Things I Learnt This Weekend

[geefunk1978]

So these are the things I learnt this weekend.

1. I wish I'd bought a 4 door. Having a baby with 3 doors is just ridiculous unless I'm on my own and put her in the front.
2. Test drove an A45 AMG yesterday in Derby. Proper 30ish mile test drive round all sorts of roads. Although exceptionally good, also exceptionally expensive when compared to the S3. Finance deals are no where near as good with Mercedes, it would cost me nearly £4000 cash and an extra £250/month to swap! Definitely not worth that kind of cash! They are a beast, sound very nice and I think they're a bit more special than an S3. The gearbox feels like it's a gearbox when you use the paddles, whereas the S3 S-tronic paddles feels like a switch. The engine pulls a lot harder to the redline at higher revs and properly pins you to the seat, which I feel the S3 should. All in all no chance I'd part ex though at the mo, just too much money. (I'm probably going to get slated for thinking about it, but keep reading!)
3. The S3 has apparently done £7k in 1500 miles in depreciation. Absolutely ridiculous! I know buying a brand new car it will depreciate but that's just crazy!
4. I've finally started to bond with the S3. I don't think I'd done enough miles on my own, apart from boring commuting to really appreciate it. Did about 150 miles yesterday in it and had some really good fun. Used manual and dynamic most of the time and gave it the beans.
5. It's definitely loosening up at 1500 miles. It's fast. And I mean properly, outrageously fast.
6. Driving through tunnels with the Milltek and window down should be a national past time. There's some good tunnels in Derby, it sounds like world war 3 has just been declared on upshifts.
7. The S3 cracks 150 (private road ahem) with ease.
8. The S3 (well mine) is faster than an M135i. Had some fun with one on a dual carriageway. He dropped 3 cogs, I stayed in 6th and I was on his **** to (ahem) 70ish...If I'd have dropped to 4th he wouldn't have seen me for dust.

 

[Louay]

You mean wished you bought the 5 door the one with the same more visually striking front bumper as your 3 door ;-)
You've managed thus far with a little one and a 3 door so count your blessings and be happy! Presumably your baby is immobile so it'll only be 3/4 years when she'll be able to get in her back seat on her own?

 

[geefunk1978]

I still maintain that the 3 door looks better in my opinion, but practicality wise a sportback would've been more sensible. It just means we can't use my car as much as I'd like that's all. I guess it keeps it special for me tho.
Only 3/4yrs, not long then!

 

[Louay]

Enjoy it mate. You got the latest S3 model and its an amazing car and you'll manage i'm sure.

 

[Pulp84]

So these are the things I learnt this weekend.

1. I wish I'd bought a 4 door. Having a baby with 3 doors is just ridiculous unless I'm on my own and put her in the front.
2. Test drove an A45 AMG yesterday in Derby. Proper 30ish mile test drive round all sorts of roads. Although exceptionally good, also exceptionally expensive when compared to the S3. Finance deals are no where near as good with Mercedes, it would cost me nearly £4000 cash and an extra £250/month to swap! Definitely not worth that kind of cash! They are a beast, sound very nice and I think they're a bit more special than an S3. The gearbox feels like it's a gearbox when you use the paddles, whereas the S3 S-tronic paddles feels like a switch. The engine pulls a lot harder to the redline at higher revs and properly pins you to the seat, which I feel the S3 should. All in all no chance I'd part ex though at the mo, just too much money. (I'm probably going to get slated for thinking about it, but keep reading!)
3. The S3 has apparently done £7k in 1500 miles in depreciation. Absolutely ridiculous! I know buying a brand new car it will depreciate but that's just crazy!
4. I've finally started to bond with the S3. I don't think I'd done enough miles on my own, apart from boring commuting to really appreciate it. Did about 150 miles yesterday in it and had some really good fun. Used manual and dynamic most of the time and gave it the beans.
5. It's definitely loosening up at 1500 miles. It's fast. And I mean properly, outrageously fast.
6. Driving through tunnels with the Milltek and window down should be a national past time. There's some good tunnels in Derby, it sounds like world war 3 has just been declared on upshifts.
7. The S3 cracks 150 (private road ahem) with ease.
8. The S3 (well mine) is faster than an M135i. Had some fun with one on a dual carriageway. He dropped 3 cogs, I stayed in 6th and I was on his **** to (ahem) 70ish...If I'd have dropped to 4th he wouldn't have seen me for dust.

I seriously looked at A45 AMG and came to similar conclusions (I thought it was more of an event to drive), but at £7k deposit and £600 a month I just could not get the Mrs to sign it off. So against the S3 I had to find £4k more for the deposit and £200 a month extra on the finance. Seem Mercedes give the A45 AMG a really low GMFV at £15k which coupled with the higher list price just made it way too expensive.

