I've had my GTI since new. I'm a purist so the car has to have plaid seats and 6MT.

Only issue I've had is with carbon build up which caused cold start misfiring. A few hundred bucks later, that was fixed.

It's a great car but my only gripe is the lack of trunk space. I can barely fit one hockey bag. When I drove a Jetta I could easily fit two hockey bags with space left over for other junk.

The interior of the GTI is more well built and luxurious than the other cars you've listed. The stock seats are comfortable unless you're a massive dude.

Can you share where you had the carbon cleaning done? A few hundred is significantly cheaper than the dealerships. Thanks.

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RPI in Richmond. Around $500 IIRC.

I drive a 08 Accord 2.4 5-speed now and it's a pretty good commuter. IMO it's pretty comfortable and the only thing is the fuel economy. It can do 32 MPG in the highway and 22 MPG in the city so it's still not bad, and with the 5-speed manual tranny it's not that slow, either. Hilariously, a Civic Si from the same time period is actually worse on fuel and you have to use 91 octane(Accord just needs plain old 87). It's a bit faster, though, so there is that.

For a gas car, it boils down to this: fast, good fuel economy, cheap to buy, pick two. No car under $10k can do 30+MPG in the city while not being slow.

IMO German cars depreciate faster for a reason. You will spend more money to keep one running.

128i, coupe i6, great fun. Great track potential also.

I can't seem to find many 1 series for sale. But BMW reliability again, I guess they are on par with e90? I thought about a 500 Abarth but I think those are the worse

Another consideration that might check off many of your boxes especially the one about 600kms per week and fuel efficiency. And this can fit more than one hockey bag in the back, this thing is cavernous in terms of trunk space. For a bit of self enjoyment, get a Malone Stage I or II tune.

2013 Jetta TDI, 177K kms, $7000
https://vancouver.craigslist.org/rds...051256341.html

The Fiesta ST is a blast, so if there's a chance you can swing it, then it's definitely worth it. Highway mileage is spectacular. If not, keep an eye out in a few years time and if it fits your lifestyle then, it might be worth it.

Biased input here, and out of your budget, but if you can get a Scion iM or a Toyota Corolla iM, the car will fit your criteria. I have a 2017 Corolla iM and I easily get between 550 to 600KM on a tank on regular 87 octane, both highway and city combined (I got 665KM on all highway once.) It's not going to win world records for 0-60, but it's a great commuter, got lots of space for stuff in the trunk (with fold down seats, even more!) and a good suspension setup. There are manual and CVT variants that exist.

For what it's worth, it's discontinued in North America and replaced with the newer generation Corolla Hatchback on the TNGA platform, so they can be had for within your higher price range. Oh, and it's pretty much a fully loaded with the exception of a sunroof as there were no trims/options to choose from. Made in Japan too! Oh, and it's a Corolla, so if something is broken or unreliable, you probably didn't buy a Toyota lol I've had mine since new for 3 years, going on to 4 years with zero problems. Had one factory service bulletin where the transmission needed updated software, and that's where it got better mileage on a tank of gas.

Having said that, I think the guys are pointing you in the right direction of the VW GTI. Although I don't think I'd own one for the sake of not wanting to deal with repairs or cost associated to ownership. Definitely a lot funner to drive too.

GTI or Golf/Jetta TDI would be on my short list.
If you have $$, maybe a 2015+ Golf TSI.

2013 VW Jetta TDI -$9,440 - 119K KMs - manual

Barebones (add an RCD330 for Android Auto/Carplay on the go for about $300) - but it will give you well over 1000KM per tank on the highway.

https://www.repo.com/listing/9884
https://www.repo.com/listing/10400

These two if you want more options and somewhat less KMs on the odo.

RE: E90

Don't these have some fairly expensive to repair leaks and bound to fail components?
i.e. oil pan gasket, valve cover gasket (which if left alone shorts the coils out after dripping oil all over them), and oil filter housing gasket?
I was corrected in Craigslist Good Buys with the fact that the electronic water pump WILL fail, not sometimes fail

RE: Abarth

I've driven them extensively - the engine is reliable but everything around it isn't.
The interior bits are cheap and will either rattle or fall apart (hell switches where you don't know what the button says cuz the black coating wore off).
The clutches on the transmissions seem to like to go fairly quickly as well.
Even at 5'7" the driving position really sucked - tilt only steering wheel & the pillar physically blocks driver side shoulder checks

Lastly and possibly most relevant - the car has no chill. Sometimes just don't wanna engage in all the noise and excitement and just wanna get home.

Is the latest Corolla hatch based on the Im chassis? They look very similar. What is there to look for work diesels? Do I have to do some egr delete or use add blue? I know nothing about diesels besides they cost more to service? But better mpg

Latest Corolla Hatch is on an all new platform (TGNA).... it's got a great motor, fantastic CVT (super fast responses and direct 1st gear) and great sensors/electronics package but more cramped than the iM imo. Downsides are that it's short on passenger, storage, and cargo space + it's still numb to drive.

Personal opinion is they gave up too much space in the Corolla Hatch - I would rather go for a Golf or Civic for a better all round package with the usual caveats.
10G Civics seem to have poor components quality (seat rails rusting from salt 2 years old in Ontario) and the Golf stuff mentioned earlier.

Source: Friend has owned the iM then a 2.0L Corolla SE Hatch back to back; Many 10G Civic Ubers; Dailying a Golf.

Slightly off topic but I was punching myself for not waiting for the new Corolla Hatchback but I didn't know it was coming in 2019 when I got my car in 2017. After learning that they sacrificed some space, I felt better about the iM but still wished that the iM got a better engine and transmission (c'est lat vie.) I'm lowered on H&R springs with a slightly aggressive alignment, and it's quite fun to drive, and a great grocery getter. :D The ECU is adaptive, so when premium is cheap, I'll fill in a tank, and notice the acceleration is quite nice. If I had to get a replacement for the iM, I'd still consider the Corolla Hatchback. I'm not sure VW (like for like) would cost anywhere near the same, but I'm sure the VW will always feel and drive better.

I’d love to test out a Corolla XSE hatch with the 6MT

DSG farts are why I bought the car.

Also, it depends on your commute but if you have heavy traffic, do you really want to deal with MT?

^^ is the transmission still shifting smooth after all these years? I'm more worried about dealing with a broken dsg needing thousands in repairs basically totalling the car

The Golf Comfortline is like 23-24k for the base model + sensors package .... the new for 2019 1.4T is certainly less punch but you still the get fantastic ride quality, felt lined door seals & pockets, Android Auto, etc.

I believe it's comparable in price to the Corolla SE Hatch.

IMO a base Golf is an absolute steal of a price for what you get.

Does any one have any feedback on a 06 to 09 Yaris? I've driven an auto one briefly many years ago. They apparently get better mpg than the Fit.

^ not a Yaris but I did get a Fit years ago when I was in the same situation where I knew I’d drive 80+kms a day and don’t regret it. They’re actually quite useful and fun to drive. They look better with light mods than a Yaris could too IMO.

Keep in mind though that with a little HB you can expect more road noise and less comfort compared to even a small sedan. If you have to take a lot of work related calls at highway speeds, the road noise can drive you nuts. Ultimately that’s what made me trade in the Fit. I needed the ability to have clear/good conversations on the road very often.

Drive everything in your price range to see what suits you best. That said, my advice would be that if you don’t care too much about performance with this purchase and just need a reliable/economical ride, buy Japanese.