Fun pocket rocket car that has it all... almost

I purchased my 2003 VW GTI in November of 2003, and as of 3/8/05 I have put approximately 32,000 miles on it. Let me tell you, this car has been great to me. I have the 1.8T, Silverstone Gray (fairly rare color), black seats, luxury package (moonroof, monsoon sound system), and sport package (upgraded wheels mainly).

Performance:
This car has great pickup... the acceleration (once the turbo kicks in) puts you back in your seat, and I just love the sound of the turbo. The GTI feels like it was designed with the driver and passenger in mind, rather than some car engineer who thinks he knows best. I wish VW would stiffen the body a little bit so that going around corners the body wouldn't roll as much. But you could always do that yourself by adding better swaybars (not quite sure what swaybars the GTI already has, but I think you can certainly add a rear one) and some upgraded shocks. Accelerating and driving at high speeds has never been a problem for me. Also, braking is very strong and ABS is standard. Other people who have driven my car have commented on how sensitive the braking is until they get used to it.

Interior:
The controls inside the car are all very well-placed, and the only thing I can think of that is a little akward to get used to is the cruise control button on the turn signal stalk. It already does so much (turn signals, high beams) that adding the entire cruise control system onto the stalk isn't the best idea. The only other thing on the inside that I don't really like are the big knobs on the sides of the seats to recline them. However, I don't have to do that very often, so it's not too bad. The advantage of those are that the seats stay in the position you want them in. The interior materials are very nice for a "sport compact car" and everyone complements the cool look of the blue backlit dash at night (with red accents).

Another thing about the interior not many people mention... there is a surprising amount of cargo room. When you put the back seats down, you can fit a lot into this little car (thanks to the hatchback design). Can you believe I've fit nearly an entire couch into my car? (with just a little bit hanging out the back). Not bad! The only thing that could be improved is the room in the back seat. I sit with the driver's seat all the way back and you have to have either really tiny legs or none at all to fit behind me. So needless to say it's probably not the best "road trip" car for more than 2 people.

Issues:
The only maintenance issues I've had with this car so far were my rear windshield sprayer got clogged and they had to replace it, and the driver's side window got stuck in the down position (they replace the mechanism in both doors to an upgraded version so that it shouldn't happen again). Also, the mileage could be better, but maybe that's just because I mash the pedal a lot which activates the turbo. I've gotten between 21 and 24 mpg on average.

Conclusion:
All-in-all I have been very happy with this car. The best thing about it is that you don't see too many of them on the road compared to your Hondas, Toyotas, etc, and it performs very well. I would definitely consider getting another Volkswagen for my next car.