S3 Going

[CraigI]

After a short 4 months with my second S3, it's going next week.
Replacing it with a basic FWD A3 Sport Hatch 1.4.

Had ordered the wife a S5, but was swithering on changing her car due to oil industry related issues.
Had cancelled, but was enticed back in with a, nigh on impossible to turn down, no brainer of a deal.
I still wanted to compromise and reduce costs, so the S3 goes.

Was a pretty easy decision in all honesty. I use it for commuting only and rarely do any extra miles in it, using the wife's car at the weekends when out and about with our daughter.
The S3 saloon is definitely a marked improvement on theS3 Sportback I had.
Mag ride very much makes up for some of the faults the basic model has.
However, the mag ride doesn't IMO increase the excitement any unfortunately, nor make me want to drive it unnecessarily, so I'd be as well using something a touch more mundane for the commute and reduce my monthly and fuel costs and squirrel some cash away into savings.

Going to get more time in the wife's car for when I want a bit of fun.
Then when the oil industry starts to bring confidence back, will buy something to keep in the garage, probably RWD for occasional use.

Couple of pics of the wife's car.

 

[Rob2k68]

Love the S5 great colour - best not let my wife see this !!

 

[Brasso]

Love the colour. Looks fab.

 

[RYuill]

Looks nice. Love the colour

 

[CraigI]

It's a colour we weren't 100% sure about, but are very happy. Even better in the metal.
Will have the wheels painted anthracite or gunmetal in a few months time.

 

[veeeight]

I think you'll quite enjoy the 1.4. The engine is a peach.

The suspension (Sport) is also better than the S3 non mag ride suspension, and I think the standard A3 steering rack is better (more intuitive and more feel) than the S3 variable ratio rack.

 

[Pulp84]

I think you'll quite enjoy the 1.4. The engine is a peach.

The suspension (Sport) is also better than the S3 non mag ride suspension, and I think the standard A3 steering rack is better (more intuitive and more feel) than the S3 variable ratio rack.

Genuinely believe the S3 with the standard rack and suspension would be a very different beast to the set up currently.

 

[veeeight]

Genuinely believe the S3 with the standard rack and suspension would be a very different beast to the set up currently.

Yes. If I had the choice to spec the S3 without the variable ratio rack, I would have.

And with different dampers, of course

 

[Dandanfings]

Yes. If I had the choice to spec the S3 without the variable ratio rack, I would have.

And with different dampers, of course

I fixed the last one.... One day there's gonna be a steering remap I hope!

 

[Kugaman1]

Is that Aberdeen Audi?

If you dont mind me asking, what deal did u get on the S5?
Looks stunning.

We pick up my wifes A1 SLine on Wednesday and my head meeps getting turned by the TT and the S5!

I love my S3.....but if the deals right........

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Have to say Craig that is a stunning colour !

Re the wheels - they match in with the mirror caps really well so I would leave them the colour they are.

Black edition also finishes it off perfectly - but you know I'm not a fan of chrome - & privacy glass finishes the look too.

Be very interested to hear your thoughts on the S5 the second time round.

The S5 may be at the end of its life cycle but it's still a superb car IMO and a great looking one ... I hope you & your wife enjoy it !

 

[CraigI]

Is that Aberdeen Audi?

If you dont mind me asking, what deal did u get on the S5?
Looks stunning.

We pick up my wifes A1 SLine on Wednesday and my head meeps getting turned by the TT and the S5!

I love my S3.....but if the deals right........

Yes Aberdeen.
Deal is incredible. We couldn't say no. I won't go into the details, but they matched CarWow's best offer and some.

Great deals on TT's at the moment too.

 

[Kugaman1]

Yes, seen the £5k off TTs and posted on here.

Got my wifes A1 at a good bit less than the Orangwheels price also...seems Aberdeen Audi are certainly willing to deal at the moment!

 

[veeeight]

Is that Garnet Red?

