Daily Driver: GTI or 370Z

Speedy · 02-09-2012, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Telephone

I drove the GTI tonight.

It is a very nice car with some very nice and clever features...both electronic & ergonomic. This is no Honda Civic. The salesman knew the car in & out...which helped because I found the electronics a little overwhelming and somewhat distracting. The interior is VERY well built, but it was sadly identical to the interior of the Jetta. The seats are comfy, sporty, and very adjustable. The visibility is good, but I felt that I was driving a mini mini-van...if that makes sense. It handled the road well, and the turbo motor was peppy. Although the motor had plenty of power, I now realize why GTI guys flash their ECUs. I did notice the lapse before the turbo would take over. Driving a turbo is new for me. The GTI drove very smooth and quiet at 85 on the highway. 80% of my driving is highway BTW. I drove the 6spd manual, and it shifted/engaged/disengaged very smoothly. Oil changes will be simple as the filter is top mounted, right next to the cam cover. It also has a timing chain...no belt!!

Overall it's a great car, but I'm not convinced yet. It was like a first date with a girl...not sure if I'm going to call her again...but she was a really nice & cute girl. She might be more compatible and better off with another guy though.

Tomorrow night (Thursday), I drive the 370Z. It's what I've been thinking about all week. The dealer is 2 hours away. I'll let you know how it goes. Thank you all for your comments and support.

The mini mini van comment is a good analogy.

Honestly, you may want to look around at used 370s. I picked up my 2009 last week with 2900 miles on the clock....that's still a brand new car. It's a fully loaded Touring model with Nav and I got it for $29,400 plus TTL. They had a 2011 in the show room with the exact same equipment MINUS nav and it was nearly $43K! Nissan also has 1.9% financing on their CPO cars which mine was so it was a win win. They threw in a 100K mile/84 mo bumper to bumper Nissan warranty as well.

I drove a base and didn't like the no frills approach. I personally wanted the leather heated seats and definitely the sport package for the brakes. They're awesome. Nav was a coin toss for me. It is one more thing to keep updated, but the one I found and dealed on had it. I do like the interface and it's easy to use. I tuned the Bose a bit to get better balance of sound front to rear etc, but I'm no audiophile, so it sounds great to me.

I've not driven a GTI, I just can't get past the looks and don't care for FWD turbo cars personally. I prefer RWD in a sporty car.

Let us know how your test drive goes.

I may add some dynamat to my Z to see if it helps with the road noise. That's my only complaint with the car.

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