Old S3 or newer 2.0T??

[bendhamrait]

evening Chaps,

although its a little while off i am thinking of changing my car at the end of summer, and i cant make my mind up on a 2000ish s3 or a 2003ish A3 2.0FSi T

just thinking newer car similar spec and similar price, and the 8P's do look sweet with the s-line kit.

jus wandered peoples opinions and advice with like reliability /performance etc etc

cheers guys

 

[S3 Rav]

hey, depends what your looking for. if its speed then an s3 will do a newer 2.0T. i had a race with one the other day and it couldnt do anything and had to move ot of the way. however there are the obvious benifits of having a new car and i fully agree with the new s line kit they look sweeeeet!

 

[1animal1]

simple comparison mate, reliability obviously favours the newer car however Audi's arent bad all round for reliability in the first place..... you pays ya price for what ya gets... as Rav said though, the new 2.0T would sacrifice power for newness. plus your paying almost double..... i think this is like comparing chalk and cheese TBH

 

[bendhamrait]

i can understand what you mean about the chalk and cheese lol, but i have been looking on autotrader and for around £10,000 and you can get what i described above, hmm time will tell, lol

 

[1animal1]

im certain they didnt do a 2.0T FSI until at least 05/06 plate mate..... when i was looking i considered these but they start at around 19k plus!

they only did a standard 2.0 FSI car in the year you quoted....

 

[S3 Rav]

in that case get the s3!!

 

[1animal1]

to throw a spanner in the works..... you could squeeze into a new shape 53 3.2 if your lucky enough to find high miler.... although S-Line would be a lucky find and the early facelifts looked poo IMO

 

[golf]

The 2.0T were only introduced after 2004, you're probably getting confused with the standard 2.0FSI. The 2.0T with a remap is as quick as an S3, maybe even quicker.

 

[1animal1]

i was thinking that Golf with the power..... although i know the 2.0T in December were no cheaper than 19k....just checked, the turbo version came out on the 06 plates

 

[scoobyra]

I looked at the 8P shape....nice car but I think i would have got bored with it in about 10 minutes. Having gone from a 280bhp Impreza to an A3 1.8t and being bored to death with the ***** handling and getting my **** kicked by old ladies in shopping trolleys, you can see my point! The only reason I'd buy the 8P shape is for a diesel and a remap, fuel economy being the obvious!! Go and buy an S3.....much better and a lot more fun

 

[S3 Rav]

and then get a remap on the s3!!

 

[jojo]

Price apart and one being the new model, we are missing the point here. One is top of the range specced out with most of the toys you will need along with Quattro, the other is mid range, but with similar performance out the box, as the game has moved on since the 8L model, with every manufacturer getting in on the act that BHP sells cars. I've got to admit that having an A3 2.0FSI 8P for the night, I really pushed the car to it's limits by my standards, and they corner as well as any standard 8L S3 out the box, despite having no 4WD and 60(or 75) horses less. In the wet, there is no question the S3 would have the advantage, but the 8P, though still not a driver's car, is more than capable in holding it's own.

 

[bendhamrait]

well i have been more pushed towards the S3 side of things, which to be honest hasent taken much persuasion lol.

cheers guys

 

[grathies]

Have you asked on the 8P section? Just asking this side your gonna get a more 8L viewd response

Personally I love the newer A3s, think they look better than my shape S3 and cant wait till I can justify buying an 8P! Each to thier own tho. Bear in mind that a standard 8L S3 is a gutless heavy sack of poo for what its meant to be

 

[scott_johnson]

daft question to post on an 8L forum...lol. S3 ALL THE WAY MATE..... theres always a feeling that i get, that if you bought an 8p a3 and a guy pulled up next to you in an 8p s3, youd feel inadequit. lol. So buy an s3, map it so when the guy pulls up in his 8p s3, smoke him...lol.

 

[grathies]

Id hardly say a mapped 8L S3 would 'smoke' and 8P!

