Across the board, what are some of the major differences between European and Japanese cars, along with pros and cons of each? Do you tend to usually get cars from one side or the other, and why do you stick to either one when buying cars? Or if you're an American car dude feel free to chime in too

4/28/2011 10:56:25 AM

Split between a Mazdaspeed3 and a GTI. Both 2008. Would get the 2yr/24k certified warranty with the GTI. Already drove a couple MS3s this past weekend. Driving a GTI later today. Thoughts?

I know synapse has a lovely GTI he's trying to get rid of. I just feel the GTIs are more refined but the MS3s might be more fun to drive. I'm split.

4/28/2011 11:02:02 AM

JMSJ

4/28/2011 11:09:52 AM

bahahah... i still feel bad that your car blew up but when you were looking everyone said "DO NOT GET AN 08"

that being said you couldn't pay me enough to drive a merc or a lexus (other then the LFA AND SLS AMG)
I really like bimmers though, sans all the hpfp problems.

Audis/VWs always seem to have some dumb electrical problem Be it coil packs that go bad every other oil change or a maf sensor failing issue. As good as bosch EMS are their sensors suck.

4/28/2011 11:36:09 AM

Quote :

"bahahah... i still feel bad that your car blew up but when you were looking everyone said "DO NOT GET AN 08""

What car?

Quote :

"Audis/VWs always seem to have some dumb electrical problem Be it coil packs that go bad every other oil change or a maf sensor failing issue. As good as bosch EMS are their sensors suck."

This I've heard multiple times. I don't know if it's gotten any better on the 08s+. Just weighing how much a pain little things like that will be even if they're covered under the warranty.

4/28/2011 11:43:52 AM

EVERY car has its short commings if you look hard enough...

Subarus blow up ( big t's was an 08 sti )

4/28/2011 11:48:27 AM

less electrical problems
less design flaws
less power
more bland
less RWD

Guess who one I am?


window wont roll up?
sorry about your subframe
rear main seals arnt scheduled maintance?
S-O-L-I-D
ONE - TOUCH - WINDOWS

Guess who I am?

4/28/2011 12:02:08 PM

Mechanically, my '03 Accord has no shortcomings.

Spiritually, my '03 Accord is nothing but ONE BIG SHORTCOMING.

4/28/2011 12:09:32 PM

I don't think anybody would pick a Japanese car if price was no concern. They have a different philosophy when it comes to building cars than the Europeans.

Overly complicated design and unreliable electronics are making their way over to the Japanese cars also though. Hard to get a bare bones, reliable and un-boring car from anybody nowadays...

Of particular note for me is the demise of Toyota. They had dozens of cool cars in the 80s, and started making nothing but snooze-mobiles by the mid 2000s. Honda's of course guilty of having one hit per decade that doesn't get updated and is allowed to expire an embarrassing outdated platform. :/ Nissan? Well, NMSJ.

4/28/2011 12:14:51 PM

Leaving subaru which makes cars like the big 3 did in the 80s... "we have 4 engines... offer all of them in every car we make"

But then... they blow up.

Funny thing is... no one notices a cracked ringland and a little oil burning until:

1. They run low on oil and spin a bearing
2. Crank the boost way up and don't get as much power as expected.. then do a leakdown test and say... FUUUDGE!!!


Btw my fiance brags about how well her Suzuki Esteem holds up... to which i reply... if they made a car that broke under the strain of 96hp and 88ft-lbs... I would personally beat every engineer they have on staff.


[Edited on April 28, 2011 at 12:41 PM. Reason : .]

4/28/2011 12:37:18 PM

oh yeah, I missed one, TORQUE

4/28/2011 4:35:17 PM

I'm so confused by your last two posts.

4/28/2011 4:44:55 PM

youre not a car guy

4/28/2011 9:09:37 PM

S
R (LOL VOLVO)
///

4/28/2011 9:18:28 PM

Just ignore Quinn, we often have no idea what he's saying either. The buzz from his Honda must've scrambled his brain.

