Oppo, help me chose between two cars

"Stapleface-Now Hyphenated!" (patrickgruden) 04/09/2020 at 20:54 • Filed to: None

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I’m in the market for a new car, and now seems like a great time to get a good deal.

I’ve pretty much narrowed it down to a 2020 GTI S w/ DSG

or a 2019 Sportwagen 1.8T 4motion w/DSG

I’m stuck between the two. It’s just my wife and I and our dogs. I really don’t need the passenger capacity. The wagon is intriguing because it would be better for hardware store runs. And the GTI, well it’s a GTI.

Which would you pick and why, Oppo?

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:10

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I’m not a VAG guy at all, to be honest (I get the performance is decent, but the styling is not my thing) , but I would say the wagon because you have dogs and it has more space for dogs in the back.

PowderHound > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:17

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How big are your dogs? Pictures  are probably needed

Svend > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:17

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Go for the Sportwagen for the space and for the dogs, then get it remapped or tuned and get the balance of the Sportwagen with more performance.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:17

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Wagon. You cannot stack dogs. 

412GTI > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:19

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The back storage with the seats up is a little tight on the GTI but when folded down it has plenty of space. I would probably go with it, just a bit more special and enjoyable to live with daily.

Under_Score > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:20

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Wagon. Once the payments start, they should be lower because dealers are desperate  to get rid of them, coronavirus or not. Also, you get the better warranty buying a 2019.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:21

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It’s just my wife and I and our dogs

How big are you r dogs? I ’d say if they fit, Get the GTi. You’d e njoy a hot hatch a lot more

SmugAardvark > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 04/09/2020 at 21:24

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Not with that attitude...

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 04/09/2020 at 21:25

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“ I’m not a VAG guy at all,”

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > PowderHound 04/09/2020 at 21:26

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3 Pits and a hound/lab mix. Smallest is probably 40ish lbs.  I oddly enough don’t have any pics on this laptop

wafflesnfalafel > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:26

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W ell, you will always regret not buying the GTI, but the correct answer is whatever your wife wants.  Good luck.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 04/09/2020 at 21:26

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If you try hard enough...

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > wafflesnfalafel 04/09/2020 at 21:27

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My wife doesn’t care, honestly.  But usually, you’re right.  Go with what the wife wants.  

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 04/09/2020 at 21:28

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Oh, I’m fine with the other kind, just not the car kind. :P

Well...except classic VW. I do like me some old Beetles and the like.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:29

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GTI, but you’ll regret not getting the Lighting Package.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:31

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Wagon is more practical... FWIW. And, if you have a sporty dog, you can screen off the back area as the “Dog Zone”

If you have a Sporty Wife she will  think less of you for not getting the GTI.

Choose wisely

PowderHound > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:33

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it probably depends on how often and far you go with the dogs in the car but in my unprofessional opinion I would say the extra room of the sportwagen will be nice  

jminer > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:34

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I had the same choice last year between a GTI and a Sportwagen. I went with the Sportwagen. I enjoy the extra space, no kids so didn’t need the people space either. The dog loves it and it is definitely nice to take to home depot.

Those are 8' boards and the dog is a 120# newfoundland who can stand in the back.

What tipped me over the edge is mine is a TDI and it was the last chance to own a Diesel Manual Wagon that cost me less than $13k with a warranty. So far I’ve had zero troubles other than minor quirks with it in about a year of ownership and get 35mpg in mixed spirited driving.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:38

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Price difference?  A $600 tune gets the 1.8t very close to GTi power output. Plus AWD...

Milky > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:39

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FWIW I’d hate to pay on  a new car for years when it doesn’t look new after the first 1.  They’re getting replaced soon, hope you get a lot off msrp. 

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:45

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GTI will be plenty of room if it’s just you and your wife with two dogs. 

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 21:54

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Buy wagon swap GTI engine, trans, suspension, and seats

Duh 

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 04/09/2020 at 22:01

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Eh, the IS20 turbo from the GTI and the IS38 from the R will bolt on to the 1.8T, as will all of the aftermarket turbos. An APR tune stacked with a JB4 + an IS38 will be faster than you’d ever need.

coqui70 > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 22:08

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Wait for the fire-sale and buy both.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 04/09/2020 at 22:08

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So.... just the seats then? 

