impending audi purchase

[th1991]

Hi

my name is Tommy and I've recently joined this forum for some current owner advice on audis as it worked out very well on my last car/forum (2003 vw golf r32 ).

i wont go into too many details and bore anyone hopefully but i will be looking at audi approved either a nearly new 8v sp or an 8p rs3 .

my last car i did a few bits on and settled with 344bhp vf stage 2 supercharged and it had everything for me but im not silly enough to think a 2003 will last me forever and so i came up with the idea of the nearly new s3 that shouldnt drop too much performance wise ( power and soundtrack) and make me regret it but with the bonus of being out the box and shouldnt need too much whereas im not so keen on a 4 pot 2.0 and losing 1.2 litre and 2 cylinders from the golf and there comes in the rs3 i cant afford the 8v but the 8p is within budget and should be more or less the same as the golfs performance and the soundtrack but being newer compared to my old golf

id like to know actual owners opinions on both models in terms of the drive, the cost , manual or tiptronic ? it will be on finance with some deposit and how have you all got on with warranties ,and how much wiggle room the dealers have ie just go to local dealer and see what they can do .

hope to get to know this forum and have a laugh


tommy

 

[pburv]

Not sure of your budget? but if you can afford it then look for a saloon S3...Mag ride is a must.It came standard after 2015 I think?...S tronic to get the launch control..plus it will be easier to sell on..Whichever main dealer you go to don't take out their finance they give very poor finance rates for their used stock... Hope this helps a little....
Good luck on whatever you decide on getting....

 

[Scottyg]

For detailed ownership of an 8P RS3 this man is who you are looking to ask @45bvtc

 

[th1991]

Not sure of your budget? but if you can afford it then look for a saloon S3...Mag ride is a must.It came standard after 2015 I think?...S tronic to get the launch control..plus it will be easier to sell on..Whichever main dealer you go to don't take out their finance they give very poor finance rates for their used stock... Hope this helps a little....
Good luck on whatever you decide on getting....

hey , thanks for replying , my budget is about 30k i am hoping with the new reg coming soon if i get something in october-november it should benefit me pricewise , i do prefer the saloon rather than sportback but they are a bit more money , i'll be honest im not into the launch control so that doesnt worry me , it seems the tip tronic is much more common and i wondered if people are keeping the manuals or there aren't as many ordered ? oh i know about the finance ! my bank lloyds will offer me better rates and i need about 6 k less deposit , would they be able to provide gap insurance if i dont get finance through them would you know ? thanks mate

 

[th1991]

For detailed ownership of an 8P RS3 this man is who you are looking to ask @45bvtc

ah nice ! i hope he will notice and post some wisdom ! i am leaning towards the s3 because i prefer the twin pipes and being much newer in my price bracket but never say never

 

[pburv]

hey , thanks for replying , my budget is about 30k i am hoping with the new reg coming soon if i get something in october-november it should benefit me pricewise , i do prefer the saloon rather than sportback but they are a bit more money , i'll be honest im not into the launch control so that doesnt worry me , it seems the tip tronic is much more common and i wondered if people are keeping the manuals or there aren't as many ordered ? oh i know about the finance ! my bank lloyds will offer me better rates and i need about 6 k less deposit , would they be able to provide gap insurance if i dont get finance through them would you know ? thanks mate

GAP is like any insurance mate. It pays to shop around...So you don't have to go thru Audi...

 

[deanshaw24]

You can barter with audis gap insurance also, I paid £150 gap with Audi for my s3, which was cost. (Part of the deal)

 

[th1991]

so essentially its best to ask a few different dealers to find me a car to a spec id like rather than trusting my local to get me the best deal, and they can get me gap even though i dont use them for finance and to shop about and see if they can match it ? , now just to decide manual or tiptronic !

 

[Scottyg]

Did somebody not post on another thread that they managed to get a deal on a new S3 for under 30k. Think it was a 3dr on their PCP finance. 2.5k dealer contribution plus 10-12% discount if my memory serves me correct?

 

[th1991]

i spoke to my audi dealer about a new one and they only offer contribution on the rs3 which for starters is out my price bracket let alone before i spec it , also im going for 4/5 door not a 3 this time around and i want to own the car without balloon payments , my bank lloyds car finance calculator online for me says 30k car with 10 k deposit is 382 pcm with no mileage limits and the car will be mine at the end of the 4 years

 

[Scottyg]

Mate, that doesn't work out! 10k down leaves 20k over 4 years. £382 a month lays out £18336 over 48 payments. Meaning you have paid £28336 in total. Are you getting negative interest?? Lol

 

[th1991]

it may be 5 years then ! 60 months ! my mistake

edit: just looked it up 30 k car 20 k finance 60 months is 371 pcm with 22.270 payable back

 

[pburv]

Lol. I hate having to pay for cars...Finance is a nightmare..

