Daily Driver: GTI or 370Z

Telephone

Great forum,

I'll be test driving these two new cars this week. My concerns are ownership. I've browsed this forum for months. At this point, I'm still on the fence. I'm curious to see if there are any former GTI owners who can offer their thoughts. Please try to be as unbiased as possible. The Z seems like it might be a pain in the *** to own and drive everyday...but I know many of you already do it and still love it. Parking in San Diego sucks, and I'm just worried that the Z will get f--ked up by inconsiderate people. Some of you crack me up on how you handle the attention. You guys really love your cars.

Me:
32 years old next month
No wife/no kids...tubes are tied
Good stable job
Nice apt with garage
Do my own maintenance
Car will be a daily driver...no track days...no mods
First new car

I actually prefer the simple clean looks of the GTI, but I find the Z more sexy, and it looks like it would be more fulfilling to drive. 2 seater is perfect for my lifestyle. Price and power output are not a big issue, but those expensive tires cannot be ignored.

OTD:
28K - GTI
36K - 370Z Base+sport

Insurance (6 months)
GTI - $383
370Z- $459

TongMan

GTI. Much better for a DD.

mantella87

GTI would definitely be a more practical DD no matter how you look at it, but since my Z is my DD, I would never say no to the 370. If the weather is nice year-round, about the only thing that would prevent me from DD'ing the Z would be the road conditions (which aren't too bad in Northern Cali). I drive ~60 miles a day in my Z right now and have never been bothered by it. Fuel costs will be significantly different. 18/26mpg in the Z compared to 21/33mpg in the GTI.

Kingbaby

Gti...

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ImportConvert

I really want to hate you for living in a state with cheap insurance.

Other than that, forget price, buy the one you want. That's not enough difference to really matter if you are financing. What, $80 a month difference or something? Seriously. Just get the one you want. You will kick your arse every day you drive your second choice car, if you don't. After driving them both, you'll know what to do.

PS. I assume you are male since you mention "no wife", even though you had your "tubes tied"? Anyway, if you're a guy and you mean "vasectomy", any side-effects at all? I have considered this strongly here as of late.

DLSTR

Ive got both. Neither is bad. One carries more than the other. Im the same, woman, cars, no kids. You wont make a bad decision.

IMWEZL

Yeah I have both too. I have a MKV GTI and a sport touring Z. I honestly enjoy them both. The Z has more power and can handle better but the GTI is easy to mod. My GTI is stock though.

My GTI is also fully loaded minus navigation. So if I'm doing any long distance travel I'm going with the VW. Also maintenance can be expensive if you plan on owning it past 90K miles.

It would be hard for me to choose one but if I had to I would go with the Z.

r1eater

I actually looked at possibly getting the new GTI-R when I was shopping around last month. I am coming from a 2008 STI as my daily driver to the 370. As far as daily driving the 370 so far has been good. I dont have as much room as I did in my STI but the looks of the 370 are much better IMO. I'm single too a tad older than you and no kids so for me the 370 is perfect as a daily driver. If you think you'll need room to carry stuff then you should go GTI.

hdskull

I actually just switched from the 370z to a GTI due to an unfortunate accident. I personally think the GTI is a much better daily driver compared to the 370z. The city gas mileage is significantly better, it holds a lot more stuff, and it's got quite a bit of neat features that base 370z's don't have. I really like the fact that the base GTI comes with almost everything (with the exception of HID's, which you can easily retrofit). My base GTI came with heated seats, bluetooth phone connection, bluetooth audio streaming (I use Pandora all the time), and built-in iPod cord. The GTI is just as fun to drive as a stock 370z, though I think it could have came with better tires.

I live in San Diego as well, and the roads here are not quite friendly. If you're going to pick this car up and keep it stock to use as a daily driver, I'd say get the GTI, and then get a 370Z in a few years.

Edit: if you use cars to pick up girls, you'd pick up more girls with the 370z. haha. You'd also get a lot of ricer civics/TC's that will try to race you.

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rxdo

just parted out my GTI (MKVI) it made well over 300WHP and 340WTQ, In a straight line it was faster than the Z, but it wasn't as good looking, didn't handle nearly as well, and to be honest I hated the fact it was a DSG (not the cars fault i know). Now if you are looking for big power and all out straight line speed, go with the GTI, buy an APR stage 3+ kit and smoke 99.9% of cars on the road. If, on the other hand, your looking to keep things stock and want a quick car from the factory that looks great and handles like a dream the Z is far and away the better car.

Mt Tam I am

OP: How much junk do you want to haul? when I go to the grocery store, once per week. I can get 8 bags in without struggling, or looking to the front seat.
I can get far more stuff into the car than I thought, but when my large Costco trip comes up twice per year, it is time to take the little ladies car, or rent a truck.

I've rented a truck over the years for lumber and such, but since I've had the 370 no such need has arised.

My buddy has an R32 and he declared "No contest" betwixt the two, head to head.

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gbrettin

I'm 32, about to be married, no kids (tubes about to be tied), and DD the Z. I haven't found any issues with it being a DD.

kenchan

if dd and only car, i'd probably get the GTI, but the R version.

the Z is something ideal for a 2nd or 3rd car.

bigsix

Probably depends on lifestyle...& personality.

Will you enjoy a sports-car experience day in, day out, or will you only be able to tolerate it? You said you prefer the more modest lines of the Volkswagen, but think the Z is more sexy...the Z will attract more attention..

elmz

I live in SD and the Z is not a problem as a DD here. As far as parking pains and door dings, that's not limited to SD or any location, the Z is a wider car so its more prone to door dings. The Z is the better performer if that matters to you, but the GTI is more practical. Take them for a test drive and let us know what you think.