Should my next car be an S3?

In relation to your point about the seat height, I'm 6'2" and with the seat at its lowest, I sit nice and low and certainly don't feel I'm too high.

I'd also say that 27k should get you a fully loaded, low mileage S3. I picked one up last week with a shed load of options and only a year old for much less than 27k. Good luck with whatever you decide to go for. The 240i is a cracking motor with a peachy engine.
 
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This is all subjective and really pointless buy what you can afford simples....
 
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To much info/slagging off going on.
1. Work out what you want in a car.
2. Test drive all options.
3. Look at costs.

We all have to many biased opinions. No car ticks all boxes for everyone and no car is the b all and end all.

For some the s3 just doesn't do it but that won't come through readily on an audi forum. The same can (Won't) be said on the BMW and mb forums for their cars too.
 
I know most on here are going to prefer the S3, as most probably currently own one, and the same goes for asking on a BMW forum, most will prefer their BMW's.

However, from looking on various sites, reading/watching reviews etc I think it's clear (even from my own limited experience now) that the BMW is the better drivers car and the S3 is the better looking, both inside and out (I do think the Sat Nav/Screen in the BMW looks better though, the screen in the S3 looked almost pixelated which was a bit of a surprise for a virtually brand new car).

One main thing for me is going to come down to price, I was initially looking at a used M135i but any that were anywhere near the spec I would like (5 door, auto, HK, Pro Media at least) are about £24k for one that's a couple of years old. With the discounts available I could get a brand new M140i with these options and a few more for a bit over £27k (Depending what options I go for) but this really would be my limit as I was never going to spend this much until I found out by throwing another couple of £k at it I could get a brand new one, to my preferred spec....... the 2016 S3 (6k miles on the clock) I tested yesterday was at a bargain price of £32,987!
icon_eek.gif
and the sales girl told me it's quite a good price as they have just recently reduced it by £1k (that was not sales bull either as I had seen the car at that price a few weeks back)!

If I was to get an S3 it would have to be a used one, probably a couple of years old so it would be around the £25k-£26k bracket, so again, for the extra, I would end up getting my first ever brand new car (BMW)
icon_cool.gif


Decisions decisions!
icon_confused.gif
 
stiscooby said:
I know most on here are going to prefer the S3, as most probably currently own one, and the same goes for asking on a BMW forum, most will prefer their BMW's.

However, from looking on various sites, reading/watching reviews etc I think it's clear (even from my own limited experience now) that the BMW is the better drivers car and the S3 is the better looking, both inside and out (I do think the Sat Nav/Screen in the BMW looks better though, the screen in the S3 looked almost pixelated which was a bit of a surprise for a virtually brand new car).

One main thing for me is going to come down to price, I was initially looking at a used M135i but any that were anywhere near the spec I would like (5 door, auto, HK, Pro Media at least) are about £24k for one that's a couple of years old. With the discounts available I could get a brand new M140i with these options and a few more for a bit over £27k (Depending what options I go for) but this really would be my limit as I was never going to spend this much until I found out by throwing another couple of £k at it I could get a brand new one, to my preferred spec....... the 2016 S3 (6k miles on the clock) I tested yesterday was at a bargain price of £32,987!
icon_eek.gif
and the sales girl told me it's quite a good price as they have just recently reduced it by £1k (that was not sales bull either as I had seen the car at that price a few weeks back)!

If I was to get an S3 it would have to be a used one, probably a couple of years old so it would be around the £25k-£26k bracket, so again, for the extra, I would end up getting my first ever brand new car (BMW)
icon_cool.gif


Decisions decisions!
icon_confused.gif
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Not sure where you are, but if you do go the BMW route I would highly recommend Tony Lewis from Chiswick BMW. Can find out all about him on BabyBMW.net. Good bunch over there as well.

I was toying between a S5 and M235i last year and got a M235i vert for the weekend from Tony. I liked it. Great looking car (sorry really don't like the 1 series though!!), great engine, great noise, great gearbox and I preferred the iDrive system over MMI, although both are good.

In the end it was just too small for me and the S5 was surprisingly cheaper. Quattro and the bigger road presence swung it for me and had the S5 for over a year now.

