get a nissian base versa with a stick manual or a auto transmission , for $10.5k its a hell of a deal, same room as a sentra and the same engine. You can always dress up a black or a red one up with wheels and tires and still have a sweat ride and laugh all the way to the bank.

Wow I'm impressed by the number of members that currently have both.

The GTI impresses the hell out me not so much the women though until they get inside. Oh well I don't really care at 33, post divorce, with a ten yo daughter.

I used to own a 2 door gti vr6. Cool car, great DD, fond memories. But they aren't really comparable cars IMHO. One is an obvious daily driver, the other is a sport touring car.

Get the Z. I've been running a loaded TDI jetta for 2+ yrs due to megacommute, it's got a GLI nose, tint and metallic black wheels, fun, not ashamed to date in it.....

but I've had a G35 coupe and now have the 370 as my DD, no regrets, you can still put a bunch of stuff in it when running solo. A friend with a pickup will gladly trade rides for a couple hours when needed. the 370 is much better for the soul.... in fact, it's what I went to after i sold my custom big inch bike.

I've got a Dodge diesel but it doesnt go anywhere unless it's towing or hauling.

I wouldn't pay $24k for that gti VW not worth it, you could get an AWD 2012 honda crv for around $23k and it puts out around the same power as the GTI.

Even the nissan sentra spec V ser puts out around 200hp and can be had for around $18K

I'd choose the GTI as a DD.

I'm 30, married, no plans for kids.

I just traded in my GTI VR6 for the sport/touring 370. There's definitely less practicality with the Z. The hatch is pretty shallow, you can't stand up wine bottles in mine if they're toward the rear, the hatch will hit them. That's a little off-putting, but none of that matters when I'm driving it. It's basically my dream car.

My GTI was solid for 7 years, but I was approaching 95k and things were starting to go wrong, and electrical issues were going from "annoying" to "downright aggravating".

One of the first posters was saying something about if you want power in a straight line, go GTI.. but you'll need to dump some money into it to get it, and then again you're dealing with FI. Plus, that sounds like more of a recognition that they're not the best cornering cars around. They come out of the box with 200hp, front wheel drive and a fat serving of understeer. Much different than the Z. Mine was 174 stock, a little over 200 with mods, and a good 2 sec slower than the 370.

I know the new GTIs are FAR BETTER than my old MKIV, but I did everything short of FI to mine (H&R suspension, front and rear sways, chip, exhaust... everything.) and though a ton of fun to drive and own, it couldn't hold a candle to the Z.

Old:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...3/09827cac.jpg

Goodbye:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...3/3d59e2ee.jpg

New:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...3/3e22b61a.jpg

I think the OP means the GTI with the turbo 2.0L not the monster VR6. (I could be wrong...?)

Yeah, they haven't made the VR since like '05 I don't think. A new GTI would be 200hp 2.5L 5cyl turbo.

OP: I had 18" Goodyear Eagle F1 summer tires on my GTI, they weren't cheap either, but yes, there are far more affordable tire choices for the GTI than are for the Z. You'll care less about tire cost once you've driven it.

Have you considered a slightly older model? My 09 has every bell and whistle and I picked it up for 29k. Probably could have done better but wasn't too concerned.

I believe the GTI still has the 2.0L turbo....

Crap, you're right. 2.5 on the rabbit, 2.0l turbo on the GTI. My bad.

I think the Z with a cargo trailer handles better than a GTI

Not a fan of 70/30 weight dist. and FWD?

I have seen many GTIs at the track (some actually have competent drivers), they just don't seem impressive to me. It's nice to be able to overboost the hack out of the motor, but there are better cars out there for the price they are charging.

Look at them side by side. Is it still even a question? 370 all the way bro.