Hello, all!

I'm currently a happy (when I'm not paying a mechanic) owner of a 2010 Touareg Lux LTD TDI. Fantastic vehicle that is a joy to drive in all weather conditions, super comfortable and reasonably good utility-wise (the raised cargo floor from the AdBlue tank is a bit of an annoyance from time to time). The two-tone leather interior of the Lux LTD is just gorgeous and has held up well over the vehicle's 103k miles (I'm the second owner as of 92k).

I live in the suburbs of Boston and am in the job market, with the most interesting and appealing positions either in Boston or in other suburban areas 30+ highway miles from where I live. Many of the positions that interest me would involve visiting customers (about which I'll feel better once I get the vaccine "jab"), so I really don't want to start running up the odometer on the Treg.

I'm considering a used Golf GTI, and am trying to keep the spend under USD $20k. The 2016 model with Performance Package seems to be in the sweet spot both for price and miles on the odometer. I might regret this (if I end up spending time in Boston traffic), but I really am leaning toward the manual 6-speed. I haven't had a shift it yourself vehicle for too many years (my ex refused to drive a manual...that was the first hint of how things would ultimately end up). We'll see if that transmission choice ends up being a lasting preference!

Since the vehicle will be my fair weather car (the Treg with Falken Wildpeaks will serve as the snow and foul weather ride), I REALLY want a sunroof. Unfortunately, this has been an issue with the Treg. My local dealer's service department has done a crap job of eliminating a leak that comes in just above the overhead console. (Honestly, would you actually clean out the drain tubes and NOT do a thorough leak test?) I don't know if this is a known issue with the GTI non-panoramic sunroof or not and will be scouring this forum for information.

I prefer not to go older than the 2016 since it's the first year with Apple CarPlay - a seemingly great alternative to factory navigation as it eliminates the periodic map updates required in addition to better phone integration (a must if I'll be managing a full calendar of visits to clients). That's another item about which I'll want to learn from owner experiences.

I've seen quite a variety of option packages on vehicles in the classifieds, and my head is spinning as far as what I WANT (leather vs. cloth...I think! Hot in summer...) versus what I can live without (lane change assist, parking proximity sensors, etc.).

So there it is. Looking forward to learning from you all - both on the GTI hunt and Touareg experiences.

Cheers!

Brian