 When researching for a car I had a who's-who's list of import cars.  The list had 20 cars in total and I test drove each and every one of them. In the end I picked up the GTI. After almost a year of owning it, I love it more now than the day I picked it up. I still love to go out and just drive for hours. The only problem I have had with the car is an "airbag fault" which really isn't an airbag fault at all, just a small connector problem which one stop to the dealer easily fixed. I've heard this problem was fixed on the newer '07 models. If you love to drive, I mean really LOVE to drive. This is the perfect car for you.