Would you spend alot modding an 'older' A3?

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Kieronboz

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Hi guys, i have a predicament.

I have a 54 plate A3, its done 117k TDI and is in average condition, im only 21 so this is my newest and nicest/best car yet, I do love it, but as with most things I want to spend lots of money on it, the car cost me £3000 and after spending a few pennies fixing all the paint and exterior problems, I like to think its still worth £3000.

Im looking at spending about another £1-2-3k on the car when I list out all the things I want, most of it with NHN lol. But then this becomes the possibility of owning a £6k A3? For that I could sell up and get a newer big grille, or I could keep going and get a high mileage S3!

Im just venting my troubles really but where do you guys draw the line on mods-original cost? I know the car will do many more miles, and i do enjoy modifying them, spending the cash isnt the problem, but the cars worth after spending all that, wont be significantly more, to bob up the road its still just a high mileage 'dated' car!

(my last car was a classic so I reserve the right to call a 54 plate dated)

Cheers
 
TDI? Mine has done 100k and I'm still modding mine. Should have it for at least 4-5 years longer (touch wood)
 
All depends on how long you plan to keep it IMO.

You can always take the mods off and sell them on or keep them and fit them to your new car if you're getting another A3/S3.
 
Big Pumpa said:
TDI? Mine has done 100k and I'm still modding mine. Should have it for at least 4-5 years longer (touch wood)
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Sorry I should have mentioned that, yeah its the TDI. :) What was yours worth and what have you spent on it if you dont mind me asking? :p

leeds2592 said:
All depends on how long you plan to keep it IMO.
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leeds2592 said:
You can always take the mods off and sell them on or keep them and fit them to your new car if you're getting another A3/S3.
Click to expand...


Yeah i have considered this, thing is I dont know, within a year I should graduate and hopefully be able to buy a much newer one! Do i just run it bare then pay a massive deposit with the money i save?! haha
 
Kieronboz said:
Sorry I should have mentioned that, yeah its the TDI. :) What was yours worth and what have you spent on it if you dont mind me asking? :pYeah i have considered this, thing is I dont know, within a year I should graduate and hopefully be able to buy a much newer one! Do i just run it bare then pay a massive deposit with the money i save?! haha
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So far I've got a Milltek exhaust system and have had it Stage 2 remapped. Currently in the process of doing an S3 facelift conversion with the LED headlights too. After that I'll probably drop it on coilovers and see what else I fancy afterwards! Spent about 5/6k in total so far once I've got everything
 
Big Pumpa said:
So far I've got a Milltek exhaust system and have had it Stage 2 remapped. Currently in the process of doing an S3 facelift conversion with the LED headlights too. After that I'll probably drop it on coilovers and see what else I fancy afterwards! Spent about 5/6k in total so far once I've got everything
Click to expand...

What year is yours originally? Thing is when I spend that £3k I think (like to think) i will be done then the car will be very fancy and around £6k, and I shouldnt need to do any more massive stuff after that. Does that seem unreasonable for a 54 plate? haha
 
My opinion is, 21 years old build up your insurance more so when you come to get a newer possibly better car they may look kinder on you, but lets be honest, 3k a3, got a good deal there, you can always upgrade the bodywork to facelift 09 anyway & if its a good car why bother buying the same car only a few years older as such, if you were going from 04 to facelift 2010, I can see the point, but the single grill 06 isn't much different interms of looks, just front bumper & grill which you can buy of ebay easily.

Bottom line is, nothing you spend on an everyday car will ever be beneficial financially to you, cars depreciate, we mod & spend money on cars for 1 sole purpose, to benefit our minds, not our pockets, we like nice things to show the hard work we put into life.
 
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Don't think 6k would get you a high mileage s3....maybe 10k could ( if we are talking about 8p)
I ended up taking a compromise and went for a 2.0TFSI instead of a moon mileage written off S3, if your gonna get an s3 do it properly!
Also insurance was a good price being only 21 as well with 0 NCB.


Just remember mods won't increase the value of a car, maybe 10p on the £1 at most, so it might be better off getting a slightly newer a3 with the tech you want in it! Also depends how long your gonna keep the car, if your gonna sell it in the next few months no point spending 3k on mods just to sell the car for 3k a few months later!


Just my 2 cents :$
 
NHN said:
My opinion is, 21 years old build up your insurance more so when you come to get a newer possibly better car they may look kinder on you, but lets be honest, 3k a3, got a good deal there, you can always upgrade the bodywork to facelift 09 anyway & if its a good car why bother buying the same car only a few years older as such, if you were going from 04 to facelift 2010, I can see the point, but the single grill 06 isn't much different interms of looks, just front bumper & grill which you can buy of ebay easily.

Bottom line is, nothing you spend on an everyday car will ever be beneficial financially to you, cars depreciate, we mod & spend money on cars for 1 sole purpose, to benefit our minds, not our pockets, we like nice things to show the hard work we put into life.
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Yeah I think your probably right, i didn't realize it was just bumper and grille i thought it was bonnet and wings too, maybe that's a newer one?

But yeah I understand mods has to be a hobby otherwise i will never be able to pull the trigger on it, lol. I think ill just think long and hard about how long I want this for, then hopefully by the time my savings is enough, if i still want to, ill be able to do the stuff I want and get it looking good, and tech filled! :p

sliced said:
Don't think 6k would get you a high mileage s3....maybe 10k could ( if we are talking about 8p)
I ended up taking a compromise and went for a 2.0TFSI instead of a moon mileage written off S3, if your gonna get an s3 do it properly!
Also insurance was a good price being only 21 as well with 0 NCB.


Just remember mods won't increase the value of a car, maybe 10p on the £1 at most, so it might be better off getting a slightly newer a3 with the tech you want in it! Also depends how long your gonna keep the car, if your gonna sell it in the next few months no point spending 3k on mods just to sell the car for 3k a few months later!


Just my 2 cents :$
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Sorry it says I could keep saving to the 8k mark then get a way old S3 lol. But yeah 10k is more accurate :)

Really my only worry is longevity, basically to get to the point, I want; rotor reps, tyres, spoiler, splitter, springs, rnse, cruise, aux, mfsw, leather, remap.

Now you can see that its not a MASSIVE list but its almost definitely the value of the car's worth, that's my only concern, but if all of this stuff makes me even happier with the car then longevity wont be an issue! :)
 
Kieronboz said:
What year is yours originally? Thing is when I spend that £3k I think (like to think) i will be done then the car will be very fancy and around £6k, and I shouldnt need to do any more massive stuff after that. Does that seem unreasonable for a 54 plate? haha
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2005 8P1... its pre-facelift
 
mine is 2004 tdi and i have modded and still modding as i plan to keep it for another 3 years hopefully. If your planning to keep it for couple of years why not keep it and start modding asap?:p
 
I've spent 100s of hours and many £1000s modifying cars and I have nothing to show for it but great memories and strong friendships, well worth every penny! I stripped the last car and sold the parts before buying the Harley. At 21 keep it simple; do the facelift and maybe wheels and proper exhaust system. Fit new crank and water temp sensors and a good panel air filter to allow the engine to breath. At your age go for a super-clean look and enjoy the drive.
 
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Just another thought, I have always used Eibach sportline springs & Bilstein sport shock absorbers and found it a great combination.
 
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MouseGB said:
Just another thought, I have always used Eibach sportline springs & Bilstein sport shock absorbers and found it a great combination.
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I was actually thinking those anyway! the 50/45 ones i think?
 
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