« Reply #12 on: 14 November 2015, 14:20 »
Mk2 by a mile, then the Mk1 followed by the mk3.
The rest aren't even proper cars 
I don't think i'm alone in thinking that the MK3 was an awful rust-bucket of a car. MK2 is the one i'm most fond of, but nostalgia is a funny thing. If VW started offering to build new MK2 GTIs would you have one now next to a MK7 R? VW don't make bullet proof cars like that any more, but neither do anyone else- the price of delicate and intricate technology widespread in modern cars.
The mk3 was a good car, but corners were cut in the materials used to make it and standards have been poor ever since. Cars these days are not built to last anymore hence why all the modern generations are inferior. The may be comfortable, full of tech and easy to drive but they just aren't proper cars anymore. It's not a secret that the mk7 section of this forum is predominantly made up of disgruntled motorists who aren't happy with the product. Speaks for itself.
When any of the cars were current models there was lots of "disgruntled" comments. I've been around GTI's for nearly 30 years.
The mk3 wasn't just a few corners cut it was a pile of (ugly) poop, VW went on a policy of 'global resourcing' at the time which meant they bought cheap components to keep manufacturing costs down. I owned two and still have a mk3 generation car (so in effect 3). The only good step up on the mk3 was after a couple years when they introduced the Simos injection which got rid of the horrible heavy throttle response.
I've had two mk1 generation cars both were fastidiously maintained and both were pretty unreliable, the first a W reg was a rust bucket - and they weren't that old when I owned them, and thankfully neither was I at the time so I was still fit enough to walk to work at 5am when they wouldn't start!!! Grrrrr.
I owned at least four mk2's and although they were solidly built they weren't without their problems and the later cars weren't without cost cutting either. Contrary to the advert with the squeaky earring - they used to rattle and squeak too, I was heavily involved with GTI tuning in those days and have been in literally dozens of mk2 cars from mint standard to heavily modified so I don't wear rose tinted specs.
I'm not saying the mk4 and onwards were anything special build wise as they're not, but like all cars since the 70's they're just disposable objects and the driving dynamics of a standard mk7 GTI is simply the stuff dreams were made of when I learnt to drive in the mid 80's.
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‘25 8.5R, ‘23 8R, ‘20 8CS, ‘19 135iX, ‘19 TCR, ‘17 Ed40, ‘17 GTD, ‘15 7R, ‘13 GTI PP, ‘11 GTI, ‘09 GTI, ‘98 Ibiza Cupra, ‘05 GTI, ‘06 Polo GTI, ‘04 GT TDI, ‘05 Fabia vRS, ‘02 GTI T, ‘03 Ibiza TDI 130, ‘01 Leon 180, ‘89 mk2 16v, ‘99 Ibiza TDI, ‘96 VR6, ‘98 Ibiza TDI, ‘92 VR6, ‘88 mk2 8v, ‘92 Polo G40, ‘91 mk2 8v, ‘89 mk2 8v, 205 GTI 1.9, ‘83 mk1 GTI, ‘80 Scirocco GTI, plus some others I’ve forgotten
