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Best long term daily driver '17 GTI Autobahn or '18 WRX Limited?

  • '17 GTI Autobahn

    Votes: 5 19.2%
  • '18 WRX Limited

    Votes: 21 80.8%

'17 GTI Autobahn or '18 WRX Limited as a long term daily driver for a college student

10K views 34 replies 12 participants last post by  EJ257 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey all! Hoping you guys could help me decide as I've been torn for months. I am a freshman in college and am looking for a daily driver that will last me years, be enjoyable driving on road trips, and of course head turners would be nice. Any quotes on how much these would cost to maintain? Which car would you go for reliability/looks wise? I live in Southern California if that helps, also my commute is all city driving 30 miles round trip. I'll also add that there aren't much curvy roads I could unleash the car on. I'm having such trouble deciding because I love the performance of the WRX, it's trustful brand and reliability, how it looks, it's community, and the wave. Should I just get the "cool" car while I'm young, or opt for the more mature, comfortable GTI?

Additional info: I'm 18 and I'm very fortunate to have my parents buying me a car. I will be paying for gas, half of insurance, and any other thing I'd want to do to the car such as tint. I don't plan on modding the car. I'm mainly concerned on having fast, fun, reliable sports car that would last me after college and beyond. I plan to have over +150K miles on it. My current '94 Protege is creaking at 134k :)

Thank you for reading and thanks in advance for your response. I would love to hear your thoughts so please don't be afraid to reply!

Update: Thanks to your responses I took off the WRX and the GTI as my choices. Instead i'll be going for the '17 Civic Si. You guys brought up great points and I do not want my WRX to get hit by some careless college student!!! I'll take care of my REX once I'm out of college and could buy my own. Thanks again for your responses and helping me decide. :)
 
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#2 ·
I would not own any German car currently in production.

Both choices are wrong. The correct choice is a Honda. Of the two wrong choices given, the Subaru is less incorrect than the VW.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for your input, in fact me and my father were going to head up to a VW dealer and check out a used GTI Autobahn. I told him how unreliable German cars can be and that changed our minds. I inquired about a '17 SI just now and they gave me a OTD price of $29.7k!!!
 
#17 ·
Thanks! They're both great cars its hard to decide.

If you want fast, fun, and reliable for the long run I agree with @SD_GR. Get a Honda. I have a 2013 Civic Si which turns heads and never gives me problems and has enough space for traveling. The new 2017 Civic Si is turbo but a small engine, but it's a great car for reliability and fun still, as well as good mpg and cheap insurance. Any Honda questions I'll answer if I can

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I am just now considering the '17 SI and the dealer quoted me at $29.7k OTD.

Corolla, Camry, Civic, or Accord. Cheap to own, cheap to fix, dead reliable

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I'd like something thats fun, reliable, and turns heads. The '17 SI and V6 Accord do have the fun factor but everyone here has one so I'd pretty much blend into the crowd.

Mazda 3 Hatch - most fun to drive on a budget, cheaper to fuel up, cheaper insurance and plenty of room for college shenanigans. It's plenty quick and reliable.

...OR...what SD_GR said.
We actually already have a '16 Mazda 3 Hatch and I love it. It feels numb whenever I drive it but I still love the car.

Stay away from German cars for long term reliability.

The WRX will be faster, but the most sensible choice in your price range will be a 2017 Honda Civic Si. Honda does an exceptional job of making cars that are not only fun to drive, but extremely reliable, practical, and comfortable. The WRX will be 'faster' when carving corners, but not necessarily any more fun. When you're stuck in traffic you'll get much more enjoyment out of the comfortable cabin, the lighter clutch, the better stereo, and the higher gas mileage. The new Si is probably an amazing bang for your buck. Also, since you're paying half for insurance, you'll be happy to hear that the car will be cheaper to insure. You can also choose between a coupe and a sedan.

Good luck.
Thanks! I always read how rattly and dreadful it is to drive the WRX in traffic. It's what makes a Subaru a Subaru. Anyways I actually have inquired about '17 SI and they gave me $29.7k OTD price. That's ridiculous I could get a base REX instead with better looks and more power.

The poll is invalid, no bewb option... Civic is my vote
I am now considering the '17 Civic SI :)

I'll be that guy- no person with mom and dad buying them the car of their choice who looking at a WRX or GTI gives a f*** about a Honda. LOL

Even though all aforementioned posts are indeed correct, go WRX, mattleegee hit the major points. Just be smart and keep it stock and do all the necessary regular maintenance. You should even get the extended warranty on it from the dealer to cover long term repairs- I don't see why you couldn't make it last that long.
I was planning on keeping the WRX stock and doing proper maintenance. It's going to be my baby so I need to treat the car well... I've told my parents multiple times that I could go cheaper but they insist on the WRX.

