A3 - worth the money?

A3 - worth the money?

  • Yes

    Votes: 51 71.8%

  • No

    Votes: 20 28.2%
  • Total voters
    71
PNH80 said:
Come on lets not be naive, S3's, Golf GTI's and R32's are all infinitely more desireable to boy racers than an S-Line which looks more like an exec hatch rather than a hot hatch. So no it can't be said about ANY car, we're talking about cars purposely bought by people who aim to drive everywhere at 90 mph and for that reason the S3 is more likely to be the target for that audience.
I'm not knocking the car at all, far from it. Just making a social observation.
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Just to follow up my own comment.... How many 2.0T's on here are chipped?...Any at all?! Now how many S3's? Pretty much all of them from what i see. So i think that says a lot about the S3 buying public in comparison to the S-Line market.
Again.... thats not passing judgement or having a go. Simply an observation...
 
PNH80 said:
Come on lets not be naive, S3's, Golf GTI's and R32's are all infinitely more desireable to boy racers than an S-Line which looks more like an exec hatch rather than a hot hatch. So no it can't be said about ANY car, we're talking about cars purposely bought by people who aim to drive everywhere at 90 mph and for that reason the S3 is more likely to be the target for that audience.
I'm not knocking the car at all, far from it. Just making a social observation.
Click to expand...

You car will be most popular to the boy racers because of the price! The S3 will hold it's money a lot more so 2.0TSFIs will reach those lads a lot sooner. Not to mention the insurance issue.

The enigne from the golf GTI in a good looking Audi body, it's a very desirable combination.
 
bowfer said:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, though.
You think the A3 is gorgeous, I've always thought it's styling to be dull, safe and uninspiring.
I personally think there are better looking 5 door hatches out there.
On looks alone, the new Fiat Bravo and Alfa 147 beat it hands down, IMO.
I stress again, on looks alone.
Before the inevitable "who would have a Fiat/Alfa" nonsense starts.
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I agree, the Fiat Bravo does look really good. not sure i would buy one though
 
davemk said:
Thanks for that. Not sure that I agree entirely on the A3 being better looking externally than a Leon or Golf. You're right about the interiors though - the A3 is far superior, in my opinion, of course. It's the interior more than the exterior that's pushing me in the direction of Audi. The Mk5 Golf has a very cheap centre console and for the money they command, that's poor.
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I park my A3 next to my colleagues Seat Leon FR and Golf GTDI at work every day and seriously, the Audi is SO much more purposeful and well proportioned. I was actually surprised how much taller the golf is. Must be 3-4 inches taller than the A3. And i think the Leon might be even taller than that.
If i get chance i'll endevour to get some photos of all 3 together from various angles for comparison as well as shots of the interiors. It's an eye-opener.
 
davemk said:
Thanks for that. Not sure that I agree entirely on the A3 being better looking externally than a Leon or Golf. You're right about the interiors though - the A3 is far superior, in my opinion, of course. It's the interior more than the exterior that's pushing me in the direction of Audi. The Mk5 Golf has a very cheap centre console and for the money they command, that's poor.
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My mates Mrs has just bought a mkV Gti limited Ed in black. Have to say the interior did look pretty nice. But I guess the limited is A3 money anyway which negates the golf being cheaper/worse interior argument!
 
bowfer said:
I will define my use of the 'max power' comment.
IMO, it is cars that are modified from standard in a certain way.
The two I hate to see the most are non-standard exhausts and/or tints.
I don't think I'm being unfair in saying that a fair proportion of S3's will end up being modified in either, or both, of these manners.
So I apologise if the, admittedly lazy, use of 'max power' offends.
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I agree if were talking about " two rusty baked bean cans popping out from under the car swingging from side to side "

If and when my Audi exhaust needs to be replaced out of my own pocket it won't be with a Audi exhaust!

You can buy a better made OEM style exhaust that will give you a slight performance gain by a dedicated exhaust manufacturer for LESS than a Audi replacement.

p
 
TrickyLad said:
I agree, the Fiat Bravo does look really good. not sure i would buy one though
Click to expand...

I agree also, the bravo is a good looking car, but it doesn't hold the same classy styling that the A3 does.

Of course looks divide opinions when it comes to buying cars, otherwise everyone would buy the same cars.

Golfs are good looking yes, the Golf GTI is a great looking car, but compare like for like and I prefer the A3 (i.e. not comparing a GTI with a 1.6 SE).

The Seat Leon is not the best looking car though. IMHO lol
 
PNH80 said:
So yeah i don't regret what i paid for my A3. I could have gone for a golf GTI or R32 and saved some money but they do look and feel like a cheaper car and i just didn't want that hot hatch image. I still get the performance with the A3, just in a nicely tailored suit, not a tracksuit.
I can't comment for S3 owners although i do feel once you start banging the extras on an S3 the price maybe gets a little steep for the 8P platform.
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I agree with that sentiment - I also considered the GTi amongst others before buying my second A3 last year, but didn't want (a) people to think I was a boy racer and (b) people to think I drove a Golf - nothing against the golf, but to people who don't know much about cars it is just a Golf.

