Worth the upgrade?

[mchantry]

Having enjoyed my Sportback 2.0T for just over 2 years I've decided that I need a change, and have been thinking about the S3.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether I'm going to get a lot of extra grin-factor by going to the S3 and is it worth the money. I'm looking entirely for fun, not practicality, as I have a Discovery for the family car now.

Cheers,
Marcus

 

[Boydie]

if i had £30k and only wanted fun from a car i dont think i would buy an S3 even though i love them so much!

fun cars in that budget - mitsi evo 8's or a 9 eg fq 360, tvr's? m3 csl?

but answering your question - yes im sure you would be very happy behind the steering wheel of an s3

 

[Shao_khan]

i hoinestly think it depends if you are looking for a fun car, or keeping a semi practical car and having more fun at the same time.

From my perspective I drove a chipped 2l T and an S3 and the S3 was the better car, it fitted all my criteria for a fun family hatch.

If it was fun along though i'd have been in the lotus dealer checking out an exige.

 

[Boydie]

Honda NSX - up to £28k for a 94 reg
Astin Martin DB7 Vantage?? £29k 1999
M3 CSL
Ferrari Testerossa or 348?
Lotus Elise S or exige
Mini cooper s works??
any evo lol from 6 upwards especially if it has already been tuned - personally i would get a 7/8 or 9
Nissan Skyline R34 GTR
Noble M12 GTO-3
Porsche 911 carrera 4? early turbo?
TVR T350, Chimera, Tuscan

flip me with an options list like that i do not know what i would pick :O id be near suicide trying to decide!

 

[Matt]

Suppose it also depends on whether its a car thats going to be used everyday and whether you still want a bit of comfort/luxury.

I wouldn't want to be using an Elise everyday for example! Nor a Ferrari come to think of it lol

 

[jamiekip]

As mentioned above, you have a lot of options for 'fun' but if the S3 has to remain semi sensible/useable then the S3 is a good package. It's a huge improvement on the last S3 and is a big improvement over the s-line. They have clearly spent a lot of time refining the chassis dynamics on the car, so the suspension is complient however throw it in to a corner and it sticks. The haldex unit anticipates what your doing and adjust very quickly, I even had a degree or two of rear attitude on my S3 coming out of a roundabout the other day which was really surprising but satisfying having to pop a bit of opposite lock on! The suspension up front is light weight compared to others in the range.
It's a satisfying drive, is very quick but ultimately is a practical hot hatch.

Tough choice you got buddy!

 

[AL_B]

The other thing to consider when looking at the older performance cars, which I'm sure we'd all love to own & drive, is maintenance costs.

As with any older car, with 50000+ miles on it, its going to cost for servicing and maintenance. A new or nearly new S3 8P, you've got full warranty to fall back on.

I guess it depends on how often you will drive it and whether it will be a daily driver or not.