Plus if they have the commonly used map (and most S3 owners seem to go for it!) then he will be running 330bhp anyway! So the only thing you will be smoking is his **** when you have to pull over after because you were racing for pink dicks and not pink slips!

And its pointless saying youd feel inadiquate, unless your a complete muppet whos so worried about someone else having something 'better' than you it really shouldnt be a concern. The bloke in the new car will probably just look and think 'What a sad **** in an older model with something to prove'

 

[S3 Wannabe]

Id hardly say a mapped 8L S3 would 'smoke' and 8P!

Plus if they have the commonly used map (and most S3 owners seem to go for it!) then he will be running 330bhp anyway! So the only thing you will be smoking is his **** when you have to pull over after because you were racing for pink dicks and not pink slips!

And its pointless saying youd feel inadiquate, unless your a complete muppet whos so worried about someone else having something 'better' than you it really shouldnt be a concern. The bloke in the new car will probably just look and think 'What a sad **** in an older model with something to prove'

i think that just about says it.

 

[grathies]

i think that just about says it.

Cheers mate!

Sadly the response of a mapped 8L S3 just about says it for alot of misguided owners views about the cars real performance sadly

 

[scott_johnson]

Ive raced an 8p s3 and ****** on him!!!! Fair enough it wa standard but even so. It says to me if you bought a 2.0t 8p a3 is that you wanted a fast car but couldnt quite stretch to an s3. If you bought an 8l s3, that wouldnt be the case. IMO obviously. Plus they look pants........ 8L s3 all the way!!!!!!!!!

 

[paul_brad]

I'm waiting until the 2.0T's are cheaper before maybe swapping my S3. Don't get an FSI one, or you may aswell give in and go for a 1.6...... (or whatever else they do down there!)

 

[S3 Rav]

all just depends on what ur looking for. the 20T aint gna be slow by any measure but then again the 8l s3's dont look too dated at the same time. personally id go for the higest spec car over newer..lower entry (but by no means slow or disrespectful) car

 

[bendhamrait]

yer i apppreciate all your views , and as said before i think i was mistaken for juust a 2.0 FSi and not a 2.0FSI T . so looks l;ike hopefully in september i will be getting an s3 if i can get insured .....which is another problem
lol

cheers guys !

 

[S3 Rav]

insurance isnt actually too bad. im 23 with 1 yr no claims and payed £1300. that was alot better then i was expecting.

 

[grathies]

Ive raced an 8p s3 and ****** on him!!!! Fair enough it wa standard but even so. It says to me if you bought a 2.0t 8p a3 is that you wanted a fast car but couldnt quite stretch to an s3. If you bought an 8l s3, that wouldnt be the case. IMO obviously. Plus they look pants........ 8L s3 all the way!!!!!!!!!

Every post I read from you just makes me laugh, Id love to live in your world where you '******' on a new shape S3, the bloke probably though you really just werent worth the fuel! (He was probably mature enough in his mind to not indugle in a race which was probably on a public road, on a track I cant see an 8L 'doing' an 8P and Ive spent ALOT of time doing and passengering at trackdays all over the country) Ive seen 8L S3s get left for dead by Clio 172s, so maybe he should buy one of them?

Just becuase their thinking of buying a 2.0t doesnt mean they just want a fast car. With the S3 badge comes higher insurance and running costs and what is an ageing car. If he wanted to just buy a fast car, he should spend his money on something WITHOUT an Audi badge.

By your logic, does someone with an M3 BMW want a fast car but couldnt quite stretch to an M3 CSL?

And Im sticking with the 8P, granted this is an S3 but their so much more of an improvement over the bulbus 8L shape

 

[scott_johnson]

mate u on ur period or something, or the wife not putting out??? Being an engineer, the laws of physics rules that power to weight ration ie mine being 280bhp and lighter than an 8p s3 would make it slower???? ....NOT....course you wouldnt no that flipping burgers in mcdonalds......Get a life mate

 

[scott_johnson]

Seriously though mate, i dont wanna argument, but u drive an 8l s3 so shouldnt you be raving it up??? Im on my second now and wouldnt swop it for anything. Plus i think the new 8p's a bit chunky and less agile than the 8l........ again Just in my opinion so dont slate it!!. If he really wanted an 8p hed of posted it in the other forum for all them to egg him on to buy 1..... hes come to the right place...am i wrong

 

[grathies]

Sorry, not been on the net to reply

If your engineering knowledge tells you that, then Id hate to have you undertaking a project for me. I dont think working for a leading Aerospace Engineering company is the same as tossing burgers! Your expressing views from a way you want to to protray what you believe in a biased way.

