New member, upgrading to an A3, but which one!?

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Hi all :)

I am signed up to a few golf forums as I own a MK4 1.4 at the moment, in all fairness it has been a brilliant car never let me down but now I want to get in the Audi scene!

I have been looking at the A3 1.9 TDI SE, 2.0 TDI SE, S LINE TDI, all sorts but I just want to know which is the most reliable? I have budget of up to £8000.

I have been told the S Line TDI 06> is the one to go for, would people agree?

If not the A3 what would you recommend? Keep in mind I am 19 and I wouldn't get insured on anything over 150bhp!

Any suggestions would be great :)
 
I'm 19 with a 06 2.0 tdi sport 140, 06 on is the better one your right. Take out warranty though if I were you, the turbos are ****e. Doesn't have to be an s line, intact you pay about a grand more for an sline with less optional extras than you do for a sport. I wouldn't go for a SE though, they are too basic such as no trip computer in some.
 
Cheers for the fast reply mate. I am guessing this Audi forum is one of the most popular?

As for the warranty how much did that set you back? Does it cover a blown turbo then?

Never had a diesel car before so I guess I got all this to look forward to lol.

Will definitely look into the sport version though, I want all the extras like leather seats, trip computer, cruise control etc.

:thumbsup:
 
It's an awesome forum yea, you learn a lot.

I got a deal on mine when I bought the car but it's around 500 for a year I think and yes it does cover blown turbos. A lot of people with the tdi have warranty and have had to use it for that purpose which is a good deal as a turbo along can set you back a grand then you got the damage to the engine to fix on top of that which could equal to another grands worth.

The extras is what makes the car special not what the outside looks like ;)

As song as its tidy people will still think your doing well weather you have an SE or an sline though so don't be hooked on the looks entirely.
 
It's the best forum for Audi's I've found so far :laugh:

Sounds good to me, hopefully I won't have to deal with a blown turbo but if worse comes to worse knowing I've got guarantee wouldn't be so bad. So you pay 500 a year, if your turbo blows you don't have to pay a penny to get your car fixed? No hidden costs?

What do you think about this then..

2007 AUDI A3 1.9 TDI SPORT 3DR ## UPGRADED 18" S LINE ALLOYS WHEELS ## | eBay

Personally I love the look of an A3, but the steering controls on the S Line are so tempting, can you get them on any other model?

Any other Audi you could recommend to look in to?
 
I've got a 2.0 tdi Quattro which is 170bhp. But as you're 19 to insure I'd go for 2.0 tdi one. You can pick a nice one up for that sort of money.

Is it diesel you want or would you consider petrol?
 
A3KevB said:
I've got a 2.0 tdi Quattro which is 170bhp. But as you're 19 to insure I'd go for 2.0 tdi one. You can pick a nice one up for that sort of money.

Is it diesel you want or would you consider petrol?
Click to expand...



Hi mate

a 170bhp Golf MK5 quoted me like 3500, I'm paying 1100 on my MK4 1.4 at the moment and to upgrade to a S Line TDI would be 2000, so I'd only have to pay an extra grand to upgrade to a S line.

I would consider petrol but what is best to run fuel wise? I only ever do town driving, mostly short journeys, sometimes I use the motorway but not much.

I get around 60 miles town driving out of £10 in my 1.4 so I would be after something better or at least the same as my 1.4 :)
 
With the tdi's you might experience some problem with the dpf ( diesel particle filter ) if you do a lot if town driving.

2000 ain't a bad price at all. If you're gonna get one I'd say a 2.0 over a 1.9 all day. Fuel consumption wise all depends on your driving coz the car will shift more than a 1.4 golf lol

my friend is selling his 1.6 s line a3 on here with full audi service history etc. he's on here too ash b
 
I would say I drive around 4000-5000 miles a year mate nothing at all really, but I suppose all cars have their problems but I will be on the look out for a well looked after and maintained A3, hopefully with a recent cam belt change etc.

Would you say the S line or just the sport version? I've been looking on eBay and the Sport version is near enough the same price as the S line, if anything I've seen cheaper S lines.

Is it a petrol or diesel?

How come people recommend to go for 06+ what's wrong with the 03 04 05 plate A3?
 
I'd say s lone but probably me being biased. I'll have a look around on eBay as well for you 2mo and post any decent ones on here

and I don't know why they say that. Your budget is that car and insurance or just car? Will you be modifying it or keeping it as you get it?
 
