S3 8L vs A3 3.2 v6

JJ.Foulds

JJ.Foulds

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Iv been kinda dead set on buying an S3, and a fair few people said they are costly to keep on the road due to age etc as i would be buying 01 plate or before. Im not going to be buying till mid april so i really need to make sure im buying the right car!

Now iv noticed the a3 3.2 is fairly dam cheap and similar in price for something of 04 plate or higher and with less than 100k miles!


Not sure if anyone knows much about the 3.2 on here, but are they a bag of rubbish compared to the older S3? The 0-60,and MPG figures are pretty similar. without a turbo does that mean less repairs in general?

Forgot to add, the A3 comes with DSG paddle shift which also looks like great fun?


any help would be great!

JJ.
 
yeah i read that, it can cause a bit more understeer if im correct? but i dont see that being a particular problem :p

JJ.
 
I bought a 2004 3.2v6 over a 8l s3 and its a great car the sound the v6 makes is great and the power delivery is just instant but like any car can have there problems. There are lots of threads in the 8p section about 3.2's recently.

You will need to factor in the dsg service every 40k miles that the s3 doesn't need and both need haldex service every 20k miles these are important check service book that they have been done when required.

There are also other generic faults that are not present on every 3.2 but worth looking into
1 timing chain stretch very costly repair
2 unable to hold revs @2000rpm easy fix by dealer it's just a software update the hardest bit is getting the dealer to agree to it.

Hope I have not put you off, like I said every old car can have its problem just some more than others it's just a chance you take.
 
yeah i read about the software update, but im thinking an 06 plate is about 4k, and an s3 like 02 plate is same price. Shud be less work to do on the newer A3.

And no you havnt put me off! my insurance is 600 higher for the 3.2 though!

JJ.
 
Also the road tax on the 06 will be £400 odd a year. That's one of the reasons I went for the 04 3.2 as I'm only £270 for the year.
 
shariain said:
Also the road tax on the 06 will be £400 odd a year. That's one of the reasons I went for the 04 3.2 as I'm only £270 for the year.
Click to expand...

ahh right! i didnt realise it depended on when car was made, i thought it was just changing for everything! Il probly be aiming for an 04 anyway caus of price. but thanks for that info!

JJ.
 
Pre facelift 8l s3 only £220 a year to tax though :p
 
Drive both and see which you prefer. A well looked after S3 shouldnt be any more expensive to keep on the road than an 8p A3 3.2, its just finding a well looked after S3 as theres plenty of dogs out there these days because there cheap to buy, but the same principle applies to the 3.2
 
been contemplating this myself i'm going for the S3 atm for the fact it's an S not an A and the thought of getting more potential power from a turbo in theory
 
****** that if my insurance was to change by £600 then I would be rethinking about changing my car. What are you driving just now.

I got a multi car policy through admiral for £400 total for my v6 and my wife's Vw sharan. We are both 33 and have no points and are both named drivers on the other car.
 
Stuieuieuieo said:
been contemplating this myself i'm going for the S3 atm for the fact it's an S not an A and the thought of getting more potential power from a turbo in theory
Click to expand...

Yeah true, but im more bothered about the overall look of the car than performance, its within the 7 second mark which was my aim.
i realise it saying 'A3' on the back is rubbish, HOWEVER on the other side it saying '3.2 quattro DSG' more than makes up for it.
I also prefer the looks of the 8P and the dsg sounds fun, but no1s meantioned what its like yet.

JJ.
 
shariain said:
****** that if my insurance was to change by £600 then I would be rethinking about changing my car. What are you driving just now.

I got a multi car policy through admiral for £400 total for my v6 and my wife's Vw sharan. We are both 33 and have no points and are both named drivers on the other car.
Click to expand...

im 22, 3 points, driving 4 years, 2yNCD

was driving a ford focus St170, insurance was 1700
a 210bhp S3 is 1100
a 225bhp S3 is 1800
a 3.2 v6 is 1800

and for ****s and giggles a ford KA is like £300 3rd party only!

insurance is EXPENSIVE for under 25's. iv never crashed and plan to NEVER crash (the crash being MY fault of course)

JJ.
 
i'm with you on the fact it looks better and i suppose you could get one with S3 looks or something, i dunno i'm interested to hear what people say too, be nice to hear from someone that's driven both
 
I think the early A3 04's look pants with the little grill, the later 06/07's look nice with the revised face lift, the S3 IMO looks so much better than the first batch of 3.2's.

If its an 04 your looking at then it'll cost just as much if not more to maintain, your only talking about 3 years between cars, the 3.2 is a heavier beast than the S3 and will probably wear out parts at a quicker rate.

If your going to mod then the S3 is a no brainer...

Dsg on the 3.2 is very nice though and gels beautifully with the 3.2 engine.
 
I wasnt planning on modding engine wise anyway, and im looking for to see if i enjoy the DSG.

JJ.
 
V6 not much tuning capability unless you charge it, and its not cheap.
S3 plenty of tuning potential, from budget to expensive.
 
i think i just prefer the newer shape over the 8L, i would love to have the 8P S3 but i deffo do not have £10k to spend lol. i am only a student at the end of the day!

JJ.
 
Last edited:
shariain said:
What about a 2.0t A3 you would get one for about the same price as a 3.2 and fuel economy would be slightly better and insurance would also be better ok it's not the same as a 3.2 but with a few body mods could do a s3 rep and just leave engine standard or even remap it.

Used Audi A3 Hatchback 2.0 T Fsi Quattro S Line Special Edition 5dr in Lanarkshire | Fifth Gear Car Sales
Click to expand...

They are still out of my price range unfortunatly, but having the 3.2 has that extra 'cool' and something 'different' about it i guess.

JJ.
 
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