Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Yep. If you can stretch to the GT Sport with the DCT, they're even pretty sporty. She's not gonna blow the doors off a Dodge Demon obviously, but they can definitely get the hell out of their own way and mix with freeway traffic with ease.
It's a damn shame the US doesn't get the i30 N...
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
Yep. If you can stretch to the GT Sport with the DCT, they're even pretty sporty. She's not gonna blow the doors off a Dodge Demon obviously, but they can definitely get the hell out of their own way and mix with freeway traffic with ease.
It's a damn shame the US doesn't get the i30 N...
I think Hyundai is waiting to see how the velocitor N does before bringing over more hot hatches. It's on my wife and I's shortlist for her next car, as we've loved our 2013 Elantra GT.
Yep. If you can stretch to the GT Sport with the DCT, they're even pretty sporty. She's not gonna blow the doors off a Dodge Demon obviously, but they can definitely get the hell out of their own way and mix with freeway traffic with ease.
It's a damn shame the US doesn't get the i30 N...
I think Hyundai is waiting to see how the velocitor N does before bringing over more hot hatches. It's on my wife and I's shortlist for her next car, as we've loved our 2013 Elantra GT.
So far all the Australian media that has gotten their hands on it fucking love it. Bang for your bucks wise, it's a fucking steal. And the factory warranty INCLUDES tracking it.
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
Yep. If you can stretch to the GT Sport with the DCT, they're even pretty sporty. She's not gonna blow the doors off a Dodge Demon obviously, but they can definitely get the hell out of their own way and mix with freeway traffic with ease.
It's a damn shame the US doesn't get the i30 N...
I think Hyundai is waiting to see how the velocitor N does before bringing over more hot hatches. It's on my wife and I's shortlist for her next car, as we've loved our 2013 Elantra GT.
So far all the Australian media that has gotten their hands on it fucking love it. Bang for your bucks wise, it's a fucking steal. And the factory warranty INCLUDES tracking it.
The US media loves it too. When I find one available around here I'm going to test drive it ASAP.
i wasnt sure about toyota anymore since the breaks/airbag scandals but i guess the metal bits are still good
Besides their fuckups first with floormats and then the dodgy accelerator pedals, they're still golden. In fact, the accelerator pedals was likely not really their fault - they're probably made by a supplier like Denso.
I could have sworn the "sticky gas pedal" turned out to be morons hitting the wrong pedal and panicking. Might be wrong.
No, it was untethered mats sticking underneath.
I recall there also being some pedal units that were faulty?
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L Ron HowardThe duckMinnesotaRegistered Userregular
One was because Toyota went away from throttle control with a wire, and the software they used to figure out where the pedal was had a bug in it. Steve Wosniak said he was able to reliably get his pedal to stick on his Prius after some testing.
How interested would folks be in me doing a daily-ish news round-up for EICMA for the thread? Already a few leaks and pre-show announcements out there (Ducati has a full press release out already for 2019!) but the meat of it arrives soon and there should be a few cool two- and three-wheeled things announced.
While out doing some Uber driving last night, I drove past a seemingly abandoned used car lot in Compton that was full of '80s BMW 5 and 6-series and at least one Alfa Romeo 164. They were all covered in a pretty nice layer of dust and it kinda broke my heart. I'm thinking of driving back down there to see what the deal is and if they're looking to liquidate. I don't have a ton of spare cash, but if the deal is good enough...
jgeis on
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
While out doing some Uber driving last night, I drove past a seemingly abandoned used car lot in Compton that was full of '80s BMW 5 and 6-series and at least one Alfa Romeo 164. They were all covered in a pretty nice layer of dust and it kinda broke my heart. I'm thinking of driving back down there to see what the deal is and if they're looking to liquidate. I don't have a ton of spare cash, but if the deal is good enough...
Hell if you find an E28 533, 535, or M5, that's a great car right there. Especially in manual! Same goes for the equivalent E34 cars too, obviously.
