Tunerfag looking to get started

Hey Veeky Forums

I want to get started with tuning/modding, And I'm looking for a good place to start. I'm a Amerifat who loves Euro cars, but I'm certainly not a big fan of the price tag on them.

This will also be my first car that isn't a hand-me-down Ford Explorer, so id like something that's actually fun to drive.

I'm leaning towards a VW Mk5 GTI for my first, And I'm trying to stay in the 6-8k range.

Any owners care to weigh in? Or anyone want to steer me towards a more affordable, yet sane option to start modding?

If you like VW, I'd get something with the 20v 1.8T, those things have a massive amount of aftermarket support and aren't that expensive, mainly because they're somewhat old by now.
Commonly found in Mk4 Golfs and Jettas, B5 Passats and A4s, and 1st gen A3s and TTs.

Why not buy an old bug? They're great starter cars because They're easy to work on and parts are so readily available. You can find them for around less than 4k if you're really looking for a project. If the older cars don't appeal to you then I would stick to trying to find a VR6 or some MK4 GTI. They pop up in my area all the time for less than 6k all the time.

Bugs are sexy, I have to admit.
What's a good starter bug?

Look in the mid 70's range for model year, as for engines, if you can find a 1600cc you're set. I dont recommend a super beetle only because it runs Macpherson Struts up front and are prone to much more problems. Bugs are fun my dude, my dad and I built the one above and I couldn't have had more fun building any other car

How much did that build run you?

Really didnt cost too much since most of it was just metal that we formed into panels. Thats an awesome thing about bugs, making panels for them or just swapping parts from one bug to another is so easy

but they're slow as fuck user

t. settled for a regular Jetta because "at least it has the 1.8"

You can get them to make pretty decent power though, and they're common and relatively affordable.

why not just buy a faster car that doesn't need tuning...

yeah sure you can make it fast as fuck but shit's expensive, might as well get the gti so you won't get bored of it a day after you buy it

I'm poor

Hey, it's OP

I decided that trying to find a good MK5 GTI in my price range and physical range is going to be a royal pain in the ass, so I'm broadening my scope.

ANY car that's fun as hell to drive, preferably sub-5k, And also has an active aftermarket. Please Veeky Forums

then don't waste money tuning. buy a 3k civic and save your money until you can get something nice.

or buy that cheap piece of shit, make it fast and have twice the fun blowing the doors off of that faster car you used to want

>blowing the doors off
who cares about this? your daily commute is not a race track. kys.

>you're not allowed to have fun unless you're on a designated track

Euro cars are notoriously unreliable stateside, particularly cheap VW's because they're all built in Mexico. The German built cars don't have those issues.

Anyways, avoid Euro cars.
Look for a Neon SRT4, a Cobalt SS Supercharged, or a Saturn Ion Redline

>avoid euro cars, buy some burgershit instead

Mk5 owner here. It rides nice and has a great interior. Its very well balanced for a FWD. However its not that fast stock and as far as reliability is concerned im at 100,000 miles and ive been thought a turbo and a valve cover.

i have a mk5 gti. first upgrade id recommend is a nice set of coilovers

They're more reliable, take to mods better, and faster (both in a straight line, and around corners)
Sure, the interiors are shit, but the rest of the car is betterI'll sacrifice a good interior for mechanical reliability

retard

>no legitimate counter-argument
>lolretard
wow. you sure showed me.

>burgershit
>reliable
is this bait?

>Ecotec I4
>unreliable
pick one. The engine is still used to this day. Look in the base model Camaros, or base model Cadillacs. Hell, recent Buicks almost exclusively use the Ecotec engine, and they;re higher on reliability charts than fucking Toyota.

Not gonna lie user, the Euros will be more expensive to maintain. I drove a 30V Passat for almost ten years until it died; maintenance costs were a bitch and a half. I finally upgraded to a Mk5 R32 a few years back and the cost to maintain actually decreased, but the insurance went up. My poor baby got wrecked about a week ago so now I'm looking at a GTI or GLI.

I'm not saying to not get the Euro. Just know what you're getting into.

The SRT4 is sexy. Is there a large aftermarket for their parts?

how does it feel user?

What?

being the first person in all of recorded history to have said that first sentence you did

I'm a sucker for round headlights :(

Not OP but I think the SRT-4 looks pretty alright. It's heaps and miles faster than the GTI so what's the catch?

>my dad and I

it's a dodge and looks disgusting inside and out

it is an srt-4 and it is pretty fuckin quick but everybody will still make fun of you behind your back for driving a neon

what did you mean by this?

:^(

Idk I drive a shitty 04 malibu so I'm not too knowledgeable but I quite like the exterior. It looks like with proper coil overs and dropped 30mm it can be attractive. The interior is bland and the roundness looks outdated to say the least but the gauge clusters look nice. At the end of the day it's a 6k shitbox that does 0-60 in 5.5 seconds with tons of aftermarket. I used to be a big fan of the mk5 gti but this has me thinking.

C I V I C
I
V
I
C

this. buy an ek and swap a k20a2 with an ebay turbo into it. people talk smack about civics, but it's an undeniably fast set up