VW A3 GTI VR6 how does it compare?

How does the 95-99 VR6 GTI compare to similar hot hatches like SVT Focus or 02-05 Civic Si? I hear nightmare stories about VWs and check engine lights, but I love the lines on the A3 Golfs. Does the VR6 throw off the balance on the GTI? Can it work as an weekend track car or does it need $$$ in upgrades...brakes...etc...?

Not quite a tossable as the others, but has a very nice motor.

For a weekend track car it needs some attention spent on the suspension. A good set of coilovers and a large rear swaybar will do the trick. Add a set of decent track brake pads and you're all set.

I've had numerous VW/Audi's and haven't had any issues with them, but they do require more attention than a Honda.

I had a 97 GTI VR6 and I loved it. It did seem a touch nose-heavy, but my judgement may have been a little skewed going directly from a fairly light 16V A2 Jetta to the VR6 A3 GTI. The GTI was an absolute blast to drive! I loved that car.

All that being said, the CEL never went out, little stuff broke or fell off with regularity (headlight switches, door lock mechanisms, window regulators, etc).

In my VW days, I owned a GTI Vr6 for a while. I was underwhelmed though. Probably because I was also lucky enough to have a Corrado SLC at the same time, which thoroughly eclipsed the GTI.

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M030 wrote: All that being said, the CEL never went out, little stuff broke or fell off with regularity (headlight switches, door lock mechanisms, window regulators, etc).

Those are the complaints my boss has had with his '95.

I've driven it a couple times and it's a cool ride. Definitely nose heavier than a lot of similarly sized hatches, but the engine is pretty sweet. His was tuned a bit (cams, chip, LSD, exhaust, suspension), and is quite quick. The torque is quite impressive.

If the CEL isn't on, it's because somebody took it out... Seriously though, I've driven a few, and had a number of 2.0 MK3 chassis cars. None of mine have been nearly as bad as the interweb horror stories. I doubt there's any other car that can be as completely transformed by a good suspension. Stock they are very so-so, stiffen them up and add some good dampers and they really come alive and are quite fun to drive.

7pilot wrote: In my VW days, I owned a GTI Vr6 for a while. I was underwhelmed though. Probably because I was also lucky enough to have a Corrado SLC at the same time, which thoroughly eclipsed the GTI. m

The resident female & I (and her 5yr old son) took the black Corrado from Atlanta to Augusta GA for an old friend's wedding on Saturday. At our gas/pee/food stop, a guy in a new Mk.5 Jetta walked completely around my car, gushing with praise. "I didn't see any of these on the lot when I bought mine!", he said.

When I told him it was a 17yr old car, his mouth literally dropped open. Of course, the black one's been repainted. I doubt he would have said something like that about the green one.

Anyhoo...a buddy of mine had the Mk.3 VR6 GTI when it was new. Evidently, the suspension was softened for the US market. At the time, he was a little peeved that he had to spend $1K on suspension parts for a brand new car, but they sure woke the thing up!

Otherwise, they might be the last generation of the "reliable" German car. His GTI reminded me of my old BMWs...it never stranded him, but he spent a lot on stuff like exhaust hangers, door handles, and fuses/relays for the power cupholders and heated headliner etc., etc.

I love the VR6. It's hard to get serious power out of them without serious money, but for a street car they've got great torque, great HP, and great sound. A VR6 Mk.3 seems like it would be a wonderful car after you put a real suspension on it, and strip all the "upmarket" crap in the US version out of it.

Great cars, keep money around for timing chain guide repairs and get used to taking the transmissions out.

I love mine..(see my profile).....it isn't the most competitive car out on the market...just to damn nose heavy...but it holds its own quite well, not unheard of to pass a vett/m3/mustang in almost any place on lapping events...a chip, exhaust, and some suspension is a must. I don't think they are any less reliable than most cars on the market...and when stuff does break, it is pididily stuff, like over 100k the door keylock in driver door breaks, or it developes a coolant leak.

I do reccomend when you get a chip...get one that allows you to delete that stupid secondary air pump....that 10lb item makes working on the car rather difficult. 93~93 Vr's need timing chains about every 100k...96 and newer should get them at like 180k or so.

I've seen even the newer single chain cars (97+) need chains before 100k due to the upper front guide breaking and allowing enough slack to cause damage to the rear upper one.