OK so here's the EICMA breakdown by brand. Doing Japanese today, will make time for Europe soon. Gonna have a slight bias towards the dual-sport/ADV realm of bikes because, well, that's what I like, but here goes:
Honda:
The retro-modern "neo-sports-cafe concept" CB-R line gets a 4-cylinder CB650R to match the equally ~aesthetic~ CB300R and CB1000R
The CB500X gets a 19" front wheel instead of the previous 17", plus a host of other quality of life updates, for 2019. Considered one of the most under-rated all-rounder bikes on the market anyways, and now it's even more of the successor to the Transalp that it probably deserves to be.
Honda also unveiled a pair of gnarly single-cylinder concepts on a universal 125/300cc platform as seen in the CB300R
Kawasaki
The USA gets the W platform twin, a bona fide Triumph killer, for the first time since 2001. Now the W800, which is fuel injected and with some other little improvements.
The much-acclaimed motor from the Ninja 400 is now available in a naked bike, the Z400. I dig it.
Yamaha
The Tenere 700 specs are finally out. Identical weight to the outgoing XT660Z, but much more power for the highway. This is about as close of a road bike to a vintage rally twin as we've gotten in decades, at least at an affordable price from a Japanese brand. Late 2019 for most territories, except US and Canada which get it for late 2020. While I'm more inclined towards the Honda CB500X in the near-term, this bike has my attention in a very big way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNiz6DxNPUA
Suzuki:
Nothing new, save for a few new colorways on the updated 80s-tastic Katana 1000
I'm going to Las Vegas for an event next weekend and decided to rent a car through Turo to see what that's all about. Rented a 2018 Hyundai Sonata Limited (air conditioned seats!) with their full damage waiver for $88 after my $25 introductory credit was applied. That seems pretty good! That wasn't even the cheapest car on there that was in decent shape, there was even a manual Fiat 500 Abarth available for $27/day but I'd have had to drive into the Valley to pick it up and 4hr stints of highway driving is not the ideal scenario for a 500 Abarth rental.
We'll see how the overall rental experience goes next weekend, but so far so good.
Hondas are good. My ideal perfect bike is a CRF450L.
So I have some very good news about a bike that got unveiled at EICMA since I made that post
apologies for never catching up on the Euro stuff in the last few days, been dealing with a very sudden crisis in having to leave the country where I've been working!
I'm going to have my GTI paid off this coming May, and now I'm seriously thinking of trading it in come May and leasing something else instead of keeping it. By then I'll be around 97,000 miles, and will need to do brakes, rotors, and timing chain/tensioner (as preventative). If I were to put the money I'd be spending on that towards a downpayment on something new and can keep the monthly payments within a $50-75 of my loan payment I'm thinking it might a good option. An Accord Sport with the 2.0T is looking really good to me right now, the Mazda 6 with their 2.5 turbo is also a possibility, or just get another GTI (and leave it completely stock this time). Of course having a car with no finance payments is also nice, but I'm just not sure I want to put another $2000 into my car when spending just a little bit more would get me a brand new car.
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
I'm the kind of person who buys a car because that's the car I want, and I own it until it dies of old age. Hence, "I could trade it in on something new!" just doesn't make much sense to me.
Is there a nagging deficiency in the GTI that you want to improve upon? Is it not suitable for purpose?
Because if you're happy with it and it does the job you require of it, why go back into debt? Keep it well maintained and enjoy it for as long as you can, with no car repayments.
Hell, if you can afford it, put the money you would have otherwise funneled into new car repayments into a savings account, squirrel that money away for your retirement hot rod or whatever.
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L Ron HowardThe duckMinnesotaRegistered Userregular
I was trying to think of a nice way to put that, too.
What convinced me was to make a spreadsheet where I showed my lizardbrain how much I would save in a year or two by not having a car loan. I was thinking of buying a Fiesta ST for $17k, I think, and I looked at what I'd have in my savings account in the 5-ish year term at whatever a month, and it's like I could buy the car outright in 2 years. In another 3, I could all but have my house paid off.
And when my furnace died a few months later, I could pay for the wholesale replacement and not have to take out a loan on it.
