Essential options

[Woob]

Hi guys.
I've had a read and couldn't find this covered in FAQ. Apologies if this has already been posted.

I'm looking to buy an 8P S3 facelift very soon and wanted to know what options should I definitely get?
I already know I want cruise control and Bose.

Is there a list of packages and what they do? What do people regret not getting?

Thanks

 

[AndyParker]

I've got an ex demo car so has a lot of the options on it.

For me the one option I couldn't live without is the recaro bucket seats and the one option I wish it had was the cruise control

 

[grchmason]

Sunroof

 

[millsy4002]

a lot of things can be retro'd, cruise control for one, some are just not worth the hassle though, wish i had the interior light pack, got most others

 

[Sayam]

Cruise control, bluetooth, RNS-E, rear sensors as a minimum and auto lights/wiper pack.

The aforementioned recaro bucket seats look amazing, but are horrible to live with if you are anything over 5 foot 5 and about 13 stone.

 

[Rhyso]

Depends what YOU think is essential

For me it was Bluetooth without the stupid cradle they drill into the dashboard and a MFSW

Anything on top of that was a bonus although whoever specced the car didn't pay extra for the heated seats.....

Most stuff can be retro-fitted with basic tools and a VCDS cable

Don't pay over the odds for a fully specced car. Price up what it doesn't have and work out the cheapest route i.e buy a car with it fitted or retro-fit

 

[Woob]

Thanks for the response guys!
I do ideally need to get the brochure
I'm currently driving a clio 172 which has cruise, auto wipers and lights and a couple of other things so i presumed an S3 would have these types of things as standard, seeing as it's is a fair few classes above a clio.

Is there a price list floating about anywhere with the costs of retro fitting things? I'd rather not spend 18k then have to spend another 5 getting it up to scratch on factory options

 

[Woob]

Any other options people couldn't live without?

I was kinda hoping people were going to say the recaros were terrible as sprint blues with recaros seem pretty rare

 

[AndyParker]

Haha sorry we couldn't help there!

I'm 6'3" and would say the buckets are the most comfy I've had in a car - no issues with them at all. They were absolutely the thing I wouldn't compromise on when looking for my car! You could of course always retro fit them quite easily - just make sure you've got enough pennies kept back to acquire some.

The one mildly annoying thing about them is that they don't tilt and slide in one motion. You have to tilt with one handle and then slide forwards with a different handle which isn't ideal on the 3 doors

 

[Woob]

Haha sorry we couldn't help there!

I'm 6'3" and would say the buckets are the most comfy I've had in a car - no issues with them at all. They were absolutely the thing I wouldn't compromise on when looking for my car! You could of course always retro fit them quite easily - just make sure you've got enough pennies kept back to acquire some.

The one mildly annoying thing about them is that they don't tilt and slide in one motion. You have to tilt with one handle and then slide forwards with a different handle which isn't ideal on the 3 doors

I've been searching but it seems not many picked buckets when buying the print blue. I'll keep searching though. Not sure i can really justify spending 2k on seats especially when it was £1,700 to fit them brand new. I can't work out why they are so expensive used?

Having looked at the brochure, i cant help but feel audi were having a bit of a laugh by not fitting loads of the options as standard for the S3. It's a premium car afterall. I would expect a lot of these things to be included in a car sporting a price tag of £30,000. But it still doesnt stop me wanting one!

 

[Randomage]

Having looked at the brochure, i cant help but feel audi were having a bit of a laugh by not fitting loads of the options as standard for the S3. It's a premium car afterall. I would expect a lot of these things to be included in a car sporting a price tag of £30,000. But it still doesnt stop me wanting one!

And that is why they do it! It's a sought after performance car, which enthusiasts will pay top dollar for - why not fleece them of more with options lists? I know it's immoral (and damn expensive) but it's good business from their perspective...

Essential option for me (or at least seriously preferred option) is heated seats. My back is prone to injury and strain from 20 years of judo, so the heated seats are a godsend if I'm having a bad day, or after a training session!!

That and they're just awesome in winter.

 

[Rob C]

When I was looking for mine I wanted one that was in good condition with full service history etc as opposed to one with I high spec that wasn't looked after. The only minimum was BOSE as I know if I wanted to I could retro fit most other things like FBMFSW, RNS-E, Bluetooth, AMI, Cruise Control etc.

The one option I don't have which I wish it did is Cruise Control

 

[millsy4002]

think cruise is a fairly easy retro-fit reading on here

 

[Lewbo]

The one and only option for me that is need is BOSE, everything else can be retrofitted. If it didn't have Bose I wouldn't buy it simple as that for me.

 

[audismart]

Have a look on here at brochures mate under RESOURCES TAB.

 

[Woob]

I've had a look but just wanted to see how people rate various options. I think I set the bar a bit high in my head for what would be the bare minimum Audi would offer.

Unfortunately, the more I look at the options, the more I want a fully spec'd car!

 

[-Ju-]

Obviously the more options the better then you'll tick more of the essential boxes. You have to get in your mind though what you absolutely won't compromise on otherwise you could end up buying on impulse and not getting anything on your wish list.
For me the right car had to have dsg and pan roof, i also wanted approved used for peace of mind.
I've since retrofitted
Cruise
Roof rails
Front and rear optical park
Ami
Interior light pack, puddle lights etc.
And have almost done the auto lights and wipers (just need the windscreen)

That makes mine sound like it was a poverty spec car but it was far from it.
Do your homework first and enjoy it

 

[audismart]

Obviously the more options the better then you'll tick more of the essential boxes. You have to get in your mind though what you absolutely won't compromise on otherwise you could end up buying on impulse and not getting anything on your wish list.
For me the right car had to have dsg and pan roof, i also wanted approved used for peace of mind.
I've since retrofitted
Cruise
Roof rails
Front and rear optical park
Ami
Interior light pack, puddle lights etc.
And have almost done the auto lights and wipers (just need the windscreen)

That makes mine sound like it was a poverty spec car but it was far from it.
Do your homework first and enjoy it

Yeah for me it was open sky roof, DSG, sportback xenons, and low mileage, anything else was a bonus. you pay extra for this sort of spec but you get a better resale price when it comes to selling and a quicker sale.