I bought a thing

"LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com" (limitedtimeonly)
05/27/2016 at 21:52 • Filed to: None

Bought my first German car today. I am definitely a bit worried about long term reliability of the GTI, but decided to get what I wanted . . . well, actually, that might have been a BMW, but I just couldn’t justify the price to myself.

It is quite an upgrade when compared with my last car . . .

It is certainly more fun than my last fun car, oh so many years ago (1993 Acura Integra, sold in 2001). The biggest issue so far (which I knew in advance) is the rear window doesn’t go down all the way, inconveniencing my regular furry passenger.

He wants to get out of the car to go play. That’s why he looks so serious. Maybe also the window thing.

DISCUSSION (16)

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
05/27/2016 at 22:01

Congrats. These are great cars. I test drove one and liked it way better than the FoST.

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
05/27/2016 at 22:07

I actually really liked the FoST, but there wasn’t as much rear seat room (I couldn’t comfortably sit behind myself), and most importantly, I couldn’t get the front seat to where I was totally comfortable. I probably could have given the FoST another shot, but the GTI just worked better in many ways for me.

dogisbadob > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
05/27/2016 at 22:09

Did the doggy do a burnout in the lot? ;)

That double-front beetle behind the Prius is awesome

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > dogisbadob
05/27/2016 at 22:14

I guess I should have gotten a proper photo of that Beetle.

dogisbadob > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
05/27/2016 at 22:16

Yeah it’s awesome! Shows that a 4-door Beetle is totally possible, and if VW actually made these from the factory, they’d still be selling them in Mexico.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
05/27/2016 at 22:23

Yep same opinion here. The GTI has way better seats all around. I could not get comfortable in the FoST and there was no room behind me when I got it set the best I could.

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > dogisbadob
05/27/2016 at 22:24

From the dealer’s Facegram page:

Kinja'd!!!

Carbon Fiber Sasquatch > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
05/27/2016 at 22:47

Which BMW were you considering?

Wudstock22 > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
05/27/2016 at 22:56

Congrats! Good call on the PP and LP as well.

Tom McParland > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
05/27/2016 at 23:01

Nice choice...at first I was like “Did you steal my car?” And then I saw the leather seats. :)

I was in the same boat. Could have gotten a 328, but couldn’t justify the price for the same performance.

Enjoy!

TylerJ > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
05/28/2016 at 00:00

Hey I also bought my first German car recently. I picked it up Monday morning and left for a short vacation and didn’t get back until yesterday.

I nabbed a 328i on the cheap, though. It’s been well cared for by the dealership and the guy had all the records. I also knew them personally. It’s such a big step up from my tC. It’s almost eerily quiet with the interior not rattling.

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > Tom McParland
05/28/2016 at 06:03

Thanks for your input on the purchase timing. I managed to get one dealer to try to cut another off at the knees, and the other to match, so came out with a great deal even without any publicized cash incentive. They did try to bump up the interest rate in finance and then also came up with an incorrect payment as far as I was concerned, but I put a stop to that. It could have been an honest miscommunication/mistake, but I’m still pissed off thinking that they tried to pull a fast one there when they had been pretty good to deal with until then.

TL;DR: Thanks for input, people need to be alert when getting to the finance person’s office, as you have said in your articles.

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > Carbon Fiber Sasquatch
05/28/2016 at 06:25

Where to start . . . middle school?

Life-long interest in BMWs, particularly since my good friend in middle school’s dad owned a BMW specialty independent repair shop.

Considered getting a 2002tii many years ago as a second car, didn’t, probably should have.

In my recent search, I considered a used manual 2013 135i with Dinan chip about a year ago, which was sweet and I loved the clutch, but fortunately the guy wouldn’t negotiate, and I realized that my daily driver would be better with 4 doors.

Then, I would only consider a new manual 328i. Test drove the one (!) available locally and found the clutch was heavy enough to trigger a recurrent knee twinge that hadn’t recently been a problem at the time.

Then came close on a 428i Gran Coupe, since, if I was going automatic, might as well have more style and a hatchback.

Yes, I could have gone used, saw a couple of possibilities, but still couldn’t stomach the price for the questionable long-term ownership costs.

You might ask, why not 335 or 435? I left a Prius - I still want okay fuel economy with my performance. And, of course, the cost penalty keeps climbing dramatically. And an M car would not make sense to me as a daily driver unless I was hitting the track every weekend.

So . . . yeah. BMW. Still on the brain.

Carbon Fiber Sasquatch > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
05/28/2016 at 22:24

I ask because I feel similarly about them, and also leaning towards the GTI lol. Keep us posted on the car! My wife gets her new car first but GTI is on my short list!

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > Carbon Fiber Sasquatch
05/29/2016 at 07:49

I forgot to mention the first gen Z3 M Coupe that was a great deal and almost an impulse buy as a second car a bit over a year ago before I decided to just replace the DD.

I’ve been idly considering autocross, and a small factor was that the GTI is pretty competitive in the Street/Stock class, while the 328/428 is up against M3s, Mustangs, TT RS, etc, and not likely to do well. Not a big factor, though, because although I enjoy visiting the events for a few hours, I’m not sure if I’m going to spend all day for a handful of runs.

BMW salesman said they would cover brake pad replacement under their all-maintenance-covered policy, which was interesting, and not something I verified.

I’d also add that for the range of things I do with my daily driver, including parking in sketchy parts of the city or at trailheads in the middle of nowhere, or carrying bags of mulch, the GTI should be less of a concern/a better match.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
06/11/2016 at 15:59

That's keffer vw in huntersville. Are you on the lake?