the 2007 volkswagen gti is built in Wolfsburg, Germany. moron. and i already have the car. i got the mazdaspeed 3. love it. japan>germany IMO. and they're cheaper to fix.

 

I am in the exact same boat. I want either a GTI or a Speed '3. Both cars rock. I actually like the overall drive in the GTI, and it is a car you can actually pay BELOW MSRP for, and you still get a good stoplight racer. The GTI's interior was excellent. The speed 3's was good. The shifter in the GTI is 1000 times better than that vauge thing they put in the speed 3 and 6. The speed 3 blasts off like WRX. It is the real deal. The GTI is smoother, more like a Lexus than a Honda. I also drove a NIssan SE-R Spec-v (small back seat, car is just weird looking) and a Civic Si. The Civic is a snore-fest. I wanted one so bad when I got my TC and honda dealerships were selling them for 5k over invoice (like Mazda is doing now!). Now that there is better competition, they are willing to deal. The Nissan actually drove like a bat out of hell. It revved high and had a bunch of tourqe. It really smokes the tires. The GTI is more for my 32 year old taste. I like being in the unassuming little German hatch. I like the refinement. I just DONT like the reliability questions. We shall see.

 

both are very nice cars
out of the two choices i would go with the mazda

only problem i hear about those cars are the weak motor mounts
but you can upgrade those i'm sure

 

Why the touchiness? And of course Japan > Germany, anything to reassure your purchase.

 

dude, i test drove both and i can tell you that there's no comparison as far as performance. the gti has nice and cool interior but you get much more for your money with the 3 and more reliability. plus there's more room.

 

post up pics!

 

VW electrics are the worst in the industry. Interiors look really good, but mostly fall apart on owners way too early. Make sure you're prepared to deal with numerous warranty trips to the dealership the whole time you will own the VW for chronic electrical and mechanical problems Their 1.8T engines were notorious for oil starvation problems due to turbo oil coking. Recently, their 3.6 Passat engines have oil pump failure problems that caused engines to blow up. Their OBDII systems are way too sensitive that it throws check engine many many times through the car's life.
They're nice cars, but are just too unreliable for may to depend on. Had a Passat before the tC and was massively relieved when I finally dumped the VW. Lost a lot on the trade too, because so many idoit lights were on and the dealer knows that they will most likely have problems selling it because it would cost more than the car was worth to fix all the problems it had.
I've been totally problem free with my tC for over 20K miles now and I will never regret saying goodbye to VW forever!
Just a warning to all thinking about joining the VW world.

Chombi

 

since everyone is on the topic of VW.... My girlfriend likes the new Jetta and is thinking about getting it. Any words of wisdom toward this one or should I convince her to steer clear? We almost went and got one about a week ago.

 

Since I recently got rid of my Tc and I also considered both cars (and a WRX) among others. The GTI is a 2 dr and has a
better interior but it is more expensive feature to feature then the 3 speed. I didnt get a 3 because it didnt come with a sunroof . Positive on this car is that it has limitied slip and the VW doesnt. If you are trying to stay at 23K then you get a stripped GTI or hope to find a 3speed at list price. Personally I would get the Civic Si, I dont think its slower then the GTI (actually I am pretty sure it faster in stock form). Since I was an old fart and already have 2 other fast fun Toyota cars (turbo alltrac and a MR2 turbo) I bought a TSX for 27K (6spd and navigation). Good luck.