I have owned a 08 Si and now own a 2012 speed3 both of them I used as DD's.

I'll start with the Si. Mine had the HFP suspension and exhaust. It got great gas mileage in the city (I pretty much only drove city with this car). The Si is one of the nicest cars for shifts that I have never driven, you could blow on it and it would go in gear. In short it was a fun little car but nothing to write home about.

As for the Speed3 I love it. It's stock as of right now (Other then cosmetics). I bought it brand new and now sitting at 13,000KM's. The gas mileage isn't as good as the Si, but still not that bad. I love how much torque it has, starting off at light you don't need to touch the gas at all it just moves on it's own. The Speed3 by far handles better then the Si. Plus it fit's my large dog in the back no prob. But as said above the Speeds gear box sucks. You have to have a firm hand when shifting and (atleast in mine) 2nd gear is a pain untill it's fully warmed up.

So, in short I havn't driven a new GTI (only a old 90's one) but out of the Si and Speed3 I would pick the Speed3. It handles better, you can fit more into it, almost the same gas mileage, and potential for a lot more power!

Just about any of these turbo FWD hot hatches will have issues with torque steer and traction. For the speed3, you can dial down the power by gear with a Cobb AP to help in 1st and 2nd. After market motor mounts help with wheel hop. It has an LSD so that helps a bit with traction.

I've driven both a speed 3, and a 2007 gti. While the speed 3 is faster, the gti was just more fun and had a better feeling fit and finish from the drivers seat. Before you say I'm biased because I own the gti, these test drives were when I was car shopping, and I chose the gti. Both were fun. The speed 3 was a 2009 and the gti I own is 07. I haven't had the car in the shop once other than oil changes and a recall with something, after putting on about 45k on top of the 45k it had when I bought it. After spending 500 bucks on flashing the ecu and before any other mods, a speed 3 is slower than my gti so thats no longer a downfall. Honestly though both are awesome cars, and the deciding factor was the fact I thought the gti looked a lot better, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don't know much about the si but I think the price that the higher end civics go for is a bit out to lunch from being in friends civics. Also as someone said about the 3, the hatch is nice in both that and the gti. Hot young hipster broads like VW too so thats usually a plus. Go take some test drives, and keep an open mind, but I can tell you I really love my car, and unless a decently priced M3 or 135i fell into my lap I can't see getting rid of it soon.

The huge dsg issues were with the mechatronic unit (whatever the fuck that is, I really don't follow or care to learn about the double clutch gearboxes as I hopefully will never own one) and were all replaced under recall, so it shouldn't be a huge issue. Regardless 6 speed is the way to go in these cars for the long term though.
Also I saw someone mention torque steer. Theres ways to chill it out a bit, but all high powered fwd cars suck for it out of the box.

How much hp/torque do chipped GTI's run with BC gas?

I haven't had mine dyno'd. My tune is supposed to be 246hp and 283tq on 91. Gonna go stage 2 this year when I get around to getting a turbo back exhaust instead of this shitty catback. The difference before and after the chip was like a totally different car. Stg 2 is like 260/305+ and all you really need is an aftermarket downpipe for hardware.

if i had a choice between those three i would go GTI

Seems like a chipped GTI is about the same as a speed3 with an Cobb AP tune. Both are probably knocked limited on our local gas. I dyno'd my speed3 2 yrs ago on a Dynojet, got 273hp/311tq on a Cobb OTS tune, while the ECU was pulling 3-4 degrees of timing due to knock. I'd estimate I'm around 295hp/325tq based on my data logs on my current tune with methanol injection.

The gti is limited to about 280hp/330tq by its ko3 with a stg2+ tune which needs turbo back, intake and hfpf. Ko4 kits can be had for 1800 though then we are looking at the 330/340 range for hp, and locally cts turbo is a really experienced vw/audi tuner with worldwide notoriety. I think we are both getting ahead of ourselves now though:fullofwin:

i"ve driven/worked on all 3, and from my experience...

the Mazda is the fast one
the Honda is the reliable one
the GTI is the one uncle hitler drives to the shop to get fixed

I'd go mazda for pure performance, Honda for peice of mind and still have a sporty car.. and the gti if i fell on a patch of ice and became slightly retarded.

