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I've been considering a different car for a daily driver and occassional track day car.  Primarily at BIR and Road America.

A friend of mine has the MS3 and has driven it impressively at BIR.  You can see him getting chased and not passed by a Boxster S on You Tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zap-BRWW8aM

As much as I like that car, I'm more of a GTI fan (VW style, interior materials, DSG, flat bottom steering wheel, etc).  

I test drove a GTI DSG for the 1st time today and had a ton of fun. But it definitely doesn't have the raw punch of the MS3.

For 95% of my driving I'd go with the GTI hands down.  But for those track days, would I be kicking myself for not choosing the MS3?

Has anyone seen lap times of both cars?  Will the MS3 be a better track day car?

OR,
Am I better off to find the nicest 330i for the $25k range of the other 2 cars?  

The Mazdaspeed3 is definitely the better track car.  Road&Track recently did a comparison test of five similarly-priced sporty small cars: the Nissan Sentra SE-R, Mini Cooper S, Honda Civic Si, VW GTI, and Mazdaspeed3.  None of the other cars came close to the Mazda on the track; it's awesome 263 hp turbo engine, well sorted suspension and fade-free brakes made it the fastest by far.  The only complaint was the finicky shifter.  However, the Mazda is a bit harsh in everday driving, and its interior isn't nearly as good as the GTI's, which led most of the writers to pick the VW as their choice to own.

As to your choice of VW vs. Mazda, I guess it depends on how often you do track days, and of course your driving impression of each car.  But I'd say take the GTI; it's way more comfortable on the road and can handle track days almost as well as the Mazda.  If power is an issue, you can can always get the GTI chipped to provide more boost- that same 2.0 turbo engine resides in the Euro-spec Audi A3 and reliably makes 260 hp.

And if you're REALLY serious about your track days, you shouldn't even be looking at FWD cars.      

Hey there,
Well, if you're asking the staff of Automobile that question, we'll say GTI. It is, after all, our 2007 Automobile of the Year.

Does that make it a track star, though? Um, no. It's definitely a better all-around car than the MS3, and can easily be made just as fast (check the site over the next few days for a story on our Four Seasons GTI -- we've made some improvements on it).

If you're quick around a track, you'll definitely need to do some brake upgrades to either car. But more importantly -- if you're looking for a track car, our advice is not to look at anything but RWD cars.

The 330i is heavy, but ultimately would be more fun around the track and be the better daily driver.

Jason  

Seriously, MazdaManiac, citing Road & Track is sooooo not cool.  I mean, Hachette Filipacchi Media?  Who reads a magazine with a publishing company name like that?

Don't anger the Primedians.  Bad things happen....

...And guys, why not consider an awd sti or evo?  Something used would be right in that price range.  

Yeah... Road&Track. Sorry.    

I get Automobile Mag too, but I like R&T because they actually declare winners when they compare cars.

Good point on the STi and Evo, I was thinking about mentioning them in my first post.  If track days are of the utmost importance, the Evo would be my recommendation.  The STi is a little less hardcore, so it would probably be a better car for daily driving though.  These cars are really in a different class than the Mazdaspeed3 and the GTI, due to their race-oriented setup and AWD (which trumps FWD in every aspect of performance).  They also attract a lot of attention from cops and highway patrol, so it can be difficult to have some fun and keep your driving record clean.  One of my buddies owns an STi and got his license revoked for doing 120 in a 55 zone.  Yes, he is an idiot, but I can imagine that it's hard to drive responsibly in one of these cars!  

I would advise You to choose Mazda than VW! It's reliable!  

You might want to look at a used 2005 Subaru Legacy GT as well. It's got the STI motor and with a $600 chip makes as much power if not more. It's slipperier as well with less drag than a 2007 Vette. It comes with larger brakes than a WRX and everyone knows Subi drive trains are indestructible. Plus it's a great daily driver, with all the amenities and the best part is you can get a nice one for around 18-22K.  

If you want to enjoy driving the car on the edge all the time,I'd go with the Mazda.

It's lower to the ground and has a great suspension setup.

But if you really want to enjoy the cars sport suspension only on weekends and have to carry anything or other people like in cities where you have to pick riders for HOV lanes,that GTI is a really tough car to pass on.

The GTI is much easier to get in and out of,has bigger doors,windows,space inside but if you're driving like your an F1 racer,that all adds extra weight.

Still,reality would says,the GTI-it's also one of VW's most reliable models too.

That does'nt hurt.

One last thing,as a daily driver and for reliability purposes,I'd pass on that dsg transmission and go with the tried and true manual gearshift transmission.  

I'm after the performance. So I'll go with GTI... But if  I'm in a tight budget I'll definitely go for Mazda...  

I too am trying to decide between a MS3 and a GTI. My wife has a Mazda 3s she lets me drive sometimes. The idea of putting almost another 100hp in a Mazda 3 sounds like fun. I like the GTI's balance of style and comfort. My wife is trying to point me at a Subaru WRX. Has anyone driven a MS3 in the snow? The car I pick will be a year around daily driver.  

The Subari has all wheel drive and I've see a Subaru station wagon with snow up to it's grill just drive right through the snow in a front yeard and out onto a main street.

The GTI is a Volkswagen (front wheel drive)where they have MASSIVE snow in Germany during the winter.

Volkswagens are engineered to maximize their front wheel drive design for snow weather.

The Mazda I cannt say anything good or bad about but it is a front wheel drive vehicle and they do well in the snow as a rule on plowed roads.

But in these three,the Subaru's four wheel drive is a winner.  

These posts are all very helpful! I am looking for a new car and the Speed3 and GTI are at the top of my list. While I haven't made any decisions yet, the Mazda dealer was asking a 5K dealer mark up on the Mazdaspeed 3! 30K for one of those!?! No thanks! Hope you can get a good deal!  

If you want a great daily driver and an awesome track car then go with the MS3.  Not only is it faster then the GTI but it can be had for cheaper.  I've also seen these cars put out 320 whp with just an intercooler upgrade, cai, and a manual boost controller.

The GTI for as great as a handling car it is, is no comparison.  The only real comparison the MS3 has is the Neon SRT4 and it beats it by a lot in the interor  

Also to point out that though the Subaru may have AWD, they're great for snow and that's about it.  They're slow in a strait line and they're expensive to modify.  I say either buy the MS3 or a used Neon SRT4.  Trust me you won't go wrong with either two considering I own both lol  

The GTI is my pick.  It is by far the best all-rounder and it has good handling.  It will be compromised on track by a bit but everywhere else its better.  Plus the VW has that German build quality.  I have a GTI and cherish it.  The Mini is another consideration but it isn't as fast and it may be too cute for you.  I also doubt its as safe as the others.  The C30 is a nice machine but it won't give you track thrills.  
-Cheers!