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I'm in the market to replace my 2006 Mazda3 5-speed.
I absolutely adore my Mazda3, but have owned two Golfs, 87 and 98, both of which I also adored until the 87's suspension started to fall apart at 180,000 miles, and the 98 had substantial electrical failures at 120,000 miles. The 87 was built in Pennsylvania, and the 98 in Mexico.
When I bought the Mazda I liked it, but didn't love it - compared to the 98 Golf, it seemed flimsy and tinny and noisy, but I slowly fell in love with the Mazda's sporty handling and incredible reliability.
I've driven both 2017s and it's really a toss-up - the Golf has a slight edge at the moment, because it's $3K cheaper than a Mazda3, and includes a CD player, which Mazda has eliminated from new models. So I'm wondering, from anyone who has a recent vintage Golf, is: How's its reliability? Any flaws, glitches, factory goof-ups? I need to do more research, but was hoping for some man/woman-on-the-street perspective about recent Golfs.
I came down to the Golf, Kia Forte5, and the 3 in my search after trying out every sporty little hatch on the market. The 3 was the most expensive of the bunch despite being down on power as both the VW and Kia are ~200hp turbos. In the end I chose the Forte5 SX for the power, standard features, good deal at $17,900, the 10 year warranty, and above all best fit for my tall self. The 3 was most cramped.
I had a '10 GTI in autobahn trim that I loved and worried I would be constantly comparing the more bare bones Golf to it. And yeah maintenance and little electrical warranty issues on that put me off the Golf a bit. But I'd still rank the Golf well above the 3.
And if you're so inclined it's incredibly easy to get more power out of the Golf. A few hundred bucks for a tune will bump it up 65hp and 78 ft-lbs. APR 1.8T Gen3 ECU Upgrade for the MQB Platform
The Golf is better then the 3 because it has a turbo unlike the 3 and better power and MPG just dont buy the TDI one if you live in Califronia or any other emission state make sure its a manual and not a automatic as VW automatics are bad
VW's are more engaging and have a personality. They probably will require more frequent maintenance. All European cars do. Choices...
Do you have specific experience with recent VWs?
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Originally Posted by Corvette Ministries
There are some threads over on CD Mazda forum that talk specifically about the Mazda 3.
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Originally Posted by notnamed
I came down to the Golf, Kia Forte5, and the 3 in my search after trying out every sporty little hatch on the market. The 3 was the most expensive of the bunch despite being down on power as both the VW and Kia are ~200hp turbos. In the end I chose the Forte5 SX for the power, standard features, good deal at $17,900, the 10 year warranty, and above all best fit for my tall self. The 3 was most cramped.
I had a '10 GTI in autobahn trim that I loved and worried I would be constantly comparing the more bare bones Golf to it. And yeah maintenance and little electrical warranty issues on that put me off the Golf a bit. But I'd still rank the Golf well above the 3.
Thanks. I've heard conflicting reports on whether VW has solved the electrical issues or not. How's the Kia holding up for you?
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Originally Posted by Qwh
The Golf is better then the 3 because it has a turbo unlike the 3 and better power and MPG just dont buy the TDI one if you live in Califronia or any other emission state make sure its a manual and not a automatic as VW automatics are bad
Thanks. I've heard conflicting reports on whether VW has solved the electrical issues or not. How's the Kia holding up for you?
Hasn't needed anything but oil changes over the last 2 years. In really cold weather there's a clutch pedal squeak when it's being let out slow but hasn't bothered me enough to bring it in for dealer and rarely gets really cold here. No widespread problems reported on forums/fb groups.
I was shopping for a fun stick shift car 7 months ago. The Golf is fun, but they ran out of the manuals and it was special order which meant I would not get any of the discounts ($4K). I liked the Forte5 SX but the local dealer packed up and left. The Mazda did not have enough power for me, I even rented one for a day (Automatic). I ended up with a Veloster turbo. Was a mix of getting a good deal and getting tired of looking. It is fun, does not handle as good as the 3 but it has more oomph. Mine has the premium sound with the sub-woofer and since I live on music, that on its own has been a life changer.
It also depends on who is going to do the maintenance. I believe the oil change for the Golf done at the dealer is pretty pricey.
The Golf is better then the 3 because it has a turbo unlike the 3 and better power and MPG just dont buy the TDI one if you live in Califronia or any other emission state make sure its a manual and not a automatic as VW automatics are bad
The old VW automatics were bad -- the ones manufactured by VAG in cars built before 2005 or 2006. The modern ones are better, both the DSG transmissions (direct-shift gearbox) and the regular automatics which I think are sourced from Aisen, JATCO, or ZF.
But I still recommend the manual transmissions.
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