OK, so I've officially lost my mind! I have wanted a MCS for about 5 years now and finally was able to order one a couple months ago. My MINI (Homestar) arrived in Charleston yesterday.

What's the problem? Well, my MA has not been making my "experience" any fun at all. That got me thinking...why am I spending $25K for that kind of treatment? So, I decided to take a little trip to the VW dealership and test drive the GTI and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

Now I really have no idea what I should do. I love the MINI, but the GTI really has me thinking. It would be around $4K cheaper and is still really fun to drive.

Has anyone gone through this before? Any thoughts or advise? Homestar should be here in less than 2 weeks and I need to make a decision. I can't even believe this is happening!

Thanks for reading...

 

Get the MCS - for the following reasons -

1. resale
2. better handling
3. space utilization
4. reliability

 

Read http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....&page_number=1

GTI spanks the JCW.

Although it does say if you want to do track days, the JCW is more fun. But overall, its time has come and gone although it claims hope for 2007 models

That is one magazines opinion

Krut, your answers do not jive with R&T

MCS GTI
skidpad .86 .88
Slalom 66.2 67.2 mph
space 7 10 points

Resale value? See https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=72567 a lot of threads like that are popping up with disgruntled sellers thinking they are going to make out on resale.

 

or u can always pm me your questions, i will not discuss here in further details, b/c a lot of new NAMers are hateful towards the GTI and i do not like to speculate

 

You'll do far worse on resale on any VW - trust me I've owned enough VW and Audi products to know.

As far as space utilization - it's a smaller car but it utilizes space better than a VW - that said.. the VW does have more interior space. And the ergo factor in the VW is much better.

Reasons to get the VW -
1. DSG trans
2. Turbo vs. supercharged
3. Larger interior space
4. XM and Sirius both offered (07 models will be Sirius only)
5. newness factor
6. Price point

That said the VW is a good car and I have a lot of admiration for it - obviously setting the bar high for the 07 MINI.

Additionally the camaraderie factor that you get with MINI ownership is first to none. :-)

 

It's a tough decision. I have owned many VW's over the years, with a MK4 GTI being the last. It was fun, but lackluster in performance and looks (IMO). The MK5 GTI has seemingly addressed all that was boring with the previous car. That said, I think the design is still rather boring (again, IMO). It is really fun to drive though. On another note, I am seeing lots of the new GTI's on the road and comparitively few Minis. For whatever the reason, I still enjoy the relative exclustivity of the Mini. I am curious about the upcoming R36 though...

 

if ur that quick to change ur mind on tha MINI then get a v-dub
ur gettin' lot's more for ur money both in interior(quality) 'n power plant(beast, 2.0L turbo paired up w/DSG)u cant go wrong!
its hard to put value on used cars, people will allways think they should get more for their cars than they end up gettin' ...i've been into vw a long time and my experience has been cherry i've had my MINI 2years now and its been not so cherry so as soon as i can get my hands on a R series vw i may dump my MINI.

 

I have considered trading my 05 MCS for a new GTI, but I decided to wait and see how the final production trim 07 MINIs look.

I think you should go ahead and get your MINI. No matter how long you keep it you will always have that experience of having a MINI. (Your 15 minutes of fame so to speak )

 

it is very tempting. I've driven one and it felt nice....

 

Former '00 VR6 GTI owner's opinion: VW = crap quality, crap dealers, and crap manufacturer support.

I haven't driven the current GTI, but I'd be surprised if the handling is as good as an MCS. I know the MkIV GTI had tons of body roll, soggy steering response, and the brakes were nothing special.

Obviously the GTI has more room and a bigger trunk, but if that's your priority, get the Honda.

 

i traded out of my mk4 for the 05 MCS and can not agree more, the MCS is far superior than the MK4, on stock/stock comparison. MK5, is a different story.

Edit: i still keep my options open for the MK2 MCS, since it is a turbo, lots of potential, we shall see.

 

A friend of mine got the new GTI (MK5).

It's a great car! The interior is nice.

The best part of that car is its engine. The 2.0T has a lot of torque. My friend got an ECU remap from Revo and now has 260hp & 300lb.ft. torque. And it really does feel powerful.

But with that ammount of power, he broke a ball-joint and some other parts that his VW dealer can't find yet.

I wouldn't trade my MINI for a GTI. The MINI might be a bit slower against a modified GTI, but the GTI lacks the MINI style, fun to drive and handling.

