What value does the recaro interior add to the s3?

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Hi, when shopping around for an S3, what sort of premium do you think the Recaro interior adds? Do you think a value could be placed upon it or is just a case of making the car more appealing?

Cheers

Steve
 
interesting to find out tbh I cant see it adding the value the recaro's fetch when sold separately.
 
thats interesting as they can go for £2000 out of the car almost makes it worth swapping to a standard interior when its time to sell.

But on the other hand makes it worth finding one with them if your looking to buy
 
i don't think it'll add anything to the asking price, unless marketed on an enthusiast website like here. if it does i'd put a lot of money on it being less than £1k.

tbh if i ever bought an S3 and it happened to have buckets i'd immediately be looking for an interior swap + cash. they look nice but i'm not overly bothered about them, and the money they command would go well towards other modifications that would bring me more joy
 
I've been through a few cars in the last couple of years and from what i've found, most optional extras dont add a great deal to the selling price - if any. Its just makes them a little more desirable/ easier to sell if the price is right - providing the buyer wants it.

My mint 09 BMW 335d which was 6 months old when i sold it had about 3k's worth of BMW Performance parts (fitted by BMW) prob gained me £500 tops.
The C63 i bought came fully loaded and again that cost me about £500 more than a lower spec, similar miles model for that age.

Unless your buyer is very specific, sometimes less is more in terms of resale value. Just my 2 cents
 
best way is to get what you want with recaros then pm me about a swap plus cash your way to make your car even cheaper for you, ive got heated and lumbar supporting leather seats though id love recaros
 
sub39h said:
i don't think it'll add anything to the asking price, unless marketed on an enthusiast website like here. if it does i'd put a lot of money on it being less than £1k.

tbh if i ever bought an S3 and it happened to have buckets i'd immediately be looking for an interior swap + cash. they look nice but i'm not overly bothered about them, and the money they command would go well towards other modifications that would bring me more joy
Click to expand...

Agree.
Not something I would pay a premium for.
Even in a SB where the whole rear access issue isnt a problem.

The only good thing would be being able to tease Phil and the rest of the bucket whores..

cheers
Paul
 
I've been through a few cars in the last couple of years and from what i've found, most optional extras dont add a great deal to the selling price - if any. Its just makes them a little more desirable/ easier to sell if the price is right - providing the buyer wants it.

My mint 09 BMW 335d which was 6 months old when i sold it had about 3k's worth of BMW Performance parts (fitted by BMW) prob gained me £500 tops.
The C63 i bought came fully loaded and again that cost me about £500 more than a lower spec, similar miles model for that age.

Unless your buyer is very specific, sometimes less is more in terms of resale value. Just my 2 cents
Click to expand...

Totally agree with that. I guess a good example is the Focus ST 1, 2 and 3. There was about 2k of difference between each of those variations when new, but very little difference in the second hand values.

I'm a firm believer that you should buy what you want (and can afford) in a car without worrying about resale value.
 
This old argument of 'an extra not adding value' has raised it's head a few times on this forum. Basically it's b*****ks. As someone rightly pointed out: something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I know for sure (just from being on the forum) that there are enough people who would want the Recaro seats in an S3 to pay extra for them.

Agreed it'd never add the value they'd fetch if they were sold separately, but that's another matter.

Ashley mentioned to me at AITP that when he'd looked at used S3s on audi.co.uk there was only 1 which had buckets and it was going for a lot more than the rest. Audi are adding extra so I will be too.
 
Staz said:
This old argument of 'an extra not adding value' has raised it's head a few times on this forum. Basically it's b*****ks. As someone rightly pointed out: something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I know for sure (just from being on the forum) that there are enough people who would want the Recaro seats in an S3 to pay extra for them.

Agreed it'd never add the value they'd fetch if they were sold separately, but that's another matter.

Ashley mentioned to me at AITP that when he'd looked at used S3s on audi.co.uk there was only 1 which had buckets and it was going for a lot more than the rest. Audi are adding extra so I will be too.
Click to expand...

Spot on.
 
Staz said:
This old argument of 'an extra not adding value' has raised it's head a few times on this forum. Basically it's b*****ks. As someone rightly pointed out: something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I know for sure (just from being on the forum) that there are enough people who would want the Recaro seats in an S3 to pay extra for them.

Agreed it'd never add the value they'd fetch if they were sold separately, but that's another matter.

Ashley mentioned to me at AITP that when he'd looked at used S3s on audi.co.uk there was only 1 which had buckets and it was going for a lot more than the rest. Audi are adding extra so I will be too.
Click to expand...

You are the king of berkshire for reasons like this
 
Just because it has the recaros doesnt mean its worth more.

It could be hanging and neglected, with humped paintwork and a rattling engine, and a ****** owner that thinks its worth 2 grand more than other S3's because its got bucket seats.
 
Staz said:
This old argument of 'an extra not adding value' has raised it's head a few times on this forum. Basically it's b*****ks. As someone rightly pointed out: something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I know for sure (just from being on the forum) that there are enough people who would want the Recaro seats in an S3 to pay extra for them.

