Quick! Somebody stop me from cancelling my S3! And maybe buying an R32?!?

Wor Jackie knocked spots off Shearer IMHO :applaus:
 
I like Banrock station. Rather cheap plonk but does the trick because now i like everything including skoda's :)
 
Wow, thank you all for your opinions, I feel a lot more informed as a result!

So the good news is......I haven't and don't intend on cancelling the S3 :icon_thumright:

And the bad news is....Everton got beat today... (was it at home too!? :unsure:) .....sorry can't help but already join in the banter I don't yet quite understand :happy:

I think the main points from above that are reassuring me I'm making the right choice are:

a) Paul, you've owned two GTi's previously and describe the S3 as a "posher, prettier, faster grippier Golf" - I should have mentioned that I'm putting my MK5 GTi in on part-ex!!

b) The point was made a few times about more bhp/PS per £ with the S3 compared to the R32. I've never modded/tuned a car before, but I intend going to town on the right car, so the S3 wins on that point...

c) Efficiency, I'm never going to get the quoted figures from Audi, but the fact they are higher than the R32 from the start, means if I drove them both the same, the S3 will save me some serious wonga in the long run...

d) The soundtrack that some could argue is lacking from the S3 in comparison to the R32, can be looked after with a Milltek exhaust..

e) On second glance and after having it planted in my head, I do think the R32 looks a little chavvy..

f) Penultimately and probably the most pertinent point (try saying that after 10 beers :laugh:), VW have now dumped the lump in favour of the 2.0T in their new Golf R !!!

g) Finally, Jeremy Clarkson is as credible as Paul's cat (not casting any aspersions on your cat Paul, but you said it!)

So there you go, I'm convinced, I will buy the S3 :thumbsup:

I'll be sure to post some photo's when I collect it and then I'll be after some mod advice from anyone that will be kind enough to give it. Then in the long run, hopefully I'll be able to give something back.

Thank you all again!

Cheers

J
 
As has been said above, it depends on your own preferences. Personally I can't stand the look of the Mk5 or 6 Golf FTI which is why after 14 years of Golf GTI ownership I bought a (used) 8P S3 last year. I was sorely tempted by a Mk4 R32 (its age means you don't pay the top rate of car tax) but decided that I couldn't afford the fuel (not that the S3 is that much more economical but the miles I do make it an important consideration).

For me, the S3 was better looking than the Mk5/6 Golf, newer than a Mk4 R32, faster than all of them and a nice place to be - job done.

Nearly a year on, I have no regrets whatsoever with the S3.
 
paddy said:
Sorry but an engine being thrashed in a race series is not the same as trying to keep it reliable on the road. I bet those race engines didnt last past one season.
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Even if they did last a season, my point is that for starters you're only giving it a 25% increase to their 50% so there's a little wiggle room there, and you're not gonna be driving it 10 tenths all the the time so there's a little wiggle room there too. My point was more that you said that GTIs wouldn't jump up and down all over the R32 and my point is that they can and have done in the past.

I'd also like to point out that both the 227bhp Ed30 and 237bhp Leon don't have the K04 or strengthened internals.

Don't forget I'm advocating the 3.2q tho, if for no other reason than everyone on this website seems to have an S3 and I'd prefer the more exclusive option :p. Either that or getting a Cat D and putting an R36 lump in it :-D

finally, and perhaps most importantly, the 3.2 lump is only being dropped because of stupid emissions laws. it's got nothing to do with how good the engine is.
 
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I don’t even think the 3.2 lump was dropped because of emission laws. It still powers the fastest A5 and VW Eos. It is just cheaper to produce 4cyl engines. the problem with the 3.2 was general reliability. I don’t know anyone on this forum who didn’t have the hesitation problem that took 6 years for Audi to even admit there was a problem ! Most of us have a stretched or knackers timing chain which is an expense waiting to happen. Some on here got away with £3k or £4k to fix it with help from Audi, my bill came to £10k and without Audi’s help would have written the car of at just 43k miles. Even so it cost me £5k to fix. R32's are no better, just look on the VW forums at stretched chains....lol
Compared to a Merc 350 or Nissan 370 the 3.2 engine is not that bad on emissions.
On the + plus side the engine is silky smooth and is streets ahead of the S3 lump in refinement ! the S3 is rough noisy and suffers un acceptable turbo lag that makes it a pain with DSG which constantly drops the engine out of its power band at speed below 40-50 mph. Really the 3.2 lump has run its course, I had the early version in my 1992 VR6 nearly 20 years ago and there comes a point where you cant keep developing an old design to suit modern needs.
 
