Noob 8l s3 prospective buyer

[Kennyken]

Hi all this is my first post.
Basically I'm looking at buying an S3 4k is my budget and I'm currently driving a bmw 318is.
They seem to tick all the boxes for me 4x4, turbo, leather, and reasonable buying costs.
My only real concern is the reliability of them. A lot of the cars I'm looking at have around 100k on them so was just wondering of they're still reliable at this sort of mileage. My 318is is on about 120k and is very reliable. I did own an impreza that had 109k on and did the head gaskets in after a month of ownership and cost me ££££'s lol so obviously I don't want to get involved in an unreliable car if I can possibly avoid it.

 

[S3 MCW]

hi there, i brought my s3 3yrs ago with about 70K on the clock, now over 100k. really pleased with it. problems encountered over the period were a dodgy thermostat and the xenon headlights weren't self-levelling. apart from that all ok.

 

[Sandra]

Hi all this is my first post.
Basically I'm looking at buying an S3 4k is my budget and I'm currently driving a bmw 318is.
They seem to tick all the boxes for me 4x4, turbo, leather, and reasonable buying costs.
My only real concern is the reliability of them. A lot of the cars I'm looking at have around 100k on them so was just wondering of they're still reliable at this sort of mileage. My 318is is on about 120k and is very reliable. I did own an impreza that had 109k on and did the head gaskets in after a month of ownership and cost me ££££'s lol so obviously I don't want to get involved in an unreliable car if I can possibly avoid it.

Hi, welcome to audi-sport.net. Have a read at the faqs thread at the top of the page, lots of useful info in there. Where are you located? Enjoy the forum. x

 

[Kennyken]

I'm up north near liverpool

 

[Sandra]

I'm up north near liverpool

if you interested in meets with those local to you, click the link below. x


​Smaller (Local) Events

 

[aarondown91]

hi there, i brought my s3 3yrs ago with about 70K on the clock, now over 100k. really pleased with it. problems encountered over the period were a dodgy thermostat and the xenon headlights weren't self-levelling. apart from that all ok.

hi . i think my headlights arent levelling as there stuck really low. how did you sort the problem? cheers

 

[cecilthesausage]

There's a screw down the back to lift them up...

 

[Kennyken]

What sorta mods do need to do to get around 250bhp?

 

[jay22s3]

i bought my s3 a couple of years ago with 110000 on the clock its got 127000 on it now and no problems still pulls like a train and runs great love every minute of it there's always a bad one out there in every model its just luck good luck

 

[S3quatt]

If you fancy stretching your budget, i'll sell mine...

Noggy Blue '03 with 68k on it. Had it 6 years with no probs.
All the right mods, IE. springs, shocks, poly bushes, ARB's & re-map.
Properly looked after & detailed to perfection!
Standard rims with winter grips on & BBS CH's for the summer...

Come to think of it, there's a reason I've had it so long! I love it!

 

[limbo118118]

i think main thing is service history.
i havnt had anything go wrong with mine which has cost over £100 yet (touch wood) just a few little things.
mines 90 thou. FSH

 

[Routledge]

I've spent thousands on mine to get it near perfection, as I'm a picky ****er. If you are too then spend more for a decent example in the first place to save doing the graft yourself!

 

[Kennyken]

What mods do I need to do to get 250-280 bhp?
Airfilter
forge recirc
fmic
bigger down pipe
performance exhaust system???
sorry if this has been covered but I couldn't find a definite answer.

 

[S3quatt]

Re map will give you that on its own...

 

[Kennyken]

Really? But to get to 300 you need bigger turbo and serious engine work??

 

[S3quatt]

Re map will take it to around 260 or there abouts.
As far as i'm aware the exhaust is a waste of money unless you swap out the turbo.

Again tho, from what i've read, a hybrid turbo might get to 300 without the exhaust, but you need the injectors changed out for that, otherwise the're on the limit.

 

[vfr800]

Personally I think the S3 is a beautiful car to own and drive. Fun, practical and comfortable.

I spent quite a while looking for my S3, it had all the spec I wanted, 90k on the clock, and the things it didn't have I retro fitted - like the cruise control. I was looking for Bose, heated black recaros, auto dimming mirror and not modified in any way.

I've had my S3 exactly 1 year now and I've spent probably +£2k on maintaining it. Nothing major has gone wrong just wear and tear on all the suspension components, engine mounts, xenons, engine bay tubes/pipes, rocker cover, fan control, thermostat, dv, cv joints, earth strap etc. etc. It's got about 103k on the clock now.

1) Shop around, there are lots out there.
2) Look through the stickies and FAQs.
3) Frequent this forum for a bit, maybe read a few of the owner/build threads.
4) Always remember that an S3, like a beautiful woman, is high maintenance.

Oh yeah, stage 1 map will get you to 250BHP

Oh and take service history with a pinch of salt, my car's old owner had all the stamps from Audi every year regular as clock work. However for anything other that the oil service he took it to some back street a**shole mechanic who seriously bodged some stuff.

Good luck!

Liam

 

[M12RJX]

i may be selling my s3 soon if ur intrested going to be touching 100k completely standard except for the black wheels and tints.. fsh 2 previous owners well llooked after in red in excellent condition.going to be selling for a reasonable price to

 

[.Ben.]

Read the FAQ - here - Helped me massively when buying mine. Forewarned is forearmed!

Didn't stop my MAF failing and rear diff developing a whine in the first 2 months of ownership though...

I will say that because of their age, things are likely to go wrong and need replacing. BUT because they're based on the A4/Mk4 platform parts are plentiful, which makes *most* of them relatively inexpensive.

 

[Kennyken]

i may be selling my s3 soon if ur intrested going to be touching 100k completely standard except for the black wheels and tints.. fsh 2 previous owners well llooked after in red in excellent condition.going to be selling for a reasonable price to

PM me pics etc

 

[Alex C]

What sorta mods do need to do to get around 250bhp?

What mods do I need to do to get 250-280 bhp?

Really? But to get to 300 you need bigger turbo and serious engine work??

these goal posts are moving about a bit aren't they?

Yes you are right, for 550 bhp you need to spend some money

 

[s3mad_dude]

Common probs I've had:

1) Bubbling rust under the paint on the roof rails on my pre-facelift (2000 model) S3 - fixed under 12yr anti-corrosion warranty.
2) Both pre-facelift and current S3 (facelift) have had faulty xenons! They're sh*t.
3) Thermostat replaced on Pre-facelift at 40k miles
4) Original plastic water pump replaced at 40k (broke and overheated) on pre-facelift. Suggest you get the metal water pump fitted as replacement.
5) Fuel pump replaced at 140k on facelift S3 (wouldn't start one day).

Apart from that the rest has been some suspension springs, bushes etc (as part of wear and tear). My current S3 is now on 148k and I trust it totally.

Turbo's are strong and no dodgy smoke of any kind from back of exhaust. Just make sure the one you get has a documented service history because the engines and parts are expensive (official Audi parts) if the lump/turbo does go pop.

 

[M12RJX]

PM me pics etc

its a 2000 x reg fsh 2 previous owners in good condition for age seats are in good condition to!normal s3 spec xenons,elec leathers,washer jets,6cd changer,210bhp enginethe only thing i have done on the car is gloss black alloys,red calipers,and back 3 tinted windows,k&n panel filter.

 

[Kennyken]

these goal posts are moving about a bit aren't they?

Yes you are right, for 550 bhp you need to spend some money

what I meant was you only need a remap to get upto 250 ish but for more than that you need serious engine work right?