 

[Rob2k68]

Don't see many S5 Sportbacks around but think they look stunning whilst maintaining the practicality of a hatch.

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Is that Garnet Red?

Would imagine it's volcano red.

 

[CraigI]

Volcano

 

[Chris4410]

The colour of that S5 is truly stunning.

 

[yetirider]

It simply can't be a great deal or good decision making if your moving on a car the price of an S3 after 4 months.
Its amazing how many people on this site move on S3's after a very short term ownership, budget and make the correct decisions to keep a new car for three years minimum.

 

[Bristle Hound]

@CraigI - Good for you mate!
You will love the supercharged engine in the S5, guaranteed!

 

[Kugaman1]

I presume you traded in your S3 saloon against the S5?

I might look out for it when we collect the wifes A1 on Wednesday!

 

[CraigI]

My S3 is going to be replaced by the A3.
Wife's Q5 being replaced by the S5.
Deal will be done mid to end of the week, so you may well see my S3.

Not a good deal the S3 in isolation, no, but I hadn't sunk a penny into the S3 (other than monthly pcp payments) and its a deal that helps facilitate the S5, which is an amazing deal, so we are coming out of the combined 2 car swap well ahead, and with a vastly reduced monthly payment when you add the two cars together. My man maths makes it all stack up.

Id rather the S5 than the S3, so happy with what went down and when the oil industry comes back to life, I'll ramp back up again too.

 

[Snake Pliskin]

@CraigI - Good for you mate!
You will love the supercharged engine in the S5, guaranteed!

Craig has had a S5 before mate & with same supercharged engine. I think he changed it for his 1st S3 at the time.

 

[Pulp84]

My S3 is going to be replaced by the A3.
Wife's Q5 being replaced by the S5.
Deal will be done mid to end of the week, so you may well see my S3.

Not a good deal the S3 in isolation, no, but I hadn't sunk a penny into the S3 (other than monthly pcp payments) and its a deal that helps facilitate the S5, which is an amazing deal, so we are coming out of the combined 2 car swap well ahead, and with a vastly reduced monthly payment when you add the two cars together. My man maths makes it all stack up.

Id rather the S5 than the S3, so happy with what went down and when the oil industry comes back to life, I'll ramp back up again too.

Cannot fault your logic in the current climate.

Oh and man maths is never wrong

 

[Snake Pliskin]

@Bristle Hound & @CraigI ...

Based on Craig's previous comments on the S5 being a let down, at the time when I'd just picked up mine, I will be really interested to hear how he does get on with this S5 this time round and if he feels differently, although this time he changed a Q5 for it so that may be the difference and its not his personal car of course. Although this time Craig mentions he is not sad to see the S3 go too, so not sure how much he plans to drive the S5 ? Either way, Craig will be good to hear your feedback as you bond with the new car and please do let us know your thoughts on it as you get a few miles under the belt and any comparisons to your last S5 if they have changed to those below ...

Like I said, hope you enjoy it, but it definitely was a massive let down for me, and just a very mundane machine far too quickly. Excitement fizzled out. We all have different priorities and desires from our cars, manufacturers would stop trying if we didn't.

The S3 felt more direct, immediate and involving than the S5 in the two test drives I've had. That said I don't think the S5 is a hard car to trump for driving excitement/involvement.

Whether it will keep the initial excitment is yet to be seen, but I'll find out, and if it doesn't I'll move on to the next effort.

 

[Bristle Hound]

@Bristle Hound & @CraigI ...

Based on Craig's previous comments on the S5 being a let down, at the time when I'd just picked up mine, I will be really interested to hear how he does get on with this S5 this time round and if he feels differently, although this time he changed a Q5 for it so that may be the difference and its not his personal car of course. Although this time Craig mentions he is not sad to see the S3 go too, so not sure how much he plans to drive the S5 ? Either way, Craig will be good to hear your feedback as you bond with the new car and please do let us know your thoughts on it as you get a few miles under the belt and any comparisons to your last S5 if they have changed to those below ...