Value for money is a difficult thing to quantify - what might be VFM to me might not be VFM for somebody else.

Personally I think I got VFM for my car with what I paid for it and the extras I got (almost 15 grands worth!).
 
PNH80 said:
Just to follow up my own comment.... How many 2.0T's on here are chipped?...Any at all?! Now how many S3's? Pretty much all of them from what i see. So i think that says a lot about the S3 buying public in comparison to the S-Line market.
Again.... thats not passing judgement or having a go. Simply an observation...
Click to expand...

To be fair i don't think theres many 2.0T's on here , as MOST people would pay the extra grand or so to get the S3. :)

Assuming you don't need a 5 door , but thats about to change!

p
 
staz1000 said:
You car will be most popular to the boy racers because of the price! The S3 will hold it's money a lot more so 2.0TSFIs will reach those lads a lot sooner. Not to mention the insurance issue.

The enigne from the golf GTI in a good looking Audi body, it's a very desirable combination.
Click to expand...

Just one thing... When i say 'boy racers' and 'max power' it doesn't necessarily apply to any particular age group or how much wonga they have in the bank. It's the mentality of an individual and priorities when buying a car, thats all.
Either way i'm pretty sure Civic Type R's, Evo's, Scooby's, Focus ST's and Vauxhall VXR's will be higher on the list than any Audi. Compared to those cars the S-Line 2.0T just isn't fast enough for the price tag for 'those people'...
 
Its a lovely car, well built and looks good. But its too expensive however its the car I wanted so had to pay the price..... if I had got a Golf I'd have always wished I had got the A3.
 
I saw a white Seat Leon FR with the cupra bodykit, it looked hot, hot, hot!!!!!! :jump:

I also could have bought it new from the dealers fully specd for less than i paid for my Solar Orange S3, but i drove one yesterday and damn it felt cheap!!!
 
phantom said:
To be fair i don't think theres many 2.0T's on here
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There used to be loads of people with 2.0TFSIs on here and many were chipped. Now the S3 leads the way but all those TFSIs have to be out there somewhere, and I bet loads are chipped.
 
PNH80 said:
Just one thing... When i say 'boy racers' and 'max power' it doesn't necessarily apply to any particular age group or how much wonga they have in the bank. It's the mentality of an individual and priorities when buying a car, thats all.
Click to expand...

I agree, but you have to agree that MOST of the boy racers are from the younger generation.

Either way i'm pretty sure Civic Type R's, Evo's, Scooby's, Focus ST's and Vauxhall VXR's will be higher on the list than any Audi. Compared to those cars the S-Line 2.0T just isn't fast enough for the price tag for 'those people'...
Click to expand...

I was only comparing the 2.0T to the S3.
 
phantom said:
To be fair i don't think theres many 2.0T's on here , as MOST people would pay the extra grand or so to get the S3. :)

Assuming you don't need a 5 door , but thats about to change!

p
Click to expand...

You see this is a funny one. I'm not justifying what i choose to spend on a car but i could have had an S3 no problem at all. But after weighing up all pro's and con's including looks, price, insurance, economy, marginal increase in perfromance along with the fact i'm keeping it for only 18 months before buying a 330 M-Sport coupe.... The S-Line was a no brainer. I actually prefer the way it looks. Also consider i'm spending my own money, no company car here!
Another factor is that my car is not my life. It's a car. I have quite expensive tastes in other things such as watches, clothes etc so i'm not ever having a car which soaks up all my money. I want a car which i can easily afford without sacrificing other things.
It amazes me when people on here have taken the plunge for an S3 and then bang on about economy and running costs etc. I mean lets be honest either you can afford to own one or you can't. You don't hear ferrari drivers moaning about mpg of trying to drive everywhere in 6th gear to save fuel.
 
PNH80 said:
It amazes me when people on here have taken the plunge for an S3 and then bang on about economy and running costs etc. I mean lets be honest either you can afford to own one or you can't. You don't hear ferrari drivers moaning about mpg of trying to drive everywhere in 6th gear to save fuel.
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That's clearly a dig at me, have you read my reply in the other thread? I had no replies to it so assumed it had been accepted.
 
phantom said:
I agree if were talking about " two rusty baked bean cans popping out from under the car swingging from side to side "
If and when my Audi exhaust needs to be replaced out of my own pocket it won't be with a Audi exhaust!
You can buy a better made OEM style exhaust that will give you a slight performance gain by a dedicated exhaust manufacturer for LESS than a Audi replacement.
p
Click to expand...