The A5 uses a 90deg V6, not the VR6.

And engines can last half a century. Just ask Bentley.
 
paddy said:
I don’t even think the 3.2 lump was dropped because of emission laws. It still powers the fastest A5 and VW Eos. It is just cheaper to produce 4cyl engines. the problem with the 3.2 was general reliability. I don’t know anyone on this forum who didn’t have the hesitation problem that took 6 years for Audi to even admit there was a problem ! Most of us have a stretched or knackers timing chain which is an expense waiting to happen. Some on here got away with £3k or £4k to fix it with help from Audi, my bill came to £10k and without Audi’s help would have written the car of at just 43k miles. Even so it cost me £5k to fix. R32's are no better, just look on the VW forums at stretched chains....lol
Compared to a Merc 350 or Nissan 370 the 3.2 engine is not that bad on emissions.
On the + plus side the engine is silky smooth and is streets ahead of the S3 lump in refinement ! the S3 is rough noisy and suffers un acceptable turbo lag that makes it a pain with DSG which constantly drops the engine out of its power band at speed below 40-50 mph. Really the 3.2 lump has run its course, I had the early version in my 1992 VR6 nearly 20 years ago and there comes a point where you cant keep developing an old design to suit modern needs.
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The A5 uses a totally different engine, a V6 not a staggered 6 bro
 
paddy said:
Its a bit of an odd choice really...in that they are quite different cars. Now if you were looking at a A3 3.2 and a S3 I could understand it. I don’t agree with Akash that the S3 has a better interior because it just depends on the options list when it was new. Most S3’s I have looked at are really poorly equipped, finding one with a light pack/rnse/cruise etc. is not easy. Yes you can add bits later but then that goes for the 3.2 as well.
No one on here or even Clarkson knows what you want/need so its down to you to drive both and as Nige says, see what floats your boat. Your comment “[FONT=Luciped, most have. Your better off chipping it yourself with a good make like Revo and knowing its history than paying good money for a thrash8230;Its not a speed thing, unless your talking fractions of a second there is not a lot in it, its just that the S3 will always be more saleable in years to come and the 3.2 is going to cost you a lot of money to maintain. My service bills and maintenance over 3 years has cost far more than the cars value alone.[/FONT]
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But regardless of the spec the S3 interior a lot nicer then the R32s- better quality and much nicer looking, and to sit in, whether it has auto lights or not!
The question was R32 vs S3 not A3 3.2 lol. Flogging an old horse again there haha! Apart from the standard kit the S3 is only lacking 2 things IMO- abit of drama- ie engine noise and a bit of power. But bearing in mind the S is not an extreme a model as the RS series is a great hatchback. The original S8 for example only had 20bhp more then the A8 4.2 remember. As a base car for some mild tuning it is an amazing car though, and as has been said before I dont think the 3.2 compares at all in this sense.
 
Yup , my mistake....but they didnt drop the engine because its in the passat as well :)

Sub is trying to sell me an engine that i have been driving around for the last 4 years and has cost me in excess of £10k to keep running...and it hasnt reached 47k miles yet...lol...he has his work cut out here :)
 
Aaaah S3 V R32!!

JC is a funny guy, but I would rarely take his opinion as a basis to buy a car lol.

The R32 advantages; Awesome, awesome (and I do mean awesome) noise, love the immediate power delivery (unlike turbos), proper fitting racing seats and plenty of options as standard. The sheer look of it is sporty yet subtle, showing it has attitude and the walk to back it up but won't do it unless it feels like it.

However, the S3 advantages; POWER!!, that 2.0T engine is really something and a remap will send it over the edge, it really does beat an R32 with ease. The interior is slightly better/more of a joy to look at, that flat bottom steering wheel (YOU MUST HAVE THIS if its an older 8P S3!!) is so nice to look at. The seating is more accomodating and feels like a small step up in luxury, the car is also more subtle and has that "look".

