Used Volkswagen Golf GTI for Sale near Cedar Rapids, IA

This is the powertrain the GTI has needed to arouse its lustiest, twistiest tendencies. In the GTI, the VR6 engine breathes out 200 hp at 6200 rpm and twists out 195 lb-ft of torque at 3200 rpm. So equipped VW says it will rush to 60 mph in about 7.7 seconds through its stock six-speed manual transmission. The gobs of torque and smooth six-speed linkage make it a joy to row and go. You might automatically assume that more cylinders means more speed here, but you’d be ill informed. If you choose the four-cylinder, 1.8-liter turbo and the five-speed manual transmission, it’s actually quicker to 60 mph (doing the run in 7.5 seconds) than the more powerful and weightier VR6 option. But saddle the turbo with the Tiptronic automatic and it slows into the mid-eights. Either way, you’re still a few ticks off the quickest, most expensive SVT Focus or Tiburon V-6, too, but not completely out of contention.

It's the second car I've owned, a big improvement over the 1990 Mazda 323 I had as my first car. Performance wise, this car has great acceleration but the gas mileage could be a bit better. Unlike the TDI Golf, this car has no Turbo but does have a very heavy V6 engine which could potentially cause some understeer. Obviously this car would just get smoked in a race against its sportier brother the R32. The interior has beautiful black leather and the paint job is Volkswagen's awesome Tornado Red. I've always had a thing for the Golf and its look, so maybe I'm biased. If you live in a podunk town like me, you might own one of the only VW GTI's in town. This is an eye-catching car in a town full of Oldsmobiles and Dodge Neons (LOL), especially after I just washed it and its sexy redness shows. The car has a sweet audio system that can get ear-splittingly loud. Overall I really like this car and would recommend it for anyone who needs to travel a lot and likes speed. But for someone serious about driving and racing, the VW R32 is much more expensive but superior.

I always loved my VW's but this one may have been doomed from the beginning, my 1999 GTi VR6 was lowered 3", had 17's and rubber band tires, the tires rubbed the wheel wells, I had to replace the spark plug wires $350 for factory replacements, continually there was an ABS light or check engine