Wait for 184 or settle with 150

v1raj

v1raj

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So im looking to purchase an A3 Sportback (manual).. I'm ideally after the 184hp tdi, in either Misano or Daytona with heated leather (B&O would be a cherry on top). Price range is £15-16k. Really struggling to find one in this region, however im finding a lot of 150hp's with the above specs.

So, question is, should i go for the 150? Or hold out for a couple more months and wait for a 184hp?

People with 150's, are you happy with them? Have you driven the 184? Would you/down you wish you could swap?

After a year of owning, i would typically remap too.

Thanks
 
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Have you checked Stafford Audi? Pretty sure they had a 184 in Misano fairly recently.
 
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Good luck finding a 184 manual as they seem to be mainly s tronic & / or quattros in my experience of looking a year ago. I've got a 150 manual & it's ok (not having driven the 184 it doesn't feel like I'm missing anything), obviously more power is always a good thing bwahahahaha!!! :smilingimp:
 
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I have driven a TDI-150 and my current A3 is a TDI-184 s-tronic quattro. When I had a test drive in the 150 I had a TDI-170 and the 150 did seem a bit lacking. I love my current 184, so much that I have a new one at the dealers waiting for me to collect on 1 March.
 
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You're right about not many manual 184s around. Out of interest I just done a search on Audi UK for cars within 200 miles of my home and it came up with 56 cars and only 4 of them were manual and most were quite new and therefore expensive (20k +). Unfortunately that is one of the biggest dis-advantages of buying a second-hand car. You don't get much choice in the spec.
 
I think the 150 is fine. I'm changing up to the 184 now simply because I'm adding s-tronic to the new car and want to counteract the slightly heavier car a bit, and because I do tow gliders around occasionally and the extra power is good for that. I wouldn't be upset if I had to drive a 150 round though, they are still plenty quick enough.
 
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v1raj said:
So im looking to purchase an A3 Sportback (manual).. I'm ideally after the 184hp tdi, in either Misano or Daytona with heated leather (B&O would be a cherry on top). Price range is £15-16k. Really struggling to find one in this region, however im finding a lot of 150hp's with the above specs.

So, question is, should i go for the 150? Or hold out for a couple more months and wait for a 184hp?

People with 150's, are you happy with them? Have you driven the 184? Would you/down you wish you could swap?

After a year of owning, i would typically remap too.

Thanks
Click to expand...
v1raj said:
So im looking to purchase an A3 Sportback (manual).. I'm ideally after the 184hp tdi, in either Misano or Daytona with heated leather (B&O would be a cherry on top). Price range is £15-16k. Really struggling to find one in this region, however im finding a lot of 150hp's with the above specs.

So, question is, should i go for the 150? Or hold out for a couple more months and wait for a 184hp?

People with 150's, are you happy with them? Have you driven the 184? Would you/down you wish you could swap?

After a year of owning, i would typically remap too.

Thanks
Click to expand...
i test drove both the 150 and 184 A3 sportbacks and settled on the 184 2WD. The 184 imo appeared smoother quicker and more relaxed in its drive, keep it in dynamic and it does everything I want, quick enough economical enough. I have got used to it now though and I am looking to map it to 230bhp. Photo below, I still love the misano red.
 

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Does it need to be a diesel as the 1.4 tfsi is a good little engine :) i had the old version (140) in my first A3 with a manual and it was pretty good. Wife has the new version (150) with DSG in her Leon and its a good combo.

Si :)
 
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The 184 manuals are few and far between. I had to travel 120miles for mine, it was only a few months old, now coming up for three years old and 31k miles.

Coming from a Vauxhall Astra 2.0cdti 165hp there was no way I was going backwards to 150 therefore didnt test drive it, the 184 was a no brainer for me. I spent good few months searching but it came up and has been well worth the wait!

The package of power and economy is fantastic (between 48-55mpg on tank to tank refills calculated).

The only real con has been the initial traction from stationary. In the cold/damp weather, under firm acceleration, has been rather disappointing leaving me wanting something with quattro for my upgrade (oh and some more POWERRR).

Once on the move, the torque is great making overtaking and coming off roundabouts a hoot for a derv!

It all depends on what you're coming from and whether your power hungry... Guessing from the comment about remapping, you are...How could you purchase the lesser model?! :whistle2:

- A much loved 184 owner - Rich
 
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I had the 184 engine in a Seat Leon. Switched to a 1.8tfsi (177bhp I think) A3, both manual, due to a new job meaning much shorter journeys (he says having just completed a 313 mile trek to Cornwall today!). The Leon definitely felt faster, despite the A3 apparently being (0.1 secs!) quicker to 60. I also liked how you could put the Leon in comfort and Sport modes and the engine would respond differently whereas with the A3, the drive select modes make no difference in a manual.

