Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Don't see why not. I had a CRX Si. Fun little car. Right now I'd probably go for a Mini or a Fiat 500 Sport, but that's only because I haven't had either of them before (though I've driven a couple fast Cooper S versions).
the older GTis were fun, as well, though I don't think I'd buy anything newer than the MKII versions
The GTI will have the better interior and I think better looks as well. A simple stage 1 ECU flash gives you 50 extra horsepower and something like 300lbs of torque. The Civic SI's K20 is a great motor too but I think the GTI is the better package.
I had a mk4 Jetta with a VR6, and currently own a Honda. It's a tough one.
The GTI feels better at speed than a Civic. The newer Civics feel much better cruising than the old ones. The GTI interior is more upscale looking, though the current Civic has, IMHO, a pretty cool looking interior.
That said, the Civic handles better stock. It's also more reliable. VW's engines are great, it's just their electronics that suck. My mk4 inexplicably died 100% for a week once - I took it to the dealer and to an independent shop, and they couldn't isolate the problem. The electronics just plain wouldn't come on, no matter what. My parents have a 2009 Jetta 2.0T, and though they love it, it has had electrical woes, too. The CEL has gone on for no reason multiple times, the (useless) tire pressure monitors are always freaking out... it thinks it's out of fluids... it's got its issues.
Both engines are extremely tunable. The thing that got me about the 2.0T is that you can barely perceive the turbo boost - it's almost seamless, whereas the 1.8T had a very palpable boost, and you can definitely tell when the VTEC has started with the K20A.
It's a tough call. I may get the GTI just because it's the more comfy/luxurious of the two and I already have my S2000, but the SI would definitely be tempting.
baseline question, if you needed a small but fun car, would the civic si factor in?
I just checked autos.msn.com and compared both the Si and the GTI. Both were rated top marks for back a few years although when you go to 2003 the Si shows more problems.
You can mumble about the initial quality ratings. In a nutshell, both cars are likely to have something come up in the first 3 months of ownership. Things like that are normally taken care of at the routing maintenance level. Both cars will also be under warranty.
Honda is known for having horrible interiors. This holds true for the Si. There's a reason why Japanese companies moved away from digital dashboards in the 80's when the American companies tried to adopt them. Digital is ONLY good for showing static data. There's a reason why everyone displays things like speed on analog gauges.
The Si, like most Honda's, is very loud. That leads to driver fatigue. That's your enemy in commutes and on long drives. The GTI is built to a German standard. It has a quiet and well built interior. The inside of the car is where you spend almost all of your time.
I drive a different rental car every week. That means I drive pretty much every mainstream car you can think of. The average German looks a lot more like the average American than the average Japanese person does. Japanese cars are built for smaller people and German cars are built for larger ones. If you look like the average American, you'll fit in the GTI better. The differences while not immediately noticeable, become apparent over time.
Things like the gas tank being on the right side are there because its a Japanese car that they adapt for the international market. In general, American driving has more in common with German driving.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I love mine. VW is ok but very expensive to work on and their overall quality has declined as consumer reports verifies.
