Keep My Si or go back to Volkswagen? Golf V

[ep pilot]

http://vwvortex.rely.net/artman/uploads/002__scaled_600_002.jpg All photos courtesy of the VWvortex

I don't know about you all, but the MKV Golf is drop dead sexy, I could see my self going back to Volkswagn in as little as a years time, after they de-bug the car;) that is.

I Love my Si, but would have really preffered a 5 door variant if Honda would have shown interest. The P5 was to slow and the WRX wagon was not my taste, albeit a fantastic driver.

This new Golf V picks up where our Si has left off, IMO also I think if I go back, I would love to have a Golf V this time in a Diesel, I am not going to do the 1.8t thing again thats for sure.

-Ryan

[blackyEP3]

That is one good looking car!!

I am not into 4 door cars but this one looks pimp enough for me to consider.

[TheMutt]

It looks like a clean car, even though the lines seem a little distasteful. Everyone is constantly bashing VW, but if you've driven one before and want to leave your Ep behind, go for it.

[DX4U2NV]

Originally posted by blackyEP3
That is one good looking car!!
are we seeing the same car here? that thing's pretty freaking gross... i only posted this because i seem to be the only person that doesn't like it...

[gabbman]

get the golf

[ep pilot]

http://vwvortex.rely.net/artman/uploads/003__scaled_600_003.jpg All photos courtesy of the VWvortex


Here is a shot of the front, to some the back doesn't any justice, I just think at odd angles this car is too sexy, but I am still a VW guy at heart.


http://vwvortex.rely.net/artman/uploads/005__scaled_600.jpg All photos courtesy of the VWvortex

This is the body line that gets me weak, I love cars that utilize that little cut-back line in the rear C-pillar glass, another example ould be the C-pillar traditionally used by the 5 series Bimmer, it gives the car that hurrying fast look.

-It also looks like distance control will pe a promising option?
-Ryan

[ep pilot]

Here is what I don't get though, all that work to get Volkswagen to use exposed tailpipes on the '02/'03 MKIV GTI and now the '04 goes back to hidden pipes.......

Again I just love how all the entusiasts (so to speak) at the Vortex chastise our Si for being (Mini Van) like. Dont get me wrong I like this new Golf V a lot, but it too looks very mouch like a little van ( not sure yet if thats a bad thing)


-Ryan

[Gov_E]

not for me, my mk 4 VW Gti has been in the shop more than fourty times in two years.

I'm going Honda.

[golferjn]

the new golf looks nice. get it if you really want the diesel

[IceD out N CALI]

if you like it, go for it-you dont have to keep the ep for that long if u really want something else. of course it will cost ya, so understand and be able to live with that idea

[Civicvtec1ps]

if you really like that car... go for it
nothing wrong with our si's very nice car .

[ssvr6]

The GTi will be sportier had most likely have the "exposed" pipes that you want.

Steve

[crex2nr]

all i have to say is go with what you like. it looks kind of cool, the golf

[Mechanic]

Originally posted by Gov_E
not for me, my mk 4 VW Gti has been in the shop more than fourty times in two years.

I'm going Honda.

I made this transition 14 years ago after 10 V-dubs, including two that I campaigned on the track. (I also got through school working on these cars in the '60s & '70s.) Nothing's changed for V-dub. When they are up and running, they're a ton of fun, but do your homework: VW's long-term, day-in-and-day out reliability stinks. And it's a damn same because the chassis dynamics hold a world of potential.

[IchBinEinSiR]

I think the idea of going to a turbo diesel is great, maybe we should campaign Honda to bring over the SiR with one of their turbo diesel engines...

[02TafWhtSi]

I kinda like it...we'll get used to the styling after its seen on the road I think :angel:

[ADAMnQuickCIVIC]

IMO any turbo car should be AWD or RWD...
Otherwise I wouldnt even consider it...

That said, hope to turbo my ep ASAP...lol...

