New car ordered *gulp*

[Pickle1970]

I currently drive a 2006 Honda Civic diesel which has been faultless for the 7 years i've owned it but the time has come to look at something new.

Both the wife and I hated the changes that Honda made to the Civic and so we started to look elsewhere, we looked at BMW, Volvo and Audi and as soon as we sat inside the A3 we knew it had to be!

So we started the search for a 2013 2.0 TDI in S-Line trim but all that was coming back on the searches was white, and we did not want a white car (sorry for all those people with a white A3).

Well after weeks of searching and browsing the brochure we started talking about what we would really like in the car? my wife really wanted a sunroof (Our Honda has a panaramic glass roof which is useless as all it does is cook you in the summer) and i really fancied a music system upgrade.

On Friday we drove down to our local showroom in Watford and had a look round and went through the figures........so we are now going to be the very proud (and excited) owners of a 2.0 TDI Sportback S-Line in Scuba Blue with panaramic glass sunroof (that actually opens) and the B&O sound system! we also added the auto lights and rain sensors and the auto folding wing mirrors as we have these on the Civic as well which have proved invaluable!

Can't wait for September to come now!!

 

[andywil13]

Great colour choice would recommend the interior light pack. Makes a massive difference on the feel of the car at night

 

[Pickle1970]

Thanks Andy, will look into that one

 

[jbs2472]

+1 for interior light pack and welcome.

 

[seniorjj]

+2 for interior light pack - very cheap and gives a lot of value, esp the ambient lighting, cup holder lights and sill lights

 

[GeoffdeBruges]

Congratulations on your order! I am also part of the Watford Sept 2014 delivery tribe (on current estimates), so may see you there...

A month in to my wait and I have to admit it is starting to get a little tedious, but this forum and the information it offers on all things A3 8V has been a great help to me.

 

[seniorjj]

Congratulations on your order! I am also part of the Watford Sept 2014 delivery tribe (on current estimates), so may see you there...

A month in to my wait and I have to admit it is starting to get a little tedious, but this forum and the information it offers on all things A3 8V has been a great help to me.

Nice! Me too and a very similar order for me as well, Watford Audi too, who have been great

 

[Pickle1970]

Great stuff! yeah we were really impressed with the dealership. It wasn't our local one as we have one in Hatfield but when we went there they pretty much ignored us and all the new cars in the showroom were locked.

What is the point of having new cars in a glass showroom which people can't actually sit in and get a feel for?

So we left and went to the Watford showroom, who were very attentive and you could sit and play in any car you wanted to.

 

[GeoffdeBruges]

Great stuff! yeah we were really impressed with the dealership [...] who were very attentive.

That's good to hear. I've not yet been up to Watford in person yet - that will have to wait until delivery - but they have certainly helped with all my questions and the contracting via email. As a LHD model I had no choice but to use them as no other UK dealership appeared able to handle such requests, but so far so good. Just have to endure the wait now!

 

[seniorjj]

Great stuff! yeah we were really impressed with the dealership. It wasn't our local one as we have one in Hatfield but when we went there they pretty much ignored us and all the new cars in the showroom were locked.

What is the point of having new cars in a glass showroom which people can't actually sit in and get a feel for?

So we left and went to the Watford showroom, who were very attentive and you could sit and play in any car you wanted to.

yeah i had a similar experience in hatfield - they never really call back, not many cars, poor area for parking, and also had the "locked" experience

 

[snakehips]

yeah i had a similar experience in hatfield - they never really call back, not many cars, poor area for parking, and also had the "locked" experience

Interesting. I bought mine from Hatfield and the service from my particular salesman was excellent (he still contacts me every few weeks to check everything is ok and can he help with anything). All cars were unlocked too. A lot of the time it is luck of the draw as to who you get. I was only at Hatfield because the guy I happened to get at Hitchin was terrible. I reckon any one of us on this forum could do a better job than 80% of the sales guys out there. How a lot of them are still in their jobs amazes me.

 

[Mostly Grouchy]

I was totally ignored at Watford, told I couldn't have a test drive at the weekend because they were all booked for weeks and the sales people never got back to me. Hatfield, by contrast, have been very helpful so far and got my order. It's all the same group, so it must just come down to the individual sales staff.

 

[seniorjj]

True, it's probably a bit pot luck! 18 months ago I had a great experience at hatfield, loads of time for u etc, so all depends on when u call I guess! I've noticed a lot of locked cars more recently tho- I am guessing it's cos they have been sold?

 

[kmacuk]

I too moved from a Civic Diesel and also had no issues and great service/dealer support from Honda. I kept mine for over 5 years and was disappointed in its replacement too. I would think after 7 years of winters without a decent heater that heated seats might be on your list? was top of mine and glad I added.
My wife pushed for ILP, I was not keen, but she was right as are others on this thread, it is a worthy addition.
Comfort pack too gives you auto wipers, mirror & lights plus cruise, parking sensors (great addition) and acoustic windscreen; I rarely used the cruise on the Civic, but I use all the time now. I almost failed to add the comfort pack and I would have regretted it so may well be worth considering this.
Lots of people on here love B&O, but for me *** was a fine upgrade and I couldn't justify the extra costs the DAB is great.
Not sure if TPMS will be standard, if not this is a good to have and cheap.

I initially went for the diesel and did back to back testing against the 122ps and 140 COD petrol's - ultimately buying the COD. Compared to the Civic I felt the 150 diesel lacked the in gear grunt of the Civic, I found I had to drop a gear on the motorway to make similar progress to the Civic. The engine is quitter and more refined however.
The COD suited me with the £1500 saving, less R/Tax and a real world mpg improvement for me on my daily commute. I went from around 42mpg to 45mpg with cheaper fuel to boot. I do under 10k and mileage mostly will drive the fuel type I would assume - both great engines.

You wont look back moving to the SB, I never thought that I would find a car to better the Civic, within this sector, nor that I would ever return to petrol - just love the torque of a diesel too much; however the refinement, interior build quality, silence (except the tyre noise) and handling are a level above the Civic. The lighter petrol engine removes that heavy nose into the ground steering you got with the Civic when pushing it round bends.