Looking for an S3, what can i expect?

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harryc

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Hi guys, i currently own a corrado vr6 but am looking to sell it and buy an S3.
Im after;
-2001+
-225 BAM engine
-Facelift
-Preferably black
-Sub 90k miles
-Under £5.5k
-FSH and healthy engine, body etc

I've been doing a fair bit of searching but havnt found exactly what im after. Am i being too ambitious or are these reasonable requirements for the price?
 
no chance really mate, ur looking at a pre-facelift or maybe face-lift but no 225 for that price. best to be honest!
 
Is there any reason you're after a bam 225 engine? They all remap to the same and can proba get a facelift amk 210 engine around that price. Milege wise may be a little higher.
 
Nothing wrong with an AMK. I've got a facelift one. Mapped up it's all the same as the BAM when mapped. If you look too hard for just a BAM you probably won't find much under your criteria.
 
Exactly, honesty is what im after! im worried that if i aim to high i'll end up buying a dog where as i could get a lower spec and a decent car. 5.5k is my absolute max, is the 225 BAM associated with the facelift model (around 02?)? Just read a thread on the corrado forum that said the only difference between the 210 and 225 is a remap, is that true? I thought they had different engine codes?
 
Tbh mate, you cant go wrong with a pre-facelift s3, cheaper road tax, remaps to same power etc. I wouldnt change mine for the world lol. Also, strong internals, :).
 
Only difference in the engines is, the Bam doesnt have a SAI, and has a different ecu to the APY, also the vacuum pipes are a slightly different set-up, that it apart from the extior and interior.
 
as above really harry: u can always buy facelift headlights and rear clusters :) 5.5k is still a decent budget, just dont go chasing rainbows and ull be just fine
 
I just purchased a 210, 2001 S3 - had done 50k miles...

You can get lower mileage cars - however you have to just keep looking.
 
if it helps mate, two s3s were up for sale recently: a 99 plate with 33k one owner full audi service history for £6000 and a 2001 facelift 38k on clock full audi service history for £6800... i know because my bro in law was going to buy them until the bad weather snookered us!
 
Thanks for all the replies, thats cleared up pretty much everything. I'll definately be going for the 110 and a remap and a facelift model if i can but not too bothered and will happily have pre. Do you get more car for your money if you go for a 210 pre-facelift as they may be seen as less desireable to most despite there being very little difference?
 
£5500 should EASILY get you a facelift car on under 100k. EASILY.

I'm sure Mike only paid £5500 for his IHI'd car with a massive spec?

I know plenty of people who've bought mint facelift cars for around £5k.
 
There was a kd on hear who got a facelift AMK s3 with dvd palyer etc for £3800, the jami t*at haha.
 
Yeah 5.5 should see you a nice motor... AMK also doesnt have SAI.

Just keep looking, hold out for one with the decent extras (not bose). Just go round making cheeky offers, some people are so desperate to sell to a genuine buyer. Also the price of S3's has dropped quite alot recently.
 
x2 about the AMK doesn't have SAI.

Keep looking mate. I was lucky and found one in a few days. Don't rush it though. Good S3's come to those who wait! ;)
 
secondary air injection... not sure whats it actuial purpose is but can be problematic and alot of people blank it off. Yes the AMK is 210.
 
you'l easy fing a facelift car for that. not many bams out there but that doesnt matter at all. facelift will give you more options and looks aa little newr
 
audi upgrades
I Have to agree with holding out on this one. I have just bought a 2001 AMK 210 Facelift in silver with full Audi history and near enough mint for 100k miles but I was looking for months and went to see 3 S3's before buying this one for £4200 ( a steal in my opinion and well worth the 8hr round trip!).
I personally wouldnt buy one that doesnt have a good Audi or VAG specialist service history or Main dealer history simply because of the haldex missing services on some cars without good history.
 
Nothing wrong whatsoever with a pre-facelift, better looking centre console IMHO and they remap the same, if bothered the lights can be changed for later ones easilly. Always buy on condition rather than age, a good pre-facelift with high spec and history much better buy than a facelift with iffy history and poor spec.

oh and Silver ones are fastest :yes:
 
looking how cheap s3s are going for now, im kinda regretting buying my 1.8t quattro instead of one. sayin that, i think i'll keep this and keep modifying it to keep me happy until 8P s3s get to around 11k :-D
 
Especially on a well looked after audi ..
Best waiting and keeping your eye open for the right 1 even if it takes 2 months and a few visits don't have to jump into buying the first one ..
But 5500 in my eyes is more than enough to get a well looked after s3
Out of interest how much are facelift headlights ?
 
sai is.... basically..... an emissions cheating thing.
on initial cold start up the sec. air inj. pump runs for 20/30 seconds while on "choke"..... it blows fresh air thru the egr system into the exhaust to get the hydrocarbons ppm coming out of the engine down to acceptable levels by the time the gasses come out of the tail pipe.
 
I bought a facelift 210 a couple of months ago for £4800, one owner from new, 120k, all MOTs, tax discs (wtf?!), full documented history from Audi or the same specialist in Silver. The car is cosmetically mint, inside and out.

I've had a new clutch and flywheel (wasn't going to do this for a bit, but decided to go for it as I'm keeping it for some time) and some bushes replaced so far and need a new Xenon headlamp assembly before the next MOT - so there's some things to look out for!
 
Last edited:
What month did they become facelift? Do all facelifts have xenons? getting a good idea of what i can get for the money. Went to Audi today to see if they had any second hand exqamples i could test drive. Saw a silver s3 (s3rsx) on the way in kingston, looked nice, anyone on here?
 
Viewed this today;
AUDI S3 QUATTRO on eBay (end time 31-Dec-10 09:52:43 GMT)
Believe its a facelift 225 model. FSH audi and the dealer had cambelt, water pump and haldex serviced by the garage next door. Slight bubbling on roof rails, seemed nice but was taken on a test drive that consisted of a 30mph circuit around the block so ended up being pretty unimpressed. I think that may be the result of being a young guy looking at a car like this but having arrived and left in my vr6 rado i found the s3 a bit of a let down. Im sure that if i was given the chance to drive it quickly i would enjoy it but its such a shame my first experience was such a disappointment! We loved the interior and the looks, just need to give one a good thrash!
 
****** dealer! He didn't seem to know a great deal about the Haldex but was told it was facelift and a 225...guess i keep looking and test drive some more!
 
harryc said:
Viewed this today;
AUDI S3 QUATTRO on eBay (end time 31-Dec-10 09:52:43 GMT)
Believe its a facelift 225 model. FSH audi and the dealer had cambelt, water pump and haldex serviced by the garage next door. Slight bubbling on roof rails, seemed nice but was taken on a test drive that consisted of a 30mph circuit around the block so ended up being pretty unimpressed. I think that may be the result of being a young guy looking at a car like this but having arrived and left in my vr6 rado i found the s3 a bit of a let down. Im sure that if i was given the chance to drive it quickly i would enjoy it but its such a shame my first experience was such a disappointment! We loved the interior and the looks, just need to give one a good thrash!
Click to expand...

You really should be able to get more-or-less what you want for your budget.
Keep checking Pistonheads and Autotrader, black facelifts without silly mileages can be grabbed for £5,500 or less.
...And will kick the ar*e of a 'Rado Vr6 when mapped!
 
im looking to buy an audi s3 aswell. got 5k budget. looking for 225bhp facelift model. preferabbly black with chrome mirrors.
 
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