[hermanpj]

Wow - what a response. Is everybody on this forum so feisty? This is going to be so much fun! I've been on other forums for years, but this is my first VW forum. You guys sure are fired up! Bruce, I just thought it was odd that in your opening and only line you thought it important to tell me essentially little else other than, nice car, but a souped-up GTI will outrun you. My point was this: I dont care - its not why I bought the car. My rationale for buying it was to get a dependable, comfortable car with better economy than my previous car.

Are you concerned that I'm bragging I bought an R32? And that's why you feel its important to set me straight? To tell me I overpaid for a car that can get smoked by a GTI, so there!? WOW. Let me re-assure you: I have no illusions - GTIs and R32's are Volkswagen Rabbits. I bought a Rabbit. A nice one. But at the end of the day, a Rabbit. I'm not bragging. I assumed this was an enthusiasts forum, and perhaps another R32 owner would respond with some comments. You know, dialog about what to look out for... that sort of thing? I didn't know I had to be careful not to set you off.

The comment I made about 'younger demographic' was firstly a comment on my age and perhaps irony that I am driving a younger man's car, and secondly a tounge-in-cheek apology to the forum if not being concerned with street tuning and racing these cars puts me at odds with what the forum likes discussing. Read what i wrote. That comment was a polite, and humorous apologetic for the forum since I hadn't had the pleasure of interacting with anyone in it. It was not for you to personally misconstrue as labeling you.

As to how much extra I so unwisely paid for my excessively costly and overweight Rabbit, here are the figures:

An 08 GTI with autobahn package and 6 speed DSG automatic goes for $28K (really almost $29K). Thats the baseline for comparison, not the base GTI which is $22.9, because that is the car I was looking for. Unfortunately there were none around in United Gray. So I paid $31K for an R32. That's $3K more, not $10K more. I got the color I wanted, and and along with that I got dual zone climate control, a V6 engine, 18 inch wheels, more robust brakes, and full time all wheel drive. $3k extra for all that. I would actually call that a good deal.

As to the curious inclusion of weight data at the end of your comments: Yes the R32 is heavier. If you say its 400 lbs heavier, great. I don't care what they weigh. I would note that the extra weight is due to the R32 having a powered rear axle, a driveshaft to that axle, a transfer case, and a larger engine. So I agree w you on that point: I did buy a heavier car than you did. What I don't get is why thats important. Oh I know I know... if you are racing these things, you want them to be very light... but, check this out:

I'm not racing it.

Except maybe to the grocery store to get a jug of milk in the middle of the night. I'm not going to chip it either. Or supercharge it. Or do anything else that would void a powertrain warranty. All I'm going to do is drive it to work and back. To the airport once a week. Errands on weekends sometimes. So... why is it important that a GTI weighs 400 lbs less and with a $500 aftermarket chip, will beat me in straight line acceleration? A Rabbit with the 2.5 5 cyl would beat me from a stoplight because I don't consider the wasted gasoline important enough to win stoplight races.

I also acknowledge I am guilty of buying an automatic as you so rightly point out. I must be nuts. Crazy me not wanting to shift constantly in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic on my daily 45 to 90 minute commutes in Dallas.

I do hope you enjoy your car, and if racing is important for you, I wish you luck!