@Snake Pliskin - Seems strange that he's bought another S5 with so much negativity from the 1st one
Correct me if I'm wrong SP, but the S5 from his previous model to the current model hasn't changed at all, excepting different options that is

 

[CraigI]

@Bristle Hound &Craig ...

Based on Craig's previous comments on the S5 being a let down, at the time when I'd just picked up mine, I will be really interested to hear how he does get on with this S5 this time round and if he feels differently, although this time he changed a Q5 for it so that may be the difference and its not his personal car of course. Although this time Craig mentions he is not sad to see the S3 go too, so not sure how much he plans to drive the S5 ? Either way, Craig will be good to hear your feedback as you bond with the new car and please do let us know your thoughts on it as you get a few miles under the belt and any comparisons to your last S5 if they have changed to those below ...

Wow, way to forum stalk me. If you look back through all of my posts rather than selecting just one, you'll see that my thoughts on the S3 v S5 changed very quickly and it was indeed the initial turbo whoosh excitement.
I recall posting that not giving my original S5 a good enough chance was a regret and that on reflection it was a better car than I ever gave it credit for.
I guess Haldex made me see the light.

The S5 does feels sluggish in comparison, I recognised that during the test drive before we ordered this one.
Torsen is a no brainer for good quality driving, despite the weight the S5 carries.
This, however, isn't my car, it's my wife's. I doubt I'd have chosen one again, but by the same token am looking forward to driving it, and in excess of 20% off makes it an absolute bargain and I love how it looks.
I'll use it once a week during the week and once at the weekend.

The reality is, my car will be the 1.4 petrol FWD A3.
That's okay, I'll do some saving for a while, then get something that has two seats and is RWD, which will give me what I am looking for (I am firmly of the opinion that AWD kills a huge amount of the excitement of driving), keeping the A3 for the mundane commute.

 

[Bristle Hound]

Wow, way to forum stalk me. If you look back through all of my posts rather than selecting just one, you'll see that my thoughts on the S3 v S5 changed very quickly and it was indeed the initial turbo whoosh excitement.
I recall posting that not giving my original S5 a good enough chance was a regret and that on reflection it was a better car than I ever gave it credit for.
I guess Haldex made me see the light.

The S5 does feels sluggish in comparison, I recognised that during the test drive before we ordered this one.
Torsen is a no brainer for good quality driving, despite the weight the S5 carries.
This, however, isn't my car, it's my wife's. I doubt I'd have chosen one again, but by the same token am looking forward to driving it, and in excess of 20% off makes it an absolute bargain and I love how it looks.
I'll use it once a week during the week and once at the weekend.

The reality is, my car will be the 1.4 petrol FWD A3.
That's okay, I'll do some saving for a while, then get something that has two seats and is RWD, which will give me what I am looking for (I am firmly of the opinion that AWD kills a huge amount of the excitement of driving), keeping the A3 for the mundane commute.

@CraigI - Fair comment(s) buddy

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Wow, way to forum stalk me. If you look back through all of my posts rather than selecting just one, you'll see that my thoughts on the S3 v S5 changed very quickly and it was indeed the initial turbo whoosh excitement.
I recall posting that not giving my original S5 a good enough chance was a regret and that on reflection it was a better car than I ever gave it credit for.
I guess Haldex made me see the light.

The S5 does feels sluggish in comparison, I recognised that during the test drive before we ordered this one.
Torsen is a no brainer for good quality driving, despite the weight the S5 carries.
This, however, isn't my car, it's my wife's. I doubt I'd have chosen one again, but by the same token am looking forward to driving it, and in excess of 20% off makes it an absolute bargain and I love how it looks.
I'll use it once a week during the week and once at the weekend.

