MegaTRon

I love my S but I think its time to get something more practical with extra cargo space for daily long commutes. I've had the S for over 4 years now while living in smaller cities where traffic is a non-issue. I will be moving to Dallas, TX in August for the last 2 years of Pharmacy school, where I will be having long commutes to school and different rotation sites. I know traffic can be a pain in the ass and I just hate putting the S through that kind of abuse. If I do sell the S, I will most definitely purchased another one once I'm done with Pharm school. I also have a 10 month old Dobermann currently 80 lbs and will only get bigger. Transporting him in the S has been rather quite comical. I'm currently looking at hatchbacks and the 2015 VW GTI is really catching my attention. Anyone with experience on VW willing to share their thoughts? Reliability? Maintenance? If Honda is really bringing the Civic Type R to the US, I will be all over that.

I'm open to suggestions. Needs to get decent gas mileage. While hatchbacks are preferred, I am willing to go with a sedan.

EricJT7

My brother has a 2010 GTI and it has been reliable so far. I'm not sure about the 2015 model, but I would hope for it to have as good of reliability. I'm not sure if even the GTI is big enough to comfortably accommodate your Doberman, but if it can be done in the S it certainly can be done much better in the GTI. Have you also considered a 2014 WRX hatchback, or is that not your style? Not sure if it is really big enough for your dog to be comfortably transported either, but still should be as good or better than the GTI for that. And forget about the 2015 WRX, they are hideous lol and don't come with a hatchback version.

Oops, didn't notice you mentioned wanting decent fuel mileage. A Jetta TDI Sportwagen would be another thing to look into, and would be even better for your dog. A Subaru Impreza Wagon, Forester, Outback, are other options that would certainly be more dog friendly like the TDI and quite fuel efficient. Of course none of these are going to be anywhere as near as fun to drive as the GTI with the exception of the non fuel efficient WRX, so while better for the dog, maybe less so for you.

rob-2

MPG
Reliability
Handling/sportiness
Price

Give them 0-10 ratings. Otherwise I am confused if you want an eco box or a sporty sedan. No idea budget either.

Sebring AP1

Civic Si Sedan
Focus/Fiesta ST
GTI


In that order would be pretty great for you.

jpembry

I owned a gti for a year in between s2k's...lol. It was a new leftover 2012 so I got a great deal on it. It was an awesome car and looking back I would love to have another one alongside my S. Very comfortable, very practical, good highway mpg (32), and fun for a fwd car. It's the best do it all car out there for the money and the 2015 looks amazing. If you have any specific questions feel free to pm me. Mine was a 4dr 6spd w/ the convenience and sunroof package just for reference.

MegaTRon

Ah thanks for mentioning this. I will look into the Jetta TDI sportswagon.

MPG: 30 mpg hwy
Reliability: 8
Handling/Sportiness: 5-8
Price: 20-30k Used or New

MegaTRon

I like what the Focus/Fiesta has to offer but I just can't get myself to buy a Ford. It also looks the ugliest out of the 3 you've mentioned.

Sebring AP1

Go and drive one. Sit in one, and experience one. You're only missing out thinking that way about a brand. They are both great cars. (I used to think exactly like you until I decided not to be judgmental )

spessx

I have a 2010 Mk6 GTI. My car has APR software, Intake and an SBC Clutch disc. I've got almost 50k miles and the car has been great. It's smoother, quieter and more efficient than my wife's BMW 530. I average about 27-28 mpg in mixed driving - and this is running 270hp/305tq! The power is very accessible in daily street driving. The turbo is spooled at 1500 rpm and producing max torque at 2000 rpm. With that said, the power pretty much dies out after 5500 (right where my S2k starts!).

It's a really fun, liveable car. VW really blurred the lines with Audi on this car and I've been very happy with it.

As far as reliability goes, I've only had a few issues and they were attributable to my Tune. I replaced the stock clutch disc because it couldn't handle the 50% increase in torque without slipping. Also, I had a coilpack fail at 30k miles. I went ahead and replaced all of the coil packs with Audi R8 packs (only $120!!) to make sure none of the others would fail.

The 2015 looks to be a great car - especially the performance pack with the electronic diff. However, I'm always leery of purchasing first year production cars - Especially European cars.

billios996

I suggest aiming for an used econo cruiser in the 10-15k range and keeping the s2k. You will regret selling it.