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 04/09/2020 at 22:12

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It’s missing a lot of drivetrain components like the LSD. It won’t realistically ever be as good as a GTI or R, but it can be as fast as.

Forrest > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 22:13

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I have a regular-length MK7 golf hatchback. I decided against getting the wagon because I thought (a) I would rarely use the extra cargo space of the wagon , and (b) I thought the shorter hatchback would be useful to park in small street parking spaces.

After having the car for a couple years, I realized that (a) I carry long stuff more often than I thought (e.g. a desk, a ladder), and (b) I can only think of 2 times in the last 2 years where I parked my hatchback in a spot that a golf wagon wouldn’t fit in.

So, I really like my golf hatchback, but if it got stolen or wrecked, I would likely get the wagon. Or, hmm, maybe the e-golf. You know, I guess I like them all.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 04/09/2020 at 22:30

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That’s kind of what I was thinking, a tune isn’t that difficult or expensive

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > Milky 04/09/2020 at 22:32

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Honestly, that doesn’t bug me.  I did that with my current Civic, and really didn’t mind it.  Besides, have you seen the MKVIII yet?  A little to squinty for my looks

Thomas Donohue > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/09/2020 at 22:46

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FYI The 2019 will still have the six year warranty. T he 2020 only comes with four.

CompactLuxuryFan > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 04/10/2020 at 00:07

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You will regret that either way. I don’t think the Sportwagen even offers HIDs anymore. No way I would get a car with halogen reflectors in 2020, especially with the option widely available.

phenotyp > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/10/2020 at 01:43

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Wagon without question. Haul that shit. 

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/10/2020 at 01:49

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I’d say wagon. I absolutely adore my MK6 Jetta Sportwagen. Plenty of room for trips and for my large dog to spread out in the back!

promoted by the color red > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/10/2020 at 02:04

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I hope you like your new Sportwagon.

FSI > Milky 04/10/2020 at 02:15

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But the last bunch of older generation cars are the most well sorted usually. 

Forrest > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 04/10/2020 at 03:24

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That’s right. Pay attention to the year, though. I think the Sportwagen had the 1.8T for 2015-2018, but then it had the 1.4T for 2019-2020. The 1.8T is the same basic design as the GTI motor (EA888), and it is straightforward to tune to high horsepower. I am not sure about the 1.4T.

Honestly, I think 2018 was the peak year of the MK7 Golf. 6 year warranty, mildly refreshed styling, and they all had a 1.8T or better. Until 2024 (when my 2018 Golf warranty ends), all my car shopping might be Unnecessary.

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 04/10/2020 at 06:22

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Still don’t have the suspension, brakes, differential or any of the other upgrades on a gti, though. 

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/10/2020 at 06:26

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I am very happy with my GTI, but with that pack of 4 dogs I’d absolutely get the wagon.

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/10/2020 at 06:32

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I own a 2018 GTI and had a 2014 wagon. The extra space of the wagon is nice, but the brake and handling upgrades of the GTI are nicer. I have 1 kid, the wife and 2 70lb dogs. We have no problem putting all of us in the GTI when we want to go somewhere. A couple months ago we went on a weekend trip, folded one seat down, 3 of us, both dogs and 3 big back packs worked fine.  I never really wish for more space than my car has and I appreciate the sportiness every time I drive it  

If I were you, I’d be sure that you are comfortable in the GTI seats. I have a friend who bought a GTI and sold it less than a year later because they were uncomfortable for him, the seat bottom didn’t extend out enough and he had leg cramps. If they are comfortable, don’t buy a 2020 GTI, there’s a ton of 2019s out there and they have the longer warranty and a lower price. Get the lighting package, the halogens suuuuuuck. The wagon is nice, as is AWD but the GTI is so much more fun that you’d appreciate going GTI. Just get a 2019.

clownish > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 04/10/2020 at 10:09

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Pretty general question - are you going to just drive the cars? Are you going to mod? Is it just a daily? Are you going to treat it like a garage queen? If it’s a daily driver, I’d buy the wagon. If it’s more of a fun toy, I’d buy the GTI. Source: I own a GTI & R32. I almost bought that exact wagon, test drove it but ended up buying an suv instead as a daily. All the hatch backs are heavily modified and not daily driven. I also work at a VW shop.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > clownish 04/10/2020 at 15:40

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Most likely just a daily driver. Maybe a few light mods, if that. It seems like from a practicality standpoint the wagon is the winner.