I'm now looking at hatchs and probably about to confirm a deal on a S3. If I liked the look of the 1 series, I would seriously be considering it. Amazing car for the price. I think my dealer has done me a very decent deal on the S3, so don't think there is much in it on price, but the straight six hands down beats the turbo 4 pot, so that could be a deciding factor for you. But then I prefer the 4wd of the S3 over the RWD of the BMW.

Both are great cars, and I don't think you can go too wrong with either. Comes down to which one you prefer, and it could be pretty trivial in the end!!
 
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stiscooby said:
I know most on here are going to prefer the S3, as most probably currently own one, and the same goes for asking on a BMW forum, most will prefer their BMW's.

However, from looking on various sites, reading/watching reviews etc I think it's clear (even from my own limited experience now) that the BMW is the better drivers car and the S3 is the better looking, both inside and out (I do think the Sat Nav/Screen in the BMW looks better though, the screen in the S3 looked almost pixelated which was a bit of a surprise for a virtually brand new car).

One main thing for me is going to come down to price, I was initially looking at a used M135i but any that were anywhere near the spec I would like (5 door, auto, HK, Pro Media at least) are about £24k for one that's a couple of years old. With the discounts available I could get a brand new M140i with these options and a few more for a bit over £27k (Depending what options I go for) but this really would be my limit as I was never going to spend this much until I found out by throwing another couple of £k at it I could get a brand new one, to my preferred spec....... the 2016 S3 (6k miles on the clock) I tested yesterday was at a bargain price of £32,987!
icon_eek.gif
and the sales girl told me it's quite a good price as they have just recently reduced it by £1k (that was not sales bull either as I had seen the car at that price a few weeks back)!

If I was to get an S3 it would have to be a used one, probably a couple of years old so it would be around the £25k-£26k bracket, so again, for the extra, I would end up getting my first ever brand new car (BMW)
icon_cool.gif


Decisions decisions!
icon_confused.gif
Click to expand...


The car you really want is a S3 Saloon pick of the Bunch with a good spec
 
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Plus a Technology pack car has no pixels in sight on its screen....
 
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DrEskimo said:
Not sure where you are, but if you do go the BMW route I would highly recommend Tony Lewis from Chiswick BMW. Can find out all about him on BabyBMW.net. Good bunch over there as well.
Click to expand...

Ah yes, Mr TRL as I believe he is known as over on babybmw.net. Im in the South East, so not a million miles away. He is the one offering the good discounts!
 
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stiscooby said:
Ah yes, Mr TRL as I believe he is known as over on babybmw.net. Im in the South East, so not a million miles away. He is the one offering the good discounts!
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Well worth the trip. Not only great prices, but very good customer service. As we know with these big franchised dealers, that is a rare thing....
 
Just wondering how much do you guys think you can get off a used S3 Sportback? I'm just choosing between 2 cars atm, 1 is from Coventry Audi and the other from ESP Cars in Nottingham.
 
infernox said:
Just wondering how much do you guys think you can get off a used S3 Sportback? I'm just choosing between 2 cars atm, 1 is from Coventry Audi and the other from ESP Cars in Nottingham.
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You'll do well to get much off used cars in my experience...

Is it a nearly new one? I think about 11% discount isn't unheard of for a new S3 SB, so check if a new one might actually be cheaper/not much more expensive.

Coventry do very good deals through CarWow.
 
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DrEskimo said:
You'll do well to get much off used cars in my experience...

Is it a nearly new one? I think about 11% discount isn't unheard of for a new S3 SB, so check if a new one might actually be cheaper/not much more expensive.

Coventry do very good deals through CarWow.
Click to expand...

With 11% discount, a new S3 would still come down to 29k. I checked orangewheels, carwow, broadspeed etc and that's pretty much the lowest it goes.