I don't think you'd be getting a huge upgrade between your current GTI and a newer car. I mean, if you had a 25 year old Buick or something, absolutely.
I'd be looking to lease this time as opposed to a loan. Car shopping with my Dad last Summer I know the manufacturer's websites finance estimates generally do not match what the dealerships offer but they're a place to start. Come May I have nothing to lose by going to the dealership and seeing what they can offer me. Worst case they aren't willing to lease me a car, or the lease or finance offers aren't within my budget. If that's the case I'll either bite the bullet and put the money into my GTI or see what my other options are. The KBB on my car is in the $5500-7500 range and that plus the $2500 or more I can put down give me a decent amount of leeway for lease terms that are amenable to me (understandably the dealership may not feel the same way).
My GTI is getting to the point where the maintenance is starting to get very expensive, and I'm honestly getting tired of certain parts of it. Primarily the aftermarket exhaust and all the rattles caused by it that are starting to really bug me. I've thought about talking to my mechanic and seeing if someone would be willing to trade or work something out to swap my aftermarket catback or full turboback for their stock system if they're swapping to something aftermarket. I like my car, a lot, but I'm also ready for something new if it's within my budget. Something that isn't a hot hatch or at least something with a similar level of power but doesn't carry the cache or stereotype of a hot hatch. I spent a few days driving my Dad's C300 and really liked it. It had the power of my car but was just so much more relaxing to drive.
Once my car is paid off, I could just start automatically diverting what I was paying monthly into a savings account and then putting that towards a new car in a few years. I am just exploring my options right now because May is still a ways off. When I get my Summer wheels swapped back from my Winter wheels I can have my mechanic check the condition of the timing chain. If my chain is in bad shape my decision may be made for me.
Don't feel bad telling me this is a bad idea. It might be what I need to hear because maybe this is a bad idea, and thanks for whatever input you have. Come Spring though, I have nothing to lose but an afternoon by going to the dealership and seeing what happens.
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
The dealership is ALWAYS going to pressure you into buying a new car. You could have just bought a brand new car 6 months ago and you're bringing it in for its first service, and a salesman will happily talk you into trading it on something else. You can get a better non-droney non-rattley exhaust fitted to your GTI, there are plenty out there to pick from. How come it's only worth $5500-7500, how old is it? When you said it'd be paid off early next year I assumed it was a 2014 model?
The dealership is ALWAYS going to pressure you into buying a new car. You could have just bought a brand new car 6 months ago and you're bringing it in for its first service, and a salesman will happily talk you into trading it on something else. You can get a better non-droney non-rattley exhaust fitted to your GTI, there are plenty out there to pick from. How come it's only worth $5500-7500, how old is it? When you said it'd be paid off early next year I assumed it was a 2014 model?
My GTI is a 2010 with 94,400 miles right now. I did a quick Kelly Blue Book estimate on the value of my car and my car physically is in very good shape but it's high'ish mileage for a VW. For all I know the dealership could come in above the estimate, but I'd rather go in expecting something in the $6000 range or lower if they know the timing chain hasn't been done (I'm not going to tell if they don't ask).
Maintenance has been kept up with and I had some rust repair done a few months back. However, my brakes were last done when I bought the car CPO at 40,000ish miles, and the timing chain + tensioner are in the mileage range now where they'll need to be done as preventative maintenance or because they're nearing the end of their life. Those two things together are equal to the down payment on a new car which is why I'm weighing my options for this Spring. I have enough in savings plus my tax return to easily afford the maintenance, and financial stability to continue paying the costs for a lease or a loan within $100 of my current loan payment.
I have an AWE Tuning exhaust which at the time was one of the most expensive and well made exhausts for my car. From what my mechanic says it's very common for even the bests ones to always cause some rattles and have fitment issues (it does not drone though which is nice). I've actually had the welds repaired twice in the last two years and have had brackets and gaskets replaced too. A lot of that is down to salted winter roads here in Upstate New York. Still, I honestly don't even like how the exhaust sounds anymore (not sure I ever did), and the rattles it causes are really starting to annoy me. I do still have my stock downpipe so swapping that in is an option. Wouldn't hurt to ask my mechanic what that would cost since the downpipe is likely the source of most if not all of the rattles. I never did go stage 2 on the APR tune so the downpipe isn't actually necessary for my stage 1.
