[elmadi]

My cousin who both tested the MCS and the VW GTi 1.8T. He both like it. He told me performance and pricewise is close but the "practical" side---it seems the GTi got the edge like bigger rear space,full spare etc.

Though I have not experience the GTi, I tried to persuade him to get the MCS.

Any addtional suggestion out there???

Thanks.
(USA only)

[addman]

Residual value?

[LuckyRVA]

Yeah, the GTi handles like a brick. Wallows in corners and what not, I think mainly due to the solid rear axle.

Also VW's build quality has been pretty shady here in the US as of late. Broken MAF sensors and window switches are pretty common. The coil packs also like to go bad.

I too was considering getting a GTi before I placed my order for my MCS, but my girlfriends Golf has had a bunch of electrical faults since she bought it 1 year ago.

I haven't had any problems that bad with my MCS(knocks on wood).

Also, when the seats are folded down there's not that much difference in space compaired to the GTi. I fit a 32" and a 27" tv in my car at the same time when I moved about 8 months ago.

Hope this helps!


Jason

[dinger]

If your cousin needs a lot of loading space then it has to be the VW GTI 1.8T,but is he aware there's a new model golf due to be launched by the end of the year.

[dinger]

The NEW Audi A3 1.8T would be a better bet.

[LuckyRVA]

Quote:

Originally posted by dinger
The NEW Audi A3 1.8T would be a better bet.

We don't get that here unfortunetly.



Jason

[BennyB]

Well i'd choose the MCS for looks performance and the handling But on the pratical side it's not a golf. your a bit squashed getting 4 blokes in the car including the driver. Me and 3women there's plenty of room but if only that happend more often. But if you use it as i 2 seater i've actual found it very spacey as the front seats in the minis seem to go back really far and give you loads of leg room! The boot size is tiny with the back seats up but you can get a quite a bit in with them down. The main thing is that the golf is a 5 seater and minis are 4. Well good luck convincing him on the MCS, shouldn't need to much as they drive like dream to drive and look much more stylish then a golf.

[dinger]

Quote:

Originally posted by LuckyRVA
We don't get that here unfortunetly.



Jason

[SugarBelly]

Quote:

The NEW Audi A3 1.8T would be a better bet.
-dinger

A great suggestion!

Quote:

We don't get that here unfortunetly. -LuckyRVA

=> We don't?! That's to bad, - it could really save Audi/VW's tush right about now!

More to the point, - elmadi...

1. You don't have to limit responses on this topic to "USA only" as europe & most regions have these two variant options & would offer you & your cuz superb info, especially regarding practicality, as the rest of the world knows how to make do with smaller vehicles, much better than most of americans.

2. How'd you get so many posts without learning MINIs are the best?!

3. I'm not going to research it, but what difference can there be between the 25.1 cubic feet of rear space offered by MINIs & that offered by the Golf? If space is a true concern here, he should be considering the Jetta Wagon. Better yet, for the same money, a few years older Passat Wagon would be better. Or a Subaru Outback, which I would expect to be pretty even keel on performance, mileage, handling, economy, upgradability, residual values, etc.

4. Be careful. There is nothing practical about buying the last model year. VW's big ad campaign for their special GTi, GLI builds or "Wolfsburg" versions is marketing aimed at nabbing those over-excited about the car's offerings.
The fact that their values will decrease significantly faster than all other similar model years (because a new model design is on the boat on its way over), gets lost on the faithful. Hence, their even bigger discounts for previous VW/Audi owners.

5. The fact that Audi/VW had to be taken to court and sued in order to "appreciate the fact" that their famous 1.8t engine Coil packs were causing problems, even evident safety risks, means the company(ies) have their priorities out-of-wack. Granted, they did end-up recalling over half a million cars, but do you still wanna be a part of that pool? Knowing if they had their druthers, they would've let it slip under the rug?! For-Get about it!! Neither VWs nor Audis have been applauded for this consumer treatment & their vehicles are not cheap.

6. Ok. That leaves you with the Full Spare issue.
===> Better to get the Golf.

-sb

[RedUn]

Go for the MCS and this is why:

The Mini was designed with the intentions of being a real good and fun car to drive i.e wheels pushed right out in the corners, wide stance, low centre of gravity, stiff chassis etc.....