Cheers mate appreciate it!

Well I only just paid my insurance of last week which was £1078, I have been doing online quotes since then and been getting prices of £2100 near abouts so when I do upgrade I will just have to pay an extra grand to my insurers. I have set myself a budget of £8000 for the car, and £1000 for the insurance, so that's £9000 altogether but the cheaper I can get the car the better! :)

I'm hoping to find one thats subtly modified already, the most I would do to it would be tint the windows, lower it maybe 40-50mm, and get some nice alloys unless they came with the car!

I'm more of an ICE person, not sure on how the stock speakers sound but I'm sure my Focals will sound better, and the sub & amp! :)
 
.. And maybe some Xenons ;)
 
After reading up about the DPF, seems to be a ballache of a problem!

What are the 1.6's like?
 
People say go for an 06 plate if you can because a lot of the earlier models had problems with cylinder heads cracking.

You say about the DPF problems, however the 170bhp version is the only diesel with a DPF. You probably wouldn't be able to afford a 170 on insurance anyway.

I'd reccomend the 2.0 over the 1.9 though as the 2.0 is more economical and the 140 is a lot more economical than the 170.
I do a lot of town driving, the majority of it is town driving and my 140 is doing over 50mpg and its been mapped to around 175.

Best advise I saw on here was get a 140 and remap it

if your an ICE person, look into getting one with the Bose system, it will sound better than any aftermarket crap.
 
smurfworth said:
I'm 19 with a 06 2.0 tdi sport 140, 06 on is the better one your right. Take out warranty though if I were you, the turbos are ****e. Doesn't have to be an s line, intact you pay about a grand more for an sline with less optional extras than you do for a sport. I wouldn't go for a SE though, they are too basic such as no trip computer in some.
Click to expand...

Don't count out the SE's, its the later ones 08 onwards that are poverty spec. I know they haven't got the looks of the S-line externally but they are better equipped than most S-Lines and Sports of that age.

When i was looking it came down to a 55 plate S-line or a 57 plate SE, both 2.0tdi 140, both the same price. The SE had done half the mileage and had better spec such as auto lights/wipers, parking sensors, armrest, cruise control which the S-Line didn't have. It also has DIS and sports steering wheel if you go for a DSG like mine is, plus you get the flappy paddles and launch control :)

With the exception of the sports seats & suspension ( some SE's had this anyway like mine as it was an option) there is nothing between the SE's & Sports except the price!

The only thing to bare in mind is the interior trim, most SE's come with hideous wood trim, don't let that put you off, i changed mine with a set of piano black trims off ebay in 10 mins and completely transformed the look for the better :)
 
If you go for a Quattro read up on Haldex and make sure its had the oil changed,
 
smurfworth said:
People say go for an 06 plate if you can because a lot of the earlier models had problems with cylinder heads cracking.

You say about the DPF problems, however the 170bhp version is the only diesel with a DPF. You probably wouldn't be able to afford a 170 on insurance anyway.

I'd reccomend the 2.0 over the 1.9 though as the 2.0 is more economical and the 140 is a lot more economical than the 170.
I do a lot of town driving, the majority of it is town driving and my 140 is doing over 50mpg and its been mapped to around 175.

Best advise I saw on here was get a 140 and remap it

if your an ICE person, look into getting one with the Bose system, it will sound better than any aftermarket crap.
Click to expand...

I will keep an eye out for 06 on wards then :icon_thumright:, I am glad you said the 140's don't have the DPF saves a lot of hassle considering all I do is town drive.

Focal is one of the top component speakers you can buy nowadays it isn't the cheap crap like Edge, Vibe etc..

Paul76R said:
Don't count out the SE's, its the later ones 08 onwards that are poverty spec. I know they haven't got the looks of the S-line externally but they are better equipped than most S-Lines and Sports of that age.

When i was looking it came down to a 55 plate S-line or a 57 plate SE, both 2.0tdi 140, both the same price. The SE had done half the mileage and had better spec such as auto lights/wipers, parking sensors, armrest, cruise control which the S-Line didn't have. It also has DIS and sports steering wheel if you go for a DSG like mine is, plus you get the flappy paddles and launch control :)

With the exception of the sports seats & suspension ( some SE's had this anyway like mine as it was an option) there is nothing between the SE's & Sports except the price!

