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I appreciate the feedback from both of you, and you both make very valid points. I do like the factor that the 1st gen MS3 has more of a raw experience; however, with this being a lot more like a daily driver, I probably would lean towards a balance between refinement and fun factor. I think it would make me appreciate the S2K even more if I reserved the raw sports car experience for the S.
vader1, you make a lot of good points logistically and financially, which I definitely need to take into account. Your perspective is something I didn't consider in-depth at this point, but now I see the importance in considering the factors you mentioned. I definitely would want to have a GTI with the LSD (I think it's electronic now and not mechanical?). So I'm assuming my first trim level to shoot for is an SE.
If you are shooting for a good price on an SE the price goes up and it will be much more than a $10k difference. A good price on a manual/cloth SE seems to be $28k (with a $32k sticker) although many got VW's 0% last year but it is currently .9% financing. It is a pretty loaded car at that point. I might replace my BMW with one later in the fall or next year. I like them quite a bit.
A good point in the MS3 favor is if you have the space and want to be a 2 or 3 car guy, buying the cheaper one allows you to have more. But the GTI is such a good all-arounder, it feels kind of entry level luxury, the ride is really nice, it is sporty. It does pretty much everything, and so does the Mazda but it is not nearly as nice inside or modern. Either could be a good choice, but $11,500 seems kinda high on the MS3.
Or if you really want to bang your head against the wall you can go for a Speed6. Much nicer interior than the Speed3's and more sound deadening. And AWD + EXTREMELY cheap. For example, mine has 78k on it, all the maintenance done, GT all the mods that you need in your life....and I bet I couldn't fetch more than 6k for it.
Also...my 600whp Speed3. Just because.
Last edited by HawkeyeGeoff; 05-16-2018 at 08:27 AM.
I considered going back to the ST. I truly enjoyed that car and wish I didn't sell it, especially since I built it up to stage 3. Moreover, I would get the ST1 since I wasn't very comfortable with the Recaros, so it's a cheaper car than a GTI SE.
With what I was researching, it seemed that a similar amount of money I spent on modding the ST would give me even more gains with the GTI. Another aspect is I'm not so sure if I want to be associated with the ST crowd anymore. When I parted out the car and sold everything, I wasn't too fond of the folks that were buying the parts. But I know, every enthusiast car has a "crowd," and not every ST owner is a part of that crowd.
Yeah there's a bunch of dirt kids that own GTi's, MS3's and ST's. Just how it goes in this segment.
I've always thought the MazdaSpeed's looked like fun cars.
Did you consider a used MKVII GTI? I would imagine you could find one in the mid-teens, price-wise. They seem to be fairly reliable, even as the miles pile on.
I've always thought the MazdaSpeed's looked like fun cars.
Did you consider a used MKVII GTI? I would imagine you could find one in the mid-teens, price-wise. They seem to be fairly reliable, even as the miles pile on.
I've thought about them as well. They don't pop up that frequently from I've seen here in Albuquerque, especially the sport trim that has the LSD in it.
I've posted about mine several times, i have a 2013 mazdaspeed3, the last year they made it. Same engine etc, love it. Interior is decent but the transmission is pretty good and the torque at 3k is sweet, you better hold on with both hands when you stab the gas or it will take you right off the road.
But as already mentioned, it's not worth jack shit lol. Stock, 2013, 40k miles and i might be able to ask 15k max. Almost any MS3 for sale is 80k+.
I also had a 2008 R32, which has a significantly nicer interior. I miss that car. If I were in your situation it would come down to the $. The MS3 will be so much cheaper, but for more money you'd get a much nicer interior/ride in the GTI.
Haha, nicely done on the plate. It's not often I see a vanity plate with a mix of truth, irony, and humor.
IMO the main advantage of the 18 GTI compared to 15-17 is the 6 year warranty. You are going to be in the $30k range OTD for a new SE. Since you are talking about power gains, it seems like you want to mod it so that 6 year warranty would be almost useless. There were huge discounts on the 17's and they don't exactly have a great resale either so you should be able to find a lightly used one under $20k. IMO Sport model (17 only) is the sweet spot which is what I ended up with. I would have highly considered a speed3 if they made a current generation. Ultimately, I just wanted all the convenience and features of a new car.
A 2017 Sport is what I'd look for in an ideal situation. The price tag would be lower AND the performance pack is part of the deal. They haven't really been popping up in my area, unfortunately.
The warranty for the 18s is great for sure, but I'm not sure if I could last all six years without modding lol. One option would be the stage 1 APR tune that includes the rest of the warranty time, but I have a good feeling once I go that route, it'll probably only last so long before I want to do more. For those of you who have the S trim, what's your experience with not having the LSD?
Between those two options, I'd go with the new GTI. For a daily, you want something new and reliable with a warranty. If the GTI you want is out of your price range, consider some other cars that might be missing from your list (Civic Si, FEST, etc). That MS3 has low miles, but that's about all it has going for it. The 2008.5+ with Bose are the ones to look for.
05-16-2018, 08:06 AM