Of course you can get a WRX and maintain it no problem but with it's noisy cabin and cost of maintenance/repairs I think it's still better to get the Honda. Particularly an Si for the fun factor. It's comfortable, quiet in-cabin if you like and doesn't cost must to fix or maintain. Like I said before if you've researched enough the cars mentioned would be easier for you than a WRX or GTI but if you can handle it than get a WRX

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I have read about the cons of the WRX daily drive ability and that includes the bland interior plus increased maintenance but I trust Subaru since its a Japanese brand. I was following the SI before but was disappointed with it's power output and how its styling is.

Between the two, I'd go with the WRX. Between everything else I could choose from, I (and most of us here, obviously) also went with the WRX. My choice was largely based on living in a place with snowy winters, so AWD was a huge priority that eliminated most everything else in the price range that had any sort of sporting intentions.

Beyond the AWD, however, I also like the relatively low price of entry, reasonable cost to maintain, better than expected fuel economy, fun to drive factor, and the looks of the car. People knock the WRX for being unrefined and noisy, but coming from a '94 Protege, the WRX will feel like a Mercedes in terms of refinement (I know because we had a '93 Protege that was in the family since new that my daughter drove until we replaced it with an '08 Impreza hatch last year - the Protege was a fun little car, but...).

If you're looking for a thumbs up, you got mine. Have fun!
I love my '94 Protege and how it sounds like a fart can whenever I stomp on the throttle. Hey fellow Protege friend! Anyways I would of picked the WRX no question if I lived in a snowy area but I don't :( I love the way the WRX looks from the front but from the back not so much... I hope I could drive my next car for as long as we had the protege for and I think the WRX can do that way better than the GTI can.

I would avoid both of these vehicles like the plague. I can sit here and relay tale after tale of kid in a fast car acting like the idiot they swore they weren't and having what's left of their bodies chopped out of what's left of the car.

Neither of the vehicles you listed are cheap to insure, cheap to maintain, or cheap to own in general.

I would recommend buying an Impreza, legacy, or Crosstrek if you are hard up for a Subaru. The 4cyl variants are extremely safe, reliable and have decent fuel economy.

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I'm not going to try defending myself as a defensive driver too much because I bet you have heard that plea many times before but I will say that I'm a very defensive driver. I was at first in love with the Crosstrek but it doesn't have the performance factor, I've read how under powered the car was.

If I was in SoCal with no worries about snow, I'd throw in with JaySin and get a Mazda3 hatch.

Note that in buying a car for my 21 yo daughter, I got her a base Impreza.
We actually have a '16 Mazda 3 Hatch and I love that car a lot. The way it looks and drives is amazing however I'm looking for something more sporty.
 
#4 ·
If you want fast, fun, and reliable for the long run I agree with @SD_GR. Get a Honda. I have a 2013 Civic Si which turns heads and never gives me problems and has enough space for traveling. The new 2017 Civic Si is turbo but a small engine, but it's a great car for reliability and fun still, as well as good mpg and cheap insurance. Any Honda questions I'll answer if I can

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#7 ·
Stay away from German cars for long term reliability.

The WRX will be faster, but the most sensible choice in your price range will be a 2017 Honda Civic Si. Honda does an exceptional job of making cars that are not only fun to drive, but extremely reliable, practical, and comfortable. The WRX will be 'faster' when carving corners, but not necessarily any more fun. When you're stuck in traffic you'll get much more enjoyment out of the comfortable cabin, the lighter clutch, the better stereo, and the higher gas mileage. The new Si is probably an amazing bang for your buck. Also, since you're paying half for insurance, you'll be happy to hear that the car will be cheaper to insure. You can also choose between a coupe and a sedan.

Good luck.
 
#9 ·
I'll be that guy- no person with mom and dad buying them the car of their choice who looking at a WRX or GTI gives a f*** about a Honda. LOL

Even though all aforementioned posts are indeed correct, go WRX, mattleegee hit the major points. Just be smart and keep it stock and do all the necessary regular maintenance. You should even get the extended warranty on it from the dealer to cover long term repairs- I don't see why you couldn't make it last that long.
 
#10 ·
Of course you can get a WRX and maintain it no problem but with it's noisy cabin and cost of maintenance/repairs I think it's still better to get the Honda. Particularly an Si for the fun factor. It's comfortable, quiet in-cabin if you like and doesn't cost must to fix or maintain. Like I said before if you've researched enough the cars mentioned would be easier for you than a WRX or GTI but if you can handle it than get a WRX

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#11 ·
Between the two, I'd go with the WRX. Between everything else I could choose from, I (and most of us here, obviously) also went with the WRX. My choice was largely based on living in a place with snowy winters, so AWD was a huge priority that eliminated most everything else in the price range that had any sort of sporting intentions.

