[ALPINE6SPD]

My lease is up next month at the end of the month and i decided to just return my car. I will have most of the Dinan parts up for sale as well as Blacklines, AW Mtech rear bumper, OEM strut bar and Bimmian CF intake. I planned on getting a 135i but due to the fact my wife might lose her job and I am not doing as well as last year I need to save some $$$$$.

I went to the auction about 2 weeks ago with a friend from our VW store (he is actually the Pre-Owned manager) and bought a 2008 VW GTI 6 speed manual with 6700 miles. It was an executive demo car from Florida. OF COURSE it is WHITE. I am happy I was able to fine the car with the options I wanted. It has the 18" BBS HUFF wheels, the cloth interior (I like the old school plaid over the leather), Sat radio and the Cold Weather Package and the 6 speed manual. I would never take a DSG. It is actually the exact way I would have bought the car new. I bought the car because I plan to keep it for a while if need be. I got an amazing deal on it so if I decicde to sell and get a BMW in the next year or two I will break even at worst.

After driving the car for about 2 weeks already I am surprised how much I like it. Is it as good as my 330i of couse not but it is almost as much fun to drive. I really miss the power of my 330i but this will be fixed when I get it APR tuned next month. Its will get to 256hp and 303 torque so it should be faster than my 330i pretty easily at that point. I miss RWD or course and the steering and handling is better in the BMW. I also miss my I-Drive and Nav and just bought a Garmin but it is not the same. The seats in the GTI are awesome and so is the quaility of the interior. I have not seen ANY 26k car new with a better interior IMO. The car is blast to drive and it is nice to be able to save hundreds of dollars a month. I still have the X3 so I can at least still drive a BMW when I want. Overall it was a tough decision at first but I am very happy I did it and am really enjoying the GTI. I will still be around on a regualr basis to help anyone with BMW questions.

[indy335i]

That's a very nice choice. I really like the GTI and the manual is the way to go.

I really hope your wife doesn't lose her job. A lot of people are hurting out there.

Enjoy the new ride!

[blue2fire]

I love the GTI but i don't think you should load it up with power, there is only so much FWD can do.

[rotaryboy]

I test drove one with DSG and loved it. If I were to own one, however, I too would chose 6MT. Nice car.

[nicknaz]

congrats on the new car

i hate to say it but i think my next car will be DSG as soon as the track durability and long term maintenance costs become more clear. there's pretty much no downside other than other people's perception

[BK]

Sorry to see your 330i go, but I like the GTI (and GLI), too. I test drove a GLI back before I bought the E90, and I was surprised at how much I liked the GLI and how well it stacked up to the other cars I tried -- A4, G35, IS350 and the other usual suspects. I like VW interiors.

[Mazen]

Congrats on the new car. Sorry to see you get rid of your 330 though.

[SpaceGhost]

I just came out of an 06 GLI with DSG. Great car for all around use and fun to drive. Rock solid for 40k miles of daily redline bumping ;-)

[Seminole]

Post pics of the new ride!

[Saintor]

Originally Posted by Alpine Blur

I just came out of an 06 GLI with DSG. Great car for all around use and fun to drive. Rock solid for 40k miles of daily redline bumping ;-)

Lucky you. You avoided the 40000 miles DSG maintenance, did you? Close to 400$. Insane.

[SpaceGhost]

Yep. Lease return at 39,900 miles.

[Craig@SupremePower]

very nice...congrats!!

[BIMMER//DRIMMER]

congrats alpine! when are we meeting up?? =)

[ALPINE6SPD]

Originally Posted by Nick Nazareno

congrats on the new car

i hate to say it but i think my next car will be DSG as soon as the track durability and long term maintenance costs become more clear. there's pretty much no downside other than other people's perception

There are huge downsides IMO:
No 3rd pedal (the BIGGEST downside BY FAR)
Not as much fun to drive (drove both so I know)
Most people put it in full auto mode 99.9% of the time ( I sold VW so this is also true of the clients I sold to. The first question most of the time was do they make the GTI in automatic?)
Most people who buy it just get it because they cant drive a stick (not always but most of the time)
Cost more money than a manual (more money for mods
More control over the car (rain, snow, dry)
Relibility will never be as good and if there is failure its huge $$$$$$$$

