Are GTIs fat?

"Frank Grimes" (FrankGrimes)
12/21/2013 at 18:58 • Filed to: None

I am looking for a new car. I have found a 2003 GTi 20th with 6 speed and 130k miles $9k comes with nice set of wheels andtires and spare 16" winter wheels and tires. and some kind of thule roof rack crap. has racelands coilovers and exhaust and cai.

heres a nice one with some luggage crap.

Is this a good deal?

Are these cars too fat and boring?

Is that too many miles?

Are these reliable?

DISCUSSION (25)

getchapopcorn > Frank Grimes
12/21/2013 at 19:00

That rack/box combo is decidedly not crap.

Frank Grimes > getchapopcorn
12/21/2013 at 19:03

I would have no use for it. I dont snowboard or haul around lots of surfboards or hunting spears. I guess I could put my mountain bike on one but that would be very rare.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > Frank Grimes
12/21/2013 at 19:03

Ask someone from Europe, they will say it's reliable.. Ask someone from the US. they will say "it's a VW, same as audi.. NOT reliable"

As a european though, I say go for it. Nice car, nice engine. Not a sportscar, but handles well.

nlzmo400r > Frank Grimes
12/21/2013 at 19:07

Fat is relative...drive a Mazdaspeed Protege of the same vintage, and yes the GTI will feel like a porker. Compare it to a Mazdaspeed 6...itll feel light and nimble.

Spaceball-Two > Frank Grimes
12/21/2013 at 19:09

You can always throw the racks up on CL and put those funds toward upgrades.

GTCL > Frank Grimes
12/21/2013 at 19:20

I traded my GTI in on my mustang in march of this year. I am so much happier with the mustang, but it is a 2013 GT. that being said, the VW was super fun to drive but drove me crazy at the same time. The random check engine lights, the expensive parts, special tools, and weird design flaws made it to where I couldn't take it anymore. I'm never going back to VW again. Also, I'm not 'Murica biased. I've owned a VW and 4 Hondas in addition to my mustang.

shpuker > Frank Grimes
12/21/2013 at 19:23

Decently reliable, decently quick, handles well, I see no reason not to consider it. I'm a fan of them myself.

Milky > Frank Grimes
12/21/2013 at 19:33

Just throwing it out there, these were the 2 cars I was choosing between for 9k a year ago. But I have no need for hot hatch practicality.

Kinja'd!!!

Also both with considerably less miles.

Übel > Frank Grimes
12/21/2013 at 19:36

I've got a 5MT '03 1.8t w/ an APR Stage 1 ECU retune (215hp/250ft*lbs), 14lb single mass flywheel (vs stock dual mass 20lb), 300lb*ft clutch, and a SRI+Glasspack muffler, and I absolutely LOVE it. It's not "good" per se, but it sure as hell isn't bad, and even on the stock suspension it's an absolute hoot to drive. Not much torque steer, loads of grip, and it's impossible not to smile behind the wheel. Between it and my dad's 996 Carrera 4, I'd actually rather drive the GTI. Not quite as fast, but it's so much more fun.

signintokinjalol > Frank Grimes
12/21/2013 at 19:54

racelands coilovers are notrious for failing, leaks and so forth. While they are the cheapest coiovers money can buy, they aren't so bad. I'd do an upgrade, look for a good set of ST's, not only will the car handle better but the ride will be a bit softer since racelands can be a bit overly stiff.

Frank Grimes > GTCL
12/21/2013 at 20:31

What are some of these expensive parts and tools? I love a new mustang but I am poor.

GTCL > Frank Grimes
12/21/2013 at 20:50

Everything is torn, so I had to buy all new sockets and bits to work on it. Also should have bought the oil filter drain tool to change the oil, but instead I chose to clean about a quart of oil off the floor for every oil change. I had to replace the a/c line, camshaft, radiator, and I only had the car for three years, though it was 4.years old when I got it. Mine was a 2005' so different generation model, but the check engine light thing bothered me the most. I'd turn it off, fix it, then that fucker would come right back on again. My wife actually was the driving force behind me spending more to get the mustang. That was how much she hated me having that VW.