The reality is, my car will be the 1.4 petrol FWD A3.
That's okay, I'll do some saving for a while, then get something that has two seats and is RWD, which will give me what I am looking for (I am firmly of the opinion that AWD kills a huge amount of the excitement of driving), keeping the A3 for the mundane commute.

Not really stalking Craig geez ... your comments did stick in my memory as it was my new car thread at the time and you were very negative towards the car i'd just bought, so buying the same car again is unusual you must admit. If I didn't like car I would not buy one again so please excuse the comments revival.

Anyway that's history ... I am genuinely interested to hear your thoughts & comparisons now a few years on but appreciate it's not your main drive either.

As Bristle mentions, the car has not changed in terms of engine etc since your last one, only just paint choices and a few spec bits yeah.

Craig .... I have complimented your new car above and like it a LOT ... so don't take any offence I am keen to hear your thoughts and really hope you enjoy the car. I've had mine over 2 years and still really like it

 

[Snake Pliskin]

@Snake Pliskin - Seems strange that he's bought another S5 with so much negativity from the 1st one
Correct me if I'm wrong SP, but the S5 from his previous model to the current model hasn't changed at all, excepting different options that is

@Bristle Hound

Covered now mate ....

 

[Sandra]

I don't see any stalking here @CraigI . This is a forum. We discuss things. We ask questions and get others views and opinions on lots of different things.

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Craig & I have exchanged words on line for a few years now ...

We have locked horns from time to time & disagreed on certain cars & views but mostly healthy debate I believe & hope there is mutual respect there.

If you'd sooner I don't post please let me know Craig & I will respect that, but I hope we're cool ?

 

[Jassyo06]

Don't think CraigI will eve be content with any car for any great length of time,as for the oil industry picking up.... Long wait in front you, Aberdeen has had it too good for too long recession proof in fact compared to the rest of Scotland,but anyway!!!!

 

[CraigI]

It was said tongue in cheek at a post regurgitated from 2014.
I have no beef.

I make errors in judgement, like anyone, and will admit to those (having had as many cars as I have (must be around 30 and I'm not yet 40) you have to), and if you look back you'll actually see I changed my tune on the S5 v the S3 very quickly into S3 ownership.
My latest error in judgement was a slating review I made to a friend of The Maccabbees new album. Three listens in and my opinion was reversed, it's brilliant!

Opinions are like **** holes.

 

[CraigI]

View attachment 78072 Don't think CraigI will eve be content with any car for any great length of time,as for the oil industry picking up.... Long wait in front you, Aberdeen has had it too good for too long recession proof in fact compared to the rest of Scotland,but anyway!!!!

Aberdeen is bleak just now, but things will improve soon enough. I guess it's about time we felt like the rest of the nation - reality check time.
Probably not this year, but in 2017 things will be back on track up here.

I'll run the A3 for a year or two, save what I can and buy a garage toy.
Won't cost much to get something that's a whole lot of fun - planning on maximum of £12-£15k.

 

[hood]

Don't think CraigI will eve be content with any car for any great length of time,as for the oil industry picking up.... Long wait in front you, Aberdeen has had it too good for too long recession proof in fact compared to the rest of Scotland,but anyway!!!!

Cant really see how having guys up in the North Sea struggling with jobs etc being a good thing.They will have kids ,mortgages and cars to pay like everyone else and at least they spend their cash which helps the whole economy and also they pay tax-so I don't take any pleasure seeing them struggle-though I do like the petrol prices just now.

 

[Kugaman1]

Craigl, looks like your S3 is for sale at Aberdeen Audi.....£31k.

Seems a bit pricey for a base spec manual?

I bet you barely paid that for it new?

 

[CraigI]

It's a few hundred more than I paid for it.
They'll not get that for it, no chance.

 

[DAYTONA 500]

It's all just sour grapes.

 

[CraigI]

It's all just sour grapes.

Au contraire. Not bothered by the S3 going in the slightest.