2015 VW GTI’s + Seeking General Advice

Please just forget that vehicle that far away . One of the guidelines for traveling is that any rest stop just adds to the chance of infection . Plus two young kids are going to ignore safe practice and will touch and climb on everything.
How are you going to enjoy that vehicle if you or your mother are in the hospital .

We had planned on a weekend collector type vehicle this year . Not going to happen until we can have confidence that we can do so safely. My wife is High Risk and I just only go places I have to .

My aunt was 50 when diagnosed, moved back to the west coast to be closer to family support. She bought the matix new in 2006 and it for her main needs including hauling photography equipment for her hobby. Basically retired until she passed at 70
My brother has his 2009 gtu that’s not going anywhere, has a trusted shop for VW’s

Safercar.gov has a lot more than recalls. The NHTSA site has owner complaints, investigations, and manufacturer notices.

Thank you!

I’ll go a little bit against the grain here and say while Hondas and Toyotas are great cars, their reputation means you’ll pay a lot more for a used one than other brands, or, to put it another way, you’ll get an older and higher mileage example for the same money.

If you’re interested in something nimble and sporty but put off by VW’s reputation, have you considered the Ford Focus ST (or the Fiesta ST if you don’t mind something a little smaller)?

We often err on the side of caution here, but I don’t think we’re saying most sellers are crooks. There can always be unforseen issues (often that the seller doesn’t even know about) but getting a general inspection by a decent shop should mitigate most of the risk. (It will, at the very least, identify any wear items that will need replacing soon.) Good luck!

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Thank you so much.
I hadn’t considered a Ford (or any American cars). I’ve only driven them when I’ve rented a vehicle. If they hold up well and are easy to work on, cheap to maintain, I could give it some thought.
I didn’t particularly like driving the rental cars, but they got me from point A to Point B. I was always happy to return them to the rental agency and be reunited with my ol trusty GTI😊

I’m wondering if maybe it’s time to make the more prudent choice. I’m starting to relate to the stereotypical balding, white, middle class family man, with a lovely wife, career, 2 beautiful children and a dream home, that buys a flashy red sports car to cope with a midlife crisis.

On the outside, the only thing that I have in common with the midlife crisis man is that I’m white, but maybe we both share the experience of driving our cars as our guilty pleasures? Like many guilty pleasures, it’s not a decision based in pragmatism and frugality. (For that guy spending $10-$15k on a lemon may not be much of a loss.)

There is a lot of wisdom on this forum from people who have made the choices that I’m trying hard not to make (although another GTI is so tempting). It might be time for me to trust the collective wisdom of the car talkers.

Thanks again

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No problem. We only had American cars when I was a kid, and while we had a few that turned out unreliable, for the most part they were fine. My mom’s 2007 Pacifica needed no unscheduled maintenance except a new battery once in 11 years… And that was a car rated below average for reliability. Despite the jokes about Chrysler, we’ve never had major issues with our Jeeps either.

I thought of the Focus ST for you since you mentioned being a fan of the GTI - it’s similar in concept (a FWD hot hatch) but for less money, though not quite as nice on the inside.

Do not get any Focus or Fiesta with an automatic transmission, they’ve proven to be very troublesome.

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After 2011 when they released the 3rd generation. The 2nd generation Focuses had conventional automatic transmissions, which were fine (I own an 09, my in-laws owned an 05 hatch back. Neither of us have had any transmission issues).

You’re right, I figured the OP was looking at pretty recent ones, given their budget.

Have enough trouble getting the golf clubs with cart into a Rav4.