Anyhow, I obviously can't compare to the 150 engine but if you're anything like me, if you get the 'lesser' model having started out looking for the 184, you'll always be regretting not holding out. I held out and got a nice 1.8tfsi rather than giving in and getting a 1.4. I think you just have to be prepared to sacrifice if something reasonable comes up- I wanted an s-line in Scuba blue, with heated seats and front sensors. Ended up with a sport in ice silver with those two extras along with loads more which weren't even on my radar to start with.
 
davemk said:
Have you checked Stafford Audi? Pretty sure they had a 184 in Misano fairly recently.
Click to expand...

Called them after i saw this, sold last week.

Steve2016 said:
i test drove both the 150 and 184 A3 sportbacks and settled on the 184 2WD. The 184 imo appeared smoother quicker and more relaxed in its drive, keep it in dynamic and it does everything I want, quick enough economical enough. I have got used to it now though and I am looking to map it to 230bhp. Photo below, I still love the misano red.
Click to expand...

Does look good in Misano :yes: Who have you considered for you map? Any clutch concerns?

rvtb101 said:
The 184 manuals are few and far between. I had to travel 120miles for mine, it was only a few months old, now coming up for three years old and 31k miles.

Coming from a Vauxhall Astra 2.0cdti 165hp there was no way I was going backwards to 150 therefore didnt test drive it, the 184 was a no brainer for me. I spent good few months searching but it came up and has been well worth the wait!

The package of power and economy is fantastic (between 48-55mpg on tank to tank refills calculated).

The only real con has been the initial traction from stationary. In the cold/damp weather, under firm acceleration, has been rather disappointing leaving me wanting something with quattro for my upgrade (oh and some more POWERRR).

Once on the move, the torque is great making overtaking and coming off roundabouts a hoot for a derv!

It all depends on what you're coming from and whether your power hungry... Guessing from the comment about remapping, you are...How could you purchase the lesser model?! :whistle2:

- A much loved 184 owner - Rich
Click to expand...

I'm coming from a petrol 25th Anniversary VW Golf, so around 180hp.
 
Psyman79 said:
Does it need to be a diesel as the 1.4 tfsi is a good little engine :) i had the old version (140) in my first A3 with a manual and it was pretty good. Wife has the new version (150) with DSG in her Leon and its a good combo.

Si :)
Click to expand...

Doesnt need to be diesel, originally i was looking at the 2ltr 190hp.. until i found out its quite a new engine and so prices are still relatively high.
 
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Have found one, in Misano around 38k with heated seats, 1864hp but has had aftermarket tints fitted (not sure if im overly happy about this, could a 'boy racer' have had this previously??).. Coming from an Audi dealer. Asking for £16,000
 
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I have the 150 diesel and recently drove my sisters 184 GTD. GTD maybe shaded it a little but not by v much, certainly not enough to make me be paying over the odds for it. I love my 150, beautiful ride. I did test drive the 150 petrol COD but doesn't even touch the diesel, yuk.
 
I've had my 150 8v for 6 months and love it. Still think it's perfectly quick when it's motion. 3rd and 4th are very quick with dynamic mode too. However it's a great engine to remap either with a tuning box or a remap. I'm intending on getting a Revo stage 1 in a few months. This is all I intend to do with it. A 150 with a decent stage 1 map will perform much better then a stock 184 8v. Like you I wanted the 184 in manual but they're like gold dust.
I'd pay more attention to the spec that you want, B&O, panroof, heated seats etc etc and consider getting the 150 with the intention and of a remap.
Hold out for the spec, and if a 150 comes out then opt for that. After all, all it takes is an hour to install a stage 1 and you'll have an 8v which is better then a 184 anyway.
 
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My previous car was a 2005 8p 2.0 tdi 140 sport in brilliant red and I just changed to a 2012 8v 2.0 tdi 150 s-line also brilliant red 3months ago and i love it. Much quicker, lighter and more nimble than the older shape and it will return 50mpg easy and 60mpg easy on motorway! Considering a remap soon, it should bring it up to 190-200bhp range!

Sent from my ALE-L21 using Tapatalk
 
If anyone is looking for a 2014 2.0 TDI-184 s-tronic quattro I know a dealer that will have one after 1 March. I am trading-in my current one for a new one on that date. It's Sport trim in Silver with a lot of extras and around 34k miles. PM me if you want more details.
 
Glad someone asked this question as I've been looking as well for an A3 8V diesel - I'm coming from an S3 8P (mapped to 300bhp) I know I'm gonna feel a huge difference in how the car drives but really need to start saving some cash. Thread has been very informative - thanks!


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I didn't drive a 150, searched till I found a 184, which we collected a couple of weeks ago from Stafford and is red... perhaps the one people speaking over... 3 door DSG... to be honest think you'd end up revo mapping either. It's quite brisk if you boot it... but feels a bit lazy and flat with normal/gentle driving... a bit all or nothing compared to the.. so planning to have a revo stage 1 which should improve drivability make it more progressive and blinking quick ... if your happy to remap perhaps the 150 works out as good or better than standard 184.
 
I'm about to VT a 184 TDI manual with 30k on the clock. Owe £14k but dealer valued it at £12600. Saying as I'm at the VT point it's a no brainer. Could maybe have tried to sell it privately but couldn't be bothered with the hassle.

Got a new A4 S Line saloon arriving March 1....

