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Which car should I purchase?

Which car to get?

  • Volvo C30 R-Design

    Votes: 11 14.1%

  • Volkswagen GTI

    Votes: 32 41.0%

  • Subaru WRX

    Votes: 18 23.1%

  • Mazda Speed3

    Votes: 6 7.7%

  • Other (please specify)

    Votes: 11 14.1%
  • Total voters
    78
B

bamaworks

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 9, 2007
391
1
Lexington, KY
So I'm unbelievably angry with my Jeep Commander as I just went off warranty (38months of ownership, 39000 total miles) and found out today that my transfer case is going out ($1000 rebuild or $2200 replacement), so I'm getting this repaired and I'm trading this beast in and want to switch it up. My wife has a VW Jetta and I love driving it, so have decided to go a similar route.

Right now I'm deciding among these cars:

Volvo C30 R-Design
Volkswagen GTI
Subaru WRX
Mazda Speed3

Curious if anyone has advice or insight on these cars, particularly the Volvo because they currently offer the 5 Year full Warranty and 5 years free scheduled maintenance. Or if you have a suggestion of a vehicle I'm not considering, feel free to post. I want a smaller car that gets good mileage, but is also fun to drive.
 
All of your choices are much better quality machines than the Jeep brand. However, they are also more expensive to repair. Not sure about VW, though, they could be more reasonable.

That said, if you're buying new, you'll probably get a very good warranty (as you state on the Volvo).
 
GTI, or just a regular Golf Diesel would be my advice. Plus, they are cheaper to repair than the others and they have great resale value.
 
paddy said:
GTI, or just a regular Golf Diesel would be my advice. Plus, they are cheaper to repair than the others and they have great resale value.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've been researching the GTI this morning, very nice cars and performance for the dollar, and was totally amazed by the resale value. I'd say the GTI is my leader with the C30 in second at the moment.
 
Other.

This:
1800735128_d1c60c81cf.jpg


Period.
 
However, the best car is probably the VW, although the most reliable and best overall is probably the Mazda3. I think the Subaru WRX is ugly. Sorry, but it appears that Subaru just looked at the Mazda3 sport and said, "Yup, we like how it looks. Make it the same, but slightly different."

The Volvo C30 is probably going to be a collector's item simply due to its design being well ahead of its time. Seriously. It was also redesigned (mainly the front and suspension) for this year, and the changes make it something I'd probably love to own. However, it's expensive, not the best car, and not the most practical (only has 4 seats!).
 
doesnt the transfer case fall under the power train warranty? Those are generally 5 years 60,000 miles.
 
bamaworks said:
Dealer said I didn't have a powertrain warranty.
Click to expand...

And you dealer is full of ****. That warranty is provided by Jeep. If they refuse to honor contact corporate and they tend to come done pretty hard on dealers for not honoring the warranty.

All cars sold get the 36k 3 year bumper to bumper and a 5 year 60k power train.

On top of all that you have another warranty on your emission that is something like 80 or 100k and 8 year that is required by law (the others are not required by law)

edit: I did some checking. Jeep has a life time power train warranty so it is covered. Go google some stuff on it print it out and shove it back done on them.
 
How strange, on the phone Jeep said I didn't have any sort of warranty on the part...\

EDIT: By my research this year, make, and model only has 3 years 36000 on the Drivetrain, same as my regular warranty.
 
How about the Volvo, though I am sure Ford sold Volvo now?

Or 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee:

2011-Jeep-Grand-Cherokee.jpg


2011-jeep-grand-cherokee-dash-image.jpg
 
I use to have a GTI VR6 about 10 years ago (loved that car). I got to drive one of my friends Subaru WRX STi's. It was leaps and bounds more fun to drive than the Volkswagen. If you do happen to get a manual transmission car you should look at getting a short throw shift kit. It makes the gear throws microscopic and much more fun to drive. There is no substitute for a car with a clutch.
 
My vote goes to the GTI or the WRX. Both are excellent cars, although the Subaru may seem a little bit 'quirky' for some. The styling both exterior and interior are kinda out there. I personally have grown to love Subarus living in a northern climate, but the AWD earns its keep even on dry roads. I have no complaints about mine and everyone I know swears by theirs.

I think you'll love either car, it sounds like you're just about sold on the GTI, but if you haven't looked already Id recommend a trip by the subaru dealer.

Good luck!
 
I got a '09 GTI about a year ago. I have never had so much fun with a car. Best combination of affordability, fit & finish and performance I can imagine. 6 speed. Fun as hell.

WRX is faster and lacks torque steer but I believe it's lots more expensive.
Speed3 is faster but not as classy IMHO. I don't know the Volvo.

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Subaru. period.

the only new car i've ever owned, and the most reliable car i've ever owned. purchased new in 2001, and have done normal maintenance required of any car.

only problem in 10+ years was a stuck thermostat that caused the radiator to boil out. 20 minutes later, filled it back up with water and drove to a dealer. 120k, several trips across the US, and loving every minute of it. best of luck.
 
I'd call the number in the warranty book, and look at the TSBs for that vehicle.

When the intake coolant crossover blew on the Crown Vic, the dealer looked the car up and said it would be $1000 because the vehicle was out of warranty.

I called Ford and found that the warranty was still good, pissed the dealer off and they said that OK Ford will now pay ... but the car is falling apart and needs $1800 in additional repairs. :rolleyes:

---

The vehicle may be covered by a secret warranty or still in warranty depending on what deals were running when you bought it. Calling the warranty hotline is always worth a shot, especially if there is a TSB on the broken part.
 
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