Power to weight is only part of it, especially when you consider torque maps and gearing ratios as well as chasis responses and differences in the ecu and haldex management. And comparing a tuned car with a standard car is just a bit stupid. And having driven a new S3, their deffo not less agile than the 8L, two standard setups on an 8P and 8L and the 8P would out handle the older S3.

Yes I own an 8L S3, doesnt mean I should say things about it that arent true. They really are slow cars even with 265 maps! People come on here to ask because they know people with the cars that might tell them the good and bad sides of the cars. Its pointless bigging up a car to someone when they are flawed quite massivly compared with how they SHOULD be. IBZZZZ is looking at Hondas and asked on here to try and get a view, as not everyone on here has Audi tattoed onto thier *****!

Anyway Im bored of this now

All I can say to you Ben is when you come to look, test drive the different cars and make up your own mind rather than just listening to biased opinions. Honest, I was really unimpressed with the standard and mapped S3s when I was looking to buy, I honestly couldnt own one!

 

[scott_johnson]

Fair point grathies. Its hardly biased though... yeh they have there disadvantages but so do all cars... i think the s3's are a gem for the money.. what where they new??? 25k?? for 8-9 grand second hand i think id have an s3 over any other hatch on the road!! wouldnt you agree??? you want big power and performance buy an rs4 or summat. you want a nippy **** hot looking hatch, buy an s3!!!

 

[Bong Water]

Friends modded Leon 20VT Cupra is quicker than the newer shaped S3 as standard, then again its also quicker than an Evo 280 in the dry but what isnt! Just thought I would toss a spanner in there somewhere

 

[1animal1]

key word there Bong is 'modded' how is that a fair comparison..... mod a new S3 with equivelent mods and drop us this 'fair' comparison...think you'll find you'll be eating your own **** mate...... what a stupid comment to make..... ok lets take it a step further....mod the Evo and explain what a Leon would look like in the rear view.... seriously, that is the biggest, shittest statement ive read on here in a long time.... blah blah

 

[S3 Rav]

fair point. just depends on what ur looking for in the first place and how much mpney your willing to spend i suppose

 

[Bong Water]

Just doing a bit of fishing, looks like I caught me a big one, lighten up!

Seeing as though the Cupra is 180BHP standard and all it has a remap and breathing mods I think its a good comment to make seeing as though the S3 is what, 280BHP standard? And why would I be eating my ****, I dont give a monkeys which is quicker, being defensive it seems you do

 

[1animal1]

i have no reason to be defensive.... although i 'bit'... the comment you made was valid according to your reply, but you are comparing chalk and cheese... 2wd vs 4wd and all that, pointless statement to make IMO

 

[S3IZZO]

I'd personally go with a 8P 2.0TFsi if you can afford one, i'm not biased towards any car particularly as I own both a 8L and 8P S3 still and love them both.

I just think over time you'd loose less money on the 8P and it would be easier to live with, I think it's a fairly safe assumption to make that the vast majority of 8L S3's have had a hard life now.

 

[bendhamrait]

i have looked in to the carts a little more, and i would not be able to afford a 8p 2.0T but i could the 2.0 fsi, and to be honest i will test drive both and make my own opinion, so thanks for your comments,

and put your handbags away chaps! lol

cheers ben !

 

[1animal1]

Lol good luck with the choosing Ben,,,,,,,,

Just one last thing, Sizzo the money it would cost to upkeep an 8L when compared to the depreciation of an 8P would be far less..... that being said..... i would be buying an 8P myself given half the chance)