Agrajag > Frank Grimes
12/21/2013 at 21:23

Car is great, but 9k seems overpriced to me. Unless it was meticulously maintained.

marshknute > Frank Grimes
12/21/2013 at 21:48

Do yourself a favor, and DONT.

The 90's and early 00's were the lowest point in VW history. Everything that came out of that era is a hopeless money pit. A friend of mine had the same vintage GTI as the one you've identified. In the 6 months he had it, he experienced 8 check engine lights, warped rotors on all 4 corners, gaskets that eroded immediately after installation causing the car to rain oil, and an inexplicable drain in the electrical system that left the car with a dead battery at least once a week.

Seriously, DONT!!!

marshknute > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh
12/21/2013 at 21:50

Were the US and EU Volkswagens built in different factories? It's inconceivable to me how Europeans never have problems with BMW/Audi/Merc/VW's while Americans have nothing but.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > marshknute
12/21/2013 at 21:54

I know that VW had stuff built at different places in the eighites, the westmoreland golf/rabbit tell us that. I don't know for sure how it was in the nineties... but I do know that the new passat is one thing in the US and another in the EU.

GTCL > GTCL
12/21/2013 at 22:03

I meant torx in that first sentence.

marshknute > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh
12/21/2013 at 22:10

As I've come to accept, all stereotypes are based on some form of the truth. If Americans and Europeans have opposite perceptions of German cars' reliability, then there must be a manufacturing difference between the vehicles in each respective market.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > marshknute
12/21/2013 at 22:11

yeah, BUT.. most of us in europe thinks all american cars from the eighties are built like shit... is that true? or?

ZiptieMcBumper > Frank Grimes
12/22/2013 at 00:08

1. Seems about right with the stuff you mentioned.

2. No.

3. Ehhh...

4. Invoking the 5th.

But on that same note, I'll sell you my '06 WRX (115k, Cobb stage 2!) for a grand less.

ZiptieMcBumper > marshknute
12/22/2013 at 00:12

Could it have something to do with mileage?

I know lots of people who routinely have 150-200 mile daily commutes. How often does that happen in Europe?

Don't you Euro people come bitching about trains either. WE DON'T HAVE 'EM WHERE I LIVE!

Frank Grimes > ZiptieMcBumper
12/22/2013 at 01:19

I am actually looking for one of those as well.

ZiptieMcBumper > Frank Grimes
12/22/2013 at 01:33

I didn't mean to mislead you; I can't actually sell my car until next Fall. My point stands, however.

Every car is a "Facts of Life" scenario... you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and there you have the Facts of Life.

Since you've expressed an interest in my car and a GTI, I can tell a little bit about what you're looking for in a car. It seems to be that same thing I was looking for in a car about 8 years ago. All I can tell you is: don't listen to some jackass on the internet - listen to every jackass on the internet. Only then can you take the good, the bad, and everything else into consideration before you spend your hard-earned greenbacks.

Cliffs Notes: I like WRXs for what you're looking for. I also like GTIs and A4s. Some are cheaper to maintain, some are nicer inside, some will make you wish for the sweet embrace of death if you get the wrong one. Please don't buy anything based on what any one person (including myself) says.

Good luck, Grimey. You have the right intentions. You may end up with some headaches (whether from maintenance or something else), but I think your instincts will get you a car that will make any headaches worth it in the long run.

alexotics > Frank Grimes
12/22/2013 at 03:41

Don't let the shiny exterior fool you, this is an unreliable outdated car. 6k and you're in the money.

nermal > Frank Grimes
12/22/2013 at 12:26

I had an 03 GTI back in the day that I ran up to about 70k miles before getting rid of it. I believe the 20th Anniversary editions all had the 1.8T. The only issue that I had with mine was the water pump went out (covered under warranty), and the MAF needed replaced (<$200). Like anything, check maintenance records. Also, check and double check to make sure the timing belt service has been completed. They should be changed every 60 - 80k, so if this one isn't on it's 3rd belt you need to plan on budgeting for one ASAP. Use that as negotiating leverage and get the price down lower.

Also, ditch the top box. That thing is ugly and will wreck your fuel mileage.