Hey all, I'm looking at an '04 WRX Sedan, new car (9 miles), only option on it is the spoiler (which will be taken off ...). They have it listed at $22,500. Is that about the norm right now before 05's hit, or could I get them lower?

I'm trying to decide between a new 1.8T Jetta GLI or the WRX. Wanted a WRX for a while but the new GLI is so nice ... then again the WRX is cheaper and, in my mind, has more potential.

Let me know your thoughts about the price. No "VWs suck, get the WRX you moron" posts. :D

vws suck, get the wrx, you moron.











what?

<sigh>

:rolleyes:

Having just come from the VW world.
I LOVED my VW. I bought it new back in 97. For the first 5 or so years that I had it (basically 'till it hit 100000 miles) it was rock solid. It was nimble, it felt much more nimble then my current OBS. It got 27-30 MPG. It was NOT a fast car (Mine was a 2.0 ABA) but the engine was bullet proof, and very easy to do work on. A lot of guys were bolting on turbos and blowing 20PSI into the motor.

After 5 years, things started breaking. The MKIII VW's did not have coil packs (newer ones do, and they are prone to failure). I did have a broken distributor, and it grounded out int he rain. The only time my car ever stranded me was due to this issue. I had the ignition fail on me about 6 years in. Little electrical gremlins would pop up every now and again, and the go away on thier own.

I decided to sell the car as the tranny was failing, and I wanted to get some value out of it before it did.

The Newer VWs havbe a lot more electronic stuff in them, and it has not proven durable. Window regulators fail, dropping windows into the door. Coil packs are a known major weakness. The MkIV chassie is heavier then the MKIII.

When I was considering cars to replace my VW with, another VW was really high up on the list. That car had gotten me through moves, camping adventures, off trail back woods driving (how it did not get stuck is beyond me). I would have gone the TDi route if I did the VW scene again though. No coil packs, better gas mileage, and with the addition of a chip, the TDi was putting down the same WHP as the 1.8t (and still getting 45mpg). And it could run biodeisel.

I did go with the Suby though. I wanted somehting new, and a little bigger, and with all wheel drive.

Zach

I've seen totally stock '04 sedans listed in the paper for about $21K. I'd shoot for that.

;)

yeah, looks like their giving you like 500 under invoice, not bad, but you should be able to talk them down a little more, 21,000 might be low balling them, but its worth a shot, 22,000 would be very reasonable imo

Just on the VW vs Subaru

I would go with subaru for their reliability and fun factor. I have had 2 Imprezas over the last 2 years with 60k+ miles combined and have only had minor problems (1 blown strut, 1 O2 sensor and 1 wheel bearing; all warrantied).

On the other hand, my mom's 03 C320 4matic with 14k miles had to undergo a tranmission replacement and my wife's 03 325xi had to undergo 2 transmission fix (1 for valve body+ECU and 1 for a new transmission)....

I can imagine VW will only be worse

wait till the 05 come out, try them out and check if the tranny feels any better, or if the new features are worth the extra 3-4k. Or if you cant wait, go for it :D

You'll get a much better price from the start if you inquire online then negotiate down. Do send inquiries to various dealers. Some are willing to go a lot further to get your business. That looks like a good deal though. I think you could save a couple hundred. At this time of year I would think you could get it for under 22,000.

Read this thread if interested
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=519384

don't get the VW. i am speaking from experience here. i have owned both cars. you will not regret getting a WRX.

I have purchased new a 1997 Jetta GLX,2000 Passat GLS V6,and a 2002 WRX. It all depends on what you want in the car. I traded my Passat on the 2002 WRX,wife was not happy. The passat was an awesome family/highway car. It was just not as much fun as the WRX. Now all I have is a minivan until I get back to the states, then I have to choose STi or Legacy GT. Go drive both, I like both Subaru and VW. VW just doesn't have anything in their lineup that fits my needs at this time.

P.S.- I am pretty sure the Jetta GLI comes with the 2.8L 24V 200hp VR6.

i had a vr6 for all of 6 months.. i hated it!
it was big and sluggish
didnt handle well at all.. i presume it was too damn heavy to handle well
it was underpowered (mine was the 180hp version but still, 200 hp out of 2.8 liters is kinda low)

now thats just what i didnt like about it..after buying it and putting 3500 miles on it i encountered these problems:
fuel injectors clogged, needed to be changed
HEAD GASKET NEEDED TO BE REPLACED (after 50k miles!!!)
strut tower needed to be replaced, everytime i turned id hear a clicking on the passenger side
the cd changer in the trunk crapped out
my climate control.. wasnt too controlling

between this and my moms 99 passat v6 tiptronic:
fuel injector problem
CRUISE CONTROL WOULD TURN ON AT SOME TIME AND NOT GO OFF.. SO YOUD HAVE TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND RESTART WHEN IT HAPPENED
front display in between spedo and tach got too dim to see, broke




i absolutely hate vws, even their service manager told us he did not like these cars and would suggest a japanese car (in his office in private), as the new volkswagens crap out between 50k and 70k miles.. thats not a good thing hearing from a service manager. It seems as though they over engineered themselves with all their gadgets and gismos to compete with the japanese and lost the durability they had in the early-mid 90s and the 80's

Thanks for the replies. Like I said before, I really didn't want this to be a "Don't buy the VW" thread. People here will back the WRX, and people on vwvortex will back the VW. Non-biased comparisons can't really happen on dedicated forums :)

The new, 2004.5 GLI is a great package and it comes with the 1.8L turbo motor, 6spd tranny, not the 24V 2.8VR6 anymore. It's got the 20th ann. suspension, interior (seats, trim) and 337 wheels (18" BBS RC) along with the aero package. The decision to buy either car will ultimately be mine and I'll have to weigh out the pros and cons of each car, since they both have qualities the other doesn't, and I really enjoy both. If I could have the WRX engine/AWD in the GLI then I'd be set :D

Anyway, thanks for the pricing inputs. I'll try to shoot lower for the WRX once they actually have 05s on their lot seeing as the white one I was after has been sold.

Originally posted by Behic


The new, 2004.5 GLI is a great package and it comes with the 1.8L turbo motor, 6spd tranny, not the 24V 2.8VR6 anymore.
Thanks for the info, I see VW updated their website. I am a VR6 fan, but the 1.8T is a nice engine. I found some pics of the new 2004.5 GLI on vwvortex, looks nice! Go drive both and see which one you like better. You might be able to make deal on the GLI as the MKIV is ending its lifecycle in the states. Mark V Golfs have been out here for a while, the Bora is coming soon. I just hope they don't screw it up like they did the MKV Golf.

i got a 2004 wrx for $21,500 plus tax. options were spoiler, security, armrest extension (which i removed cuz my hands are too long and they hit the thing, i'm 6'1" and i don't like raising the seat.)

WEll, my buddy has one of them VW bug things. IT breaks like there is no tomorrow. Plus he loves my car. That could be you. Just get a wrx. More reliable, more power, more handling, plus subaru is kinda like a cult thing. Not everyone knows about it, or is part of it.;)