[Mechanic]

Originally posted by IchBinEinSiR
I think the idea of going to a turbo diesel is great, maybe we should campaign Honda to bring over the SiR with one of their turbo diesel engines...

IchBinEinSir:

Ack! A diesel! You want a diesel?!

Sir, you've been reading too many issues of Car and Auto (Brit & German pubs, respectively, for those who don't hang out at newstands).

I will concede that diesel motors are better now than they have ever been. And, with a turbo to shove in enough air in, they are also more powerful. But . . .

Without exception, diesel crankshafts weight a ton. They have to in order to endure the stress of compression ignition. Thus, they are always RPM limited. When's the last time you heard of a 6k RPM diesel? And w/o a turbo, they are bog slow. They also stink. The only reason that the Europeans like them is because their governments subsidize the hell out of them with tax breaks. They do the same with the diesel fuel. Those same incentives are what's motivating the engineers to stay up nights trying to make them more gasoline-like. Moreover, the turbo that makes a diesel motor acceptable as an automobile engine, is itself a complex, expensive component that never outlasts the engine itself. Think I'm wrong? Call your local Audi dealer and ask how much it costs to replace a turbo for a 1.8 liter motor. And be sure you are sitting down for the answer.

You wanna ask the gods for a decent motor, get on yr knees and pray for a CTR with 2.4 liters of displacement. Now that would be a motor!

[andy]

Originally posted by ep pilot

...
I Love my Si, but would have really preffered a 5 door variant if Honda would have shown interest. The P5 was to slow and the WRX wagon was not my taste, albeit a fantastic driver.

This new Golf V picks up where our Si has left off, IMO also I think if I go back, I would love to have a Golf V this time in a Diesel, I am not going to do the 1.8t thing again thats for sure.

...

On a TV show today (Car and Driver TV? Autoweek or something?
I can't remember), I thought they said the new Golf would have
a VR6 - ssvr6 probably knows more about that. Maybe it's just
one of the options.

I really like the looks of that Golf (not that the old one isn't
cool looking), but I think in the next 2-4 years, you're going to
see a TON of hot and fast cars.
There's a Mazdaspeed P5 on the way as well as a completely
redesigned replacement. The Impreza/WRX is supposed to be
redesigned in 2005, I believe, let alone the dead-sexy Legacy
and Legacy wagon's that are about to come next year, I think.
Plus the Audi A3...
So in other words, don't give up on the Si just yet. I think there's
a ton of potential waiting to be tapped and even if not, there
might be 10 more cars you'll like in the next 2 years, not including
the Golf (which wouldn't be a bad choice).

[Gov_E]

http://www.dk-foren.de/gute-fahrt/attachment.php?s=&postid=64983

check out the new A3 too, drool drool

[SiR Medic]

One thing that scares me about the new Golf is it's potential price.

VW's quest to go "upmarket" might just alienate some of it's diehard fans. As it is price was a MAJOR reason why I went with the SiR over a GTI. Brand loyalty had nothing to do with it, since I had owned neither brand before. The SiR was about $3000 cheaper though, with more standard equipment.

I doubt the new Golf will be cheaper than the current model, but it looks quite likely to go up in price by about $1000 or so.

[Gov_E]

damn, couldn't get the picture up - i suck.

I think that we'll be seeing more and more diesel engines in the next few years, I think VW has a very well-designed TDI. Yes, it may not be able to push more than 150hp, but the torque curve is just ludicrous - you can get well over 225 pounds with just a few mods . . .

Plus you can run it on hemp


http://www.globalhemp.com/News/2001/September/norml_touts_hemp.html ;)

[IchBinEinSiR]

Mechanic: Read above... torque - torque - torque (and fuel mileage)

[Mechanic]

Originally posted by IchBinEinSiR
Mechanic: Read above... torque - torque - torque (and fuel mileage)

Yep, I agree, diesels produce tons of grunt. And that's exactly what Dr. Rudolph Diesel had in mind when he engineered his new engine design for ships, trains and trucks. Give me a few minutes, and I'll be able to tell you who raced a diesel at Indy in the '54. Smoked his way to a decent finish, as I recall. I also had a MB 240 diesel as a daily driver for a year or so. Thus, I'm not saying that diesel engined cars are junk. I'm just saying that the concepts of "high performance" and "diesel" are an oxymoron.