 

[Scottyg]

That's better. Well, not better but you know what I mean.

 

[deanshaw24]

Did somebody not post on another thread that they managed to get a deal on a new S3 for under 30k. Think it was a 3dr on their PCP finance. 2.5k dealer contribution plus 10-12% discount if my memory serves me correct?

That was me

 

[th1991]

the finance rates shifts a little bit when i originally started saving up the deposit it was 411 a month fo the same deal so with the new reg coming and being a ''cash' buyer as in no finance from them i hope to get a good deal ! i think il have a hard time choosing spec though

 

[Scottyg]

That was me

So I wasn't going mad!!

 

[deanshaw24]

So I wasn't going mad!!

Nope!!

Stronic
Navarra
B and O
Folding Mirrors.

4 yr pcp £3150 down £311 pm

 

[Scottyg]

Damn good deal. That on a SB or 3dr hatch?

 

[deanshaw24]

Damn good deal. That on a SB or 3dr hatch?

3 door, the sb was £25 a month more, I do prefer the look for the sb but I don't need 5 doors so couldn't justify paying £25 a month for the privilege

 

[Scottyg]

3 door, the sb was £25 a month more, I do prefer the look for the sb but I don't need 5 doors so couldn't justify paying £25 a month for the privilege

Hey, who cares, you've got yourself an S3.

 

[deanshaw24]

Hey, who cares, you've got yourself an S3.

There's an upside!! It's 0.1 quicker to 60 haha

 

[th1991]

would i be right in thinking a remap down the line would get me to rs3 ish performance ? im leaning towards s3

 

[pburv]

would i be right in thinking a remap down the line would get me to rs3 ish performance ? im leaning towards s3

@S3Alex might help with your question...

 

[deanshaw24]

would i be right in thinking a remap down the line would get me to rs3 ish performance ? im leaning towards s3

A stage 1 s3 if you look at the figures will just about outrun a standard rs3.

Rs3 367bhp 350ft torque
S3. 370 ish and 375ft ish

 

[S3Alex]

would i be right in thinking a remap down the line would get me to rs3 ish performance ? im leaning towards s3

Yes it would.

The S3 engine,either 8P or 8V,has more usable potential than the RS3 engine,due to lack of big turbo kits for the RS3,and hellishly expensive kits for the TTRS even.

Remaps obviously will take you to at least the level of a stock RS3,but a remapped RS would go further.....it's all a matter of cost and potential.

 

[th1991]

A stage 1 s3 if you look at the figures will just about outrun a standard rs3.

Rs3 367bhp 350ft torque
S3. 370 ish and 375ft ish

ah good, are these flashed maps or custom map on a dyno rough figures ? i assume its with supporting mods ? it would be a while but id just like to make an informed decision

 

[th1991]

Yes it would.

The S3 engine,either 8P or 8V,has more usable potential than the RS3 engine,due to lack of big turbo kits for the RS3,and hellishly expensive kits for the TTRS even.

Remaps obviously will take you to at least the level of a stock RS3,but a remapped RS would go further.....it's all a matter of cost and potential.

ok good , i realise the rs3 will always be better to tune as its got more cylinders and displacement but as you say its all about cost and potential i just want to make a fully informed decision , would you know the safe working load of stock internals on the s3? i know when tuning the golf you had to worry about things at around 450 500 bhp but it was a bigger 3.2 v6 and i have no idea about the s3's 4 pot ! tiptronic would also be better than manual for adding power i assume ?

 

[S3Alex]

ok good , i realise the rs3 will always be better to tune as its got more cylinders and displacement but as you say its all about cost and potential i just want to make a fully informed decision , would you know the safe working load of stock internals on the s3? i know when tuning the golf you had to worry about things at around 450 500 bhp but it was a bigger 3.2 v6 and i have no idea about the s3's 4 pot ! tiptronic would also be better than manual for adding power i assume ?

The thing to consider is how much power,and what is required to get to that.

For the most part,there is little in the way of big turbo kits for either car currently,leaving aside TTE's excellent hybrids.
APR did make a kit for the previous model TTRS,but not for the RS3,and in any case it was shockingly expensive.

So,for anything much over 500bhp,either car is going to be a little short on options(but that will no doubt improve).

The S3 8P was good for 440bhp/440lbs and maybe a bit more,on stock internals.
Obviously it's torque that kills engines,and not bhp,which is why there are a number of 500bhp cars around,running stock internals,but with torque levels in the mid 400s.

We had mine built after some time at 440lbs,to the point where is can run up to 600lbs safely.

DSG boxes.....the DQ250 has lower torque limits than the DQ500 7 speed box,which i am reliably informed is good for north of 600lbs even on the stock clutches,but with appropriate software and control.
That's what is about to be fitted to mine.

