I've been checking out the new Gti's since they came out in 2006.5. The Candy White color with the 18" Huffs always caught my eye when I saw it out front at North Shore Volkswagen in Beverly. I'd drive by it and drool. I've always been content with my herd of VW's so I never gave it any consideration. Meanwhile, the miles and maintenace continue on the daily drivers which were both Corrado's depending on winter or summer.
I saw an ad on craigslist for a 2007 United Grey Gti with DSG locally for a good price. The color grew on me and it had the 18" Huffs. I test drove it and fell in love. It had the DSG with was really smooth and you could do some paddle shifting if you got bored. The car turned out to be a lease and just would not fit my high mileage driving style.
I then checked in with North Shore Volkswagen on the following Monday to see if they had the same car but a 2008 with the same options in stock. They only had a 6spd but they found a demo car with my options minus 18" Huffs in Rochester, NY. It had 4K miles and I was surprised the price was not better than what I was expecting. I let it slide and got my deposit back. Two nights later, I test drove the 6spd and worked out a price with the sales manager an hour later. I got zero percent APR on the promotion that started in July so I scored a good one here. I paid $150 over invoice and they threw in some monster mats per my request so I am very happy. Gene Porzio, my salesman was real cool throughout the whole process. Props to his manager, Tom, who wanted the business and sealed the deal.
Within two hours of picking the car up on a Saturday, I imediately got the 3M paint protection installed on the front end and mirrors. The car will be driven in the winter so this should offer some highway protection against road salt that beat up my Corrado over the past few years.
I want to tear into some mods as soon as I break the car in but I am going to hold back for a bit. I just want to flash the ECU with an upgrade from GIAC or APR. I have some snow tires and wheels coming soon. Stay tuned.