I guess I got a lemon from the gti tree then.

I would also take a look at some rwd cars in your price range, a g35 comes to mind, as well as the last gen TL although that's not rwd.

Unless you're set on these cars in which case I would vote for speed 3

You want reliability so I would stick to the SI

Clearly the right choice is the Ford F150

http://usedcars.shopwilsons.com/Port...ord%20f150.jpg

The F-Series is a series of full-size pickup trucks from Ford Motor Company which has been sold continuously for over six decades. The most popular variant of the F-Series is the F-150. It was the best-selling vehicle in the United States for 24 years, currently (2007) the best-selling truck for 37 years, and the best selling vehicle in Canada, though this does not include combined sales of GM pickup trucks. In the tenth generation of the F-series, the F-250 and F-350 changed body style in 1998 and joined the Super Duty series.

mazdaspeed 3 hands down.

civics low hp, a kids car
vw gti, problems problems problems, parts are expensive and a bit more power from civic but fuck no lulz
mazdaspeed 3..... turbo, 4 doors for more whores, turbo, great bang for the money, did i say turbo already?

Civic being a "kid's car" is saying as much as BMW's being "C-lai" cars.

In my honest opinion, after have driven the Civic Si and a Speed3, I personally would go for the Speed3 since the Si has a lack of options (if it matters to you). Torque steer is big in the Speed3, but the Si lacks serious torque. I've even had the chance to drive a supercharged Si once, and that one still required me to shift at around 3.5k rpm to keep up with rush hour accelerating traffic.

VW would be nice with a chip tune.

I think this can be summed up as easily as this:

Cheap + Reliable =/= Fast - Civic
Fast + Reliable =/= Cheap - Speed 3
None of the above - GTI

go with the speed3, mine just had a engine replaced through mazda cuz the dealership i got it from was useing cheap gas when it was on there lot so im guessing that hurt the engine and it blew up a few weeks after i got it when my gf was on a road trip to quesnel....keep up with maintenance use 94 and itll treat you right...the performance is good for a daily driver, roomy and comfy to drive, its shifting isnt that great like someone else said, 2nd gear is notchy until the car is fully warm and then it shifts good, that is my only complaint with the car but other then that it is a great car and i recommend it to anyone...its also surprisingly good in the snow with snow tires.

IIRC 08 GTI has a better engine than the 07. That DSG is really a fun gearbox and the car feels extremely planted. IMO the rear is less twitchy than the civic, and the car is really fun and easy to drive at it's grip limit, however out of all 3 it's probably the worst to take out on the track. The chassis is rock solid but you have to live with it to really experience its merits.

that being said my vote goes for a 4 door civic. It's a great all rounder and prices are excellent. Honda parts are cheaper and the second hand parts market is decent.

I was choosing between the three and ended up with the Civic Si, mostly due to NA/Honda reliability.

If I could do it all over again, I'd probably go with a GTI DSG w/ extended warranty, despite the reliability concerns + higher price tag. I would much prefer its hatch bodystyle for practicality, and DSG for commuting in rush hour traffic. Plus the GTI interior is WAY nicer than the MS3.

I've invested enough in the Civic Si to keep it for a while, but I'll most likely go with a GTI DSG next time around, unless Subaru makes a dual-clutch auto for their next WRX hatch.

^ I bought an Si myself, If i could do it all over again i would of bought none of the three. I'd of bought something rwd. Probably a Z

I looked at all three. I ended up with a MS3. I think if I didn't buy the MS3, I would have picked a Si, not the 2012 mind you, it would have to be the last gen Si.

If you need it to be auto, then GTI is the only one you can get. If you want the GTI then only get the DSG. I'm really not a big fan of the shifter and clutch in the GTI.

If you get the MS3, there are a few things you HAVE to do before the car is enjoyable. Rear motor mount, short shift plate, and shifter bushings.

The new 2012 Si's only have VTEC on the exhaust cam, and the the exhaust manifold is casted together with the head so you can't swap headers. Many fails on the new car. Not to mention the steering is way too light and the body roll is ridiculous. A last gen Civic LX has less body roll than that thing.

2011 or older Si is a must.

GTI. You won't regret it.

German build quality? rofl