4/28/2011 9:22:25 PM

angry gerbils

4/28/2011 10:20:45 PM

^^

ITS CODE

4/28/2011 10:54:20 PM

I think I understood: Japanese cars have no soul, and European cars = POWAAAAA! /jeremy clarkson

4/29/2011 12:15:27 AM

Quote :

"Split between a Mazdaspeed3 and a GTI. Both 2008. Would get the 2yr/24k certified warranty with the GTI. Already drove a couple MS3s this past weekend. Driving a GTI later today. Thoughts? "

08 GTI should have the TSI engine instead of the FSI.

the TSI is a solid engine. they made a lot of stuff better than the FSI. i have a feeling this engine is going to be a real performer.

4/29/2011 9:07:18 AM

If money wasn't an issue all my cars would probably be German or Italian. That being said I'm pretty sure my next car will be Japanese German.

4/29/2011 9:08:49 AM

Quote :

"08 GTI should have the TSI engine instead of the FSI. "

That's only the later year models. The earlier 2008s have the TSI

4/29/2011 9:19:02 AM

If you plan on modding the car at all the MS3 is a much better car for that than a GTI imho.

I mean 300whp with an up-pipe down pipe and a cobb access port... that's less then 1k.

4/29/2011 9:42:53 AM

Got the 2008 GTI with 42k miles. Couldn't pass up the deal. 2.9% APR and the certified extended 24k/2yr AFTER the factory warranty is up (another 8k miles). That's almost another 3 years of warranty on it. Autobahn package with the leather heated seats/sun roof is nice. I'm very happy.

After driving the Mazdaspeed 3 last weekend I'm so glad I went with the GTI instead. Got the warranty and the interior feels much more refined. I initially liked the Mazdaspeed but after driving a bunch of cars the interior of the Mazdas felt cheap with the glossy black.

I really like the black leather:

4/29/2011 10:26:44 AM

Cool.. Pretty car man.

4/29/2011 10:46:26 AM

i will never have another 2-door car (though being a hatch mitigates its uselessness)

then again, i'm one of those people that uses their car for more than just the pleasure of driving, so that's probably why i find them pointless

[Edited on April 29, 2011 at 11:18 AM. Reason : pretty car, though...fun to drive, too]

4/29/2011 11:17:47 AM

I almost kept searching for a 4 door but truthfully I don't have kids and rarely have more than 2 people in my car. The hatch is very roomy and I like the 2 door look better. The "easy entry" handle system on the front seat make it very easy to get in the back. The front seats slide all the way up to the front.

I'm very happy. I couldn't stop smiling all day yesterday. I've never had a car this nice. I drove a 88' Volvo 240 in highschool and a beat up 94' Civic in college. I feel like a grown up.

4/29/2011 11:23:26 AM

Quote :

"That's only the later year models. The earlier 2008s have the TSI"

earlier ones had the fsi?

[Edited on April 29, 2011 at 11:28 AM. Reason : just go ahead and get a MK6.. they look better anyway]

4/29/2011 11:27:15 AM

Yes. Mine has the FSI. I've been reading a lot about the differences. Main difference is the move from the timing belt to the chain. Different fuel pump system. I could have kept searching for one with the newer TSI but in truth I'm not going to be really doing anything to the car and I have almost 3 years on the warranty.

4/29/2011 11:30:17 AM

Did I miss something? When did you buy a car?

4/29/2011 11:51:29 AM

the post with the pictures just above is his actual car

4/29/2011 12:00:37 PM

The bottom car pic is. Top is just an interior shot of the model.

^^yeaaaaaaah. Kind of jumped on this deal. I've driven enough cars and I wasn't going to get a warranty if I went down the Mazda/Civic path. Now I have the rest of the factory warranty (another 8k miles) then the certified 24k/2yr warranty on top of that.

