Choosing a New Car, pls help!

Alright - background, I'm looking for something to last for awhile, I hate getting rid of cars. I need someone new with a decent warranty - I'm into cars that feel pretty quick, even if they're not, and an aggressive attitude/stance/drive. - They also need to have a manual tranny, and at least a lot of car for the money, - I don't have a lot to spend, but enough to get something nice.

I had a long list of cars and I'm down to this:

Sedan: Jetta GLI 6spd
Hatch: GTI VR6 6spd
4 Door Hatch: Mazda 3 5door S
Sports Car: Mazda RX8

I am in love with the RX8 but can't spend 30k.
The Jetta is great, but it fades into the crowd too much, and I'm not so hot on the 2005 redesign.
I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place with the Maz3 and the GTI b/c I love the look of the Mazda and the insurance (it's considered a wagon afterall) I have a friend that's getting one later this month, so I could buy with him and get an awesome tag-a-long deal. The GTI just drives so much better - it's quick and feels closer to my old torquey BMW. I'm into the feeling, so I'm trying to look at alternatives and get a feeler for Maz3 vs. GTi and the rest of the car market. Let me know what you think!

my girlfriend just bought a mzd3 a month ago. i really like it a lot. i think for the money you couldn't go wrong. the gti may handle better, but at least the 3 still has independent rear suspension (unlike vibe/matrix-still nice cars). also i don't know about the gti, but the 3 has a fairly cheap abs/8 (or 6, i dunno)air bag feature. both have nice interiors. both have nice stock wheels. tough choice. i'd hold out until mid year and see what the speed 3 is gonna be like :smile:

Have you swapped out the sound? Part of the appeal of the interior is the Audi like multi function audio thing - I didn't get a feel if it sounded as good as it looks though - are you thinking of swapping or is it good for stock?

Also - power, the car I drove seemed zapped of power. My bimmer only has 189 but seems so much faster than the Mz3. What did you think?

[QUOTE=quattroboi]

Sedan: Jetta GLI 6spd
Hatch: GTI VR6 6spd
4 Door Hatch: Mazda 3 5door S
Sports Car: Mazda RX8

QUOTE]

i think the GTI is a good car, but seriously VW is the worse car company when it comes to reliablilty, ask anyone except the VW forum, they'll tell you that they dont last
the rx8 actually has an msrp of $24k something, and you can get it for less than $30k for sure
i think out of the whole group, the mazda 3 is the best overall, still looks a little weird, and isn't the fastest, but it has enough power to get you around, actually one of my favorite mazda cars, is the mazda protege 5, the hatchback one, i love the looks, but the 130hp didn't appeal to me at all, and the mazdaspeed one barely making 170 with a turbo, is even worse, no more hatch, weird sedan design, and $23k starting

in your list i would go with the gti. its a good car that you can have fun with. personally, i would go with an acura rsx. they are quick and look nice.

yeah..where are the other compacts? ill take the mazda3 hatch from your list

i would go with the rx-8 out of your list. but if you might get an rx-8, i would also look at the 350z because it is about the same price and faster. but only has 2-seats. so whatever you prefer on that one.

for the more affordable ones, i would go with the vr6. for some reason i kind of like these little cars.

I would have to choose the VR6 also. It's a performer, although the looks of the car itself are not attractive to me.

I also like the Mazda 3. I think that'll be a fun car; not incredibly fast, but fun.

Rx-8 or GTI... drive and see ITS UPTO YOU AND WHAT U FEEL COMFORTABLE with... not some people on a forum

Dont listen to the guy that said VW reliability sucks. Only things that outlast them are older Volvos, BMWs, Toyotas, and Hondas. I see old GTi and Jettas all the time. Hell, I see Foxes and Rabbits alot too.

Im sensing your only looking at new cars by your list, but I bet you could find a nice used S2000 for around the base price of an RX8, and thats probably what I would do. A friend of mine recently bought a GLi and loves it, simply the best 4 door until you approach the G35 and the 325i. The GTi is a great hatch, but i think i would look into the Acura RSX-S over that, or maybe a Mini...

I don't think reliability is about remaining on the road - for me it's more about what is going to go wrong, however minor, during and directly after the warranty period. I'm not looking for something trouble free - but my main concern with the VW are the little things that are notorious for going wrong. It is my favorite car in terms of how sexy the interior and options are though.

There were a ton of compacts on my list, and I test drove most of them including: RSX Type-S , Focus SVT, Cooper S, Civic Si, Tiburon GT-V6, Celica GTS, Ion Redline, and then others like the A4, TSX, Accord V6 6sp coupe, SRT-4, IS300 - but for whatever reason none of them felt quite right IE TSX, or looked great on paper until you got into them IE Sentra Spec V.

What about the new Scion tC, it's a Toyota so I know the reliability is there - I'm still pining for the RSX but whatever car I will get I will want to get loaded, and the price is almost as restricting as I think the insurance will be! I wish Honda had a car inbetween the S2000 (which I also didn't quite like, although that's even worse than the RX-8 in terms of overall cost) and the Civic SI. Have I exhuasted everything?

Oh and one more thing - I'm currently in a 325is - the repairs are just getting pretty expencive and the reliability is questionable. The whole idea of a new car is for better warranty and financing offers.

The VW engine and tranny will probably last you, but like you said, it's the little things about VW's that I've personally noticed to go wrong a lot.