Can't wait to get my S3 reading all these owner write ups! Only another 6 weeks to go......lol

 

[jongeddes]

You will be surprised how well you can manage. Our eldest in now 4 and only just changed to a 5 door from 3 door civic mainly due to them getting bigger and heavier but never really saw it as a problem and only really changing now as the time was right and the civic was getting on 7 years old. We had the sam e as you initially and thought must get a 5 door but we really did get used to what we had with no great stubble. Guess Im saying stick with what you have it might not be as big an issue as you think.

 

[Joetidman]

I still maintain that the 3 door looks better in my opinion, but practicality wise a sportback would've been more sensible. It just means we can't use my car as much as I'd like that's all. I guess it keeps it special for me tho.
Only 3/4yrs, not long then!

What about getting the S3 Saloon mate, 4 doors and even better looking than the hatch I've got two kids 3years and 8months and it's why I switched from my coupe. Cheaper than the AMG to switch too?

 

[geefunk1978]

I have thought about it, the problem is it's going to cost me daft money to get out of my car so quickly! I've got the salesman looking at figures from where I bought mine but I'm not holding any hope for a decent deal.

 

[Flibble]

I also considered the A45 AMG, but £7k extra (before even considering options) is just daft. Feels like they have priced themselves out of the market.

 

[cemerson]

The A-class interior is ugly as hell though, plasticy and the screen looks like it was glued on afterwards...

 

[geefunk1978]

The A45 I specced up was £41800 which isn't much different to an S3 saloon I specced up, only a couple of grand in it.
I think the interior of the A45 is very nice, it's a lot more special than the S3 which is exactly the same as an s line diesel really. The A45 has a leather dash and is a lot sportier than the S3. The steering wheel although an option with the suede was also really nice. The steering was also a damn site better than the S3. Throttle sensitivity was also better.
There's pros and cons for both really.

 

[geefunk1978]

I seriously looked at A45 AMG and came to similar conclusions (I thought it was more of an event to drive), but at £7k deposit and £600 a month I just could not get the Mrs to sign it off. So against the S3 I had to find £4k more for the deposit and £200 a month extra on the finance. Seem Mercedes give the A45 AMG a really low GMFV at £15k which coupled with the higher list price just made it way too expensive.

Can't wait to get my S3 reading all these owner write ups! Only another 6 weeks to go......lol

You'll love it mate, it really is a great car.
Yeah I couldn't believe the GFV at £15k after 3 years on the A45, my S3 is £16k GFV after 4 years! Also they don't take mileage into consideration which is ridiculous! I only do 5k/year so surely the car will be worth more at the end of the agreement?! Audi took this into account and it made a massive difference on monthly costs where Mercedes wouldn't, they work on 10k/year. Ridiculous.

 

[Conor_B]

I seriously looked at A45 AMG and came to similar conclusions (I thought it was more of an event to drive), but at £7k deposit and £600 a month I just could not get the Mrs to sign it off. So against the S3 I had to find £4k more for the deposit and £200 a month extra on the finance. Seem Mercedes give the A45 AMG a really low GMFV at £15k which coupled with the higher list price just made it way too expensive.

Can't wait to get my S3 reading all these owner write ups! Only another 6 weeks to go......lol

I know what i'd be in for £600 PCM. Have a look at the RS4 offers:

Latest offers < Explore models < Audi

 

[geefunk1978]

That's a business offer, unfortunately personal is a lot higher with deposit! But yeah, £599/month is seriously good value for pretty much a supercar in an estate body.

 

[Conor_B]

That's a business offer, unfortunately personal is a lot higher with deposit! But yeah, £599/month is seriously good value for pretty much a supercar in an estate body.

Look on the left of the fiance numbers, there's a retail offer as well with a £7.3k deposit, same as what @Pulp84 was quoting for an AMG.

 

[geefunk1978]

I meant the deposit was higher than the business offer, but yeah same as A45 deposit. Crazy really when it's £20k more car than the A45!

 

[geefunk1978]

It does look quite mean all black to be fair.

 

[AndyWilo]

If I hadn't read the thread I would of said the picture was an old Astra! IMO

 

[mjcourtney]

If I hadn't read the thread I would of said the picture was an old Astra! IMO

I was thinking the exact same thing lol

 

[Louay]

Take the merc badge off and it's a ricer

 

[Pulp84]

I know what i'd be in for £600 PCM. Have a look at the RS4 offers:

Latest offers < Explore models < Audi

I personally think Mercedes are having a laugh when there is (arguably) much better stuff on the market for the money. Yes the A45 AMG is slightly quicker in a straight line and does have more of a "look at me" look to it - but £600 a month? RS4 every time for me....

 

[Flibble]

If I hadn't read the thread I would of said the picture was an old Astra! IMO

I thought it was an Astra for a moment, wondered why it was posted in here till I clocked the star on the grill...

 

[veeeight]

Harsh

The CLA A45 is a pretty stunning looking car !!

 

[Pulp84]

Harsh

The CLA A45 is a pretty stunning looking car !!