Stick with the MINI and enjoy it !

 

agreed most of the part, i still believe the MCS looks prettier. Mine puts out close to 300hp and yet to brake something, and i am on DSG, funny enough, had much more problems on the mini, but still love it to this day

 

My experience with VW quality and service was that a lot of things broke. If you wanted VW to stand behind their product, you had to sue them. And once they did agree to cover their defective components (window lifts, ignition coils), the dealers quote 3 to 4 month waits before they'll do the warranty work. For me the last straw was $350 to replace a wheel bearing at 50K miles.

All the car magazines that I read say that VW has really made some quality advances with the Mk5. Of course they said that about the Mk3 and Mk4 too, but I'm sure that's just a coincidence.

 

this thread is so sideways again, wou guys keep bitchin about the rattles and squeek on y'all MINIs but GTI is less reliable, gimme a break. But it is all good, I buy performance hothatches not for reliability. I drive the hell out of them, they mean a lot more than transportation to me. Things break i fix.

 

GET THE MINI....GET THE MINI....GET THE MINI....
VW BAAAAAD.....AND THE "S" WILL KICK ITS' BUTT...!!!

 

 

Did not C&D do a comparo with the Civic Si and GTI too? And gave a slight edge to the GTI as a better 'all around vehicle'. Considering Honda quality I have reservations about that. But then road tests are just that....

Turn offs for me on the Honda is the immaturity of their 'forum'. haha..what can I say, I'm an old frt! And the fact you really have to work it to get to warp speed. The GTI has generous low end torque in comparison. For me it stops there.

I think the Si is a better pkg than the GTI in terms of simple but effective performance. No blowers, very slick 6 speed, standard LSD, good suspension, nothing exotic. And everything lends itself to easy upgrading. A little more lean machine.. definitely lighter.

I see the mini as falling in-between both as far as engine response..but offering something unique in style, image, and road manners, not to mention the attitude of most mini owners.

Damn, drive the hell out of all them and pick the one that leaves the most goosebumps!

 

Don't you mean "second to none".

 

That GTI is flat out plain and boring looking and, well, everyone owns a Honda which are just as bad with it's plain looks. Both of those other cars suffer from what 90% of the cars on the road today do, lack of character and personality, they either look like a box or a bubble.

Get the MINI.

 

Since the apparent reason for considering the GTI was due to an underwhelming follow-through with the MA, I wonder what the ownership experience with a GTI would be like. The IV Gen VWs had a TERRIBLE reputation for quality, which drove resale values into the toilet. I don't know if VW has been able to get its act together on the V Gen cars. Unless you are into fixing your own cars (and even that becomes a drag if you are constantly having to fix things), I would be careful about taking the plunge on a VW. If you still want to roll the dice (on a GTI), you might think about a lease. With a lease, your downside (resale value tanking) is limited - if you don't like the car, then at the end of the lease you drop it off at the dealer, give them the keys and wish them well as you move on to your next car.

 

Good point on the dealer issue! There are good ones and bad ones for every brand but in my own experience I'd stay the hell away from most VW dealers.

 

I don't hate you & your GTI. In fact I think it's pretty cool that you post still here so we can get the GTI side of things.

I love my MINI, but the new GTI is a very nice car. They are coming out with a 5 door version & that really interests me. My MCS is staying with me, but if I had to decide today between the two it would be a tough choice for me. As a former Audi owner the reliability issue is a big one for me. As time goes on all cars are getting better & better though.

 

Buy the car YOU want! If you are unhappy with your MA, advise the Sales Manager, but who cares! They aren't going to be riding around with you after the car is delivered. As far as the GTI goes, I like alot about it, the front end and the interior especially. The rear end I could do without. In the past I haven't had much luck with VW products, but a friend has one of the TDI Jettas (new model) and he has no complaints. I'm still wondering if they'll hold up under hard driving, only time will tell. As far as the car magazine tests, I take them as only their opinion as they don't live with the car daily. Get what makes you happy! I've owned 57 cars in the past 38 years and some have been crap and others were fun and some were both! Don't let this forum make up your mind. No matter which way you decide, buy what you want. If you get a VW I hope it's a great car for you and let people know its pros and cons first hand as I hope you do if you buy the MINI. Enjoy either one!!! Good Luck with your decision!!!!!

 

57 cars? pretty good