Any GTI owners in here? Past or Present...

[redapex]

Hello,
My GTI got rear ended last week and im waiting for the final word as to if it will be totalled out or not. In the mean time to keep my mind off the car I've been snooping around gathering ideas as to what I would possibly replace it with if it is indeed gone. Right now im really trying to decide between a MKV GTI and the MS3. Yes the MS3 is faster out of the box but I can throw a rock out my back door and hit APR's HQ so the power really isn't a big deal at all. The two cars really do seem pretty similar, both are very mod friendly and fwd hatches. Dare I say the MS3 is more performance oriented as a whole and the GTI is a little more refined? But from looking at the interior shots of the MS3 it is far from rough looking. Anyway if the GTI is gone theres a dealer with an 07 True Red MS3 a few miles from my house that I plan on taking a look at. I just wanted to know if there are any MS3 owners that jumped over from the VW world (or vise versa) and what their thoughts were.
Thanks guys.

 

[THE Phen]

I used to have an Mk2 GTI. I miss that car.

After driving both a newer GTI and the MS3, I have to say that I liked the handling of the MS3 much better. I'm not big into putting a mega s*** ton of power in a FWD car because in the end, you'll juts have a tire roaster that's only good in 3rd gear and above, and at speeds high enough to get arrested for. My vote would be the MS3, and not because I'm a Mazda fanboi, but because I felt that it appeals to what I really look for in a car... a soul.

 

[Z-Indy]

I test drove both when I was shopping around. I liked the GTI, but I liked the power of the MS3, and most of all I liked 4 doors. I guess you can get 4 door GTI's now, but from what I understand that is a new thing, so I couldn't find any used 4 door GTI's, and I didn't want to pay for a new one. The other thing was the reliability. I have heard so many bad things about VW reliability that it spooked me a bit.

 

[SwampAss]

I've had every iteration from the MK1 to the MK4. I've driven several MK5s and the MK6. Fit, finish, interior, and general ride and cabin noise the 5th and 6th gen GTIs are unmatched. Very nice cars. For rip the steering wheel out of your hands, fight for traction holy s*** this thing is going to take off.....the MS3. I picked the MS3 because it did just that. My car before was a GTI. (MK4) My fully bolted on GTI with a K04 turbo was slower than my stock MS3. Noticeably.

 

[SwampAss]

and the reliability thing....My friends with MK5s (and the one with the MK6) have had no issues. My MK4 didn't need interior lights at night. Every check engine, your "this" failed, and the something expensive light were on all the fricken time. I hated that car for that reason.

 

[Kain]

Haven't spec'd out a GTI recently... do either the MKV or MKVI offer a limited slip diff? I just can't see getting a hopped-up FWD without one.

 

[oaklandopen]

I think the gti's historically get better marks in every category other than all out performance in all the car magazines. All the editors and writers end up praising the handling, interiors, features, pricing, etc, but always and only complain about the hp numbers

I believe the most recent ms3 vs gti article I read ended with something like "achtung, wolfsburgh! Veer isht die horsepower!?!?".....or whatever german s*** they were trying to say

 

[LostViper]

I have an MS3 and a MKV GTI (wife's car).

It all depends what you are looking for.

The MS3 is faster and handles better. Exhaust is much louder as well.

However, the GTI is plenty quick and a lot of fun around corners too. GTI also gets better gas mileage both around town and on the highway (with the DSG).

They both have comfortable seats and the ride is pretty comparable (slightly more stiff in the MS3).

If you are going to track the car or have plenty of opportunities for some awesome back roads - I'd go with the MS3. If you do a lot of commuting and only have a few opportunities for some spirited driving - the GTI might be the choice.

Either car you pick, you probably won't be pining away for the other. They are both fun and unless you are trying to run with an MS3, you probably won't be missing its performance with the GTI.

 

[chief_wiggum]

I have an MS3 and a MKV GTI (wife's car).

GTI also gets better gas mileage both around town and on the highway (with the DSG).

They both have comfortable seats and the ride is pretty comparable (slightly more stiff in the MS3).

Any DSG servicing horror stories, or is that urban legend? I had a 1984 GTI for about 6 weeks; no lie, it was in the shop with apparently unsolvable electrical problems for 4 of those. But man, what cool car.

