A conundrum for the ages…well for me. (typical car indecision content warning!)

OK folks…let it be known, I have automotive ADD.

I have driven and autocrossed a few SHO Tauri, a slew of GTI’s and Jettas. These are almost always daily drivers. I often come back to the GTI/Jetta bloodline and have a love for the sound of the VR6 (as a buddy says, a VR opened up, sounds like 6 unicorns gang-banging a mermaid).

My current driver is a ’96 VR6 Gti. Basic tweaks (Neuspeed 28 and 25mm Sways, Neuspeed springs, GR-2 Struts and shocks, Chip, ECS pulleys, stressbars, exhaust, intake and chip…) A very well balanced driver. Also fairly rare as it’s a White VR6 MKIII with the black leather interior. The car came here to Maine from California in ’09 and has never seen winter. It is 100% sorted and I have a HUGE stack of documents on the car. It lived at New Dimensions before the folded. The Prev owner even had oil changes done there…everything from the suspension to exhaust to tune ups were done there (still has ND Plugwires!).

I’ve recently had a few offers on the GTi and my ADD is kicking in….are you guys my automotive Adderall?

OK…should the GTi go the way of, well pretty much the other 35 cars in my life, I have a few choices.

These are cars I know and am familiar with. I have driven both and they are on “the list” of cars I would like to have owned before I die. Granted, I’m 36 as of next week, so I have time.

Car 1.
1993 Nissan Sentra SE-R Owned by Anthony of A&C Imports in NH (Nissan Specialty shop/Z Specialist). His personal car. (The following is paraphrased from the Ad) Essentially OE condition. Black with gray Leather interior. 140hp SR20DE engine, 5 spd, ice cold air, cruise, sunroof, cd player. This vehicle has been owned and maintained by a Nissan Specialty shop owner and has always received the best of everything. New Borbet 15" wheels and Kuhmo tires, GR-2 struts, recent paint, NO RUST, new headliner, new lower radiator support, new gas tank, new A/C compressor, condenser, and receiver dryer, converted to R134a. Many more parts too numerous to list. NO 5th gear pop-out.

I drove the car the other day and was very impressed. Solid. Every SE-R I’ve seen previously has been a heep of garbage. New England isn’t kind to these cars and neither are 17 year old kids who feel The Fast and the Furious is a religious tome. He’s asking $3895. Like I said, every SE-R I’ve seen previously has been a $2000 dung heep. I don’t know if this is worth $3800 on the open market, but it looks, goes, stops and turns like a more expensive ride.

Car 2.

2000 Fort SVT Contour.

Since they were introduced I wanted one. After having my SHO shamed by one at the track I’ve REALLY wanted one.

2000 SVT Contour with 69,000 miles. Motor has 15,000. The original fell victim to the typical Duratec oil starvation issue. It was pulled and replaced with a 3.0 port matched the SVT manifolds etc.

details… custom exhaust short throw shifter lighten flywheel new svt oem clutch
fsvt rims mirko BAT suspension BAT intake with mirko adaptor and filter red magnacore 9mm wires bosch plat 2's

Everything works on the car. Drives great and is FAST. Could use a tune for the 3L but throws no codes and pulls hard.

I could get the car for $4000.

I don’t autocross a ton anymore (3-4 times a season?) So do I keep the GTI? Go with one of these wee beasties? Buy a Fox Body mustang and just go fast?

Here are some pics of the three....

Why the mis-matched wheels on the CSVT? When faced with those same 3 choices several years ago I chose CSVT, and was very happy with that choice. I still miss it.

pigeon wrote: Why the mis-matched wheels on the CSVT? When faced with those same 3 choices several years ago I chose CSVT, and was very happy with that choice. I still miss it.

One pic is with the stock SVT wheels and the other has the SVT Focus wheels. I have the option of either set.

$4K for the SVT seems like the steal of the bunch to me.

SVT

SVT Contours are fun. Highly underrated.

pinchvalve wrote: $4K for the SVT seems like the steal of the bunch to me.

With either car I would bank about about $1k after the purchase.

SE-R is the only one I can think of that might appreciate if you keep it that clean. The others will keep going down in value.

I sure hope you have a winter beater no matter which one you choose.

Junkyard_Dog wrote: SE-R is the only one I can think of that might appreciate if you keep it that clean. The others will keep going down in value. I sure hope you have a winter beater no matter which one you choose.

A solid point.

The SVT may be worth something down the road, but not like the SE-R.

The winter thing is a killer for me. I don't have a beater. Frankly I'd feel worse driving the GTI in the snow than the other two. You can eat off the bottom of it.

