My car is (probably) totaled so that means new car shopping!

[Secret Chimp]

Okay, just got the call from insurance and its totaled.  They are offering me 10,630 for it.  I didn't except it just yet and instead will be combing over their report to see where I can get more.

Search for listings of similar cars on AutoTrader, sold listings on eBay, etc. They're lowballing you a bit as you'd expect but you can prove the car is worth more with little legwork
(or your insurance is magic and this is a great offer)

[Laconian]

Oh, dat turbo I3 in the new Mini... you're on to something, Hectorrrrrr.

[Xer0]

Search for listings of similar cars on AutoTrader, sold listings on eBay, etc. They're lowballing you a bit as you'd expect but you can prove the car is worth more with little legwork
(or your insurance is magic and this is a great offer)

Yeah.  I already did some quick research and 9 of the vehicles they used to peg the price aren't available anymore.  Thankfully they were the lowest priced ones so I was able to bring up the average to 11.6.  I'm going to look a bit deeper into ebay as well.

[2o6]

Oh, dat turbo I3 in the new Mini... you're on to something, Hectorrrrrr.

Too bad it looks like shit

[Raza]

Okay, just got the call from insurance and its totaled.  They are offering me 10,630 for it.  I didn't except it just yet and instead will be combing over their report to see where I can get more.

Add $5,000 to that and you can get a really good example of a last gen Civic Si sedan or a used MkVI GTI. 

[Xer0]

Add $5,000 to that and you can get a really good example of a last gen Civic Si sedan or a used MkVI GTI.

Both VW and Honda are currently offering 0.9% financing on new cars so i think I'll be going that route with a new car.  I'm going to be going in for test drives on the 2013 Si and 2014 GTI Saturday.  I'm thinking of squeezing in a BRZ visit too but we'll see.

Also, I think a lot of the Civic Si's bad press comes from the 2012 car.  As with every 2012 Civic, it was a pretty half assed job that looked like, well, ass.  The 2013 seems to have done a lot of good to the car and addressed a lot of the problem areas. 

I mean:



vs

[Raza]

Make sure you read MX's post on the new Civic Si's gearing. 

[2o6]

It got a nicer interior and revised styling, but not much else, IIRC.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

You know, CPO Golf R's are right around 25K. Atleast I've been able to find a few.

A good credit union should get you a rate of around 3.0 percent, atleast in my neck of the woods.

That's the way I'd go.

[Soup DeVille]

Well, there's a dealer in Atlanta who will soon be selling a remarkably clean looking 1980 example......

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/03/hammer-time-rediscovering-my-inner-jersey/

I found one of those for him on the craigslist thread a week or so ago.

[CALL_911]

Both VW and Honda are currently offering 0.9% financing on new cars so i think I'll be going that route with a new car.  I'm going to be going in for test drives on the 2013 Si and 2014 GTI Saturday.  I'm thinking of squeezing in a BRZ visit too but we'll see.

2014 GTI is the MkVI, right?

[Rich]

Test drive everything.

[68_427]

2014 GTI is the MkVI, right?

Thought it was MKVII

[MrH]

MkVII isn't even out in the US yet.  It'll be a 2015 model year.

[Laconian]

When will the Mk7 MY hit?

[Xer0]

MK7 should be coming out soon, but the 2014 is the MK6 still.  Because of this, I'm going to try and haggle and good price for the GTI since its pretty much the last MY of that body.

[MrH]

I take it there's no way you can wait until the fall, correct?  I think the MkVII won't be out until end of the 2nd quarter or early 3rd quarter.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

I take it there's no way you can wait until the fall, correct?  I think the MkVII won't be out until end of the 2nd quarter or early 3rd quarter.

Probably not if his car is totaled.

I, personally, wouldn't buy a new GTi knowing the next year will bring the next gen with several improvements and the same(I believe) base price.

[MX793]

[wimmer]You should totally get this MkVI



[/wimmer]

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Do not take automotive advice from this man.






Sorry, couldn't find a picture of wimmers face to transpose.

[Raza]

[wimmer]You should totally get this MkVI



[/wimmer]

[Xer0]

Yeah i can't really sit around and wait too much.  My commute is about 25 miles each way and without a car it would be a real hassle.  Plus brand new cars have no specials or deals on them which kind of sucks.  An additional 5k on a 10k loan is pretty huge.