The only thing to bare in mind is the interior trim, most SE's come with hideous wood trim, don't let that put you off, i changed mine with a set of piano black trims off ebay in 10 mins and completely transformed the look for the better :)
Click to expand...

The SE doesn't seem to bad to me either mate, looking on eBay I've seen more sportier SE's than the Sport versions. What about engine wise though, is the SE solid? Does the DSG come with steering controls? :cool:

Was said:
If you go for a Quattro read up on Haldex and make sure its had the oil changed,
Click to expand...

Haven't the quattro's got the 170bhp engine? I wouldn't be after one of them mate, insurance would be too much!
 
What are they like on petrol and engine wise?
 
Already done all that mate, I would prefer a diesel anyway unless somehow the petrols have better fuel consumption?
 
Whatever you get, make sure its got a Turbo!!

I've got the 2.0l FSI and if it wasn't such a good price, I'd of overlooked it for a TFSI.
 
audi upgrades
You got the diesel or petrol mate? What's the difference between FSI and TFSI?
 
This will probably surprise you. Doing 5K a year a 40mpg petrol vs a 50mpg diesel will only save £111 at current fuel prices. The diesel car will probably cost more to buy (of course you will get some of that back at the end). Front tyre wear must be a bit higher to due to heavier engine. I'm sure there are other factors too.
 
But the diesels are cheaper to insure?

I ain't ruling out a petrol, that's why I'm asking peoples opinions on what A3 to go for, what petrol model would you recommend then mate? S Line?
 
I don't honestly know, drove a diesel for the last 6 years. Just pointing out with low annual mileages a diesel might not save you anything.

S Line is a trim level not an engine spec. I know sod all about Audi petrols. I have a 170TDI.
 
You've obviously never sat in a car especially the 8p with Bose, you'll be impressed when you do and you'll think why did I ever think about upgrading speakers.

Tdi 140 best all rounder, tell me how you can have a 175bhp 400NM car and still do 64mpg driving spiritedly? with a diesel, that's how.
 
audi upgrades
But at the end of the day £111 is still saving lol, and I'm after reliability more than anything I'm not fussed on petrol or diesel as long as it gets me from A to B with no problems.

I'm guessing the S Line spec is the top end spec then?
 
Go for a 2.0 TDi, plenty of power and not much difference on insurance than the 1.9, just look for a well specced ones, and s lines tend to be 170bhp which is almost double the insurance price of a 140bhp at your age.
 
smurfworth said:
You've obviously never sat in a car especially the 8p with Bose, you'll be impressed when you do and you'll think why did I ever think about upgrading speakers.

Tdi 140 best all rounder, tell me how you can have a 175bhp 400NM car and still do 64mpg driving spiritedly? with a diesel, that's how.
Click to expand...

The Tdi 140 is the one I'm opting for the most at the moment, although I do like the look of the 1.6 s line.
Audi a3 1.6 Sline 2009 59 | eBay
 
There is no difference on my insurance between the 1.9 and the 2.0 so it's a no brainer really, I'm heading towards the sport version as it's 140bhp and not much more on my insurance :D
 
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IMO you'll end up with more problems only doing 5k in a diesel a year, they are built to do long journeys and won't even get time to warm up around town causing lots of carbon build up and wear

And as said it will cost you more to run & maintain every year due to your low mileage

But the low end torque will keep a smile on your face (why people bat on about BHP figures for diesels baffles me as that peaks at high rpm (4000rpm+) whereas the power (torque) is available from just under 2000rpm)
 
Boon said:
IMO you'll end up with more problems only doing 5k in a diesel a year, they are built to do long journeys and won't even get time to warm up around town causing lots of carbon build up and wear

And as said it will cost you more to run & maintain every year due to your low mileage

But the low end torque will keep a smile on your face (why people bat on about BHP figures for diesels baffles me as that peaks at high rpm (4000rpm+) whereas the power (torque) is available from just under 2000rpm)
Click to expand...

What would you say then mate the 1.8 T or the 1.6 ?
 
Balls Deep said:
What would you say then mate the 1.8 T or the 1.6 ?
Click to expand...

Turbo if you can afford it

But it would be best for you to test drive various to see how you get on... You might prefer the diesel torque or the refinement of a petrol!

Me, I have a 2.0TDI 140 and love it, planning to remap at some stage
 
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