The 2 I'm looking at are 20k and 22.5k, both manual, 63 plate and phantom black. 1 is with Cov Audi, 19k miles and all standard apart from the 10 spoke alloys. The other is with ESP cars, 50k miles, standard alloys but with Bang & Olufsen. You'd think the 50k miles one would be selling for 20k but its the opposite. I checked the value of the car's too on whatcar, carwow etc and the 50k miles one is worth 19.5k but the 19k miles one is 20.5k so Cov Audi are already selling it at a good price. I was really looking for one with Bang & Olufsen though and maybe Mag Ride too if I find the ride uncomfortable on the test drive. If I could get 50k miles one down to £20k by showing them the Cov Audi car, it would be good since it has B&O plus I prefer the stock alloys to the 10 spoke but it's still 50k miles which seems a bit high to me.
 
Someone may correct me but I'm fairly sure mag ride on comfort setting isn't any softer/more comfy than standard setup

I think the key with mag ride is that it can go stiffer than the normal suspension when required/desired?
 
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The normal suspension on an S3 is a 25mm drop from the standard A3 and the mag ride is the same drop but is a completely different shock setup. As far as stiffness is concerned....yes, with mag ride you can enter 3 programmed parameters, whether the comfort setting is the same will depend on the wheel size chosen. The mag ride will be more compliant/softer in the comfort setting on 19" wheels than the standard suspension on the same size wheel and definitely stiffer on dynamic. But, softness/compliance/stiffness is an individual's perception.
 
Last edited:
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infernox said:
With 11% discount, a new S3 would still come down to 29k. I checked orangewheels, carwow, broadspeed etc and that's pretty much the lowest it goes.

The 2 I'm looking at are 20k and 22.5k, both manual, 63 plate and phantom black. 1 is with Cov Audi, 19k miles and all standard apart from the 10 spoke alloys. The other is with ESP cars, 50k miles, standard alloys but with Bang & Olufsen. You'd think the 50k miles one would be selling for 20k but its the opposite. I checked the value of the car's too on whatcar, carwow etc and the 50k miles one is worth 19.5k but the 19k miles one is 20.5k so Cov Audi are already selling it at a good price. I was really looking for one with Bang & Olufsen though and maybe Mag Ride too if I find the ride uncomfortable on the test drive. If I could get 50k miles one down to £20k by showing them the Cov Audi car, it would be good since it has B&O plus I prefer the stock alloys to the 10 spoke but it's still 50k miles which seems a bit high to me.
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Yea I had the same problem. I was looking at 3yr old 30k+ And the problem was finding one in the spec I want.

A lot of the cheaper examples will also just have the SD Sat Nav and not the HDD version, and that for me is a deal breaker...

Im also pretty set on a BE, or at least one with the Black Styling Pack in Daytona Grey as I love that colour combination, so feel I'll just be waiting forever....!
 
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ive placed an order on a new s3 SB which is due to be built in a weeks time... however I have test drove a new golf R and my friends M135i Auto My16. and the BMW was outstanding and if I could afford the lease deal and the running costs then 100% that would be my choice. however it was pretty close between the S3 and the M135i and both cars put a huge smile on my face, just as the Golf R did to be fair but the S3 swung it for me for my budget... best thing is have a good test drive in the cars you are looking at and just whittle it all down and tighten the finances up and see what takes your fancy! the only thing I will miss in the S3 is the twitchy rear end in the M135 when you was being a little bit aggressive and having a bit of fun!
 
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billy.rt said:
ive placed an order on a new s3 SB which is due to be built in a weeks time... however I have test drove a new golf R and my friends M135i Auto My16. and the BMW was outstanding and if I could afford the lease deal and the running costs then 100% that would be my choice. however it was pretty close between the S3 and the M135i and both cars put a huge smile on my face, just as the Golf R did to be fair but the S3 swung it for me for my budget... best thing is have a good test drive in the cars you are looking at and just whittle it all down and tighten the finances up and see what takes your fancy! the only thing I will miss in the S3 is the twitchy rear end in the M135 when you was being a little bit aggressive and having a bit of fun!
Click to expand...

That's very interesting, as the M135i (now m140i) is much cheaper than the S3...I guess not in lease world? That or you got a stunning deal on an s3!
 
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well on the lease it when I placed my order the BMW was roughly £120 p/m more than what the S3 was and that was way over my budget. I secured my S3 s-tronic for £255 a month with 8k miles for 2 years and I couldn't justify the extra £120 a month but if money was no option the beemer would be my choice! but don't think the S3 was second best because the smile the S3 put on my face with the upshifts and the burbles would make it a brilliant weekend car for me!
 