And as AntecK7 said in my thread:

Quote :

"Ill tell you one piece of advice, buy the car that you love. Not the one that everyone else says is the best. I would follow that unless the car you love is a complete mess (think explodes on start, or breaks every 2k miles) Unless your actually planning to race it, or are going to pretend to be a race car driver every time you buckle in then the .2 seconds that one car is faster than the other is not going to make your day any worse or better. What you like for interior styling may be different than everyone else. Also people like different cars, I am sure there are some pontiac aztec fans out there who love the styling to death. Test drive them all, there are a lot of cars in your range that are nice, you have the gti, ms3, wrx, colbat ss, civic ss. They are all a million times better than a ford explorer or a honda accord. In reguard the the gti vs ms3, I didn't see any huge difference in build quality or engineering. The GTI does feel a little more solid on the inside, but not overly so. I would say the MS3 will last just as long as the GTI as far as engineering quality, and you wont have $200 sensors break"

I drove them all. I like the GTI the best in regard to both interior/exterior and how it drives. I'm very happy.

4/29/2011 12:37:27 PM

Hmm, somehow between a combination of him not posting anything in his car thread and me not reading the middle of this thread I missed his new car

4/29/2011 12:48:31 PM

Congrats. I've got an '09 base (cloth, no sunroof, etc.) that I have been very happy with. I was in the same boat having driven the GTI, Mazdaspeed 3, and WRX and arrived at the same conclusion. Could have had more power or something that takes to mods more easily, but I just liked the GTI more.

The previous owner might have taken care of it, but one thing that is almost guaranteed is that the air diffuser on the dash will rattle.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?2945481

4/29/2011 1:01:30 PM

Quote :

"earlier ones had the fsi?"

Oh had it backwards then...earlier 08 cars had the FSI, later ones had the improved TSI

4/29/2011 1:34:57 PM

german cars more power?
sure, if you just go by sheer numbers.

hp/L? nope.

4/29/2011 8:24:07 PM

Is that how people console themselves when they drive gutless soul crushing appliances everyday?

4/29/2011 10:50:58 PM

Lol where did that come from??

4/30/2011 8:20:18 AM

Japanese cars have no soul apparently.

4/30/2011 10:53:19 PM

Quote :

"Japanese cars have no soul apparently."

I don't see how anybody can say this. I mean think about the exciting Toyota line up today, they're oozing personality and are just plain cool. Straight from their website:

Yaris, Corolla, Matrix, Camry, Prius, Avalon and the Sienna Minivan. Each sportier than the other.

5/1/2011 3:05:56 PM

honda/toyota

soul-less

Subaru/mazda

soulful

5/1/2011 3:26:53 PM

^^My friend just bought a Yaris. I nodded and smiled.

5/1/2011 3:32:21 PM

^^ LOL no nissan?

5/1/2011 6:02:22 PM

Nissan at least has the 370z + the GTR though the latter is one of the most sterilized sports cars in history and certainly the least exciting car to drive in it's performance bracket.

Mazda's got some cool cars and Subarus have a ton of character w/their boxer motors. Honda/Toyota's yawn fest of late is unmatched by any other though, it's truly incredible.

5/1/2011 6:29:56 PM

What about Lexus? they have a decent lineup..

5/1/2011 7:09:16 PM

i disagree.

all their really "cool" cars have autos.

5/1/2011 7:56:47 PM

Lexus are for women and old dudes

5/1/2011 9:58:29 PM

Quote :

"ton of character w/their boxer motors"

four banger boxer engines are so stupid.

5/1/2011 11:50:47 PM

NMSJ.

heh

5/2/2011 12:00:04 AM

^^

Not when your engine is entirely infront of the front axles.

Come back when you care about weight distribution.

p.s. all boxxer engines are a little dumb... none of them oil well without a dry sump system.

5/2/2011 1:04:47 PM

^I'm a little confused by your statement to Quinn. The Honda S2000's engine is entirely BEHIND the front axle and the car has a 49/51 weight distribution. Did your comment go over my head?

5/2/2011 2:56:23 PM