When you stand back and admire the two side by side, it can be a hard decision, my friend got the R32 because the S3 back "doesnt look right" :blink:

I'd have to get the S3, cheaper on road tax and slightly better fuel economy :tapedshut:
 
When i was changing my A4 i went to look at an R32 at my local vw dealers as i fancied a fast hatchback (mid life crisis). Whilst i was there another one pulled into the car park with a hoodie wearing driver (hood up), i left and bought an S3 instead suits me better i think.
 
If you're worried about what the reviews say try this one :

Audi S3 - Autocar.co.uk

Personally I think Autocar is a decent magazine and I tend to trust their reviews! As for Autoexpress and Clarkson, leave them to reviewing tyre inflators and judging a cars handling purely by how sideways it will go!
 
thebott said:
phantom black is a bitch to keep clean ! apart from that the S3 is all good ..................
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Phantom Black is a superb colour and not that bad to keep clean ... we have had 6 in the family so far A3 x3 (sorry 2 , one was Ebony Black not so good.), TT, A6,A4, A5... superb colour with depth, a wash, chamois and polish up with a micro fibre e cloth and bob's your uncle...
 
The R32 is very different to the A3 3.2 so ignore those comments. I still miss my R32 and personally think it looks nicer than an S3 when it's DBP and 3 door. Noise is awesome, the S3 sounds very rough, I'm quite embarrassed when i floor it in 1st sometimes as it sounds like it's breaking. After that it sounds a lot better.

The low down grunt and weight made it feel solid, the S3 feels lighter but less refined because if it although the noise insulation and interior quality is higher.balso the any rev power meant you could catch a lot of cars out but it's not a car to race in, it's a big cruiser with a superb soundtrack and great feel. It felt much more special than my S3, the look on peoples faces hearing 'that' noise come out of a golf was priceless.

My ideal garage would be an S3 to go to work in and an R32 to have fun in.

Neither is better, it just comes down to what you prefer, I wanted the option of modding and a great interior so not much touched the S3. A few thousand will see 350+ bhp, you would be lucky to see 300 on the R32. Money no object the r32 is better to mod as you can get a reliable 500bhp with a turbo.

You won't regret either
 
sub39h said:
I'd also like to point out that both the 227bhp Ed30 and 237bhp Leon don't have the K04 or strengthened internals.
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Going to have to correct you on that one. The ED30 and Cupra both have the same K04 turbo as the S3. The only difference is that the S3 comes with an uprated intercooler while the ED30 and and Cupra do not. Hence why the S3 is mapped with more power from the factory. All the three cars will remap to similar figures.
 
KRL said:
Going to have to correct you on that one. The ED30 and Cupra both have the same K04 turbo as the S3. The only difference is that the S3 comes with an uprated intercooler while the ED30 and and Cupra do not. Hence why the S3 is mapped with more power from the factory. All the three cars will remap to similar figures.
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fair enough i stand corrected on that then. thanks for that, does put a bit of a hole in my argument!
 
mitch78 said:
...and costs more than an S3.
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yeah i think it's because it comes with more kit as standard, tho now the S3 comes with RNS-E and they've whacked up the price that role may be reversed again
 
Gives you an idea how much the next A3 is going to cost !!!!!
 
mitch78 said:
No, spec them like for like and the S3 is still cheaper (and was before they added more kit as standard). Barmy.
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And its bit of a moose.
Even the old codger that the S3 is, it looks much nicer.
The Gti is the looker of the MK6 line up IMO.
 
fforeggub said:
Phantom Black is a superb colour and not that bad to keep clean ... we have had 6 in the family so far A3 x3 (sorry 2 , one was Ebony Black not so good.), TT, A6,A4, A5... superb colour with depth, a wash, chamois and polish up with a micro fibre e cloth and bob's your uncle...
Click to expand...

yes then one trip out and car looks filthy again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
thebott said:
yes then one trip out and car looks filthy again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

haha i know this feeling... but for that half hour in the sun just after its been washed and waxed it does look amazing haha
 
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