Afew quick Q's please S3 owners :)

[Beany]

ok guys i have just a few quick questions about performance so i can make the right choice, ok here goes guys.

How much difference is there performance wise between the 210 and 225bhp models is it worth paying a bit extra for the 225 model or go for the 210 model and upgrade parts ?

What sort of miles should i look for on an s3 is 100k ok on them ?

The 4wd attracts me to the S3 more than a 1.8T but how much faster are S3's than the 1.8T's

Thats it guys any info or reply would be appreciated

 

[Filth]

I bought my S3 last month with 117k on it, FSH and cambelt and water pump changed last year, just done full service and you would not think it had done the miles it had, mileage means so little nowadays its down to how well looked after they are.

 

[<tuffty/>]

.... but how much faster are S3's than the 1.8T's...

Shouldn't have said that... this will attract the FWD evangelists like Jardo and Prawn for a bit of S3 bashing lol...

Anyhoo... 210 and 225's are not too different performance wise and in terms of tuning they map up the same... assuming you are looking at facelift S3's as prefacelift (APY engine code) are 210 only and narrow band lambda... not a major issue but AMK (210) and BAM (225) are a bit better on fuel and arguably easier to tune...

You can get an A3 to outperform an S3 mostly due to power to weight... S3's (and A3 quattro's) are heavy little beasties but depends what you want... S3 has very comfortable Recaros seats and while the AWD haldex is not the most intelligent system in the world it does work fairly well..

A3 is arguably a better 'drivers' car but the S3 is a nice all rounder

<tuffty/>

 

[superkarl]

A3 is a better 'drivers' car

<tuffty/>

 

[vfr800]

He's been breathing the dodgy fumes from our cars all day - he'll come round soon.

Mass generalisation (based on my own experience only) - A3 owners wish they had an S3 cos they're soo ****** wicked - S3 owners wish they had an A3 because all S3s are money pits.

I love my S3! :thumbsup:

 

[jojo]

Karl----><----Me
Paul(tuffty)^

 

[Beany]

When I meant s3's being faster I meant as a standard car not modified, sorry I should of been clearer on that. I would be doing the odd track day in the car so the 4wd will be an advantage here, I've had a look about on eBay and some other sites and seen s3's for around £3 - 3.5k is this a good price for one in pretty good condition most being the 210hp models with upto 95,000 to 130,000 miles.

Vfr800 -you said they are money pits do you mean to maintain them ?


thanks for your input guys

 

[superkarl]

When I meant s3's being faster I meant as a standard car not modified, sorry I should of been clearer on that. I would be doing the odd track day in the car so the 4wd will be an advantage here, I've had a look about on eBay and some other sites and seen s3's for around £3 - 3.5k is this a good price for one in pretty good condition most being the 210hp models with upto 95,000 to 130,000 miles.

Vfr800 -you said they are money pits do you mean to maintain them ?


thanks for your input guys

any 10 year old performance car takes some maintaining.

when they give you a bit of piece they are freaking awesome tho.

 

[<tuffty/>]

He's been breathing the dodgy fumes from our cars all day - he'll come round soon.

Mass generalisation (based on my own experience only) - A3 owners wish they had an S3 cos they're soo ****** wicked - S3 owners wish they had an A3 because all S3s are money pits.

I love my S3! :thumbsup:

Karl----><----Me
Paul(tuffty)^

Sorry..... momentary lapse due to tiredness etc...

Amended for clarity... and I LOVE my S3...

<tuffty/>

 

[[Dave B]]

any 10 year old performance car takes some maintaining.

when they give you a bit of piece they are freaking awesome tho.

A 'piece' of what? Time where they don't cost a freakin fortune?

 

[<tuffty/>]

Most of the running issues and problems on S3/A3 (and any VAG with a 1.8 20v turbo engine) are the same... split pipes, air leaks, dodgy sensors etc are issues that affect all of them...

<tuffty/>

 

[superkarl]

A 'piece' of what? Time where they don't cost a freakin fortune?

doh, bad grammar error

 

[Prawn]

I would be doing the odd track day in the car so the 4wd will be an advantage here,

It really won't, it'll just put you to sleep

 

[karl210]

The s3 wins hands down. When its mildly moist out you will be grinning from ear to ear. I will never be going fwd again, it just fails at anything over 220bhp in anything other than hot conditions with track tyres on. And you cant beat a bit of a cheeky drift coming out of a roundabout or a junction, you feel like a boss haha. Yeah if they was both the same power the a3 would be faster in a straight line, once it gets its power down, but 250bhp can be had in the s3 without spending much money

 

[<tuffty/>]

I think that subjective to how well the car is setup... I know of at least 2 FWD cars that would disprove that theory outright... one car in particular has 580hp on tap if needed but runs 360 to 460hp most of the time and does a lap of combe in 1:16's (may need to correct me there Bill as I can't remember your faster lap times...)

<tuffty/>

 

[Beany]

lol @ Prawn

Karl210 I know the s3's are more money and i have wanted one for along time due to circumstances ive not been able to. I am earning steady money now and its definately on the cards for next year. I was really looking for a 225 model which is the bam codel is it not ? but i think i will settle for a 210bhp model i just want an s3 lol, not as worried about the miles as much now either just want one thats been looked after. The 4wd is the seller for me i looked at other 4wd's but most are common or stupid money, the s3 is a little different and not as rare as some other cars i looked at.

Again thanks for the replys guys

 

[superkarl]

buy off an enthusiast, a user on here would be ideal. Everyone reeaaaallly looks after there cars on here, plus there is a good record of what the car has been through.
thats advise id wish id taken myself lol, but no i was set on an unmolested standard example, no idea why!

 

[vfr800]

Vfr800 -you said they are money pits do you mean to maintain them ?

Like everyone else has said - there are common issues with these things and it takes a bit of time and money to get on top of them - as it is a 10 year old car all these things will rear their heads eventually. I got the anti roll bars, top mounts and poly suspension bushes sorted as a priority first (standard springs & shocks).

Everything that can go wrong is probably well documented on here.

If you buy a car from someone on here you'll probably get one that's been looked after and have a pile of documentation - just look at the forum to see how anal they are

If you get any old S3 there's a long list of things to check. It makes no difference if it's the AMK-210BHP or BAM-225BHP versions of the S3 they can be remapped to the same so don't pay a premium just because it's the 225 version - go on the individual quality of the car.

I found the hardest thing was getting a nice internal/external colour combo.

Liam