and the car quest continues...

[recycled sixtie]

Originally Posted by speeder

I realize that it's your car/money/life/etc. but since you're putting it out on this hugely public forum for comment, I have to say that I'm SMFH.

Is this a money saving move? Or is there truly some psych condition that causes you to compulsively buy/lease new vehicles every year? Because it seems like you're ditching an almost new entry-level BMW in a great color you had to have for an entry-level Ford or common VW. I wouldn't ask if you hadn't told us all how much you love the BMW, how perfectly it hauls your stuff and yet is small and sporty, etc., etc...

And of course, it's orange.

I guess this would make a small amount of sense if your income just jumped precipitously and you were ditching the just leased BMW for a new Tesla or Porsche but this is a real puzzler. That's all.

Exactly. But for the grace of God go I.
Guy

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by speeder

I realize that it's your car/money/life/etc. but since you're putting it out on this hugely public forum for comment, I have to say that I'm SMFH.

Is this a money saving move? Or is there truly some psych condition that causes you to compulsively buy/lease new vehicles every year? Because it seems like you're ditching an almost new entry-level BMW in a great color you had to have for an entry-level Ford or common VW. I wouldn't ask if you hadn't told us all how much you love the BMW, how perfectly it hauls your stuff and yet is small and sporty, etc., etc...

And of course, it's orange.

I guess this would make a small amount of sense if your income just jumped precipitously and you were ditching the just leased BMW for a new Tesla or Porsche but this is a real puzzler. That's all.

Consider it a hobby...

Mostly has to do with an abortive move to go electric. I put my X1 up for lease swap thinking I was going to get a second i3 since they have come down significantly in price. Got someone interested in the X1 and started the process, then we did a road trip that convinced me that a second i3 wouldn't work. At that point I didn't want to back out of the X1 deal so I figured I'd just go a different route. Will all end up about a wash financially.

All part of broader CDO. Which is OCD but in alphabetical order like it should be...

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by aigel

I don't get the need for 4 doors for gear access? I have 2 doors and it becomes a delivery wagon if the seats are down. Just stack from the hatch side and you can still get to small stuff through the folding front seats.

I've been doing 100+ gigs a year for the past couple years and I have loading/unloading down to a science. The rear doors are critical for quick access and saving my back. My cabinet and other amp-related stuff stay in the rear hatch area with the rear seats up and the cover on. I keep it there all the time so I don't have to move it to/from the house. Only thing I'm usually loading in are my basses, and those slide into the back seat in a gig bag. If I had a 2-seater, I'd have to move the front seat forward and then lean in to put them in the back seat (the gig bag is a double so it is fairly heavy and unwieldy). Or I'd have to move amp gear in the hatch area around, pop down the rear seat, then slide it in through the hatch. Having rear doors makes it very quick and easy on my back.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Originally Posted by nostatic

The rear doors are critical for quick access and saving my back.

This. A lot of people wish they were over 6 feet but don't realize the crap that comes with it!

My 2-door Golf was murder.

[Vipergrün]

Did you check out the Mazdaspeed3? Totally different than the regular 3. I love mine.

[Steve Carlton]

How about a Volvo V60 (25 city/37 hwy) or XC60 (24 city/31 hwy) T5 FWD? Or better yet a 302hp T6 FWD?

[nostatic]

I looked at the Volvo but couldn't quite talk myself into it for the price.

Well, the X1 went to a new home, and this was the winner of the wheel-of-car-o-rama. My goal is to actually keep this for 3 years...we'll see how that goes.

On the plus side, a fair chunk cheaper than the X1, about 700 pounds lighter (and you can feel it), the DSG is much more entertaining than the BMW auto and isn't a drag in LA traffic like a manual can be, and a really well designed rear hatch area with a 2-position floor. My cabinet now will fit standing upright and plenty of room for my other gear. Sport seats are more supportive than the BMW ones (and not painful like the Recaros in the Fiesta ST).

Downside - steering is a bit light, especially compared to the X1 which was brutally heavy (somewhere in between would be about right). It is electric like almost every car now, and does have normal and sport setting, with the sport tightening things up a bit. Evidently the resistance can be tweaked by the dealer so I may go a bit stiffer but am going to drive it for awhile and see. Other than that, no real downside yet. We'll see how VW reliability fares, but this car is very quick, nicely appointed on the inside (maybe a bit nicer than the X1), and should make for a good DD. Forward into the past as I had an '07 for awhile. We'll see...

[Noah930]

Congrats and enjoy.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Nice.

[VFR750]

Just bought a chevy sonic LT. A nice little car. Reminds me of my 73 bettle and 82 rabbit. With a lot more power and features. 33 mpg commiting. Fun to drive, not as sporty as my 85 GTI, but it like it. Plus it is very inexpensive compared to the cars you were mentioning.

[aigel]

Congrats - Very nice. Those wheels are hell for curb rash! I was thinking about getting the GTI wheels for my TDI as an upgrade but every set I found on CL used was scratched to hell, so I got worried ...

So, this doesn't have the narrow seats? Does it have leather interior?

I like how the Golf styling evolves and never is revolutionized. It is a timeless design and also makes your older models less dated. (Not that this matters for you! )

G

[onewhippedpuppy]

You are rivaling me recently for automotive ADD.

Great looking GTi. If you want more pep consider an APR tune, it really wakes up the 2.0 FSI motor. How they should come from VW in my opinion.

APR 2.0 TSI Generation 3 ECU Upgrade for the MQB Platform

[speeder]

And that does what for factory drivetrain warranty? ^^^

[emcon5]

Is the Mazda Speed 3 still a thing?

[304065]

With optional Coyote catcher

[JavaBrewer]

Cool car Todd. Did you lease or buy? You are definitely in a "phase" right now. I was there a few years back. Could be driving my dream car and then spot a well setup old car or truck and just go wow, that's awesome.

Diminishing returns.

[nostatic]

Leased. Not sure I want to keep a VW out of warranty but depends on how the next 3 years go.

This has the leather seats. They feel a tad wider than the plaid seats, but either way they are more heavily bolstered than the X1. It is snug but after 10 min in the car I don't notice and it actually is a great feel. I sit much lower in the car - this isn't an SUV. Or SAV. Or SwhateverV.

So far so good. The only complain I have is that the steering is light, especially compared to the very heavy hydraulic setup on the X1. It has electric steering with normal and sport modes. Sport stiffens it up a bit but I would like it a tad more resistance. Evidently that is programmable so I'll see how I adapt and maybe have it tweaked. The turning radius is great and when you're pushing it the car feels very flat and planted. VW's entertainment system is about 2 years behind others (the Ford has better voice recognition) but the Fender sound system (geez, talk about a tie-in stretch) actually sounds good and they put the subwoofer in with the real spare tire in the back. The DSG is actually better than I remember it, and they evidently are getting the system pretty dialed in.

I've told myself I'm done flipping cars for a few years. At this point the family is now sorted out and I just have to sit back and work and pay bills. Oddly enough I have the cheapest of the 3 cars in the household...

[VincentVega]

I'm diggin' the newest version of the Mazda 3 wagon.

[ZAMIRZ]

Originally Posted by nostatic

Leased. Not sure I want to keep a VW out of warranty but depends on how the next 3 years go.

Congrats, and you are right, you definitely don't. My daily is an '07 Jetta that was just about the most pleasant car to beat around town in until it hit 60K and turned into a total electrical nightmare. The rear driver's side door-lock is stuck so that door does not work, the trunk will sometimes open on its own, it will unlock itself every once in a while and the transmission shift logic is a total crapshoot.