TPJ

I finally got my W2 in today, and I'm expecting a fairly decent return. My first priority is to get the creamsicle back onto the road, however, afterwards I will be looking at spending some of the leftover money on a new beater/daily. I work at the shipyard, and I don't enjoy the idea of driving a bright orange boosted hatch to work everyday, especially with the parking and traffic problems I deal with on a daily basis.

Anyways... I've narrowed my choices down to two: 88-91 CRX Si and MKII Volkswagen GTi (Preferably 16v, but will most likely settle for an 8v for the price difference). I've been around both cars many, many times, however I've never actually owned a VW, whereas I've owned 8 or 9 CRX's. The car's will be used to commute back and forth to work on a daily basis, driven on days when it rains, and most likely will only recieve minor modifications to the suspension and possibly some exterior, depending on how horrid they look. No matter which car I end up going with, it will end up at Langley Speedway for the 1 on 1's and hopefully part of their auto-x series at one time or another, so that needs to be weighed into the decision. As far as the performance goes, in a straight line the Si and 16v GTi are both very close. Seeing as I've never owned a MKII GTi before, I'm not sure exactly how the handling capabilities of them go when it comes to stock vs. stock. This is where I am asking for help from you guys. I'm sure somewhere along the lines, a lot of you have owned one of these or the other and can give me a good opinion. Here is a basic rundown on what the mods for each car would be:

88-91 CRX Si-
*Depending on the year, rear disk brake conversion
*Most likely (though nothing is set in stone) Tein basic coilover setup
*Decent wheels, nothing too pricey though
*Possible front end conversion, depending on the condition of the rest of the car, otherwise would be going with a simple lip/EK sides/foglights

MKII GTi-
*Not sure what the brakes are like stock, but I've been reading about G60 upgrades
*Most likely (though nothing is set in stone) H&R suspension of some sort
*Ugly wheels, most likely wide with stupid lips/offsets
*Circle headlights, wide fenders, and the big front bumper.

Other than that, I don't really plan on doing much at all to the car itself. I know the VW is ranked a good ways down in the reliability department goes in the current era of cars, however, I was wondering if this was the same back then, or if they actually held up pretty well. This is where the CRX has the advantage with me. I know Honda's, and I know the motors are cheap to replace, and don't take much time at all, not to mention they are interchangable .

Eventually, whichever I choose might become more of a project and start to recieve more mods, but for now, that isn't what the plan is for. Basically, all I'm asking is for your opinions on the above mentioned cars. And please keep the typical Honda sucks/VW sucks bullshit elsewhere.

ritz

MKII GTI + VR6 + dumped + widened steelies > CRX.

All day.

dave22

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TPJ

I have no interest in taking on a VR swap project at this point in time. Those it was one of the ideas that had crossed my mind for possibilities of future plans for the GTi (if that is what I chose to go with), I'm currently looking for reliability, gas milage (sorta), as well as something I can have at least a little fun driving. The creamsicle is enough of a pain in the ass for me right now, so I think I'll worry about keeping that on the road for more than 6 months at a time before I worry about a new major project.

ritz

Don't be a pussy.

ritz

It's a Jetta, but you get the point.

TPJ

Being a pussy isn't what I'm worried about. Having a car that runs, however, is. I don't mind being a pussy, as long as I can stop borrowing Ma Dukes' Hyundai all the time.

And theres a guy down in VB I know with an MKIII Jetta that is doing widened steelies.

ritz

A VR6 swap is plenty reliable. Hell they're even reliable boosted.

If you seriously pick a CRX over this:


Then I feel bad for you because you have to be somewhat retarded.

Jay

Get an suv stupid.

(I mean that in a nice way, and you'll thank me later)

dave22

Okay, then get a MkIII Golf TDI. Dumped on wacky wheels.