I came from an '00 GTI and I loved it while I had it. Fold the seats down and you can haul anything. A pleasure to drive. Exterior and interior all looked brand new even though it was over 10 years old.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the difference of road noise. The GTI is insulated well. You'll hear nice engine sound but that's about it, compared to the Z which has quite a bit of road noise. A lot actually. I had sound deadening installed when I had my stereo upgraded and it made it much better. Be sure to pay attention to this when you do your test drives. Some people can't stand it.

I have two children and my husband's Mazdaspeed 3 is our family car, our Costco car, and our practical daily driver. The Z is more of a second car to me, and we carpool to work. The Z stays in the garage for winter. I keep my summer tires on. I live in the Midwest so summer tires year round is not an option.

If I were in your position, having owned both a GTI and a Z, I'd pick the Z. Because I couldn't go back. Weather isn't going to be a problem for you. You can get a good load of groceries in the Z. Friends and family can help for any bigger hauling you'll ever need to do.

And if this says anything, I had the VW dealer put me on the waiting list for the new GTI R, and I still bought the Z instead. I think your love for the GTI will wear off. You'll love your Z forever. You'll be high every time you sit in the seat, every time you push that start button, every time you accelerate onto the highway. You'll get used to having a GTI. You'll never get used to having a Z. You'll come out of the grocery store, see your Z parked far at the end of the lot, and just stop to drool.

I say go all out. Get the Z.

Thanks for all of the responses and info. Your feedback seems to split 50/50, which was what I was afraid of. I've scheduled a test drive for the GTI tomorrow, and Thursday for the 370Z. I know now that the test drive(s) will be my deciding factor.

I also realize that they are totally different cars, but they are the only ones that I'm interested in at this time. I want to buy new. I don't have any junk to haul around. This dream car is for me...not for girls. I rarely have a single passenger.

Import Convert - As for the cheaper insurance rates in Cali, I have a clean driving record and I'm 32...but I'll never consider buying a home here. So there is a tradeoff. BTW, if you don't want kids...get a vasectomy! Best decision I ever made. I was 26, and the procedure was easy and $350. Parenthood just isn't for me.

hdskull - Yes I know our roads are not the best. And you're right about the nice features on the GTI. I like fog lamps, sunroof, heated seats, plus those other features you mentioned. The GTI will also allow tire rotations. But when I add more options to the GTI, I get closer and closer to the Base price of a 370Z.

rxdo - I know the GTI has potential. But the money it takes to make the GTI as fast as the 370z...I could use that money torwards a 370z. I have a bike to go fast on. Both of these cars are quick enough for my needs. Besides, I want to stay as far from the RICE scene as possible.

elmz - I did not take the width of the 370z into consideration. Thanks for bringing that up. Parking the 370z will cause me much anxiety, I think.

gsxr750 - I couldn't tell if you were joking or not. I'm only considereing the GTI & 370z at this time. How the weather in NY? We're riding all year here.

Thanks guys. I'll report back...

Thanks for your feedback KEB! It's hard to argue with that! LOL

Coming from my GTI and being a serious VW fanboy, I too was considering the Golf-R, but it's just too much for too little. It was hard getting the last few personal items out of my glovebox when I traded her in, but once in the driver seat of my new Z I didn't look back when pulling out of the lot. I just went for a joy-ride for the first time in 12 years and it was like I was 18 all over again. I seriously get a ****-eating grin when I see it. I've had a hard time sleeping because I can't wait to drive to work in the morning.

Good arguments for both choices, intersted to see what you choose.

Im single with no kids in the near future, and I DD my Z with no issues or complaints!

Choose wisely... :tiphat:

The road noise is about the only real complaint I have with the Z. I've got a tick over 500 miles driving mine now. However, the stereo sounds pretty good and has adaptive volume that gets louder as you speed up, so I don't really notice it now.

I don't ever plan to have any kids, and use the Z as my daily driver. I do have other vehicles to drive though if I need a back seat. I'm not sure it could be the only car I own, but man is it a blast to drive to work!

Yes--I have ONLY owed VWs. A serious fangirl here too. I don't know what possessed me to get the Z. But now that I have my Z, I really look back and can not understand how I could have been happy driving anything but a Z. It has truly become an extension of my body the way a sports car should, and yes for that ****-eating grin, and yes for the "I can't wait to drive it" thing. You'd think after a year that would be gone, but no. Still in full force. Having a Z is like... every day is your birthday. Every time you go out to the garage you've won the lottery. I loved my GTI as much as I thought I could love a car. I was dead wrong.

You like the stereo? This is something I should have mentioned in my first reply. I thought the stock stereo was awful. Weak, tinny, just awful. I think a stereo upgrade is a must. The GTI stereo, on the other hand, sounded great on my test drive. I think the only money you'll have to dump into a Z is a stereo upgrade and winter tires if you live somewhere with winter weather. And tint. :)

Yours have the Bose Audio? My Touring came with that stereo and I think it sounds quite good.

Hey OP, do you have to put lots of stuffs in your car/trunk all the time? Or you like to do crazy grocery shopping?

Lots of ppl think the trunk space is a problem for the Z, but actually it is good enough for regular grocery shopping. Especially you are single, I wonder how much trunk space do you need from your car.

As for a DD, do you have heavy snow in Winter? I used to drive my 350z all year around even in Winter, as long as you put on a set of Good snow tires and drive carefully, you'll be fine in Winter, it's 70% depends on the driver, it's clearly like that when you see how many SUV jump into the ditch during snowstorm.

As for the ride/drive, I will put hands down on the Z!!!!

HOW COULD YOU COMPARE A FWD-BOXY TO A RWD-SEXY?????

But if you prefer torque-steer, of cos that's a different story!! LOL

Style wise it's really personal, when I look at a GTI, I'll say 'ok, a VW', when I look at my 370z, I'm like 'Yea.... sexy... I'm coming in now...!'

Also, don't you worry about reliability issue of VW?

Z only has one famous Screwing-Lock Failure, but for VW, my past experience is..... Screw-You-Anything-Failure.

Have fun test driving both and look forward to hear from you!!!

:tup: :tup:

Yeah, I had the Monsoon stereo in my GTI and thought it was great, but the Bose stereo with my nav/touring/sport whatever package sounds friggin' amazing. A subwoofer bolted to the spare tire? Brilliant! lol I'm really pleased with the quality and loudness and clarity.

I test drove a touring, and I'm pretty sure it had the Bose. Maybe it didn't? Cuz it was crap. Mine was crap too. One of the first places I took my Z was to the audio shop. :happydance:

The Bose isn't bad, but it isn't great. They overcompensated with EQ - check out the drivers in the Audio/Video section of the forum. A large cone tweeter and a woofer with a tiny magnet (low motive force).

I was looking at the GTI as well, and I'd love to hear the fully decked-out Dynaudio system. :excited:

The Z will work if you are single with no attachments or hopes of family in the near future. You should seriously consider the touring package without sport and manual transmission. Possible even nav. I am an avid advocate for sport and NO nav in this car as I see it as a true sports car.
But you sound like you are more into general sportiness. You don't really need a pre-prepped tuner. That is what the sport and NISMO is to me.
Grip on the base Z is still incredible. You can't feel any difference between the two unless you push them really really hard. And the yokohamas give a quieter and slightly less bumpy ride and offer loads of grip. You may benefit from the techy nav pkg which offers a cool 9.3 gig music box. I personally put in my own system but... again. You don't sound like you want to do too much personalization so the full pkg minus sport might be up your alley. Test drive one.

i edited this out.

Update
 

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.