Which NBC to get... 04 1.8T or 06 2.5L??

[ninermac]

Silver 04 1.8T with 56K on it at a dealership. Asking $11,900 and giving a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty. Carfax looks ok,no accidents or warnings, but not all maintenance shown (seems to be normal as people get it done at places that don't update, etc.) I think I could possibly get it for 10.

Tan 06 with 45K on it at a local used car place where they are just selling it for a customer. All service records, no wrecks, owned by an older couple who no longer need the second car. They took very good care of it. Asking $12,800 and guessing i can get it for 12.

Both are manuals. Both in really good shape it seems.

I might want to chip at some point, knowing the 1.8T would be very nice chipped, the 2.5L if chippable would also suffice with 170-180hp from APR. It looks like that could be a gamble on the 2.5L as to whether the ECU is upgradable by APR.

I do not plan to do anything further than the chipping on either car though.

I do like that the 06 would not have the wing problems the 04 could have or develop. The 04 is also staring at timing belt, pump, etc. repairs too.

What would you do?

[boogety boogety]

You already know the answer.

The '06. Better reliability, less upkeep, and no silly wings. Those wings are the reason I traded in my '03, they were a nightmare just waiting to happen again and again...

Good luck!

[Fl_bug]

I would go for the 2.5 in this case. If you want a normal cruiser with a good blend between HP, MPG, and reliability, then this is the car for you.

10k mile oil changes, near 200k mile timing chain change, and similar stock power and fuel figures. Almost a care free engine.

The 1.8T on the other hand, is really the engine you want if you have high performance goals. A Chip on the 1.8T and you're looking at a minimum of 200hp vs the stock 150hp. However, you have to "worry" about the timing belt, waterpump, and for a 2004, the flaps/wings for the top. Also 5k mile synthetic oil changes.

So long story short, if you want a turbo vert, try to see if you can find a 2005 where they removed the flaps/wings. If you want a nice cruiser car with a lot of pep, then you want the 2.5.

[bugsy98nb]

get a 2.0L with manual top. no flaps to worry about no switch or motor to go out when you are putting the top up or down. I averaged 36 mpg on the hwy with mine.

[Cliffnotes]

Smart not to let that Timing Belt go for too long ...

In your choices, my concern would be that the actual Turbo [itself] on the 1.8T might be aging [not knowing the service history], but having said this that's what I drive, having traded out my old one for a new-remanufactured one at 75K