Hi all. New here and looking to buy a 2000 A3 1.6 SE which has done 80k miles. I'm more of a Jap / BMW man (my dad owns 2) but looking to buy an A3 as a temporary car to fill the void as I've been without a car for a year now.
My main questions are:
1. Are they reliable? I myself have owned Jap cars and they've all been bomb proof. Also, my dad's E46 BMs have also been perfect.
2. If they're not reliable, what are the main problems?
3. Do they tend to rust a lot? I've read that rust along the roof rails is common & bottom of the doors?
4. Is the service schedule below (S3 schedule) the same for an A3?
6. Being German, will it be expensive to maintain? I ran an '02 Nissan Almera for 2 years and that was as cheap as chips.
7. Will the clutch still be ok at 80k miles? I know this depends on how the car is driven etc, but with it being a 1.6, I'm hoping it'll be fine for many more miles to come? Also, do Audis have a self-adjusting clutch (SAC) like BMWs?
This is the car in question that I'm looking to go and see / buy: AUDI A3 1.6 SE 3DR Hatchback for sale in Doncaster | Auto Trader
Like I said, I'm not really an Audi man therefore don't know the going rate for these cars. Would you say the price is right for this year and engine (1.6)? Obviously I will check the regular things such as FSH, previous MOT certificates etc, but anything else to look out for such as weird engine noises, electrical gremlins etc etc?
Many thanks.
My main questions are:
1. Are they reliable? I myself have owned Jap cars and they've all been bomb proof. Also, my dad's E46 BMs have also been perfect.
2. If they're not reliable, what are the main problems?
3. Do they tend to rust a lot? I've read that rust along the roof rails is common & bottom of the doors?
4. Is the service schedule below (S3 schedule) the same for an A3?
5. I read on another thread that the cam belt needs to be changed at 80k or 115k. Which is correct?Every 10k (12 months): oil and oil filter
Every 20k: 10k+ air filter pollen filter, Haldex oil(may be 40k)
Every 40k: 20k+ spark plugs, fuel filter(TBC) Haldex oil and filter
Every 60k: cambelt and tensioner, aux bet. Its is recomended that the water pump be changed (a metal impeller version is availble which resloves the issue of the plastic impeller breaking)
Every 2 years: brake fluid
6. Being German, will it be expensive to maintain? I ran an '02 Nissan Almera for 2 years and that was as cheap as chips.
7. Will the clutch still be ok at 80k miles? I know this depends on how the car is driven etc, but with it being a 1.6, I'm hoping it'll be fine for many more miles to come? Also, do Audis have a self-adjusting clutch (SAC) like BMWs?
This is the car in question that I'm looking to go and see / buy: AUDI A3 1.6 SE 3DR Hatchback for sale in Doncaster | Auto Trader
Like I said, I'm not really an Audi man therefore don't know the going rate for these cars. Would you say the price is right for this year and engine (1.6)? Obviously I will check the regular things such as FSH, previous MOT certificates etc, but anything else to look out for such as weird engine noises, electrical gremlins etc etc?
Many thanks.