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I got that question today from my father-in-law, who is a very smart man but has never heard of a GTI. I think that is at least that 5th time I have gotten that question from a non-car enthusiast. The GTI looks a little ... bubblish ... I think that triggers the question. Most people think...

That when I am driving in the rain, with the wipers on, the GTI's wipers go to intermittent when you come to a stop, and then return to regular speed when you start back up. At first I thought ... hmmm ... I thought I had those wipers on. Then they came on! I mean, this is a very cool feature...

Consumer Reports? Believe it or not. I was checking my online subscription and happened to look at the GTI summary. As you probably know, the GTI is now a 'recommended' car for Consumer Reports, because reliability has improved. But I had never seen the 2008 reliability report, and it is...

I don't think most of the nation knows about this, but the southeastern U.S. is suffering a huge gas crisis after Hurricane Ike knocked out refineries in the Gulf. This has lasted two weeks. About one out of every seven gas stations in Charlotte has gas. When they have gas, large lines form and...

I just got back from a 2-week vacation in eastern France, traveling from Strasbourg to Lyon while mostly enjoying my two favorite hobbies ... drinking wine and eyeballing cars (OK, French girls, too). Here's what I saw: 1) You could walk through a large parking lot and find 7 hatchbacks out of...

Rather funny story out of Charlotte: A flock of young people in souped-up cars turned a 13-mile stretch of Interstate 485 in northeast Charlotte into a drag strip Saturday, racing at up to triple-digit speeds before police could stop them. When they did, the group scattered. Two abandoned...

You know, I am not ready to have the MKV be a 'car of tomorrow,' nostalgia thing that people say ... 'Yup, that was a nice car. In its day.' Sorta like when you buy an iPhone two months ago and now realize, crapola, you could get a whole lot better one today for a lot less money. Sorta like...

I am always amazed at how few GTIs I see on the highway. In the last week I drove about 175 miles from Charlotte to Edisto Beach, S.C. That takes you through Columbia, a college town. I saw ZERO GTIs on the trip down. I saw one Candy White two-door GTI parked at Edisto Beach. I saw a couple...

My wife and I are picking up her aunt and uncle at the Charleston airport, and then it is off to Edisto Island for a week at the beach. My wife wants to take her '94 Volvo 850 (still a surprisingly nice car) but of course I want to take the GTI on a road trip. Is it doable? That drive from...

I say: Bought a new car this week. Co-worker says: Oh yeah, what? I say: Volkswagen GTI He says: You bought a Volkswagen! They are horrible! Talk to me in a year about your unidentified electrical problem. They are very unreliable. I say: I researched it, I don't think so. And that was it...

Dealer said Monday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday. They had already filled out paper work on one car and then switched it to another. Makes me wonder. They say the first car, from another dealer, had nearly 3,000 miles on it and that was unacceptable. OK. This one was dealer-swapped from...

I know this is very pedestrian, but I am picking up my new 2008 GTI tomorrow. It has the Interlagos plaid, of course. What should I do to protect that cloth? Just get a can of Scotchguard Auto Interior and spray away? Does that screw up the great color? How often do I need to spray? Oh man, I...

I finally settled on a new GTI over a used Audi A3, partly because it was impossible to find a used A3. Also, I kept looking at that weight to horsepower ratio: 15.8 for the GTI vs. 16.5 for the Audi. Lower weight means better gas mileage, too. And I am amazed by the GTI's cavernous interior...

For me it's an A3 or a GTI. The A3 is handsome, but looks like Audi from the front and a hearse from the side. About 70% of A3s are black. Why are Audis always black? The GTI styling is a little more boy-racer, but Euro subtle. I want a color that plays down boy racer and plays up Euro subtle...

Click for the online comparison It looks pretty accurate. I am still waffling between the two, plus I have been having a very hard time finding a used A3. If I go with the GTI, I think I will do the Autobahn package, so it is a good comparison with the A3. One week I am sure I want an A3, then...

I am seriously considering a used A3 or GTI, so maybe a new engine might actually help lower the price for used cars. Can someone explain, in very simple terms for a journalist with a masters degree (no words over 8 letters, please) what the new engine means versus the old engine? Wouldn't a...

I started out looking for a 2007 GTI, reflex silver with DSG and sunroof, and I can pretty much get one of those with 10,000 miles on it at Carmax in the next month - around $21,000. But then I drove that dang Audi A3, with leather, and dual moonroofs. Good lord that is a nice car. And a 2007...

I went out today to do some test drives, and the Mazaspeed3 was my main target. I walked into the Mazda showroom and there was a Mazdaspeed3 sport (cheap) edition right there, inside. The salesman greeted me and we waltzed over. I opened the passenger door and sat down. Yuck! That interior...

I've decided that this is what I am looking for: 2007 GTI, silver, 4-door, automatic, leather, sunroof. Navigation? Don't want it. (Well, don't want to pay for it.) I want to buy this car now and drive it 6 years. I figure 4 doors and leather and automatic and sunroof will keep me happy for...

I went to one of three Volkswagen dealers in my area, with the usual sense of dread ... car-shopping hell. My wife was out of town, and I really, really just wanted to LOOK at GTIs, 4 door vs 2 door, leather vs. cloth, manual vs. DSG, and the exterior colors. It started off well cause this...