A3 as first car

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deebow

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hi
looking at a3 as a first car. now budget is 2k and was wondering which engine is the most reliable out of the range and is one even recommend at that price or would i need to spend more to get a decent one
thanks:icon_thumright:
 
Erm a 1.6 will be the cheapest, for 3k though you May be able to get a high mileage a3 1.8t facelift version.
 
Hi Welcome to the AS.net.

With a budget of £2k, there's plenty to choose from, though it would most likely be and older/early example or a higher mileage car.

Maybe a few more details about yourself like age or how many NCB you have for insurance would help us give you the information you need. 'A3 as a first car' sound like you have just past your test, so anything above a 1.6 would be extortionate to insure!
 
jojo said:
Hi Welcome to the AS.net.

With a budget of £2k, there's plenty to choose from, though it would most likely be and older/early example or a higher mileage car.

Maybe a few more details about yourself like age or how many NCB you have for insurance would help us give you the information you need. 'A3 as a first car' sound like you have just past your test, so anything above a 1.6 would be extortionate to insure!
Click to expand...

insurance on either the 1.6 or the 1.9 tdi is about £1600 which is tpft which is decent for me as a fiesta 1.25 is about 1350 tpft.

i have been kepping an eye out and have seen ones come up with millage under £100k and full audi service history for about 2k but its then engine choice im not sure on and as a car as a whole if theyre reliable or not
 
The tdi you can get a decent remap out of them, like 30-40bhp extra power.
 
I would go down the tdi route to be honest great economy and good torque.
 
Or you can get just get a seat golf, there cheaper to ensure than the audis. seats being the leats. After a year with 1 ncb a 1.8t ( quattro) is around 1800, what im paying, after two years an s3 is around £1500.
 
deebow said:
insurance on either the 1.6 or the 1.9 tdi is about £1600 which is tpft which is decent for me as a fiesta 1.25 is about 1350 tpft.

i have been kepping an eye out and have seen ones come up with millage under £100k and full audi service history for about 2k but its then engine choice im not sure on and as a car as a whole if theyre reliable or not
Click to expand...

The VAG 1.9 TDI units are pretty bullet proof with regular maintenance. My Passat TDI has 170k miles on it and still running strong, considering I have been running a piggy back ECU Chip for 80k miles+. But with everything secondhand, it's always the luck of the draw, as you really don't know how the previous owner drove the car, or for what reason the car is up for sale?

Unless the A3 look is what you are after, you should also consider the Mk4 Golfs, which is basically the same car, and could even be cheaper to insure due to not being an Audi.
 
yep the golf is cheaper to insure then the audi while the leon is more but i prefer the look of the audi unless i find decent deal on a golf. as the a3 has the same engines as the golf, does it share the same kind of performance of a golf?
 
Yes they have the same 1.6 engine so similar performance.
 
alrite mate i got the 1.6 97 with 107 on the clock for 1600 as my first car.
i'm paying 1600 for the insurance too but thats under my dads with 9yrs ncd.
you can pick a newer tidier 1.9tdi for cheaper but i didnt even check the insurance on them cos i expected the worst, but hearing other people i'd definitely look down that route, i'm thinking about swapping mine to that next year tbh after i've got some driving experience for the insurer, but definitely have a check for a 1.9 insurance.

p.s. i'm with quinn direct, good for young drivers as i'm only 18, oh and doing your pass plus saves you bout 200 :icon_thumright:

hope this helps
 
I'm looking at £1500 a year comprehensive for my 2002 1.6SE with Quinn. They wouldn't insure me on anything with a larger engine, not even a 1.8 non turbo. Oddly enough when I was looking for either a Golf or A3, the Golf 1.9 105BHP version was much more to insure than the 1.6 petrol. The VAG engines respond very well to remaps though, I wouldn't mind a diesel at all!
 
This might be an unpopular comment (this is an audi forum after all) but what about a skoda? - same engine as the rest of the VAG range with the same performance but without the increased insurance cost?

A Fabia might be worth a look - I doubt you'll be able to insure one but the Fabi VRS (1.9TDi) is fairly highly regarded.
 
did consider the skoda but it worked out the same price as the golf. now i can get insured on a golf tdi for £1300 or gti for £1500 or the audi for £1600. now i know this forum will be a bit biased but for value of money and maintence cost wise would the golf be better
 
deebow said:
did consider the skoda but it worked out the same price as the golf. now i can get insured on a golf tdi for £1300 or gti for £1500 or the audi for £1600. now i know this forum will be a bit biased but for value of money and maintence cost wise would the golf be better
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I would get a Golf GTI(2.0 8v I'm guessing) and pay £1500 personally, unless fuel economy was a must, then TDI is the safe bet. Paying 1600 quid for an Audi 1.6 just doesn't make sense, unless you really have to have an Audi A3.
 
get a petrol, and enjoy the fact that you can rev over 4k rpm loool

But seroiusly i would go for a tdi as they have loads more potential for engine tuning than a 1.6

But then you are gonna get called names with a diesel...went through that in my clio...but i laughed back everytime they had to stop for petrol :D
 
Diesels hold price better than the 1.6's for that reason, they run forever....more to insure too, you'd be looking at a very high mileage diesel for 2K...it wouldnt be the most desirable a3 to say the least...could you not save up another grand? ul get a far better deal with 3k

1.6 is gutless and dull....not worth it if ur an enthusiast..

most peeps go for a banger for a 1st mota bud, or somethin thats at least cheap to maintain and run, not to be patronizing bud but why not gain a couple of years driving experience with something that is cheap as chips, say worth a grand? (keeping the other grand uv got saved)

build up ur no claims and kp saving on the side, after a couple of years you could then have say.. 4/5 grand, then the 1.8T will be easily affordable...one that has all the add-ons that suit you..ul be 20 with a car that ul take real pride in can modify with results, not mentioning having a hussy magnet!!

If ur guna get an a3 id agree with everyone else....get the diesel...shud be able to sell it after a couple of years and get some money back for ur next car...

guess im thinking more long term, so that wen you have those couple of years no claims you can afford the car uv always wanted...I remember the good ol days wanting an 1.6 escort for my 1st mota, ended up driving round a 1.0L polo for a couple of years it was soooo cheap i could commit to other things..

audis aint cheap to maintain either...Vw's, fords and vauxhalls are...

il stop babblin on, gud luck with ur buys and fill us in with what you choose..

hope this helps and if ive sounded patronizing im real sorry :respekt:

Pooch
 
thanks for all the replies. after reading around ive decided it be best to get either a golf gti or gt tdi or a civic type s as both cost the same to insure as an a3 1.6 but should be faster and have a better ride. hopefully in the future ill get an s3 as i really like the shape of the a3 but at this moment dont think its worth getting

also the reason why i dont wanna spend only about a grand is rather spend the extra and get something nice as the first car as thats the one you end up driving more compared to 2 or 3 car
 
Fair enough, to get insured on an s3 relatively cheap ( £1400 mark) youd be looking at having 3 years experience and no claims, or if i was to get one next may, my 2 year mark, then itll be £1800 to insure.
 
emery1990 said:
Fair enough, to get insured on an s3 relatively cheap ( £1400 mark) youd be looking at having 3 years experience and no claims, or if i was to get one next may, my 2 year mark, then itll be £1800 to insure.
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im 20 with 2 years ncb (3 years driving) and my S3 is 750 fully comp.

Also read someone putting themselves on their parents policy...

I did it when i was 17, as back then for some reason it just seemed the norm, but the companies are clamping down now i think so be careful...
 
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