 

[oaklandopen]

If nissan can make its gtr go from 0-60 .5 seconds slower cuz ppl kept f'ing up their trannies, then anything is possible

 

[Remspeed3]

GTI= tons of mods to choose from, and APR is one of the best..I used their ECU on my 1.8T GTI that I had..loved that car!
Mazdaspeed3..is probably more reliable but not quite as refined as previously stated..at least the 1st Gen isn't anyways...its also pretty hard to find stuff for..especially wheels!! without doing fender work on the rear. Both cars are going to be a blast to drive..with a few power mods..My speed has made me forget all about my old GTI.....I do still love the looks of the GTI's tho.

 

[TRDMS3]

MS3 thru 07-09 years all the way

 

[redapex]

Well just a quick update. Im still waiting on final word from the insurance company but I took some time today to drive a two the cars on my list; an 07 MS3 and a 06 WRX. I wont even talk about the WRX because well... It felt cheap. However, I was very, very surprised by the MS3. My GTI is the 337 edition so its supposed to be the most sporty feeling of the MKIVs. I squeezed out a 13.8@102mph on the stock turbo and then threw on a t3/t4 50 trim that I was still working out the kinks on when it got hit. But damn that MS3 is something else. Im assuming it was the GT trim, it had a trip computer and HIDs but it was a late night test drive so I didnt get to actually check it out as much as I would have liked to. I will say the steering feels amazing and I love the power aside from the fact that it just falls on its face up top but so did the GTI on its stock turbo. The price is more than reasonable, its true red with about 53k on the clock and seems to be in great condition. I also have the option of a 4yr/48k extended warranty; out the door with the warranty it ends up being just a little over 16.5 which seems like a pretty good deal to me. As for road noise its worlds quieter than my MKIV was but it had motor mounts, coilovers, full 3" exhaust and was about as modded as can be so I guess it was nice driving something civilized for a change. I plan on taking another look at it during the day on tuesday so I can play around with it some more but my initial impressions of this car are pretty damn high. I still need to go check out a MKV though but right now the MS3 is looking really good. Thanks for the input guys, I'll check in a little later.

 

[Dsm_luck]

Honestly I would stay clear of a 1G MS3. You have no idea how it has been treated. If poorly those rods could be just ready to go and then your out 5k or so to get another engine.

 

[redapex]

Im going to go back and look at it again with a more detail... Are the rods on these things weak?

 

[oaklandopen]

Not really, but with abuse comes damage. But then again, that can be said about any stock engine

You start pushing boost, over-revving, over-boosting too low, and stress is going to happen

Its gonna be hard to find something like the ms3 that you can be sure was not abused. This is why I never get a used car

 

[THE Phen]

Just be glad it's not a Mazdapseed Protege. The rods on the FS-DE are like tooth picks.

 

[Stamperman]

I've had about 24 water cooled VW's, but nothing newer than a 92 SLC Corrado. The MK3 cars and their lack or reliability pushed me off of VW forever. However I will admit my 82 GTI and 84 Scirocco were great cars (still, they broke a lot). The 16V scirocco was pretty good, and my MK2 16V Jetta was really nice. The Corrado was great, when it ran and wasn't shedding parts like water.

Actually my MS3 reminds me of my MK1 GTi, except it's like a GTi with an Atlas5 rocket strapped to the roof.

 

[LazerBlueP5]

I used to have an Mk2 GTI. I miss that car.

After driving both a newer GTI and the MS3, I have to say that I liked the handling of the MS3 much better. I'm not big into putting a mega s*** ton of power in a FWD car because in the end, you'll juts have a tire roaster that's only good in 3rd gear and above, and at speeds high enough to get arrested for. My vote would be the MS3, and not because I'm a Mazda fanboi, but because I felt that it appeals to what I really look for in a car... a soul.

You know this really hits home with me. I've been feeling the same way about my Corvette. Granted it's got PLENTY of low end grunt but give it too much gas and it's an instant tire-bake. It truly shines on the highway pulling like a freight-train past 100mph and never letting up. However that sort of activity is both danerous and highlly illegal. I'm tempted to say the power-band and drivability in my STi were more accessible than my Vette's.