Adding a fun commuter car to the garage

Man I must be getting old. Mid to low 14.XX quarter mile cars are now "painfully" slow.

I thought my 16v Scirocco running 15.9 was a rocket back in the day.

Congratulations on the new GTI! A great car for sure.

sirploppy wrote

Man I must be getting old. Mid to low 14.XX quarter mile cars are now "painfully" slow.

I thought my 16v Scirocco running 15.9 was a rocket back in the day.

Congratulations on the new GTI! A great car for sure.

Yeah, it's funny - way back in the day, I had a lightly modified '90 Eclipse GST. Basically just an intake and a few extra PSI of boost. I doubt it ran any faster than high 13/low 14 in the quarter mile, but holy hell, it felt fast to me. That car would pull on e36 M3's all day.

So far a month with the GTI and I'm really surprised by how good it is. I expected it to be a solid, economical commuter with a little bit of a fun side, but this car is seriously quick and so fun to row through the gears and toss around. I imagine it has to be underrated from the factory in terms of power - it certainly doesn't have the high rpm insanity of the S65, but it pulls so much harder than I expected, with a beautifully smooth, broad torque curve.

135i prices have jumped up in the past couple years but still affordable. I picked mine up with 130k miles to use as a daily and it’s been rock solid reliable. It is a manual n55 car, now has 170k miles. I love driving this daily and has enough room for Costco runs, nyc parking. I drove it 8 hrs up to Canada before the pandemic and not one issue there and back. Will need maintenance like any other bmw as expected but no complaints.

Eja144 wrote

Yeah, it's funny - way back in the day, I had a lightly modified '90 Eclipse GST. Basically just an intake and a few extra PSI of boost. I doubt it ran any faster than high 13/low 14 in the quarter mile, but holy hell, it felt fast to me. That car would pull on e36 M3's all day.

So far a month with the GTI and I'm really surprised by how good it is. I expected it to be a solid, economical commuter with a little bit of a fun side, but this car is seriously quick and so fun to row through the gears and toss around. I imagine it has to be underrated from the factory in terms of power - it certainly doesn't have the high rpm insanity of the S65, but it pulls so much harder than I expected, with a beautifully smooth, broad torque curve.

I wanted an Eclipse GST so bad back when I was 16 (in 2002) that I had to settle for an Eagle Talon non turbo and a dumb lady T-boned me.

This is my current DD, Sierra Crew Cab, 4x4, with the 3.0 Diesel averaging 24MPG’s.

Adriano917 wrote

I wanted an Eclipse GST so bad back when I was 16 (in 2002) that I had to settle for an Eagle Talon non turbo and a dumb lady T-boned me.

I always wanted a GSX for the all wheel drive, but I settled for the GST. It became one of my favorite cars - that 4G63 is a hell of a 4 banger.

The siblings getting along…

I was in a very similar situation.

M3 was my daily, but I lived super close to work. Bought a house in 2019 and had to commute again. Felt like a sad use of the M3's existence. Crawling along the freeway at 5mph waiting for someone to rear end me every day. That plus the fuel economy of this engine did not help.

Then boom, the pandemic hit. Didn't have to worry about it again. Worked from home for a few years, then this year we were summoned back to the office 50% of the time.

Time for a commuter. Ended up getting a 2022 Mazda 3 Turbo sedan. Comfortable enough to be stuck in traffic, space in the back for the kid, nice interior. Handles well, fast enough for a commuter. Parts are cheap, easy to work on, and it's super reliable. If someone crashes into me, oh well. Its an appliance. Last but not least, it has traffic jam assist, so it will drive for you in traffic.

I can't emphasize enough how much traffic jam assist has reduced stress/fatigue of traffic while commuting. I can just turn it on, and relax.

Now I can leave the M3 for those sunny weekends or when its nice after work, and not waste it's life commuting.

drwankel wrote

I was in a very similar situation.

M3 was my daily, but I lived super close to work. Bought a house in 2019 and had to commute again. Felt like a sad use of the M3's existence. Crawling along the freeway at 5mph waiting for someone to rear end me every day. That plus the fuel economy of this engine did not help.

Then boom, the pandemic hit. Didn't have to worry about it again. Worked from home for a few years, then this year we were summoned back to the office 50% of the time.

Time for a commuter. Ended up getting a 2022 Mazda 3 Turbo sedan. Comfortable enough to be stuck in traffic, space in the back for the kid, nice interior. Handles well, fast enough for a commuter. Parts are cheap, easy to work on, and it's super reliable. If someone crashes into me, oh well. Its an appliance. Last but not least, it has traffic jam assist, so it will drive for you in traffic.

I can't emphasize enough how much traffic jam assist has reduced stress/fatigue of traffic while commuting. I can just turn it on, and relax.

Now I can leave the M3 for those sunny weekends or when its nice after work, and not waste it's life commuting.

You nailed it. The Mazda 3 Turbo is a nice ride and was on my list to consider. The GTI has always been a platform I told myself I'd own at some point, otherwise I might be in the Mazda, or something more driving focused but less practical like a GR86/Miata.

The new Mazda 3 is an excellent DD. It has the best ride in its class and the interior is extremely nice for its price. If they had the AWD hatch in manual I would have bought it for my daily no doubt.

I like the Gti for what you are looking for

JackieChiles wrote

I like the Gti for what you are looking for

When I had this same problem I bought a 2018 s4. Best DD in the world. Car is actually for sale now if anyone is interested

tareemaa wrote

I would have recommended a F30 340i xdrive 6MT. Last manual awd 3 series, simple tune and bolt ones make it a very quick car.

I'd love one. Hope they get cheaper first though.

Lucky1 wrote

tareemaa wrote

I would have recommended a F30 340i xdrive 6MT. Last manual awd 3 series, simple tune and bolt ones make it a very quick car.

I'd love one. Hope they get cheaper first though.

I came really close to buying one of these before I got my M3. Aside from the numb steering, it was a great drive.

My commuter is a F56 Mini JCW. Its a great contrast to the e90 ZCP for sure.

rnp614 wrote

My commuter is a F56 Mini JCW. Its a great contrast to the e90 ZCP for sure.

I have an R55 JCW. Been thinking next one will be the newer platform like yours, but I got such a good deal on this car I figure to drive it till the wheels come off, LOL! Mini's are such a blast to drive!

tbuck wrote

I have an R55 JCW. Been thinking next one will be the newer platform like yours, but I got such a good deal on this car I figure to drive it till the wheels come off, LOL! Mini's are such a blast to drive!

It’s such a weird phenomenon isn’t it? I had an R53 and now this one and it’s incredible for what it is. And I haven’t even modded the new one yet. I figure with an intercooler and a proper tune it’ll be an absolute riot