Provided you keep the car as quiet as standard, I have no problem with that at all.
All you're doing is saving money, which is common sense.
 
Matt said:
Its a lovely car, well built and looks good. But its too expensive however its the car I wanted so had to pay the price..... if I had got a Golf I'd have always wished I had got the A3.
Click to expand...

That's my thinking too. And for the sake of the extra money, I think I'd rather go Audi (plus my local VW dealers aren't very good).

marriedblonde said:
I think interesting is the best way to descibe it!
Click to expand...

I don't know, personal tastes again, but I like the outside of the Leon. The interior lets it down though.
 
staz1000 said:
That's clearly a dig at me, have you read my reply in the other thread? I had no replies to it so assumed it had been accepted.
Click to expand...

Actually no not at all, haven't seen you reply to any thread on that subject so it's not a dig at you but it is a subject which comes up a lot isn't it. People just seem to bust their ******** to have a car they can't realistically run comfortably....Priorities i guess!
 
PNH80 said:
Actually no not at all, haven't seen you reply to any thread on that subject so it's not a dig at you but it is a subject which comes up a lot isn't it. People just seem to bust their ******** to have a car they can't realistically run comfortably....Priorities i guess!
Click to expand...

Oh ok. I haven't really seen that subject come up before. I can certainly afford to run my car in 3rd all day especially when it's about 60 (euro) cents a litre. But I choose not to that's all.

Anyway back to this threat.

When the Leon came out I was really hoping it'd be a great replacement for the previous Leon which was nice to look at. I was very disappointed. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's ugly, but I'd need a couple of beers in me!
 
marriedblonde said:
I voted no to the value for money, but then again I dont think most of the premium brand cars offer good value for money.

J.
Click to expand...

Well I voted yes - because it was when I bought it at two years old.

They are well put together, just sometime let down by the componants used.

Paul
 
Pound for Pound, Bang for your buck etc, the A3/S3 probably isnt best VFM, however I reckon most of us buy an AUDI for more than just nuts and bolts.
AUDI has an excellent image and owning one does give you that whole `upmarket` experience from your car, and how do you relate that in monetary terms?
What the A3 quatrros and S3s also give you that other hatches dont (except R32), is real world useable power in most weathers, that isnt lost in wheelspin and TC intervention.

This is why we pay top dollar for our cars.

I like VWs and concede to being a Golf fan but IMO VW have got it wrong with the R32 and ED30 Golfs (the ones you REALLY want if your a Golf buyer) with their pricing.
Both are excellent cars IMO but too close to the cost of the nearest A3/S3 to be an option for me.

cheers
Paul
 
I personally think the A3 is gorgeous to look at (imo of course) and extremely well built.
But I partly bought it because of the image. Think about the golf. Nice car. But take the Mk4 Golf for example. They’re slowly falling into “banger” territory.
How many have you seen with Lexus lights and empty cans of beans being used as an exhaust?
I have seen plenty.
Now how many A3 (and we’re talking Mk1 A3’s here as well) have you seen chavved up? I very rarely see any.
Which makes me happy. Evidently, somehow, as popular as it is, the A3 is still a “niche” model and eliminates most people who don’t want to spend the extra cash on a car. Let’s face it, once you’ve eliminated the Ford/ Vauxhall squad from the equation, you then have only a few wanting to pay the premium for a VAG car. Most of them will then think they’d rather not pay the premium for the Audi and stick with the Golf.
 
audi upgrades
I think the general concencus is that they are worth the money as far as cars go. To be honest, £20k is more than I wanted to spend but I can't see me being happy with a run-around (albeit newish) Focus or even a new Golf with that horrid centre console. The A3 just seems to tick the right boxes for me. AND when you factor in the resale value, that's yet another reason to opt for an A3.
Facelift model available to order from Monday. Think I'll be taking a trip to the Audi garages to see what sort of deal we can thrash out.
Thanks for everyone's input.
 
sat1983 said:
I personally think the A3 is gorgeous to look at (imo of course) and extremely well built.
But I partly bought it because of the image. Think about the golf. Nice car. But take the Mk4 Golf for example. They’re slowly falling into “banger” territory.
How many have you seen with Lexus lights and empty cans of beans being used as an exhaust?
I have seen plenty.
Now how many A3 (and we’re talking Mk1 A3’s here as well) have you seen chavved up? I very rarely see any.
Which makes me happy. Evidently, somehow, as popular as it is, the A3 is still a “niche” model and eliminates most people who don’t want to spend the extra cash on a car. Let’s face it, once you’ve eliminated the Ford/ Vauxhall squad from the equation, you then have only a few wanting to pay the premium for a VAG car. Most of them will then think they’d rather not pay the premium for the Audi and stick with the Golf.
Click to expand...

good point, Im sure they are a few bastardised A3s out there but certainly few and far between. I dont recall seeing any anyway.
 