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billy.rt said:
well on the lease it when I placed my order the BMW was roughly £120 p/m more than what the S3 was and that was way over my budget. I secured my S3 s-tronic for £255 a month with 8k miles for 2 years and I couldn't justify the extra £120 a month but if money was no option the beemer would be my choice! but don't think the S3 was second best because the smile the S3 put on my face with the upshifts and the burbles would make it a brilliant weekend car for me!
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Surely they must have made a mistake or you had to put down a large deposit?? £255 seems cheap........ all the better for you though as that seems to be a very good price!
 
yeah I think I was one of the lucky ones! and it was a £2300 deposit, so with all that being said I couldn't turn down an offer like that!

EDIT: don't get me wrong its a bog standard S3 I haven't specced it out and it's non-maintained but all the maintenance covers is wiper blades and the like anyway. and in that price metallic paint is included too.
 
billy.rt said:
yeah I think I was one of the lucky ones! and it was a £2300 deposit, so with all that being said I couldn't turn down an offer like that!

EDIT: don't get me wrong its a bog standard S3 I haven't specced it out and it's non-maintained but all the maintenance covers is wiper blades and the like anyway. and in that price metallic paint is included too.
Click to expand...

Specced up or not, I hope you enjoy it :racer:
 
stiscooby said:
Specced up or not, I hope you enjoy it :racer:
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yeah I should hope so bud cheers! I've test drove the PFL and I loved that, especially getting it into the higher revs and the upshifts are so satisfying lol! I can only imagine the FL will be even better!
 
I cant fault my S3 (Saloon FL). really didn't think I would like it but other than road noise (tyres) its spot on. On saying that if BMW made a 135, M3, M4, M5 or the like in 4WD it would be on my drive and not the S3. I just prefer BMW but hate RWD as it rains every day in Scotland, well that's what it feels like. RWD is great for some fun but gets tiresome after a while.
 
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billy.rt said:
well on the lease it when I placed my order the BMW was roughly £120 p/m more than what the S3 was and that was way over my budget. I secured my S3 s-tronic for £255 a month with 8k miles for 2 years and I couldn't justify the extra £120 a month but if money was no option the beemer would be my choice! but don't think the S3 was second best because the smile the S3 put on my face with the upshifts and the burbles would make it a brilliant weekend car for me!
Click to expand...

Was this with Select Car Leasing by any chance? It's the exact same deal I got mid September :)
 
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Hi Sam, and yes! I took the deal on the 20th September and I think a couple days later it rocketed up and the S3 would have been unaffordable so I was really lucky to get it!
 
billy.rt said:
Hi Sam, and yes! I took the deal on the 20th September and I think a couple days later it rocketed up and the S3 would have been unaffordable so I was really lucky to get it!
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I ordered mine on the 14th September. £100pm more now :). How's your build coming along? Mines at uk port now
 
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Bet you're buzzing for the collection! And mine goes into the panel shop next Thursday! So fingers crossed it lands in the UK this year and not next year
 
KenL said:
Are you keen to buy and keep for a long time?

I am not keen to have a car out of warranty these days. The thought of a big bill on a car like a Mercedes or S3 would worry me. My mate bought a 5 year old Merc and he has had a couple of hefty bills in the last 9 months.

24k is a heck of a lot of money for a 4 or 5 year old car. Would you consider getting a new one on a PCP?
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Audi Care + Extended Audi Care guarantees you at least 10 good years with your Audi without worrying about paying out the wazoo.

& with most these modern cars being so less mechanical the chances of them breaking down is so minor.
 
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Good luck with your next choice of car Stiscooby.

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♡
Stunning rear end!

Perfection!
 
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TDI-line said:
Good luck with your next choice of car Stiscooby.

sky-blue-audi-s3-sedan-on-vorsteiner-v-ff-103-wheels-in-cargirl-shoot-photo-gallery_8.jpg


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OMG, get off the bonnet, do you not realise there are metal studs in those jeans.....:hopelessness:
 
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Ok, she's off the bonnet. ;)
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