Oh cooling parts (thermostat housing, crack pipe, little oil cooler hoses, aux and main water pumps and that little plastic upper cooling hose section) plan to replace them at least once.

I've seen even the newer single chain cars (97+) need chains before 100k due to the upper front guide breaking and allowing enough slack to cause damage to the rear upper one.

Oh cooling parts (thermostat housing, crack pipe, little oil cooler hoses, aux and main water pumps and that little plastic upper cooling hose section) plan to replace them at least once.

Paul_VR6 wrote: I've seen even the newer single chain cars (97+) need chains before 100k due to the upper front guide breaking and allowing enough slack to cause damage to the rear upper one.

I thought the new guides solved that problem? I've done the ones on the green C (original motor), but the PO before last of the black one just threw a junkyard motor in it (another early VR, it's got the dizzy instead of coil packs). I don't have the details, but I suspect the original motor bent some valves one day..

Documentation says that the replacement engine had about 78K or so on it when it was fitted. The guy I bought it from had only put about 6K on it, and I've done a lot less than that, so that engine's still probably got less than 100K on it. No "BBs in the blender" sound yet.

Paul_VR6 wrote: Oh cooling parts (thermostat housing, crack pipe, little oil cooler hoses, aux and main water pumps and that little plastic upper cooling hose section) plan to replace them at least once.

+1. There's a reason we call it the "crack pipe". It's plastic, and it cracks.

You're going to want one of these:
http://www.gruvenparts.com/website/cart/cart.php?target=product&product_id=255

...for a street car they've got great torque, great HP, and great sound.

Normally I'm fairly impervious to engine sounds, being more concerned about power and reliability. But driving alongside a VR6 on the freeway (with aftermarket exhaust,) wow, what a great sound, right up there with the Nissan V6 exhaust.

kb58 wrote:

...for a street car they've got great torque, great HP, and great sound.

Normally I'm fairly impervious to engine sounds, being more concerned about power and reliability. But driving alongside a VR6 on the freeway (with aftermarket exhaust,) wow, what a great sound, right up there with the Nissan V6 exhaust.

Weird thing is, I could swear that the VR6 has a different sound when it's warmed up than when it's cold. Have any of you other VR guys heard the difference, or am I just having ear problems?...

friedgreencorrado wrote:

kb58 wrote:

...for a street car they've got great torque, great HP, and great sound.

Normally I'm fairly impervious to engine sounds, being more concerned about power and reliability. But driving alongside a VR6 on the freeway (with aftermarket exhaust,) wow, what a great sound, right up there with the Nissan V6 exhaust.

Weird thing is, I could swear that the VR6 has a different sound when it's warmed up than when it's cold. Have any of you other VR guys heard the difference, or am I just having ear problems?...

I think a lot of cars are like that (cold fuel compensation in the tune maybe?). my friends 350z sounds nasty amounts of loud when its cold. almost raspy. when its warm it sounds more like a purrr....

cxhb wrote: I think a lot of cars are like that (cold fuel compensation in the tune maybe?). my friends 350z sounds nasty amounts of loud when its cold. almost raspy. when its warm it sounds more like a purrr....

Hmmm. Maybe I just never noticed before.

So, GTwannaB..what's the verdict? Gonna join us on the dark side?

(and yes, we VW guys are the dark side-because the other side has more "bling")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgEvy60bZYI

There was a very nice modded 99 VR6 on craigslist for $5k but it looks like it was sold. I drove a couple of stock VR6 ten years ago and was very disappointed by the stock suspension. The chain guard info is the type of details I need. If I can pick one up for the right price I am putting it on my list.

Yeah even the late cars can have chain problems if that front guide breaks (there is no upgrade part) and it's not taken care of quickly.

My car sounds the same cold and warm through the ear plugs.

Paul_VR6 wrote: Yeah even the late cars can have chain problems if that front guide breaks (there is no upgrade part) and it's not taken care of quickly.

Thanks for the tip, Paul. I'll keep an ear open on the black one. And I've already had the chains done on the green one. They're not exactly garage queens, but I don't drive them enough to worry about getting another 100K on `em for quite a while.

Paul_VR6 wrote: My car sounds the same cold and warm through the ear plugs.

Heh, heh. Don't you have to get it warm before you run it?