r32 vs. 1-series

[amdmaxx]

I'd pick EVO/STI and possibly MS3 before R32..
R32 is overweight, underpowered Golf..
I like VWs and own one, but R32 is behind.. Even VWVortex reviews say the same and this is from die-hard VW fans..

Originally Posted by ru with me drhoo

Did anyone cross-shop, and drive, both the VW R32 and the 1?

Would consider both, but have driven neither at this point. R32 attractions are lower price, AWD, DSG (if my wife wants to drive), and hatch utility. 1-series attractions are power (if 135i), convertible option, familiarity with BMW for me, bluetooth (I use it plenty), manual trans, equivalent cost (if 128i coupe).

Any thoughts?

[135i_TT]

Well then.. I wasn't aware of the warranty lowering, if edmunds is 100 percent accurate i wonder for what reason VW lowered their warranty but they do have the Carefree Maintenance Program it seems and like some guy said on the url you gave me: "BMW offers 4 years of free maintenance, but of course it's a more expensive car—so you are paying for it one way or the other."
as for reliability im unable to subscribe at the moment but ive been reading a lot of reports and ratings and the only issue i mainly see is people have some electrical issues and the annoying rattle noise from the engine.. but in the reports BMW has the similar electrical issues as well... and if you go to kelly blue book or see them on here:
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/de...on&OCID=iSEMPI

reliability is 4-5 star ratings... as for tdiclub.com I was part of that forum as well as VWvortex bc my VW was an 06 TDI... as for the dealers not being helpful, you can't take other peoples words all the time, I never had any issues with Ancira VW here in San Antonio, as a matter of fact I even had the chance to sit down with the head manager of the service dept and he helped me out A LOT! It's everyones opinion on what they take as good service and bad service we all have different expectations.. But yea, overall VW is great and TDI's are the best bang for your buck.. I had one and it was the best investment I made.. No complaints whatsoever on the TDI! =)

[WhiteOne]

The motor sits in front of the front wheels. That is a problem any way that you look at it.
The 911 engine sits entirely behind the rear wheels creating its own set of problems.
I have owned both.
I now am enjoying a front engine rear wheel drive twin turbo I6.

[Car Whore]

how about both? well sort of... as much of a vw fanboy as I may ...my fun car has been an EVO (had 3 over the past 3 years). Now I'm replacing my EVO with a 135i & still have my 4door 07 GTI DSG that is great. Utility and great gas mileage, did I mention the torque & nice turbo make for a fun little car? My wife can drive it when she wants, and it handles both mountain bikes as well as handling a big cooler for our beach trips.

I also find it hard to compare these two... AWD hatchback vs. RWD coupe, 3.2 V6 vs. 3.0TT. Definitely VW leaves themselves open to build quality issues, but to be honest they are just slightly above average of most similar ones sold in their class.

Just an opinion...

[imported_McLovin]

Originally Posted by Balls

As opposed to doing what...overrevving the motor? If you don't want it to shift, exercise some right foot throttle control.

Bottomeline, a R32 with haldex performance controller ($1K), and Porsche Cayenne brake kit ($2K) is a tight twisty back road 135i eater! In the wet, the 135i will be off in the distance (way behind out of sight). R32 is 1,000 times more fun than a 135i. Quit being so seduced by the boring twin turbo and ignoring all the 135i's short comings!

If you're gonna throw 3k at the R32 in aftermarket parts then call it a 135 eater might as well throw 3k at the Bimmer and see what happens between the 2 cars then...

[mtla4]

Originally Posted by McLovin

If you're gonna throw 3k at the R32 in aftermarket parts then call it a 135 eater might as well throw 3k at the Bimmer and see what happens between the 2 cars then...

The r32 being cheaper ..some people are on budget and wont throw 3K on a 135I for upgrades

[amdmaxx]

There is nothing in R32 that 3k will make comparable with 135..
There is not a turbo engine..And supercharger for VR6 is VERY expensive with minimal gains..

[QJS]

The R32 is last gens performance, now adays nothing impresses over 5 flat sec to 62mph.

If your thinking performance wise vs the 135, thers no chance for the R32, no way!