Beyond the AWD, however, I also like the relatively low price of entry, reasonable cost to maintain, better than expected fuel economy, fun to drive factor, and the looks of the car. People knock the WRX for being unrefined and noisy, but coming from a '94 Protege, the WRX will feel like a Mercedes in terms of refinement (I know because we had a '93 Protege that was in the family since new that my daughter drove until we replaced it with an '08 Impreza hatch last year - the Protege was a fun little car, but...).

If you're looking for a thumbs up, you got mine. Have fun!
 
#12 ·
I would avoid both of these vehicles like the plague. I can sit here and relay tale after tale of kid in a fast car acting like the idiot they swore they weren't and having what's left of their bodies chopped out of what's left of the car.

Neither of the vehicles you listed are cheap to insure, cheap to maintain, or cheap to own in general.

I would recommend buying an Impreza, legacy, or Crosstrek if you are hard up for a Subaru. The 4cyl variants are extremely safe, reliable and have decent fuel economy.

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#18 ·
I've actually told him multiple time to get whatever car he wants first for himself but repeatedly he says no hes fine. I've talked to him about it and he says he hates getting gas every other day which is why he bought a '15 Hybrid Camry XLE. I've told him he could get a Mercedes or Lexus if he wants for himself but he still sticks to his Camry. Trust me I would much rather have my father get his own car before purchasing mine and I have brought up that topic multiple times but he wont budge.
 
#16 ·
Of all the German vehicles in production, vw would be the last one I would buy. BMW repair costs for a car 1/3 the price. If he is dead set on a German car I wouldn't have anything else but a BMW. The i6 engines are dead reliable, and if maintained will out last the body. The problem is all the things attached to that engine.

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#19 ·
I'm a mid 30s dude with nearing 20 years of driving experience. I've been in your shoes. Young, faster than I should have car. No matter what you think you will do, the urge to be an idiot is unstoppable. I remember blowing down a back road on my way to big bone lick here in ky with my best friend and my brother in a turbo coupe lebaron hauling down a hill at 120+. Ran out of brake and passed the entrance by nearly 1/4 mile before I stopped. I was lucky because if I didn't stop I wouldn't have made the next corner.

The other thing to keep in mind is money, I've been young and broke, it's no fun. It's better to have a cheap clean vehicle than a money pit your working more hours to pay for while your friends are out partaking in extra curricular activities.

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#21 ·
Oh god that sounds scary. Thank goodness you made it out alive... The cheap clean vehicle I am considering is the '17 Civic SI. My friends are usually more than willing to be the "uber" whenever we go out which means I don't have to drive much. I do have some money saved up just in case anything happens to the car which will pay for gas and insurance for awhile.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Your nice new "head turner" car is going to be fairly beat up by the time you get done with college, and you're going to want a new one.

Door dings, hit/runs in the parking lot, drunken college kids, and your own shenanigans will ensure that.

Get something inexpensive and pretty reliable (early-2000s Honda Accord V6, which still has some balls), that may have some routine maintenance you'll need to do. You can learn to DIY things like fluid changes, brakes, belts, plugs, ball joints, etc., and then when you get out of school and can buy the sporty car you dream of, you'll be able to tinker and modify it.

Use the money saved to reduce your student loans. If you're already paying for school in full (either through scholarships or your parents), invest the money saved and have that money to buy the VW/WRX after school. Say, for example, you have $25K for a new car; spend $5K to get a reasonable "beater", drive it for four years, and if you invested that $20K and you get 5% ROI through school (lifetime average of stock market is like 7-8%), you'll basically have your $25K again, and your "beater" you can now sell for like $2000-3000.
 
#24 ·
SD_GR said:
The Camry is a better car than any Mercedes currently produced. Your father is exactly correct.
I had a 2017 Camry as a loaner when I had the Tacoma in for service at the dealership on Friday (free, so why the hell not?). The TCU/TCM gear-hunted like a MFer.
 
#35 ·
ProZach626 said:
However, put yourself in the shoes of a young college kid and your parents ask, "Would you like a brand new WRX or a Brand new GTI?" I think a fraction of a percent of kids would say, "Mom, get me a 2000 V6 Accord... in forest green..."
I was in his shoes, just two years later; I was 20 when I bought my Subaru. I had a Nissan Altima in perfect working order that I bought used in cash, so I only had operating / insurance costs. My sister needed a vehicle, and wasn't in the financial situation to afford it. I couldn't really afford the Subaru myself (I was taking out student loans to cover my tuition), but I could afford at least cover the monthly payments, operating / insurance costs. I gave her my Nissan and I bought the Subaru.

If I were to go back, I would certainly have done things differently. That's partially due to the relationship I now have (well, don't have) with my sister, but also due to the life/financial knowledge I have acquired since being the brilliant college student I was back then...
 
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