In short then,between 360-450bhp,you could easily make a good case for whichever car you wanted.
Above that,you have to look at the end point of what you want.....relaistically,after a lot of work and a very clever ECU,my old S3 will be good for somewhat over 600bhp.
The other side of that coin is the TTRS of a good friend,which will exceed 700bhp,with the same bhp/litre.....

 

[deanshaw24]

ah good, are these flashed maps or custom map on a dyno rough figures ? i assume its with supporting mods ? it would be a while but id just like to make an informed decision

No supporting mods for those figures, just software. Yeah generic maps from reputable tuners

 

[deanshaw24]

I plan to have my facelift s3 at 400bhp and it would have cost me £1150 to get it there.

 

[th1991]

No supporting mods for those figures, just software. Yeah generic maps from reputable tuners

nice ! i would always tend to do supporting mods to my cars before any mapping so thats good

 

[th1991]

The thing to consider is how much power,and what is required to get to that.

For the most part,there is little in the way of big turbo kits for either car currently,leaving aside TTE's excellent hybrids.
APR did make a kit for the previous model TTRS,but not for the RS3,and in any case it was shockingly expensive.

So,for anything much over 500bhp,either car is going to be a little short on options(but that will no doubt improve).

The S3 8P was good for 440bhp/440lbs and maybe a bit more,on stock internals.
Obviously it's torque that kills engines,and not bhp,which is why there are a number of 500bhp cars around,running stock internals,but with torque levels in the mid 400s.

We had mine built after some time at 440lbs,to the point where is can run up to 600lbs safely.

DSG boxes.....the DQ250 has lower torque limits than the DQ500 7 speed box,which i am reliably informed is good for north of 600lbs even on the stock clutches,but with appropriate software and control.
That's what is about to be fitted to mine.

In short then,between 360-450bhp,you could easily make a good case for whichever car you wanted.
Above that,you have to look at the end point of what you want.....relaistically,after a lot of work and a very clever ECU,my old S3 will be good for somewhat over 600bhp.
The other side of that coin is the TTRS of a good friend,which will exceed 700bhp,with the same bhp/litre.....

i dont need massive power to be honest , for me its realword power and driveability not just major figures but i admit im not in with tuning 2.0 my experiences have been with the 3.2 that being said once i come to be able to tune after warranties etc then i will definately see whats out there before commiting last time it cost me 8-9k on the golf after chains and clutch and problems fitting a kit on but these are already forced induction so it should be less on the wallet !

i think i have chosen the 8v s3 though so i would say it must be similar if not more tolerances for the internal so thats fine, i think 500hp is going to be the limit down the line as her indoors will moan and i dont do trackdays so i wouldnt need much more to enjoy myself ! and more importantly its not a realistic target to be spending 5+k on mods all the time so if mapping maybe cai and some fiddling with things gets me 400 or above i should be fine with that ,

thanks for all the comments and information though chap !

 

[GSB]

A nearly new S3+£5k in mods, with all the reliability, insurance, and lack of resale value that entails (not to mention the fact that it's still at heart a family hatch) or if you're open to alternatives, for the same sort of money, the lover of silly power levels might look at these;

A 2013 RS4,
A 2013 RS5,
A lateish V10 RS6,
A '07 or '08 R8,
A 6.3 litre V8 powered AMG C or E Class from c.2013/14
An '07 Bentley Continental
A new Mustang
A supercharged Jaaaaaag XFR or XKR from c.2014
A 10 year old DB9
Or if you fancy sheer lunacy, a great deal of sideyways action, and mechanicals more robust than than an AGA stove, a Walkinshaw VXR8...

 

[th1991]

A nearly new S3+£5k in mods, with all the reliability, insurance, and lack of resale value that entails (not to mention the fact that it's still at heart a family hatch) or if you're open to alternatives, for the same sort of money, the lover of silly power levels might look at these;

A 2013 RS4,
A 2013 RS5,
A lateish V10 RS6,
A '07 or '08 R8,
A 6.3 litre V8 powered AMG C or E Class from c.2013/14
An '07 Bentley Continental
A new Mustang
A supercharged Jaaaaaag XFR or XKR from c.2014
A 10 year old DB9
Or if you fancy sheer lunacy, a great deal of sideyways action, and mechanicals more robust than than an AGA stove, a Walkinshaw VXR8...

as much as a valid point this is i personally have looked at all alternatives , the later ones on the list are too expensive considering the s3's im looking at are 30-32k and the mods would be after all warranties etc and ive gone from a 53 plate so i want something that isnt going to need anything and as new as possible , i was tempted by s4's for a bit but id want an rs4 whereas i can deal with not having a rs3 compared to s3 if that makes sense , valid point though i always have and will like big engine big power but i think it can be a midlife crisis car for me in 20 years or so !

 

[th1991]

would anyone know the likelihood of Audi approved s3's coming down in price with new reg coming out soon ? and by how much ? i assume the lower specced ones would be bigger discounts ?