I know dealerships are going to do everything they can to sell me a car. That's of their thing. My credit is extremely good and I have almost no debt, so I'm a prime candidate for very good finance terms. Ideally I don't want to walk into the dealership until my car is paid off. I don't know if it does makes a difference but I feel like going in with car I owe nothing on might give me a chance at better terms. To me, trying to get rid of something I haven't finished paying for make me look less financially responsible.
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Damn, a 2010? ~95,000 miles isn't high, not at all. That's only 9500/annum or about 15,000 kms, which is entirely average for a metropolitan car. As for the maintenance, well, timing chains are generally supposed to last the life of an engine (that's their primary advantage over a belt, as they are more expensive, noisier, and heavier), but it seems manufacturers have decided that timing belt service money is too good to give up, so get the chain and tensioner done, just not at a dealership. As for the exhaust, you should be able to get a custom full stainless turbo-back system from an exhaust shop for less than buying a replacement name brand aftermarket system and having it fitted at a performance shop. You can specify a smaller diameter pipe (~2.5 inch instead of 3 inch?), a cat convertor, resonator, centre muffler and rear muffler and it should still sound and flow better than stock without droning, buzzing, or rattling.
Damn, a 2010? ~95,000 miles isn't high, not at all. That's only 9500/annum or about 15,000 kms, which is entirely average for a metropolitan car. As for the maintenance, well, timing chains are generally supposed to last the life of an engine (that's their primary advantage over a belt, as they are more expensive, noisier, and heavier), but it seems manufacturers have decided that timing belt service money is too good to give up, so get the chain and tensioner done, just not at a dealership. As for the exhaust, you should be able to get a custom full stainless turbo-back system from an exhaust shop for less than buying a replacement name brand aftermarket system and having it fitted at a performance shop. You can specify a smaller diameter pipe (~2.5 inch instead of 3 inch?), a cat convertor, resonator, centre muffler and rear muffler and it should still sound and flow better than stock without droning, buzzing, or rattling.
Also maybe someone who is more knowledgeable about VWs but less than 100k miles and the timing chain needs replaced? That is crazy talk to me. A good chain should go 150k+ plus miles before inspection, let alone replacement. A timing belt? Yea sure 100k miles lets replace it along with the water pump. What does the cars manual say about the timing chain under the maintenance schedule?
L Ron HowardThe duckMinnesotaRegistered Userregular
A quick google search on some random sites says that the 2010 VW Golf GTI has a timing chain, but the tensioner needs to be serviced per a recall.
The normal 100k mileage maintenance is pretty light. A lot of sites say the same thing as this, so I don't know if they're all quoting each other or are accurate, but this one showed it in the prettiest manner: https://www.driverside.com/service-schedule/detailview/volkswagen-gti-2010-29913-49384-123075?mileage=100000
And I don't know, nor specifically care, about your personal finances, Cormac, but I would absolutely take an extra $100-300 in savings/stock market/retirement a month.
If you're worried that you're spending money on a car that isn't worth anything, well, that's the nature of cars. They are money pits. Personally, I'd rather own a cheap thing and save up for the future, maybe an awesome car, early retirement, whatever, than constantly and unnecessarily trade up for a new car.
Also, I paid $750 for my car. I've spent $120 on tires, and I'm about to do the timing belt and all that shit that is entailed for $650. It's hardly worth it to keep the car when I've spent that much on it. However, paying myself the car loan or lease or whatever is well worth it. A newer car that I have to pay someone else to drive is just ridiculous.
I've also found it very alleviating to not have a car that I have to care about. Another scratch, or scrape because sociopathic SUV drivers? Cool. Don't care. Car can still drive. If your worried about the harsh winters ruining your car, well, congrats! You have a cheap paid-for winter beater. Why get a new car and have that one rot as well?