The Golf designed as a Ford Focus alternative, good space, comfy ride, basically small 'family' car features, then VW stuck on some bigger wheels, racaro seat's, stiffer suspension and a turbo and called it a GTI???

I know it's not a simple as this but it's like the Mini has been designed the way it is whereas the Golf is just an ordinary one with some bolt ons.

If your cousin wants a car like the Focus get the Focus ST170 (CAN PULL 1G CORNERING!!) supposed to be best in the class??

The Mini is classless it also sounds better when somebody asks you what car you have,
- A new Mini
wot a Cooper
- no a Cooper S!!

[Andy@Ross-Tech.com]

I had a GTI 1.8T and now have a MCS. After dumping $1500 in mods into each of them, here is the outcome:



The MINI flat out pulls away from the GTI in a straight line. In corners, it is nowhere near close. The only parts about the GTI that I miss are the seats (MUCH more comfortable and supportive than the MCS seats) and the cargo space. The MINI has about 1/3 the hatch space with the seats in place. The GTI can swallow 4 wheels/tires in the hatch with the seat in place. In the MINI, I popped out the rear seat and put the tires in its place:

[ipartridge]

i expect the VW sites will tell you Golf GTI every time, can't your 'cousin' make his own mind up?

[Darus]

I have a 2000 VW GTI 1.8T and I am selling it to get myself an MCS, I can't wait!!!
My GTI had a lot of quality issues but I think a good amount of them have been fixed in the more recent models.
After test driving an MCS I think it is generally a more fun car to drive.

[noopd]

I used to drive a 1995 VW GTI VR6 and loved it. In terms of value, you can't beat the GTI. They pretty much have every convenient and comfort feature in the car as standard and they car drives well. I had no problem with it at all during my 7 years of ownership. Cargo space is awesome and you can move a lot of stuff with it. The 20th annerversary edition just came out, and the 177kW/241 hp R32 is due later this year. It will be one great car.
If you decided to get the GTI, make sure you get the manual one though cuz I dont' really trust VW's automatic transmission.

The A3 will be here in US next year.

Mini is also a great car as all of us here are very passionate about it. I havn't got mine yet (should be here in 2 more weeks).. so I can't say much about it. But from this site, the quality of build is an issue i think. the back seat space is another issue... but it will certainly be the car most fun to drive and handles the best.

I am a long time fan of the mini cooper, love the classic one. I sold my GTI to get a mini just because my GTI is getting a little old. It will be a tough choice to pick between these two cars if I have never drove a GTI before. I didn't want to get the same thing.

So, my recommandation is: get the GTI for the value and comfort. get the R32 if you want something powerful.. and get the Mini if you want something fun to drive, handles great, a classic design, and a bunch of people waving at you when u drive.

[Andy@Ross-Tech.com]

Quote:

Originally posted by ipartridge
i expect the VW sites will tell you Golf GTI every time, can't your 'cousin' make his own mind up?

Actually some VW sites are pro-MINI:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=614443

[sgrewal]

Well I own a 2002 MCS and a MKII Golf GTi 16v - in that beautiful oak green with BBS alloys - trust me the new Golfs are nowhere near as good as the classless, classic MKII (and of course MKI) - many friends who once owned the MKII 1986-1991 or so(?) and then got the MKIII and MKIV - all say the same they are awful! The new MKV should be better though! MCS every time over a MKIV 1.8T!

[Ginger]

MCS every time, besides the Golf is due to be replaced shortly.

G

[Rakey]

Well the Golf GTi 1.8T, was one of the other cars that I test drove before ordering my MCS.

What put me off was the fact that the Turbo just did not have the beautiful noise of the Supercharger in the S, and the flat spot in the lower revs before it kicked in. Also the lack of good customer service stopped me from returning to VW, it felt like I was been looked down on just cause I was wearing shorts and T-shirt, my causal dress shouldn't mean I get treated any different to the guy in the shirt in showroom!

Oh the final decider, well if I had brought a golf no-one would have turned their head as I drove it, not like in the MCS, and the golf is the car that my mother would have chose, oh yes she does drive a golf.

Go on, get the Cooper S!!!!! It will put a smile on your face everytime you get in!

[rusty]

For practicality it has to be the Golf, but for EVERYTHING else, it HAS to be the Mini