Re: New jetta opinion poll... GLX or Wolfsburg?

[Khan Klatt <khan@mediaaccess.com>]

>Go ahead ... rip into me.  But before you do, go test drive a new 5 
>or 7 series with a sport package (I'd say try the 3 series, but that 
>would be overkill, they're so fantastic it's practically sinful) ... 
>absolutely unreal cars.

Why would I? (rip into you that is)...

You didn't really say anything I disagree with, and I don't think you 
really said anything that invalidates what I said either. You pointed 
out a few exceptions to the rule, which I acknowledge, but our focus 
was not in the BMW spotlight, but in the VW (and potentially Audi) 
arena. And absolutely, the smaller the car in the VW/Audi arena, I 
think the better they handle-- especially stock.

And when you narrow the range down to cars costing less than $30,000 
(which eliminates most Audis) that principle is even more true-- the 
smaller, the lighter, the better handling... which brings me back to 
my point, which is to say that driving a compact (Jetta) a midsize 
(Audi S6), and a sub compact (Golf), I tend to like the smaller cars 
better, and when it comes to engines, I prefer mine turbocharged, and 
finally, the efficiency of the 1.8T can't be beat (and other than the 
2.7T which is out of the price range in the discussion at hand) is 
the only real turbocharged choice from the factory. The ideal car in 
the scenario we're talking about for a daily driver, then, IMO, is a 
Golf 1.8T, or a Jetta 1.8T, if you must have a sedan.

Look, don't get me wrong. I loved my GLX, but other than having the 
satisfaction of having a 2.8L V6 (not to diminish that point-- I 
loved my VR6), if they had offered the Jetta GLX 1.8T in 1997, that's 
what I most probably would have bought.

>Granted, the Boxster should handle great for the extra money it 
>costs, but considering you can have a brand new 325 for 5 thousand 
>more than similarly equipped Jetta ... why get a Jetta?

First, I'll admit I haven't actually driven a 325, so feel free to 
tell me I'm wrong, but I'm betting the cost of the paper this is 
printed on, that your 325 isn't all that dramatically different from 
a Jetta/Golf 1.8T with a sport suspension... which can cost $7K less 
(I'm presuming you compared the 325 to the GLX VR6). I'm not saying 
there's NO REASON why anyone would buy a 325, as they are surely fine 
cars-- it's just that in the realm of the discussion we were having, 
the $7K apparently makes enough of a difference to consider a less 
expensive car.
-- 

Khan Klatt                                         khan@mediaaccess.com

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