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L Ron HowardThe duckMinnesotaRegistered Userregular
The timing chain and tensioner is commonly replaced around 100k miles and preventative maintenance. It's entirely possible it'll make it much further than that, but when it goes it basically grenades the engine. There is a class action lawsuit for the issue but I don't qualify as far as I can tell because mine has not been replaced yet.
I'm fully aware cars are a money pit. I've already but well over $2000 into it this year, but it's overall been very reliable for me for the past few years. This not the first time I've driven a car to and over 100,000 miles which from my experience is when the expensive stuff starts needed to be replaced. Sure, once I that stuff is out of the way the car is good to go for many tens of thousands of miles. However, it's also the point where I like to seriously consider whether or not that money is well spent on a new car. I ditched a Mitsubishi Outlander to get this GTI because that was a piece of junk that had given me nothing but issues and made zero financial sense to keep it on the road anymore. The GTI is worth keeping up because I do like it and it's been good to me. FWIW my turboback is fully mandrel bent and hand TIG/MIG welded 2.5in stainless with multiple resonators and mufflers https://www.awe-tuning.com/a-w-e-tuning-mk6-2-0t-exhaust. It seems to like shaking one of it's brackets loose over time, and it might need tightening again now that my mechanic noticed the issue the last time it was off for weld repair. I'll ask him tomorrow how much it would cost to just put my stock downpipe back on.
I appreciate all the input. You're all absolutely right. I'm just weighing my options and honestly far sooner than I need to. Part of this also stems from my need to always be researching something (you'd think by now I'd have researched how I could turn this into an actual job). Now that I've completed my last project I've moved onto something else that's been on my mind lately.
I think my only additional input would be to advise against leasing. Turning in a car that you own outright to rent one for two or three years seems crazy. Leasing is the most expensive way to drive a car.
I think my only additional input would be to advise against leasing. Turning in a car that you own outright to rent one for two or three years seems crazy. Leasing is the most expensive way to drive a car.
I think there's some weight to the argument of having a new car every two or three years, if you're the sort of person who wants to never be bothered with maintenance beyond putting gas and oil in. But aside from that very specific viewpoint, yeah.
I think it's time to move on from the WRX. I'm gonna miss it but my knee is going bad and driving in 2 hours of stop and go every day can't be good for it.
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
I think it's time to move on from the WRX. I'm gonna miss it but my knee is going bad and driving in 2 hours of stop and go every day can't be good for it.
I think it's time to move on from the WRX. I'm gonna miss it but my knee is going bad and driving in 2 hours of stop and go every day can't be good for it.
Posts
It's a damn shame the US doesn't get the i30 N...
I think Hyundai is waiting to see how the velocitor N does before bringing over more hot hatches. It's on my wife and I's shortlist for her next car, as we've loved our 2013 Elantra GT.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
So far all the Australian media that has gotten their hands on it fucking love it. Bang for your bucks wise, it's a fucking steal. And the factory warranty INCLUDES tracking it.
The US media loves it too. When I find one available around here I'm going to test drive it ASAP.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
I cannot wait for the international Radwoods, there are going to be so many great cars that I, as an American, have never seen or find very special.
Everyone had airbag issues. the dealer should be able to tell if a car has had any recalls performed on it.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Besides their fuckups first with floormats and then the dodgy accelerator pedals, they're still golden. In fact, the accelerator pedals was likely not really their fault - they're probably made by a supplier like Denso.
You can't give someone a pirate ship in one game, and then take it back in the next game. It's rude.
No, it was untethered mats sticking underneath.
I recall there also being some pedal units that were faulty?
Hell if you find an E28 533, 535, or M5, that's a great car right there. Especially in manual! Same goes for the equivalent E34 cars too, obviously.
Honda:
The CB500X gets a 19" front wheel instead of the previous 17", plus a host of other quality of life updates, for 2019. Considered one of the most under-rated all-rounder bikes on the market anyways, and now it's even more of the successor to the Transalp that it probably deserves to be.
Honda also unveiled a pair of gnarly single-cylinder concepts on a universal 125/300cc platform as seen in the CB300R
Kawasaki
The much-acclaimed motor from the Ninja 400 is now available in a naked bike, the Z400. I dig it.