The Beetle 1.8T stock engine, front wheel drive with exhausts will easily pass after 3rd gear with no problems, cuz the Quatro system on the R32 is too heavy thus making it tough for her to pick herself.

BUT...if you are planning to mod the R32, the only place that perfects it is HPA Motorsports, they are expensive, but they are very reliable at 550+hp V6TT, with 3.2sec to 62mph with a top speed of 310km/h!

'Q

And also if your looking for something new and the best out of the box from the dealer is the 135, there is nothing out there in its size/chasis to compare/rival with.

[bmwzone]

The only place the R would suit me is as a winter vehicle. It's a second slower to my 1 in stock form, is an automatic, with VW notorious quality/poor service. Having owned VDUB(s) in the past the service and build quality is not even comparable to BMW. That alone ruins it. Add to the fact the 135 Coupe is just bad-to-the-bone on it's own merits and really has no peer in it's price point when you keep the options reasonable (i.e., sport package and bluetooth).

[jkp1187]

Originally Posted by 135i_TT

as for reliability im unable to subscribe at the moment but ive been reading a lot of reports and ratings and the only issue i mainly see is people have some electrical issues and the annoying rattle noise from the engine.. but in the reports BMW has the similar electrical issues as well... and if you go to kelly blue book or see them on here:
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/de...on&OCID=iSEMPI

Here are VW's entries on Consumer Reports' "used cars to avoid" list:

Volkswagen Cabrio '98, '01-02; EuroVan '02; Golf (4-cyl.) '98, '01; GTI '02, '07; Jetta Sedan '98-07; New Beetle '98-01, '03-07; Passat (4-cyl., AWD) '04; Passat (4-cyl., FWD) '98-99, '01-03, '06-07; Passat (V6, AWD) '07; Passat (V6, FWD) '99-03, '06; Touareg '04-06

(Note especially the date range on the Jetta Sedan!)

Consumer Reports also publishes a "reliable used cars" list. No Volkswagen made it on that list. Dodge, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Kia, Ford, Volvo, and Saab (to name just a few) all managed to have at least one or two models on that list.

Again, not saying that the VW is a dog, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who have good experiences with them. Just saying that if you're a betting person, you're (statistically) more likely to find problems with a VW car than with many other models.

[135i_TT]

WHAT IS A "BETTING PERSON"?????????????

As for Chevrolet, they have similar electrical problems as BMW and VW and they also have tranny problems but I love GM Motors, Ive never bought any other American car besides GM Motors but I can say id buy a Ford 100x's faster then Dodge... I sell Kia's theyre good cars and the warranty is a winner.. But I can say Chevrolets do last a very long time my SE Silverado was an 89 and we had that truck from new till 2006 when it overheated.. I think it's all about how you take care of your car when it comes to reliability though... which is why I never had problems with any of my vehicles ive owned just natural wear and tear..

[jpick]

I have a 135 6 speed and a 2006 GTI 6 speed. I kept the GTI b/c it has been reliable - no probs in 60k, much better than my MKIV GTI (shudder). Also, the GTI gets 33+ mph highway. And it is a very nice car!

But every day I have to decide which car to drive. I choose the BMW 8 out of 10. It's faster, better handling, and just tighter. It's also 20 grand more almost, so you'd expect that.

That said, the MKV GTI is a solid car for the money. I can't comment on the R32, but I would venture to guess it would be similar to the GTI, but possibly heavier and a bit more cumbersome?

[kcobra]

1 all the way!

[jkp1187]

Originally Posted by 135i_TT

WHAT IS A "BETTING PERSON"?????????????

Someone willing to gamble/bet on a subject.

As for Chevrolet, they have similar electrical problems as BMW and VW and they also have tranny problems but I love GM Motors, Ive never bought any other American car besides GM Motors but I can say id buy a Ford 100x's faster then Dodge... I sell Kia's theyre good cars and the warranty is a winner.. But I can say Chevrolets do last a very long time my SE Silverado was an 89 and we had that truck from new till 2006 when it overheated.. I think it's all about how you take care of your car when it comes to reliability though... which is why I never had problems with any of my vehicles ive owned just natural wear and tear..

All that may be true, but again, all of the above-listed manufacturers managed to get at least one of their vehicles on the "reliable used cars" list, which I understand is driven by objective research data on the part of Consumer Reports. Volkswagen failed to have any on that list. That speaks volumes about VW's reliability -- at least, in comparison with other manufacturers -- in my judgment.

