Thanks for all your comments guys........to answer your questions re deal and spec......
In the end, 3 or 4 main dealers on or near the south coast agreed to match the price from the internet broker so I was then in the nice position where I had to choose one! Some required a printed copy of the quote (you can get this from drivethedeal for about £34 from memory), some just the details of the site so they could verify it themselves.
The internet broker as mentioned above was drivethedeal.com who in all my exhaustive searching (!) appear to offer the best deals on the A3 Sportback. The price was 8.34% off the total OTR price, i.e. (the car + options + delivery + vat) - 8.34%. This therefore gives a true 8.34% total discount. Some dealers only take the discount off the car and options then add back on the VAT and delivery thus reducing your total discount, so watch out!
From my searching\experience this is probably the best you'll get at the moment on the Sportback as it is still quite new, a lot of brokers still only offer between 5 and 6.5% off it. As EEEF has shown, there are better deals to be had on the A3 3 door as brokers generally appear to discount it more than the Sportback, again probably because the Sportback has only recently been launched.
Incidentally, before I had the broker quote, I was being offered only a few hundred pounds off the Sportback which amounted to 1.34% as opposed to the 8.34% I finally got!
For those who asked, my final spec was SPORTBACK 2.0 FSI SE, Silver metallic, Automatic folding door mirrors, 5 spoke star design alloys 17", 4 spoke multi function steering wheel, Rear mats, Medial Aluminum Silver inlays, Acoustic Parking System, Electric lumbar support, Front fog lights, Drivers Information System, Polished Aluminium Roof Rails, Black Interior, Tyre Pressure Monitor + of course all the usual included SE stuff like auto lights and wipers, interior lighting pack, arm rest, cruise etc.....
Went for the SE as having tried both didn't want the harder ride of the Sport on the poor roads around here, and I'm no speedster! I found the SE plenty hard enough!
Went for the petrol as only do low miles and so don't need a diesel. Also having tried both couldn't live with the diesel clatter, I spend a lot of time at low revs in queues. The 2.0tdi certainly did pull well though and put a grin on my face, just not ready for a diesel yet!
For those who spotted it, the tyre pressure monitor (page 59 in brochure, "tyre pressure control display") is a new option only just out. It is available to order now for £50.
Dealer reckons March delivery at the moment but I guess we'll have to wait and see. I think from what I've read, most of the delays seem to be on DSGs.
Thanks again to all those who helped me along the way with pics and answers to questions, you know who you are!
Anyone has any questions, just ask....... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif