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 
Migwire said:
I'm about to VT a 184 TDI manual with 30k on the clock. Owe £14k but dealer valued it at £12600. Saying as I'm at the VT point it's a no brainer. Could maybe have tried to sell it privately but couldn't be bothered with the hassle.

Got a new A4 S Line saloon arriving March 1....

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

You realise that if you VT a car, the finance company will likely turn round and deny you finance in the future? My dealer suggested I do the same with my current car, but I read into it and it's not a good idea IMO
 
cemerson said:
You realise that if you VT a car, the finance company will likely turn round and deny you finance in the future? My dealer suggested I do the same with my current car, but I read into it and it's not a good idea IMO
Click to expand...
The A3 is with Audi Finance.... So too the A4. If they no longer want my business in the future then that's their luck out.

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cemerson said:
You realise that if you VT a car, the finance company will likely turn round and deny you finance in the future? My dealer suggested I do the same with my current car, but I read into it and it's not a good idea IMO
Click to expand...
This is an email from Audi Finance....

d241245d04bb334ae235a78d3930bea7.jpg


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Migwire said:
I'm about to VT a 184 TDI manual with 30k on the clock. Owe £14k but dealer valued it at £12600. Saying as I'm at the VT point it's a no brainer. Could maybe have tried to sell it privately but couldn't be bothered with the hassle.

Got a new A4 S Line saloon arriving March 1....

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

cemerson said:
You realise that if you VT a car, the finance company will likely turn round and deny you finance in the future? My dealer suggested I do the same with my current car, but I read into it and it's not a good idea IMO
Click to expand...

Migwire said:
The A3 is with Audi Finance.... So too the A4. If they no longer want my business in the future then that's their luck out.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Migwire said:
This is an email from Audi Finance....

d241245d04bb334ae235a78d3930bea7.jpg


Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

My sister did the same with her little VW, think there was about 8 months left of the PCP and they were valuing the car at less than what the final figure was, so she did a VT with VW and went to Ford's and got a new deal with them without any problems.

It's because of this I've thought about just doing a straight lease, at least you know the figures exactly from start to end!
 
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I have a 63 plate 184 Sportback S-Line in Glacier White.

Absolutely love it, drives very nice, in Dynamic mode it is well suited to motorway driving.

I came from an 8P black edition 170PS and that was much more lively than the 184PS is, the 8V used to feel a bit more lacklustre and wasn't as quick off the mark in comparison.

That said, when you want it to go, it really does go!
 
Point is, VT loses the finance company money. The same company aren't going to want to give you another deal - you'll be lucky if they do (including on your new A4). Regardless of whether you've heard people do it successfully before, the risk is there - and that includes other finance companies too, who will see that you've done it on your credit file (despite it not affecting your score).
 
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cemerson said:
Point is, VT loses the finance company money. The same company aren't going to want to give you another deal - you'll be lucky if they do (including on your new A4). Regardless of whether you've heard people do it successfully before, the risk is there - and that includes other finance companies too, who will see that you've done it on your credit file (despite it not affecting your score).
Click to expand...
Well we'll see where I stand on Wednesday morning....

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cemerson said:
Point is, VT loses the finance company money. The same company aren't going to want to give you another deal - you'll be lucky if they do (including on your new A4). Regardless of whether you've heard people do it successfully before, the risk is there - and that includes other finance companies too, who will see that you've done it on your credit file (despite it not affecting your score).
Click to expand...
The chances are what they made up to the point of the VT and what they will make on the next deal will outway what they have lost with the VT.
 
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S32B said:
The chances are what they made up to the point of the VT and what they will make on the next deal will outway what they have lost with the VT.
Click to expand...

Not really - they set the GFV of the car to be slightly pessimistic so they don't lose out, but if you wipe away that and make a loss they aren't likely to give you another deal given you might do the same thing again. They only let you do it because the law says they have to.

If you want to do it and are happy then that's fine - just pointing out the risk.
 
Well, I'm awaiting collection on the A3 by British Car Auctions.

This morning I got a letter from Audi Finance concerning the new A4....

4b1339453a3567bdd98f6a0e6fbed540.jpg


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That's OK then, guess they sorted it beforehand. Sometimes they just credit check you on order and only set the finance up on collection day.
 
You need the 184...... Its brilliant !!
 
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I had an A3 184, its a super engine and the car is quite quick (for a diesel that is) however it's still a dirty smelly polluting diesel.
If your after economy then ok but you can get an S3 for a little bit more, may have to cancel a few of those unnecessary options. But you get to drive around with a huge grin on your face and that's not on the options list.
 
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steeve said:
I had an A3 184, its a super engine and the car is quite quick (for a diesel that is) however it's still a dirty smelly polluting diesel.
If your after economy then ok but you can get an S3 for a little bit more, may have to cancel a few of those unnecessary options. But you get to drive around with a huge grin on your face and that's not on the options list.
Click to expand...

I wanted something that's an all rounder. The S3 would have been lovely, but in all honesty this car may get a little beating as with newborn on the way - may be next car I'll get an S, or RS
 
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