be auto (for the wife). I wanted a bit of performance as well as luxury. Surprisingly, there isnt much that fits this description for around $40k. It eventually came down to the Jetta vs the Honda Accord Euro and the Jetta won.
Quote:
Originally Posted by faisan
In what areas did the Jetta excel ?
It was 3 main areas for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by phaeton
1. The Drive - The TFSI feels much more powerful than the Accord Euro despite having similar power figures. The extra down low torque makes a huge difference.
2. The Price - The end of year deals are fantastic and better than what was on offer with the new Accord Euro. However, if you factor in the extra kit you get with the Accord, its similar.
3. The Build Quality - The interior isnt plasticy and the doors shut with a nice solid thunk. No rattles so far - fingers crossed but the Accord was known for its rattles also.
In the end, I would have been happy with either car but I wanted to try something non Japanese and so far I like it! There have also been reports of pinging issues with the new auto Euros so I guess I am lucky I went with the Jetta.
Others have said it, build quality, fun, drivability, being different - but the ultimate difference for me, in a nutshell, is unrivalled character.
VWs, and Golf's in particular, are cars you hug when your better halves aren't watching.
And how many car manufacturers can claim they make cars that BOTH guys and gals love to bits AND aren't boring. Who doesn't love a golf.
i went from this -
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...c0110ah1-1.jpg
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru.../01/rear-1.jpg
to this - http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newf...ad.php?t=24428 :D
It was a stock 318is when i purchased it nearly 6 years ago and had my fun with it.. As most P platers do, i spent my hard earned on cosmetics/handling.. as it was only a 4cyc i knew it was no racer!
After growing up a little and finishing a dble degree @ uni, getting a new job, it was time to puchase somthing fast/realible/good looking in stock form! So i made the move over to VW in early dec 08.. After owning a FWD turbo lancer prior to the bmw, i still had nightmares, untill i found the 4x4 traction of the R32 :)
I'm continueing making excuses to go out and drive her - the girlfriend was not impressed.. untill i only recently let her have a drive - now its a fight for the keys!
We have a 2004 MK4 Golf sport in the garage and that handles great as well!
I also enjoy the fact not many drivers realise what a R32 is and its great seeing the "wtf" look on their face when left behind!
interesting question..
for me.. mainly 'cos I had basically, forgotten the brand after leaving home in the early 80's.. where a VW Kombi or transporter had been the family vehicle since 1963.. during this time I can't recall *any* time where the VW let us down, and we did lots of camping, traveling, etc.. in the VW's the family had..
now, we've got the TDI V6 Touareg.. and words can't express how impressed I am in the build quality, and the engineering of the Touareg.. particularly for the money we've spent... I mean its not the cheapest vehicle on the market, but for what you get, I think its excellent value... and jolly good fun. :)
with the wider range of vehicles in the VW stable.. I can't see other brands getting a look in, in my garage.. (well, ok - its a carport)..
regards,
Paul.
My story is not that exciting or inspiring as some of this others on this thread…but hey…here goes….
After writing off my first car, I was looking for a second car. I wanted something with a little more performance and style. Originally I was looking at a WRX, test-drove a few, liked them but the insurance costs were astronomical.
I then stumbled across reviews of the Polo GTI on the net and after some research thought this could be a feasible option. I didn’t know VW even made a GTI version of the polo until before I done the research. When the MkV GTI came out I loved the way it looked…but could not afford one. The Polo really is more accessible option for younger drivers. Sure it’s a poor man’s GTI and it’s a little vague in some areas, but its good value. I bought my 2006 GTI in August 2008. It really is a lot of fun to drive...and gets a alot of attention.
Five months on, and I am still really happy with my Polo. I had a few minor issues with but overall really pleased with its quality. I got the windows tinted last week, but plan to keep it standard as much as possible. And as for my next car: … I’m thinking the Golf Mk VI is looking good?? Although some of the older VWs have also recently caught my eye...! Yes…I think I have caught the VW bug.
An Update
In August 2009, I traded the POLO GTI on a 2004 Mk IV R32. See here: http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newf...ad.php?t=33081
Great thread!!
I got into Volkswagen through my dad.
In 1999 he and mum did a driving holiday of Europe in a brand new Golf IV. He came back raving about it, but couldn't get a Golf as my brother and I still lived at home and needed to keep the Commodore for all our stuff, towing etc.
After I'd moved away for uni he wanted a new car and started shopping around. Like Faisan his choice came down to Accord Euro or Jetta 2.0T and soon enough there was a TFSI VW with leather, sunroof, 18s etc etc on the drive.
It was the first watercooled VW I drove, and not a bad place to start!!!
When I graduated from uni I looked at used hot hatches (Type-R, GTI-6, RenaultSport) before taking a MK4 GTI for a test drive. It was black with red recaros, a performance chip and aftermarket DV. It made a huge impression on me - from then I looked only at low km GTIs and settled on an immaculate one-owner stock jobbie that I have today.
I like VWs because of the rock-solid quality, the driving feel and the Q-ship factor. I also love the Golf GTI badge cache, the gorgeous interior, and the sheer tuneability of the car.
The greater VW community is important too... can you imagine quality sites like VWwatercooled, vortex, ukmkivs, golfmkv, vwforum, ausvolks etc etc being devoted to Corollas and Daewoos? not likely.