[cawimmer430]

[wimmer]You should totally get this MkVI



[/wimmer]

In all seriousness, THAT is a majestically beautiful car. 

I dig those Lincolns from the '70s and early '80s. Stylistic masterpieces in my opinion. 

[Xer0]

I recalculated Progressive's evaluation and got 11,483.00.  The agent just contacted me and offered 11,193.  Big increase from their original 10,630 so I took it.  Going to pick it up today.

Pretty excited to go test driving tomorrow.  Will post impressions.

[Xer0]

So I made a purchase yesterday and surprise, its an SI.

Apparently, there were only 4 SI's left in the whole state and all of them were black.  Dealers didn't have any manual GTI's in stock either (probably getting ready for the 15's).  Car shopping when you want a specific combination really sucks.  There were billions of Golf's and Accords, and Civics everywhere, but finding a red SI or a manual GTI was like finding a needle in a hay stack.  Anyway, general impressions of the cars.

GTI

I drove a DSG example.  I really liked the interior style and it certainly felt like a more mature place then the SI.  The quality felt better but not greatly so.  A little tighter here, a bit better feeling there, but by margins at best.  It did feel smaller then the Civic though and I didn't get the sense that interior room as was great.  The seats were awesome and I really really love that plaid pattern on them and wish I could get them on the Civic.

Maybe it was just the example I drove, but it didn't feel that powerful.  It moved really well, but I had this expectation that it would just blow the SI out of the water and it really didn't.  I'd say its about a wash with a slight nod to the GTI in terms of power.  The engine was nice and smooth so no complaints there. 

The GTI has very heavy steering in comparison to the SI.  I think the SI is a bit too light, but the GTI a tad too heavy.  I wish there was a setting like right in the middle.  The car was very well composed and felt solid on the road.  I think it's lower then the Civic?  I know its heavier by a good amount so that could contribute to it.  In turns the GTI felt slightly more planted then the SI but again, margins at best. 

Overall I really liked the car a lot and if it had been close to the SI in price, and had a manual, I would have walked out with it.  But I guess my Honda fanboy-ness continues.

SI

I wanted a white or red SI but the whole state only had 4 cars and all of them were black.  Black is my third choice and I could live with it; at least it isn't that ugly silver color.  The interior feels a little bit more immature then the GTI with the angry red color of the dash and VTEC power readout (tacky imo).  But its a very high quality place for the price and I liked it a lot.  Again, not as high quality as the GTI but it wasn't that far off.  Say what you will about Honda's 2 tiered dash, but I think I prefer it to conventional systems.  With the GTI I caught myself looking down a few times to make sure I wasn't speeding.  With the SI all of the information was right where I needed it. 

Interior room also felt bigger in the SI.  According to the salesman, the 2013's are about the same size as my 08, but they took out some room out of the trunk to add to the rear.  The trunk looked pretty big all things considered and I appreciate a bit of practicality in my cars.  That's why the GTI and SI were pretty much the short list.

The steering is probably this cars greatest let down; its just too light.  This was the one area where the GTI was noticeably superior.  Thankfully, it makes it up in the transmission.  DSG was great for an auto, and leagues better then that crappy thing in my Focus rental, but the manual won out.  Its very precise and not tiring to shift at all. 

I haven't driven the 2.0 SI's, but the 2.4 is a pretty powerful engine and has no problem moving.  It feels relaxed but it can really get going when you want it to and sounds great in the process. 

Overall, I'd say the cars are close with the GTI having a slight edge due to the steering and how awesome the seats look.  But at the end of the day, I was able to get a killer deal on the SI and the GTI wasn't available how I wanted it.  I got the SI for 19,400, including destination, Vs 23,000 for the GTI.

I'll have pictures up a little bit later.

[CALL_911]

Great, congrats.

[veeman]

Congratulations!

I like red on hot hatches but it's too attention grabbing regarding LE. 

[MexicoCityM3]

Congrats.

[SJ_GTI]

Congrats, seems like an amazing price for that much car.

[Xer0]

Crappy cell phone pics.  Weather has been terrible lately