Keep the GTI. That engine note is amazing and can't be replaced.

That Sentra will always look like the cheap econobox that it is.

The Ford just isn't anything special. Kinda ugly really.

Buy a Miata for some extra fun and correct (rear) wheel drive.

I think I may have to drive up to Maine and slug you. The VR6 is nice. Keep it.

Seriously, you should join one of those sports car rental clubs. You go through vehicles quicker than Lindsay Lohan goes through therapists.

The SVT Contours are apreciating faster than the SE-Rs, actually. They bottomed out a few years ago, and have been steadily climbing, while the SE-Rs have topped out. Comparable condition CSVT vs. SE-R, the CSVT commands a much higher sale price from what I've seen.

Besides that, the CSVT is WAY more car than the Sentra. The Sentra, at it's heart is much more of an econobox than the CSVT. Fun to thrash? Sure, much like an A2 VW. But the CSVT is a poor man's BMW E36 3 series. Huge difference.

For a more capable car out of the box that is DD pleasant, has the torque of a V6 engine, supportive leather seats, 17" wheels/tires, 200HP, etc. the CSVT is by far my choice. I've had several SE-Rs, and they were not even in the same league compared to the CSVTs I've driven.

If you pass on it, please send me the contact info. Seriously. I've been looking for years and most of the $4000 CSVTs out there are 100k mile plus and rusty.

sachilles wrote: I think I may have to drive up to Maine and slug you. The VR6 is nice. Keep it. Seriously, you should join one of those sports car rental clubs. You go through vehicles quicker than Lindsay Lohan goes through therapists.

I'm slowly ticking cars off my list. In a year or two, I'll review my notes and choose

And for the record, I think you're farther north than me

TOZOVR wrote: The winter thing is a killer for me. I don't have a beater.

You need a beater.

TOZOVR wrote: Frankly I'd feel worse driving the GTI in the snow than the other two. You can eat off the bottom of it.

See above.

TOZOVR wrote: With either car I would bank about about $1k after the purchase.

So if you keep the VW you will have no cash for a beater and ruin it driving it in the winter. Selling it and buying another car gives you $1000, which is more than enough to buy and insure a spare junker for the winter.

Am I missing something? Seems like a no-brainer to me.

SVTF wrote: The SVT Contours are apreciating faster than the SE-Rs, actually. They bottomed out a few years ago, and have been steadily climbing, while the SE-Rs have topped out. Comparable condition CSVT vs. SE-R, the CSVT commands a much higher sale price from what I've seen.

I doubt that will last. The SE-R had a much broader following than the SVT. It ranks up there with clean early Miatas and CRX-Si's to most enthusiasts. The SVT is more like the SHO-cool in its own right but only desirable to a select few.

Junkyard_Dog wrote: So if you keep the VW you will have no cash for a beater and ruin it driving it in the winter. Selling it and buying another car gives you $1000, which is more than enough to buy and insure a spare junker for the winter. Am I missing something? Seems like a no-brainer to me.

You haven't met my wife LOL

I vote for the SE-R for around $3200.

Contour

dj06482 wrote: I vote for the SE-R for around $3200.

This touches on a point for me. What is the value of the SE-R?

Foolish for me to offer a recommendation, because if you buy the csvt, you'll surely sell it 6 months from now to buy the SE-R, or vice versa. Just admit to yourself you'll buy both at some point and move on.

Maybe just bite the bullet and skip directly to an M3. This one is down to $3k. $3k M3

Dern, I'd have a real hard time parting with that GTI, especially if it is sorted. Servicing VW's of that generation scare the crap outta me, but if you've managed to hold onto a clean, straight, unmolested example with known history I wouldn't let it go lightly. Hens teeth come to mind.

The SVT might be faster, and the SE-R more tossable, but I don't think I'd have the same overall appreciation for either in comparison. Admittedly, I have a thing for hatches though.

sachilles wrote: Foolish for me to offer a recommendation, because if you buy the csvt, you'll surely sell it 6 months from now to buy the SE-R, or vice versa. Just admit to yourself you'll buy both at some point and move on. Maybe just bite the bullet and skip directly to an M3. This one is down to $3k. $3k M3

I have zero doubt in my mind I will eventually own one of each LOL.

I should just buy another rover and go play in the woods. They kept me entertained (trapped) for long stretches at a time :)

I here there is a cheap discovery on NEOW.

sachilles wrote: I here there is a cheap discovery on NEOW.

LOL, ohhh I know there is.

I'd keep the VW.

I deeply regret selling my clean, sorted 318is.