siu00adg said:
Agreed, I can't think of a new car that is good value when you consider what you can pick up 2nd hand.
Click to expand...
Don't know - I spent 6 months looking for nearly new i.e. up to 12/18 months old 2.0Tdi S/back SE and all main dealer stuff was £18-£20k. New with discount and a few options (the ones I really wanted!) just under £20k with 3 years' warranty, and no other maniac having driven it, or put cheapo oil in etc.
A Golf GT Sport to similar spec. was 'only' about £1k less, interior not as nice (in my view), residuals a tadge less perhaps...
Based on my recent experience of VW build the A3 is better screwed together
Not bad value compared to the Golf then
Whether it's as good value as a Seat though? I reckoned that with the heftier depreciation the Seat would lose in £ terms about the same and leave me with less £s at the end - but cost more £s to start with...

Hell, I wanted an A3!!
 
steveg9 said:
New with discount and a few options (the ones I really wanted!) just under £20k with 3 years' warranty, and no other maniac having driven it, or put cheapo oil in etc.
Click to expand...


Steve, mind if I ask where you paid that price? I know brokers are around that price but just wondering whether you managed to get a main dealer to match the price?
 
davemk said:
Steve, mind if I ask where you paid that price? I know brokers are around that price but just wondering whether you managed to get a main dealer to match the price?
Click to expand...
Umm... OK I sorted quotes from two brokers for basic i.e. SE 2 TDi Sportback non - metallic no options List £20855[FONT=&quot] - one at £18745[/FONT][FONT=&quot], the other at £18634 (but with 6 months’ RFL)[/FONT] Both UK dealer supplied but certainly one of these would have been delivered by road so not ideal
Emailed local VW and Audi with these (corresponding price for Golf GT Sport of course): VW very close, Audi a fair bit off (about £1200 discount)
Took prints of the online prices to another (more distant) outlet of the same group, discussed, was offered £1700, asked for £2000, got it!
This was October so probably the facelift not on the radar then but tbh having seen the pics I'm not bothered!
 
Thanks Steve. Pretty much what I'd planned to do although I'll probably call into the dealers with the printouts of the prices. Effectively, the discount you got paid for the SE upgrade then? Nice. Hopefully, I'll be able to wangle a similar deal.
 
davemk said:
Steve, mind if I ask where you paid that price? I know brokers are around that price but just wondering whether you managed to get a main dealer to match the price?
Click to expand...

You have to put the work in and play dealers off each other, also you may have to travel for the right price/discount!

p
 
marriedblonde said:
Really? I lost £8k in 2 years on mine
Click to expand...

Did you really? High miles?

phantom said:
You have to put the work in and play dealers off each other, also you may have to travel for the right price/discount!

p
Click to expand...


Yeh, I don't mind putting the work in or travelling. I just wondered whether Audi dealers are prepared to haggle when confronted with broker prices.
 
wow! my 2p worth - worth the money is subjective - depends on individuals criteria and requirements - mine is a company car and I could only have a saloon or a hatch, had to meet a certain lease price, emissions values etc. I value the look of a car over the interior toys etc so I could have had an A4 SE as well but opted for the A3 'cos I preferred the way it looked with S Line, styling pack, sunroof etc. I didn't have to worry about practicality, other cars on the drive for ferrying the kids about. I had various cars on test and felt that it gave good 'value' in relation to what I expect from a car. Had the company given me £25K to spend on what i wanted I would probably have bought countless other cars (TT for example) and if it was opened up to second hand I would have had a field day! I most definitely would NOT have bought an A3

It's all subjective but I think the overriding concensus for most that have owned one is that it is a quality product at a price that carries a premium over some brands

If you give me £25K I WILL come back with a 911 of some description - sad to some but I've wanted one since I could speak, sod the back seats
 
dsl55 said:
It's all subjective but I think the overriding concensus for most that have owned one is that it is a quality product at a price that carries a premium over some brands
I couldnt have put it better myself!!:beerchug:
Im a firm believer that you get what you pay for. So I guess the A3/S3 must be worth its value. But that doesnt necessarily mean that it is value for money.

Its all relative and circumstancial for everyone.
Some will happily buy A3/S3 and others wont. It all depends on personal factors/opinions/beliefs.

Take the S3, its not exactly "pocket money price" but you could go quicker for less money - Scooby/Evo

Ironically, value for money becomes less of an issue when you can afford a product/service. My take on life...if you can afford it without busting a gut...just pay it!!

Im fortunate enough to afford some of the finer things in life!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Yung **** said:
Take the S3, its not exactly "pocket money price" but you could go quicker for less money - Scooby/Evo
Click to expand...

Actually the scooby/evo are more expencive!

New evo starts at 27.5k and the new Scoob STI WRX starts at 26.6k, acutally thought it was more than that, not bad value, pig ugly though.
 
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