Agreed it'd never add the value they'd fetch if they were sold separately, but that's another matter.

Ashley mentioned to me at AITP that when he'd looked at used S3s on audi.co.uk there was only 1 which had buckets and it was going for a lot more than the rest. Audi are adding extra so I will be too.
Click to expand...

Speaks the truth
 
Staz said:
This old argument of 'an extra not adding value' has raised it's head a few times on this forum. Basically it's b*****ks. As someone rightly pointed out: something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I know for sure (just from being on the forum) that there are enough people who would want the Recaro seats in an S3 to pay extra for them.

Agreed it'd never add the value they'd fetch if they were sold separately, but that's another matter.

Ashley mentioned to me at AITP that when he'd looked at used S3s on audi.co.uk there was only 1 which had buckets and it was going for a lot more than the rest. Audi are adding extra so I will be too.
Click to expand...

Can't really say I agree. I reckon the vast majority of S3 owners are still non-enthusiasts and hence won't give a huff what seats their car has. the argument that Audi charge more for a car with them is silly - let me remind you that when the 8P was released neither a CD player nor air con were standard features. They'd charge you for breathing the air in their dealership if they could.

You're absolutely right that an item is only worth what someone will pay for it and on autotrader there doesn't seem to be a gulf between cars with recaros and cars without. No offence but I think you're struggle to sell if you're expecting to get significantly more for your car just because it has slightly special seats
 
Last edited:
aragorn said:
Just because it has the recaros doesnt mean its worth more.

It could be hanging and neglected, with humped paintwork and a rattling engine, and a ****** owner that thinks its worth 2 grand more than other S3's because its got bucket seats.
Click to expand...

Well no one said 2 grand, but anyway a bag of ***** with buckets is worth more than a bag of ***** without.

sub39h said:
Can't really say I agree. I reckon the vast majority of S3 owners are still non-enthusiasts and hence won't give a huff what seats their car has. the argument that Audi charge more for a car with them is silly - let me remind you that when the 8P was released neither a CD player nor air con were standard features. They'd charge you for breathing the air in their dealership if they could.

You're absolutely right that an item is only worth what someone will pay for it and on autotrader there doesn't seem to be a gulf between cars with recaros and cars without. No offence but I think you're struggle to sell if you're expecting to get significantly more for your car just because it has slightly special seats
Click to expand...

Again, no one said significantly more either, just a bit more. It only takes 1 enthusiast to want an S3 with buckets to make it worth more.

If just one person is willing to pay £500 more for a car with a certain extra the car is therefore worth £500 more.
 
I spent 3-4 months tracking used S3s before I bought mine (3yrs back) and the same low spec cars hung around for ages at around 23K. Decent spec ones started at 25K and would sell within days of being advertised.

I ended up paying 25K for mine (it had been for sale for 12hrs and had 2 other interested parties) which had lots of extras, some of which were essential for me.
The local dealer wanted 29K each for 2 Phantom S3s which were like for like age/miles, one had buckets, the other RNSE.:scared2:

Seriously, bog spec S3s are a tw4t to sell on and end up being heavily discounted to sell.
S3 (and prob A3) values are definately sensitive to spec.

I do agree that buckets would appeal more to the enthusiast than Joe Shmoe who just wanted a nice spec S3.

Cheers
Paul
 
Often wondered the same Q for seat /roof options. I reckon after 3 years a sun roof adds c£400 Open Sky £5-600.. Recaros maybe £500-£750... It only needs on eperson to want it and you will sell for the extra. On the other hand on new SLine/BE ... apparently according to Dealer Full Leather or Leather and Alc will add nothing come px time. Any views???

For me unless on a track I wouldn't want Recarros.:ermm:
 
leather always adds value as its a sought after option with any car same as sat nav and others like xenons etc...
 
Staz said:
Again, no one said significantly more either, just a bit more. It only takes 1 enthusiast to want an S3 with buckets to make it worth more.

If just one person is willing to pay £500 more for a car with a certain extra the car is therefore worth £500 more.
Click to expand...

moi!
 
fnmrst said:
leather always adds value as its a sought after option with any car same as sat nav and others like xenons etc...
Click to expand...

My dealer reckons there is little benefit when selling having full leather over leather and sprint cloth mix on the BE... I am not totally convinced but as Mrs hates full leather so we are going with standard kit rather than pay out +£800!!!
 
thats stupid for a dealer to say that i work for a used car dealership and leather defo adds some value my boss even puts leather in some cars to make them more sellable he also puts on certain cars new wheels and tints the rear windows so i would say they are talking ***** lol
 
i even bought my own car because it had leather/alcantara in it over one without it as it looks so much better than standard seats
 
audi upgrades
As mentioned it would be nice to have, but if I got one with buckets I'd probably sale up and buy the recararo cs buckets instead
 
Because as others mentioned, they cost half as much the S3 seats, look just as nice IMO, weigh less etc
 
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