Yamaha
Suzuki:
Hondas are good. My ideal perfect bike is a CRF450L.
We'll see how the overall rental experience goes next weekend, but so far so good.
So I have some very good news about a bike that got unveiled at EICMA since I made that post
apologies for never catching up on the Euro stuff in the last few days, been dealing with a very sudden crisis in having to leave the country where I've been working!
Is there a nagging deficiency in the GTI that you want to improve upon? Is it not suitable for purpose?
Because if you're happy with it and it does the job you require of it, why go back into debt? Keep it well maintained and enjoy it for as long as you can, with no car repayments.
Hell, if you can afford it, put the money you would have otherwise funneled into new car repayments into a savings account, squirrel that money away for your retirement hot rod or whatever.
What convinced me was to make a spreadsheet where I showed my lizardbrain how much I would save in a year or two by not having a car loan. I was thinking of buying a Fiesta ST for $17k, I think, and I looked at what I'd have in my savings account in the 5-ish year term at whatever a month, and it's like I could buy the car outright in 2 years. In another 3, I could all but have my house paid off.
And when my furnace died a few months later, I could pay for the wholesale replacement and not have to take out a loan on it.
I don't think you'd be getting a huge upgrade between your current GTI and a newer car. I mean, if you had a 25 year old Buick or something, absolutely.
I'm not going to say don't buy cars - if you find a new car and you love it, and you can afford it, power to you.
But unless you're getting that new car for $2500 out the door, I think your math is a little optimistic.
You can't give someone a pirate ship in one game, and then take it back in the next game. It's rude.
My GTI is getting to the point where the maintenance is starting to get very expensive, and I'm honestly getting tired of certain parts of it. Primarily the aftermarket exhaust and all the rattles caused by it that are starting to really bug me. I've thought about talking to my mechanic and seeing if someone would be willing to trade or work something out to swap my aftermarket catback or full turboback for their stock system if they're swapping to something aftermarket. I like my car, a lot, but I'm also ready for something new if it's within my budget. Something that isn't a hot hatch or at least something with a similar level of power but doesn't carry the cache or stereotype of a hot hatch. I spent a few days driving my Dad's C300 and really liked it. It had the power of my car but was just so much more relaxing to drive.
Once my car is paid off, I could just start automatically diverting what I was paying monthly into a savings account and then putting that towards a new car in a few years. I am just exploring my options right now because May is still a ways off. When I get my Summer wheels swapped back from my Winter wheels I can have my mechanic check the condition of the timing chain. If my chain is in bad shape my decision may be made for me.
Don't feel bad telling me this is a bad idea. It might be what I need to hear because maybe this is a bad idea, and thanks for whatever input you have. Come Spring though, I have nothing to lose but an afternoon by going to the dealership and seeing what happens.
My GTI is a 2010 with 94,400 miles right now. I did a quick Kelly Blue Book estimate on the value of my car and my car physically is in very good shape but it's high'ish mileage for a VW. For all I know the dealership could come in above the estimate, but I'd rather go in expecting something in the $6000 range or lower if they know the timing chain hasn't been done (I'm not going to tell if they don't ask).
Maintenance has been kept up with and I had some rust repair done a few months back. However, my brakes were last done when I bought the car CPO at 40,000ish miles, and the timing chain + tensioner are in the mileage range now where they'll need to be done as preventative maintenance or because they're nearing the end of their life. Those two things together are equal to the down payment on a new car which is why I'm weighing my options for this Spring. I have enough in savings plus my tax return to easily afford the maintenance, and financial stability to continue paying the costs for a lease or a loan within $100 of my current loan payment.
I have an AWE Tuning exhaust which at the time was one of the most expensive and well made exhausts for my car. From what my mechanic says it's very common for even the bests ones to always cause some rattles and have fitment issues (it does not drone though which is nice). I've actually had the welds repaired twice in the last two years and have had brackets and gaskets replaced too. A lot of that is down to salted winter roads here in Upstate New York. Still, I honestly don't even like how the exhaust sounds anymore (not sure I ever did), and the rattles it causes are really starting to annoy me. I do still have my stock downpipe so swapping that in is an option. Wouldn't hurt to ask my mechanic what that would cost since the downpipe is likely the source of most if not all of the rattles. I never did go stage 2 on the APR tune so the downpipe isn't actually necessary for my stage 1.
