New to the forums.

[Stewy]

Hey NewVeeDub.

I recently just turned 16 years old and I've been looking into Volkswagen models as a first car since I was roughly 15.

So this is simply an introduction of myself and a few questions about how you guys enjoy driving a VW.

My brother owns a 1999 GTI and he seems to love it and I don't believe he has had a single problem with it which is obviously a good sign -- he's also into car performance.

I was just wondering, do you reccomend a VW as a first car. I plan on buying in the spring if I do choose to. Buying an import was another possibility but egh.

Budget is unknown of as now, roughly around $7,000 I believe.

I was looking into mostly the 4th gen. Jetta's, opinions? I'd love to have a car that is fairly fast stock and can be modded easy, easily maintained, etc.

Also, I came across this site. http://www.myvwlemon.com Have any of you had any similar problems as to any of these people are saying.

I look forward to talking to all of you enthusiasts.

Cheers, Keel.

[stefan]

Re: New to the forums.

welcome,

given budget, i'd not bother with mk4's. Although I did see an 01' jetta tdi with 800,000km for 8000$....
Stick with something cheaper, you will probably have more fun with it and have more cash to personalize it. I've got an 01' Jetta TDI. Love it, but I think it would be a bit of a burden for a first car.

[Silverfire]

Re: New to the forums.

welcome

for 7k u could get yourself into a pretty sweet mkIII but you'd have a tough time finding a decent mkIV for that price range

as for the lemon site theres always going to be people unhappy with products in the world and im sure most are legit complaints but i have owned 5 VW's now and they have all been good to me

VW does have there problems its not a secret. VW's are a lifestyle and you wont know if its right for you without trying

[Cordialtea]

Re: New to the forums.

I would go with an older Vw over a newer one. If you are mechanically inclined VW's rock. If your like me need to take the car into the shop for tune ups and oil changes I would be careful what you buy.

Cordialtea

[nismodrifter]

Re: New to the forums.

Yeah for 7g its going to be damn near impossible to get an mk4, probably search for a decent mk3.

Edit: stewy + 99 GTI..hmm...are you Rory's brother?

[Aleks]

Re: New to the forums.

Welcome, and Wow, a 99 GTI with no problems!! it must be the mk3 style one?? Thats great to hear though....and yeah, mk3 is where you'd be looking, or a really sweet mk2 GTI/Jetta GLX!

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: New to the forums.

Welcome Stewy!! I would go for a MK3 as well with your price range and mods and service can be cheaper then the newer cars and they still rock!!

Keep us posted and ask any questions you would like!

[Kor]

Re: New to the forums.

Welcome!

Well as said, $7k is probably not enough cash to afford a Mk4 Jetta or Golf in decent shape. Even a really cheap Mk4 could be double that price. You might want to look at New Beetles since they are a bit cheaper than the Golf/Jetta on the used market. Alternatively, you could get a Mk3 or a Mk2 - if it was me and my first car I would look for a nice Mk2 16v or Mk3 VR6 GTI.

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: New to the forums.

I think insurance on a 16 year old driving a VR6 could be pretty high, something to think about too.

[James]

Re: New to the forums.

Spend 1500 on your first car. You'll break it in under a year if youre like every other 16 year old driver (myself inculded when i was 16 heh)

[R_Ethug]

Re: New to the forums.

indeed.. i rocked an 86 buick regal until i was 21 and bought my jetta

[Kor]

Re: New to the forums.

indeed.. i rocked an 86 buick regal until i was 21 and bought my jetta

I had a $4000 maxima, I crashed it several times... mostly through fields, shrubs, neighbours yards, city parks...

But I do not think a Mk2/Mk3 is out of the question for a first car! I think that if you are interested in performance and car mods then you should also get something you can learn on cheaply.

[Tuna]

Re: New to the forums.

Spend 1500 on your first car. You'll break it in under a year if youre like every other 16 year old driver (myself inculded when i was 16 heh)

Haha, I had a Mustang, lucky to be alive (i've smartend up a lot since then though)

First of all welcome! Feel free to come out to a meet and learn a bit more about VW's if you like.

Well most of it has already been said, so I will just add....if you DO decide on a volkswagen, make sure you take your time, 7000 is a tough price range because you will have everything from an older couple selling their "old car" and not really knowing the value of it to someone thinking their beat up, bagged car should get top dollar because it's "rare". For a first car you might want to think about a very common VW (a Mk3 with a 2.0 engine and not too many options for example), that way it's more economical, and service and parts are cheap.

As for VW's "Problems", it's no secret that VW's can be quirky but the trade off is there are many knowledgable people and clubs that are willing to help, share what they've learned and help the new folks.

Lastly, Japanese cars can make good starter cars too, they tend to be very reliable, parts are cheap, and and due to the volume (Civics for example) there are a lot of mechanics that know how to work on them (not recommending them, just saying).

[stefan]

Re: New to the forums.

yeah, true. first car was a toyota, second a mazda pickup. sold the yota with 480000km on it, and it stayed on the road for a few years after. Good first cars.. but i definately favour the vw.

[Mr. Burns]

Re: New to the forums.

I would start off with a MKII. You can get a decent one for $3000, and put the rest of the $$ into rims/suspension/etc.