Great car

I bought this car in late October of 2002. It is a 2003 VW GTI VR6, silver w/ black cloth, 6 spd manual. I have driven the car 22,700 miles, on all types of roads.

Having owned other VW's ( '84 & '87 Scirocco, '88 Quantum, '99 Passat ), as well as many other cars from SUV's to BMW's, I have to say that this car is the most entertaining and liveable car that I've ever had the privilege to own.

The purchase experience from Stokes VW in Charleston, SC was simply superb. There was no drama, no "tricks", just simple, honest dialog, where we arrived at a price that both parties were satisfied with. VW should use this dealership as a standard for excellence in sales practices.

The car itself has performed above and beyond what my expectations were. The car was delivered with zero defects, and to date, there has been zero problems with it.

I chose the VR6 engine over the 1.8T engine for the silliest reason; the VR6 engine & exhaust sounds are simply seductive. It sounds exotic. That is one sweet engine. It is very flexible, never hesitates, and is always turbine smooth. My fuel usage averages about 26 mpg in mixed driving ( 50/50 city & hwy ). My lowest avg for a tank of fuel was 23 mpg, and the highest was 29-30 mpg. Not bad considering that I usually cruise at about 85 mph on the Interstates. My only [minor]gripe with the powertrain is with the 6 speed manual transmission. Even with 6 speeds, the engine is turning 3200 RPM at 80 MPH. I would like to see it down somewhere near 2600 or so. However, the engine is NEVER obtrusive during cruising at any speed. Also, 6th gear is sometimes difficult to engage until you get used to the throw pattern. Aside from those minor points, the drivetrain is superb.

The interior and exterior fit and finish are superb; inline with the other VW / Audi products that I have seen, which are among the highest in the industry in my opinion. The quality of materials is excellent; much better than anything else in this price range. The list of standard features is extensive ( check out the VW webpage for details ), and the engineering behind it all is superb.
My only observation with the interior is that of the cupholder. When the cupholder pulled out, it interferes with the operation of the indash CD player. If you try to eject the CD, the CD will hit the cupholder assembly, possibly damaging the CD. That is my only observation inside the cabin as far as engineering is concerned. The only other minor observation as far as build quality is concerned is that when backing down from a driveway curb, the body sometimes flexes a bit. Nothing major at all, just an observation.

I've had the car in for scheduled maintenance three times. The car has very long service intervals ( one at 5k miles, the next at 10k miles, then at 20k, 30k, 40k ( first major at 40k ), etc. The maintenance costs are inline with Honda, Toyota, Nissan, etc. The servicing dealer is the same dealer that I purchased the car from, and I have only words of compliments for them. I'm treated as well at the VW dealer as I was when I was a BMW owner. The service personnel greet me by my name when I enter ( which is rare these days ), and have ALWAYS treated me with the utmost in courtesy and respect.

This is the most problem free car ( to date ) that I have owned, has exceeded my most demanding of expectations, and is also alot of fun to drive.

I would DEFINITELY recommend this car to anyone.