I know dealerships are going to do everything they can to sell me a car. That's of their thing. My credit is extremely good and I have almost no debt, so I'm a prime candidate for very good finance terms. Ideally I don't want to walk into the dealership until my car is paid off. I don't know if it does makes a difference but I feel like going in with car I owe nothing on might give me a chance at better terms. To me, trying to get rid of something I haven't finished paying for make me look less financially responsible.
A rock hit the front windshield on my new crosstrek.
Also maybe someone who is more knowledgeable about VWs but less than 100k miles and the timing chain needs replaced? That is crazy talk to me. A good chain should go 150k+ plus miles before inspection, let alone replacement. A timing belt? Yea sure 100k miles lets replace it along with the water pump. What does the cars manual say about the timing chain under the maintenance schedule?
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
The normal 100k mileage maintenance is pretty light. A lot of sites say the same thing as this, so I don't know if they're all quoting each other or are accurate, but this one showed it in the prettiest manner:
https://www.driverside.com/service-schedule/detailview/volkswagen-gti-2010-29913-49384-123075?mileage=100000
And I don't know, nor specifically care, about your personal finances, Cormac, but I would absolutely take an extra $100-300 in savings/stock market/retirement a month.
If you're worried that you're spending money on a car that isn't worth anything, well, that's the nature of cars. They are money pits. Personally, I'd rather own a cheap thing and save up for the future, maybe an awesome car, early retirement, whatever, than constantly and unnecessarily trade up for a new car.
Also, I paid $750 for my car. I've spent $120 on tires, and I'm about to do the timing belt and all that shit that is entailed for $650. It's hardly worth it to keep the car when I've spent that much on it. However, paying myself the car loan or lease or whatever is well worth it. A newer car that I have to pay someone else to drive is just ridiculous.
I've also found it very alleviating to not have a car that I have to care about. Another scratch, or scrape because sociopathic SUV drivers? Cool. Don't care. Car can still drive. If your worried about the harsh winters ruining your car, well, congrats! You have a cheap paid-for winter beater. Why get a new car and have that one rot as well?
I'm fully aware cars are a money pit. I've already but well over $2000 into it this year, but it's overall been very reliable for me for the past few years. This not the first time I've driven a car to and over 100,000 miles which from my experience is when the expensive stuff starts needed to be replaced. Sure, once I that stuff is out of the way the car is good to go for many tens of thousands of miles. However, it's also the point where I like to seriously consider whether or not that money is well spent on a new car. I ditched a Mitsubishi Outlander to get this GTI because that was a piece of junk that had given me nothing but issues and made zero financial sense to keep it on the road anymore. The GTI is worth keeping up because I do like it and it's been good to me. FWIW my turboback is fully mandrel bent and hand TIG/MIG welded 2.5in stainless with multiple resonators and mufflers https://www.awe-tuning.com/a-w-e-tuning-mk6-2-0t-exhaust. It seems to like shaking one of it's brackets loose over time, and it might need tightening again now that my mechanic noticed the issue the last time it was off for weld repair. I'll ask him tomorrow how much it would cost to just put my stock downpipe back on.
I appreciate all the input. You're all absolutely right. I'm just weighing my options and honestly far sooner than I need to. Part of this also stems from my need to always be researching something (you'd think by now I'd have researched how I could turn this into an actual job). Now that I've completed my last project I've moved onto something else that's been on my mind lately.
You can't give someone a pirate ship in one game, and then take it back in the next game. It's rude.
I think there's some weight to the argument of having a new car every two or three years, if you're the sort of person who wants to never be bothered with maintenance beyond putting gas and oil in. But aside from that very specific viewpoint, yeah.
Time for a Porsche with a dual clutch?
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Or a Golf R with the DSG?