autobahn package?

I went with leather. 1. I hated the plaid seats and 2. Leather gives the car a much more upscale feel (which is what I wanted)

masterkaj said:

The more I read the more I think I got a great deal on my car.. I paid 24798 before taxes/registration... thats a 4door 08 White GTI DSG with autobahn and rear airbags.

I got a car with the autobahn package for around the same price as other dealers wanted for the base car.

I had to call around a lot to find it though, most people wanted around 26-29 for the same car. I bought mine here in SoCal at the end of August which is a good time to buy I guess.

In my opinion, you should get it but not overpay for it either. :biggrin:

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are you sure it's an 08? That's surprising you got it at the end of August of 07. Also, did you trade anything in?

Man, that's a smokin' deal you got!

:eyebulge:

Yeah its an 08, they just got them that month.

It had 8 miles on it also was sitting in their showroom.

I really called around for 2 months looking for the best deal, I got this for under "invoice" but the dealer still makes money for it.

They wanted me to trade in my old 97 BMW 328i but they only wanted to pay like 3k for it. I sold it privately for 5k.

I don't know man, my theory is if you want a good deal you can't rush things. I didn't even go to that dealer to get that car, I was going to buy an 07 United Grey with pkg 1 for 23300ish.... but then I saw the new 08 with leather/better sound sitting there.

Forgot to mention I drove 90 miles to this dealer to get it. Just call around and tell them I'm not coming in (work/far away), I just want to know the bottom line price. The dealers I had locally said they would not go that low.

I also got my '08 the last week of August last year. I have leather and LOVE it. My car before this one had cloth, and I'd get shocked by static electricity every time I got in and out of the car because of the cloth seats. Leather is easier to keep clean also. Just a damp cloth over any spills will do the job...unlike cloth. Since you're in Colorado, you can probably appreciate the heated seats too.

For me it was $3000 for a bunch of stuff I didn't need or wanted that just added weight to the car.

The Interlagos cloth seats are a trademark throwback que and part of the car's character.

Aside from exotics that use leather for luxury purpose, cloth is better for performance driving as you will see in any aftermarket sport or racing seat.

The GTI's cloth in particular has a bit of ribbing that actually prevents you fro sliding forward on the brakes!

That being said, the leather seats have more agressive bolsters which are better for cornering. I'm a big guy though 6'1" and will never be under 210-220lbs. and I found the extra bolsters of the leather to be to intrusive for regular driving. I also wasn't a fan of the quality of the leather for the money, and not big on grey leather either.

Heated seats/washer nozzles? I live in Southern California. I'm half Finnish. I don't get cold here...ever. Try Helsinki in February.

Sunroof. My last two cars had sunroofs. I rarely, if ever used them. Most people don't - just look around you will usually find them closed most of the time. As a stand alone option it's like $1000. $1000 for a hole in the roof that will be closed most of the time, reduces rigidity and adds a good deal of weight at the highest point of the car.

Premium Audio. Just an amp upgrade to the factory system, and used to be available as a stand alone option. Oddly enough, even though my car is a "Package 0" or base model car with no options whatsoever, I do in fact of the amp underneat my passenger seat. I found that to odd, and while I certainly wouldn't have paid for it, I'm not complaining either!

So that's my reason why I didn't get the Autobahn package.

masterkaj said:

They wanted me to trade in my old 97 BMW 328i but they only wanted to pay like 3k for it. I sold it privately for 5k.

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Amazing how many E36 owners ended up going to the GTI. I had a '94 325is as my last car. Dealer offered $2500. I ended up selling it for $4k. I loved the car, but it was suffering from classic E36 interior disintegration and needed some serious money thrown at the suspension and bushings/mounts.

I'd get Autobhan and nothing else, if I was to go GTI again.

Lolly Baggins said:

I'd get Autobhan and nothing else, if I was to go GTI again.

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have you decided on what car you are going to get?

The heated seats that come as part of the Autobahn pkg. in the GTI are the best I have ever used. They fire up in NO time!