new VW GTI or the new Civic SI....help!

[97civicracer]

hey guys. first let me start of by saying that i've recently got a new job and for once can afford a "nice" affordable new car. i've been looking at both for a while and just yesterday went and took the next logical step to test drive them. i thought this would put an end to my inability to make a decision. O but it doesn't. i came back home even more confused. had a hell of a ot of fun though
the new si felt typically honda, had a bizarre dash board and somewhat sloppy shifter. seats were awesome and the vtec changeover was as close to sex as i've been in the past 3 months. not much power low down and then BAM! very cool stuff.
the new GTI was equally impressive. functionally attractive and comfortable interior although i hate their seat reclining twist knob! solid shifter and the torque...o the torque! being a honda head for the past 6 years of my life i finally understand the joys of what a nice amount of torque can do for my personal driving experience.
so here's my dilemmna. i absolutely love both cars. they're both exactly what i'm looking for right now. the civic w/ it's lighter weight and high rev k20 are impeccable. the gti w/ it's (relatively) luxurious interior and TORQUE. I'm looking for UNBIASED opions from members who have had experience w/ both cars. obviously i'm aware that this is a honda civic website so i'm expecting a few "go honda!"s here and there however i'm hoping some of the og's around here can help me man up and pull the trigger. thanks guys (and girls too).

cliffs: help me decide btwn the new Civic SI and the new VW GTI

 

[Tiso]

want really high maintence fees? If not, go for the si

 

[Mr. Jollypants]

want really high maintence fees? If not, go for the si

Want a car that's prone to theft? Then go for the Si.

 

[JohnS.]

I love GTI's. One dude that's the same auto program as me (and same classes) has one. It sounds like pure sex when he gets on it. It's the 99-05 (I think that was the generation years) one.

But based primarily on looks, I would take the new SI over the new GTI hands down. VW screwed up on the new one (IMHO). The front end is terrible. The 99-05 (I think) ones are the hottest (again, IMHO).

Cost wise, I'd still take the Honda over the VW. Hmmm... Japanese or German. I wonder which costs more to fix.

Performance wise, they're almost in the same boat. GTI puts out a little more torque but it's still nothing fancy considering both cars still aren't that fast.

But because I'm a Honda fan, I'd take the Honda any day of the week.

 

[spook4thecia]

I've really had no experience with VW's but I can say that I absolutely LOVE my FG2. Before I started getting the FG bug though, I was looking at upgrading to a used Audi. But then I started doing research and found out that even lower end Euro cars are much more expensive for maintenance/repair, are much harder to work on, and aren't nearly as reliable as the Honda's I had come accustom to. That made me pretty much write off any Euro car. I mean s**t with my 2000 Civic EX, 140,000 mile car, I have not had a single problem. Clutch is the only thing that has needed to be replaced/repaired in SEVEN YEARS, well besides standard maint. stuff like fuel filter, pvc valve etc. No engine noises, no weird feelings, nothing. And if it did have a problem, relatively cheap to fix if I couldn't do it on my own. Plus with Honda's you have massive support online. With this car, you don't have to worry.

The dash I really liked when I first saw it but it is different. But you do get used to it, took me like a day or two. VTAK is some fun s**t but I do wish sometimes that I had some torque down low when I need it. But you can always down shift which is fun anyway. I really like the transmission although the 5-6 shift took getting used to.

Anywayz I guess you can tell my pick-----FG2!!!!111!!one!!1!

 

[Tiso]

Want a car that's prone to theft? Then go for the Si.

If you are worried about the vehicle getting stolen, you should be thinking about an older vehicle that is a huge concern if it would happen to get stolen

 

[LowNotSlow]

New Civics are much harder to steal. It's the old ones that are easy targets.

 

[Busta3]

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=109825/pageId=69489
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060501/FREE/60419006/1004

 

[dank24]

i would get a gti. They have warranty's if it breaks down.

 

[JerseyStrong]

im personally not a fan of the mk5 body styles, nor am i too much of a fan of the 8th gen body styles..i know nothing about vdubs except for the fact that they like to hide EVERYTHING and its just a b***h to work on. If i were you id probably shoot for an mk4 body style gti, a 1.8t of some sort. Then again if your looking for something a little more reliable and fun to work on, go with the SI

i drive my friends VR6 gti mk4 body style all the time with a full exhaust and LOVE it, IMO sounds so much better then a honda and like the OP stated has some nice torque

 

[Tiso]

i would get a gti. They have warranty's if it breaks down.

Yes they do, but most of are assuming he would prob. mod the vehicle and throw out some of those warranties. I guess that becomes a factor now too, will you be modding it?

 

[Kaotic_Zeus]

get the FG2. an 07-08 with the VSA, the new golf doesn't look sporty enough, and looks funny too.

 

[Going-West]

You have two cars that perform very, very similiar in acceleration, handling, and braking. And then you have one car that costs 7 thousand dollars more and will have less of a resale value in the future, be less reliable, but has more torque and a nicer interior. If it were me I'd get the Si just on the fact that they both perform so similiar but the prices are so different...I really do like the GTI though.

 

[GooseS2000]

way to ask this in a club made for civics. gti or civic? anyone anyone?

haha go with the civic =]

 

[Genuine Rolla]

GTI hands down.

GTI > Civic IMO

On the road of life, there are passengers and then there are drivers....

 

[FRODO]

You have two cars that perform very, very similiar in acceleration, handling, and braking. And then you have one car that costs 7 thousand dollars more and will have less of a resale value in the future, be less reliable, but has more torque and a nicer interior. If it were me I'd get the Si just on the fact that they both perform so similiar but the prices are so different...I really do like the GTI though.

Couldnt have said it better myself...so i'm not...

 

[dank24]

I would only get a si sedan though. Not a coupe, if it were a choice between a coupe and GTI. I would take the gti

 

[\\ Forgiven //]

And then you have one car that costs 7 thousand dollars more.

How do you figure 7k? Maybe if you compare the base Si to a GTI with a lot of accessories, but base price to base price it's more like 1k. 21,100 compared to 22,220.

 

[RedLine42]

I went with Si, once you get inside of it and drive you will know why. Now would you rather have a Honda that makes 200ishHP all motor or would you want a vw that needs a turbo to do that? and remember the high reving and gearing makes up for the torque.

 

[Going-West]

How do you figure 7k? Maybe if you compare the base Si to a GTI with a lot of accessories, but base price to base price it's more like 1k. 21,100 compared to 22,220.

The reviews I saw in motor trend had a price difference of about 7k, I guess they were both fully loaded. Either way, the base prices are about 2k apart, given the small performance advantages on the GTI and the other advantages the Si has, I don't think it's worth the extra money...but that's just my opinion. Both great cars.