[ssvr6]

Mechanic - There are SOOOO many aftermarket options if the turbo goes that are WAY cheaper than OEM.

I know a guy with a TDI New Beetle. Sure, he's only up to 150hp with his upgraded injectors, turbo, TB, etc. But he's sporting 300+ ft lbs of torque!

His car is AWESOME. It's no 1/4 mile champ but it's great for around town and for road racing (which the owner is really into).

I know that my next car will either be a TDI Touareg or a TD Truck (Dodge, Ford, whatever). Torque ownz joo! ;)


Steve

[IchBinEinSiR]

Your sarcasm can be forgiven mechanic... but with a curb weight of 2,754lbs dry (from Honda brochure), our SiR's might as well be trucks.

Honda is coming out with a 2.2L CTDI putting out 140ish HP and 240ish FT-LBS... at the usual low RPM. Tuned properly (gearing ratio's and shift points for sport driving) the diesel would run around the SiR as well as farther.

Just a different point of view, wouldn't hurt to have one...

[stephen]

nope. not going back to vw until they get all the reliablity bugs worked out, especially for the golf platform.

[BlackNRedSi]

So if you went back to VW, you would trade in your EP correct?

Do you still have a payoff on your Si?

If so, i am sure you already kno this, but dealerships arent going to give you shyte for a trade in it sucks!

Not bashing your idea to get a VW, that car you posted is HOTT....but i wouldnt want to see a fellow EPhatcher get screwed on a dealer trade in...

see what they want to give you before making up your mind ya kno...

Eric

[Gov_E]

yeah, I'm sure I'll get screwd trading in my Gti, but I can't afford to fix it every two weeks anymore - so adios. I'm hoping they'll give me at least 10K, I'd like 12 tho - considering it was 24K two years ago.

[ssvr6]

Just make sure that you get a VW made in Germany. My 91 Jetta GLi and my 02 Passat were both made in Wolfsburg and I didn't have ANY problems with them. My 98 GTi was made in Brazil, but that didn't matter since I never had any problems with it in the 2 years that I owned it either.


Steve

[VBSI]

Well, I disagree. That front end doesn't flow at all to the doors, and the back is-well, not my style. I peered into a couple of VW's before I bought my Si, but I couldn't do it. For some reason, I don't trust them.

[IceD out N CALI]

Originally posted by VBSI
Well, I disagree. That front end doesn't flow at all to the doors, and the back is-well, not my style. I peered into a couple of VW's before I bought my Si, but I couldn't do it. For some reason, I don't trust them.

why didnt you trust them? bad rep?

[VBSI]

I'd say. About 6 out of 15 guys I worked with at my last job had VW's ranging from Passats, Jettas and Golfs. They were also always working on them because of shit breaking, and I had to listen to how great the cars were. They all liked my Si though-and a direct quote from one of the guys that has a VW tattoo on his back, "That is the only Honda I would own."

[Gov_E]

yeah, my GTi is sweet. . .

it's also in the shop right now -

[scott]

the only golf I would consider is the r32, but at 29K there other cars I would rather buy

[Mechanic]

Originally posted by scott
the only golf I would consider is the r32, but at 29K there other cars I would rather buy

V-dub may discount the R32 to $29k, but it's gonna list for closer to $32k. And for that price, it's a sure bet that you're gonna own an expensive set of the same problems seen on its least expensive Golf.

Having gotten through school working on V-dubs years ago, and knowing what they were like then ('60s/'70s), I think it's a damn shame that VW can't get a handle on it quality problems. But they've had three generations now to get it right and it's clear that, if anything, is gotten worse.