[Spook]

In the article scanned under:
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...nsumer+Reports

It shows the VW GTI as 'fair' which makes it the worst of the lot. It's not recommended while the 1 series with some extrapolation from the 3 series makes the top of their list.

[fourmicah]

Originally Posted by Spook

Pay careful attention to the reliability reports on VW. They are having some major issues that could impact living with the car and resale. I disqualified VW on this basis.

Please don't buy a VW. I bought a new one and it was in the shop 9 times in the first 8 months for warranty issues. I also had 5 friends with either VW or Audi A4's that ran into similar warranty issues and the dealers treated us all very poorly.

[135i_TT]

Everyone has their own opinion and im ok with that.. I love VW and would buy another TDI if I had the extra cash, i havent seen a car go better on mpg and have no issues like my Jetta.. Like I said, it's how you take care of your car... and fourmicah... what kind of Warranty issues are you talking about and what year? All the friends that I know with VDub including myself have never had any problems with warranty or customer service at the dealers.. maybe its just Salt Lake City UT... idk bc here at Ancira VW I couldnt have been happier...

and just for the record I love Both VW and BMW otherwise I wouldnt have bout my TDI or 135i...

[I-One-Da?]

Originally Posted by mtla4

The r32 being cheaper ..some people are on budget and wont throw 3K on a 135I for upgrades

Most people on a budget can only afford a certain amount for a car payment and do not have the means to come up with $3k out of their pocket after the fact to add aftermarket parts.

On a 60 month loan with 6% interest your payments would be:

1. R32 at $33,000 = $618 per month
2. 135i at $36,000 = $695 per month

Folks on a budget can more easily swing an extra $67 per month easier then they could $3k for mods. At $67 per month it would take 44 months to save up $3k:iono:

I am also not convinced that $3k in mods will make an R32 a "135i eater" The GT380 Turbo System only brings the R to 380hp/372ft-lb and that cost $9k. You still have to remember that the R weighs in about 200 pounds more then the 135i.

Like said above, the R compares to the 128i more then the 135i:iono:

[neteagle]

Originally Posted by Balls

As opposed to doing what...overrevving the motor? If you don't want it to shift, exercise some right foot throttle control.

Well, with all due respect, how much track time do you have?...your statement above shows me that you have NONE.

There are times when you want to maintain your gear and not upshift because you'll soon need to go back down a gear for a turn...under hard driving you'll want to bounce sometimes...also if you accidentally shift right at redline, you might actually have the gearbox shift once for you and you shift again and end up in a really tall gear...

The box should do what you ask it to do...not decide for you.

"Throttle control" at redline...you must be quite a stud to be able to do that while pulling G's at the track and look at your tach at the same time...but then again, maybe you have perfect pitch and can hear the difference between 6950 and 7000 RPM (and maintain your throttle position at speed). :bs:

[bigslick82]

R32's are still on lots and dealers are trying to move them like crazy. The demand for them has died off, so you could get one close to 30 even. Still, they are great cars.

VW build quality is the definition of "all or nothing." My brother got a jetta about two years ago and it has had no problems whatsoever. It drives the same as the day he got it. My buddy got a passat back in February and it has had so many electrical problems. It's in the shop every month it seems.

Someone around here said it best: Think of this as real estate. Would you rather be in the most expensive house in a bad neighborhood (R32) or the cheapest house in a good neighborhood (1 series)?

[I-One-Da?]

Originally Posted by bigslick82

Someone around here said it best: Think of this as real estate. Would you rather be in the most expensive house in a bad neighborhood (R32) or the cheapest house in a good neighborhood (1 series)?

Very well said. I like that saying:thumbup:

[amdmaxx]

Sti/EVO comes to mind and 370Z is on my radar.. It has potential..
135 is more of a GT coupe for me. Comfy, very fast and handling can be made nice..
If 370z comes in 200lb lighter than last gen like they are claiming, with 340hp, it will be a nice animal.

Originally Posted by QJS

And also if your looking for something new and the best out of the box from the dealer is the 135, there is nothing out there in its size/chasis to compare/rival with.