Audi A3

[GettinHeadStuds]

Anyone have one?

How does it drive?

Any opinions?

Techweenie chime in!

I'm thinking about getting one... but I'm gunna wait for the quattro version. Thanks for your input.

[techweenie]

It's a nice little runabout. You can burn rubber like crazy with it. Turbo lag isn't too bad -- probably a good combo with the DSG trans. Solid car. Not great in the corners, but I got it to haul 911 parts. And the first weekend I had it, I piled the back full of 911 rear suspension, axles, fender, etc. and it had plenty of room for more.

[StevoRocket]

A3 2.0T Quattro bought in April 2005. Sports suspension and wheels.
200 bhp, 0-60, in 7 seconds, top speed 145mph. 31 to the gallon on a new engine on 2500 mile trip to Italy.

Now 7000 miles on the clock. Feels rock steady on 90mph autoroute corners when overtaking lines of trucks- much better than the 911 which tramlines and requires forehead wrinkling concentration.

Easy to drive - great brakes, very little noticable turbo lag - if any. No oil used in 7000 miles. Engine still in the process of loosening up.

All in all a great car.

[Willem Fick]

I have one (non turbo), and simply love it. Its done just over 100k miles, and still goes like the day I got it. Solid as well, and many people have commented on the fact that the interior shows so little age, despite the car being 6 years old. Sure, it isn't exactly a fast car, but it has on occasion amazed me, such as the time I did 110mph with a trailer full of bicycles....

Things that have gone wrong:
Watch the oil pump, if it makes noise replace it, as replacing 20 valves isn't fun.
I've had issues with the connector on the ECU showing corrosion, which caused the car to cut out or surge - $1 fix though.

Other than that, the following is worth knowing:
First clutch replacement only yesterday
Original CVs and CV boots
Third set of brake pads
Second set of tyres
12km/l fuel consumption (mostly urban)

You can't go wrong!

[StevoRocket]

This is it

[techweenie]

I haven't photographed mine, but here's its twin:



Mine has only one option -- DSG. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably spring for the 'sport' package just so I didn't have a plastic steering wheel... mind you, it's really easy to ad $6K in options to these things.

AFAIK, in the US, you cannot get the bespoke luggage rack bars they offer in Yurrup. I'm almost tempted to smuggle a set over...

[RallyJon]

I'd go for a used S4 avant for the same money. The A3 would be a great car for $25-28k, but it's quickly into the mid-$30s with options.

[techweenie]

Originally posted by RallyJon
I'd go for a used S4 avant for the same money. The A3 would be a great car for $25-28k, but it's quickly into the mid-$30s with options.

I originally went to the dealer looking for a used A4 Avant. They didn't have any. They are the largest-volume Audi dealer in the US and had sold only a handful of S4 Avants. Resale on those things is so incredibly strong that I doubt you could find one even at the equivalent price of a fully-loaded A3. At least, that was my experience.

[RallyJon]

True--if you're looking for a newer, factory-warranteed daily driver, the V8 S4s are mid-high $30s and very hard to find.

The real bargains are in the older twin-turbo models ('01-'02) which are frequently in the low-mid $20s. They generally fall into two categories:

1) Post-blown turbos. Have either had the turbos replaced with stock under warranty, which is fine and you have new turbos. Or, upgraded with larger turbos for the same price, which is fine and you have 350HP and more durability.

2) Pre-blown turbos. Most people who have maintained their cars in stock condition have purchased an aftermarket extended warranty specifically to pay for replacing the turbos when they die. I would never buy an S4, on original turbos, without a warranty. Fortunately, the aftermarket warranties are generally transferrable for a fee.

We've had an '01 S4 Avant for 70k miles. It was in a bad accident two years ago and we chose to keep it even after $20k worth of repairs. We looked hard, but there is nothing available in its class that comes close.

[GettinHeadStuds]

Does the back seat fold down?