Yeah that's very nice.

 

[Joetidman]

Looks like it's been melted at both ends, like a Dali painting...

 

[geefunk1978]

I'm not a fan of that, saw one tonight at the petrol station, they look a bit odd! Much prefer the A class but I do like hatchbacks.

 

[Joetidman]

Yeah agree, saw one yesterday, just looked a bit slopey and strange, prefer hatch

 

[geefunk1978]

A3 saloon looks loads better I think.

 

[pat15312]

Audi build quality if better than Merc and their plastics don't look/feel as cheap. I genuinely see Audi as a more premium brand to Merc, with the latter still managing to cling on to the kudos built decades ago...

 

[geefunk1978]

To be honest I've never even considered a Merc as an ownership prospect in the past, I've always thought they are proper 'old man's' cars. They've never appealed to me at all, I've always preferred Audi's and BMW's. But now I think Mercedes have got their act together and are starting to realise they need to appeal to a whole new market. The design's are a lot fresher I think. Like the S3, the A45 could have been built specifically for me, mid 30's professional with a young small family who wants an everyday car that is also a snarling beast when you want it to be. Don't get me wrong I love Audi's, as is well documented on this forum, but I'm always open to other brands if they are appealing. There's not many cars I ever think 'I really want one of them', but to be honest the A45 is a car I do really want to own at some point, especially after now driving one. Obviously it'd need a remap for nearly 400bhp though....!

 

[steeve]

I looked into changing to an S3 this weekend, but the dealer offered me £11,000 less than I paid on my four month old 184 TDi SB.
So it's a no go.

 

[geefunk1978]

£11000!!!!!! Holy s**t!!! That's a complete p1ss take! I thought Mercedes offering me £7k was bad and that's a different car brand completely!

 

[lee_fr200]

I've looked at the s3/a45 too and tbh the a45 is overpriced 38k with no options,

If you like things like the leather dash you can easily have a s3 dash retrim de for around 600/700 far cheaper than the a45

Plus a few ppl who have owned the a45 have said they're disappointed with it!

wait for the rs3 as it's the rival to the a45 and it would be wiser to go for that instead

 

[Joetidman]

I looked into changing to an S3 this weekend, but the dealer offered me £11,000 less than I paid on my four month old 184 TDi SB.
So it's a no go.

Jesus thats a lot of depreciation!

 

[geefunk1978]

I've looked at the s3/a45 too and tbh the a45 is overpriced 38k with no options,

If you like things like the leather dash you can easily have a s3 dash retrim de for around 600/700 far cheaper than the a45

Plus a few ppl who have owned the a45 have said they're disappointed with it!

wait for the rs3 as it's the rival to the a45 and it would be wiser to go for that instead

I'm not that bothered about leather dash, just thought the A45 was a bit more special inside than the S3, that was just a comparison!
I'm sure the RS3 will be a serious car, if they make a saloon, I'll be all over that I reckon! The only thing is will it feel/be that different to the S3? When I buy a new car I like it to be different to the last one otherwise it just feels like you're getting in the same car!

 

[Stevo985]

I agree with the looks vs practicality point.

I think the 3 door looks nicer than the Sportback (although the SB is by no means bad looking. It's fab)

But I don't even have my hatchback yet (Tuesday!!!) and I'm already worrying about a trip to Cambridge I'm taking my folks on. Thinking I might have to hire a winch to get my old man out of the back seats

 

[cemerson]

This?

http://www.icarreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Mercedes-A45-AMG-interior-view.jpg

Sorry, but that's ugly as hell! Carbon everywhere has to be one of the least attractive things about it too, looks awful IMO! The S3 dash being the same as the A3 dash is one of the best things about it (although they aren't quite the same) - it's a great dashboard! I hate it when they try and put tacky bits everywhere like red parts, or the carbon fibre effects. I wouldn't be able to drive it cause I'd be vomiting every time I got in the car and had to look at it

 

[0B1001001]

Agreed - really, really nasty (IMHO!).

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Harsh

The CLA A45 is a pretty stunning looking car !!

That is a very carefully taken photograph catching the car at its best angle.

Have you seen from the side profile and rear angle ... Horrible and seriously ugly proportions.

The A45 is waaaaaaay overpriced and inside I found it claustrophobic and very plasticky.

It also 'looks' a very small car IMO and I could not see where the money was going at all.

No doubting it has a great engine though.

S3 balances price / quality / looks / performance just right IMO.

 

[Joetidman]

I looked into changing to an S3 this weekend, but the dealer offered me £11,000 less than I paid on my four month old 184 TDi SB.
So it's a no go.

Just out of interest, just did a quick check. There is a nearly new (Jan 2014) 184 TDI A3 on the audi website with 5000 on the clock going for £30,850, and when you spec the same car new it would cost £33,860... so basically I think your garage is taking the p!ss with that offer, in effect trying to grab £8 profit off you...