The only way I would not drive a 6 speed or any manual in any car was if they only offered a DSG type transmission. Like Maserati Quattroporte (I would not get the auto in that car either) Ferrari 430 Scuderia to name a few. In fact my wifes X3 is a manual and this was the biggest reason why we got it. She HATES not having a 3rd pedal almost as much as I do. It is not like we dont drive in traffic or a lot of miles a year either. I do a 22000 mile a year lease on my wifes car and we did 15k on my 330i

I guess for some people the DSG or that type of transmission has a negative perception but for me and my wife we just dont enjoy driving a car without a 3rd pedal (unless its a ferrari or some other type of car I will most likely never own). I know its great for some people but its not my thing. I will admit they are 1000000000000 better than any regular slushbox. The auto in the 335i is very good but the DSG in VW is def a better transmission. I also know sometimes they are faster than a manual but that really does not matter to me. Sticks were almost always faster than auto and most people didnt buy stick anyways. Most people do NOT know how good the DSG is either. VW really did an awesome job on that transmission espically for the price point of the cars it is in. I bet we no longer have automatic at all in the futre because the DSG does just about everything better than a automaticc but it really does not do anything for me. This is why the offer both though because some people think I am CRAZY for like stick so much.


Those are just a few downsides IMO.

[ALPINE6SPD]

Originally Posted by blue2fire

I love the GTI but i don't think you should load it up with power, there is only so much FWD can do.

That is why I am only going with apr stage 1 with an intake. I doubt I will even get an exhaust or downpipe.

[ALPINE6SPD]

Originally Posted by BIMMER//DRIMMER

congrats alpine! when are we meeting up?? =)

I will pm you early next week.

[BIMMER//DRIMMER]

awesome!!!

[ALPINE6SPD]

Originally Posted by Seminole

Post pics of the new ride!

I am going to try to get this done sometime this week. I will most likely have to do it next Sat or Sunday because when you sell cars where I am at you have NO TIME. My work hours are:

Monday 8:30am-9:00pm
Tuesday 9:00am-5:00pm
Wed. I am off
Thursday 9:00am-9:00pm
Friday 9:00am-9:00pm
Saturday 8:30am-6:00pm

I really like what I so so this is why I do it. I just hate never having 2 days off in a row and never having a Saturday off unless I am on vacation. I really want to get some pics up very soon. I drove 150 miles on Sunday and the car was AWESOME. My wife was comfortable and so was my 3 year old so I am very happy with the choice I made.

[canucklion]

congrats on the purchase. The GTI is a fine automobile, love its interior, ergonomical and high-quality. The seats, as you said, are pretty supportive.

[ALPINE6SPD]

Originally Posted by canucklion

congrats on the purchase. The GTI is a fine automobile, love its interior, ergonomical and high-quality. The seats, as you said, are pretty supportive.

For 25-26k new you will NOT find a car with as nice an interior IMO. The dash is not hard plastic and the aluminum is real not fake like some 45k cars. It has xenons and the seats are awesome. I just cant wait to get the 250+hp and 300+ torque. The brakes and suspension fell like they could handle that without an issure. This is espically true because its the 2008 with the Euro suspension and not the 06-07 with the more sloppy and higher center of gravity. The car sits about 1.1" lower on my 2008 than it did in the previous years. I am also going to buy some High performance tires as mine came the all season Dunlops. When the winter comes I am going to put the all seasons back on.

[freshwhite335]

the gti is one of the best values out there. i love them. before i got my E90 and was desperate to get out of my SUV I considered just getting a brand new GTI or R32 instead of a CPO BMW. Couldnt find one in a color combo i liked though.

[ALPINE6SPD]

Originally Posted by freshwhite335

the gti is one of the best values out there. i love them. before i got my E90 and was desperate to get out of my SUV I considered just getting a brand new GTI or R32 instead of a CPO BMW. Couldnt find one in a color combo i liked though.

That is what I was worried about. I only wanted cotton white with a 6 speed, interlagos cloth and the 18" huffs. The 18" BBS huffs are nearly IMPOSSIBLE to find.