[craigster59]

I have an A3 DSG, Sport, Open Sky, Navigation. It's a great car so far (only 5k on the clock) and great on gas. The back seat is a 60/40 fold down with a "ski hole" fold down on the 60 side. I also was looking for a used A4 Avant but after test driving the A3, it was all over. Also it's 200hp, but for $599 you can get an APR chip that takes it up to 253hp which I'll probably do soon.

[techweenie]

Originally posted by craigster59
for $599 you can get an APR chip that takes it up to 253hp which I'll probably do soon.

Please PM me when you do that!

[wludavid]

Originally posted by RallyJon
True--if you're looking for a newer, factory-warranteed daily driver, the V8 S4s are mid-high $30s and very hard to find.

The real bargains are in the older twin-turbo models ('01-'02) which are frequently in the low-mid $20s. They generally fall into two categories:

1) Post-blown turbos. Have either had the turbos replaced with stock under warranty, which is fine and you have new turbos. Or, upgraded with larger turbos for the same price, which is fine and you have 350HP and more durability.

2) Pre-blown turbos. Most people who have maintained their cars in stock condition have purchased an aftermarket extended warranty specifically to pay for replacing the turbos when they die. I would never buy an S4, on original turbos, without a warranty. Fortunately, the aftermarket warranties are generally transferrable for a fee.

We've had an '01 S4 Avant for 70k miles. It was in a bad accident two years ago and we chose to keep it even after $20k worth of repairs. We looked hard, but there is nothing available in its class that comes close.

This is what bugs me about Audi (and VWs too I guess). It's not a matter of if a major component will die in the first 70-100k, it's when it will die. Why would you a buy a car knowing you'd have to spend several thousand dollars in repairs that soon? My dad had an Audi 5000 in the late eighties. He was paranoid everyday that that day would be when his turbo or steering rack decided it was done.

[adamred]

This is what bugs me about Audi (and VWs too I guess). It's not a matter of if a major component will die in the first 70-100k, it's when it will die. Why would you a buy a car knowing you'd have to spend several thousand dollars in repairs that soon? My dad had an Audi 5000 in the late eighties. He was paranoid everyday that that day would be when his turbo or steering rack decided it was done.

My dad had a 5000 turbo as well, I think he blew 3 turbos before he finally put the old girl out of her misery when he rearended a buick station wagon

When I bought my A6 avant, I specifically went with a non-turbo, lowly 2.8 version. Slow and steady wins the race....I have my P-car for my need for speed days...

[RallyJon]

Why would you a buy a car knowing you'd have to spend several thousand dollars in repairs that soon?

Sounds like you need an Accord or Camry.

It's unfortunately a modern rule of thumb that you do not own a European car unless you can deal with major maintenance issues. If you buy new, you get a comprehensive warranty. If you buy used, you either get an aftermarket warranty or you make sure you save enough on the purchase price to cover any issues that might/will arise.

Never mind the engine--check out the price on the instrument cluster, the HVAC controller or almost any other component that might fail without warning.

Again, the used price reflects all of this. There's a reason VAG products hold their value so poorly.

The issue with the S4 is not the turbos dying. Any turbo that lasts 100k miles owes you nothing. It's the tight packaging that requires several days of labor to change them.

But don't pass judgement until you've ridden in a 450+ HP S4.

[wludavid]

Originally posted by RallyJon
Sounds like you need an Accord or Camry.

Touche - the ultimate sideways putdown for any car guy. I understand the upkeep risks that come along with fun cars; I just choose to draw the line lower than some. It doesn't mean I understand or agree with those that choose to deal with those problems. The higher horsepower doesn't justify the higher cost of ownership.

[RallyJon]

LOL! Could say the same thing about every 911 owner who can't stomach a $10k engine rebuild...

[techweenie]

I leased my A3, and the maintenance is free for the entire period of the lease. That was a compelling reason to go for the new 2.0 turbo vs. a used 1.8 turbo, despite the positive reputation that engine enjoys. Modern cars are complex and the number of people who can really diagnose and repair them is dwindling.