Newbie needs help choosing A3 model (posted in wrong place before)

[SamL]

Hi,
I'd be grateful for some advice on what model to buy. Decided to trade in my BMW 3 series for a more economical A3 up to about £6k. I am now used to the cruise control so definitely want it on the A3 but there are limited cars available with this on Autotrader. According to Parkers only the SE model has it as an option, the Sport model doesn't. Is this true? The Sport however looks well sportier with better seats, so retro fit could be an option but how safe is this? Is it as safe as the factory option? Does it also invalidate any warranties? Also would you recommend 1.6 petrol or 2.0 Tdi?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Sandra]

Hi, welcome to ASN. Some one be along to advise you shortly. Enjoy the forum.

 

[Sheikh]

Hello mate, with your budget I would definitely go for a 2.0TDi Sport it's miles better than the 1.6, cruise retrofitting is relatively straight forward and a load of guys on here do it for around the £150 mark.

Look our for whistling turbo's and that's about it to be honest. They're pretty solid cars if they've been well looked after.

 

[audigex]

Cruise can be retrofitted to any spec, but only with certain ECUs. I'm not sure whether it's an age thing though.

Sport is the first spec worth having, SE is missing a few essentials, whereas you can normally mod a sport up to S-Line spec. It's probably better to try to find an S-Line if possible though, as the mods can work out more expensive. There are a lot of S-Lines around, so they're reasonably easy to find for similar money to the Sports.

The retrofit would work in the exact same way and is just as safe. I'm not sure as to whether it would invalidate the warranty, although I doubt that £6k would get you a model still under Audi warranty.

 

[HIGGINS]

2.0tdi > 1.6
Better mpg
Faster

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Cruise Control is around £90 in parts or £150 fitted by a professional

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Seats wont matter and they wont even notice as long as your sticking to OEM and they are not over the top.

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Any questions about anything just pm me i would be happy to help

 

[SamL]

Hi, thanks for your responses. I've been searching for a diesel and there is a 2.0 and 1.9 version, is there much difference in these?

 

[Sheikh]

Yeah they're is, imo the 1.9 is underpowered. 2.0 is pretty much the best all rounder. Which is why you'll find the majority of guys on here have them.

Look for an A3 2.0TDi Sport with low mileage. Look out for ones with Armrests, bose and leather. As options on the 2.0TDi were pretty rare due to the fact most of them were company cars.

 

[danA3T]

The 1.9TDI has been around in the VAG group for years, it's a bulletproof engine and will easily do a few laps of the globe if looked after properly (my mate's 1999 1.9TDI polo has done 200,000 miles and still delivers great mpg) . Given it's 'old' technology, it's a bit more unrefined than the newer 2.0TDI units, which are quieter and give better power delivery. I'm on the newer 140ps 2.0TDI and I have to say, I'm very impressed, and compared with a few mates who have VAG 1.9TDI engined cars, it's a significantly better drive.

 

[SamL]

I've been scouring Autotrader and Ebay for a perfect A3. I've now noticed there are different fronts on the A3, obviously one being a face lift with a larger front grill. What year did this facelift come out? As far as I can see it looks like 55 reg onwards? I'm wondering if I should wait until I find a facelifted one now. Decisions decisions!

 

[BBlackburn]

I've been scouring Autotrader and Ebay for a perfect A3. I've now noticed there are different fronts on the A3, obviously one being a face lift with a larger front grill. What year did this facelift come out? As far as I can see it looks like 55 reg onwards? I'm wondering if I should wait until I find a facelifted one now. Decisions decisions!

55 reg for 3 door, 54 for 5 door. You can change the bumper, grille and bonnet also If you wanted to of course.

 

[SamL]

55 reg for 3 door, 54 for 5 door. You can change the bumper, grille and bonnet also If you wanted to of course.

At what cost.....?

 

[SamL]

55 reg for 3 door, 54 for 5 door. You can change the bumper, grille and bonnet also If you wanted to of course.

<br>At what cost.....?

 

[BBlackburn]

Well depends if you can find a good deal on the bay, I paid £100 for the bumper was already the correct colour, £160 for bonnet sprayed brand new, £50 for grille brand new and £20 for fog surrounds. There are better deals to be found but I just done it bit by bit so didn't really notice the cost.

 

[SamL]

My list of wants is getting more expensive for this car...
TDi
55 reg or later
Sport model
Pref black
Looking more at 8k than 6k!
Oh well, just have to keep hunting and increase my budget.