Used S3, First Time Owner, What to Look For ?

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Casey87

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Hi Everyone,

I'm looking to purchase an S3 for the wife as a family car/second car, it wont do many miles per week, say around 250 miles for work purposes and then use of a weekend but having not owned an S3 before I'm not quite sure what to look for. Spec wise it needs to have the heated seats & reverse cam but besides that I'm not too fussy.

I have found this car online and hoping to view it, can anyone advise what I should be looking for, asking in regards to establish if it is worth the asking price.

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

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I have owned a few hot hatches in the past (M135i, Mk1 Focus RS) but never an S3 so I would appreciate any tips you can offer, especially on what to look for upon inspection and test drive hopefully its a good car and I can get a deal wrapped up.

Thanks Chris,
 
vastly overpriced , WBAC are only offering £14200 for that , I understand dealers have to make a profit but not that much . you would be having your pants pulled down at that price. mines is a 2015 with 48000 on the clock and even that is only being offered £14800
 
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Hi, yes I appreciate it is expensive but a search on AutoTrader doesn't seem to offer anything better for cheaper. Do you have any suggestions where else to look, i have tried PH and Audi but no joy. To be honest most of the used cars on AT are vastly over priced given the chip shortage as I have found when looking at other makes. :-(
 
Unfortunately anyone that is desperate enough to buy just now is going to get screwed. usual things to look for would be the water pump and thermostat having been replaced as most common fault on the A3/S3 cars. cost around the region of £700 to fix. noticed the alloys are a bit of a state as well with kerbing , would try them for a refurb thrown in
 
Casey87 said:
Hi Everyone,

I'm looking to purchase an S3 for the wife as a family car/second car, it wont do many miles per week, say around 250 miles for work purposes and then use of a weekend but having not owned an S3 before I'm not quite sure what to look for. Spec wise it needs to have the heated seats & reverse cam but besides that I'm not too fussy.

I have found this car online and hoping to view it, can anyone advise what I should be looking for, asking in regards to establish if it is worth the asking price.

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!
www.autotrader.co.uk www.autotrader.co.uk

I have owned a few hot hatches in the past (M135i, Mk1 Focus RS) but never an S3 so I would appreciate any tips you can offer, especially on what to look for upon inspection and test drive hopefully its a good car and I can get a deal wrapped up.

Thanks Chris,
Click to expand...
Casey87 said:
Hi Everyone,

I'm looking to purchase an S3 for the wife as a family car/second car, it wont do many miles per week, say around 250 miles for work purposes and then use of a weekend but having not owned an S3 before I'm not quite sure what to look for. Spec wise it needs to have the heated seats & reverse cam but besides that I'm not too fussy.

I have found this car online and hoping to view it, can anyone advise what I should be looking for, asking in regards to establish if it is worth the asking price.

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!
www.autotrader.co.uk www.autotrader.co.uk

I have owned a few hot hatches in the past (M135i, Mk1 Focus RS) but never an S3 so I would appreciate any tips you can offer, especially on what to look for upon inspection and test drive hopefully its a good car and I can get a deal wrapped up.

Thanks Chris,
Click to expand...
Expensive and old
For 20K you can have newer and with virtual cockpit here :

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!
www.autotrader.co.uk www.autotrader.co.uk
 
AudiRace said:
Expensive and old
For 20K you can have newer and with virtual cockpit here :

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!
www.autotrader.co.uk www.autotrader.co.uk
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link but its Cat N, it does have some nice options but not for £21k. Ill keep looking,
 
I've run an S3 Sportback or similar as a family car for over a decade and agree they make sense as a "cover all the bases" package. I caution you that marks and dirt from family use might annoy you on such a nice car. ;) Having had a Brilliant Red S3, I would also add that it's an eye-catching colour that brought me more unwanted attention than my current Daytona Grey.

£19k is the going rate for this sort of model and spec in the current market, not least because that red S3 was probably bought during autumn's high valuation window. Today's trade-in prices are going to reflect that it's a week before Christmas - and I wouldn't worry much because that £14k quoted above will probably climb 10-15% within a few months.

There's a good 8V S3 buyers guide on Pistonheads, so it's easier to point you there than add much more on specifics.
 
The Cardinal said:
I've run an S3 Sportback or similar as a family car for over a decade and agree they make sense as a "cover all the bases" package. I caution you that marks and dirt from family use might annoy you on such a nice car. ;) Having had a Brilliant Red S3, I would also add that it's an eye-catching colour that brought me more unwanted attention than my current Daytona Grey.

£19k is the going rate for this sort of model and spec in the current market, not least because that red S3 was probably bought during autumn's high valuation window. Today's trade-in prices are going to reflect that it's a week before Christmas - and I wouldn't worry much because that £14k quoted above will probably climb 10-15% within a few months.

There's a good 8V S3 buyers guide on Pistonheads, so it's easier to point you there than add much more on specifics.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the feedback, ill take a look on PH.

Yes I did worry the Red may stand out too much and to be honest I'm not set on any particular colour, it was more the spec for the price point that caught my eye.
 
Casey87 said:
Thanks for the link but its Cat N, it does have some nice options but not for £21k. Ill keep looking,
Click to expand...
N is almost nothing I bought S and has very small bend all mechanics they saw it, said it's nothing ..
-- A Cat N vehicle has suffered some damage, probably in an accident, but not to its structural frame or chassis.--

You will be looking forever..

  • S. Structurally damaged repairable
  • N. Non-structurally damaged repairable
 
The Piston Heads :s3addict: buyers guide is located here. You will find what you're after as there are plenty of S3 to choose from so bide your time and if the spec isn't exactly right you can always retrofit choice options after purchase ;)
 
Harvey said:
The Piston Heads :s3addict: buyers guide is located here. You will find what you're after as there are plenty of S3 to choose from so bide your time and if the spec isn't exactly right you can always retrofit choice options after purchase ;)
Click to expand...
What sort of price is a rev cam retro fitted, it’s for the wife not me
 
Casey87 said:
What sort of price is a rev cam retro fitted, it’s for the wife not me
Click to expand...
It’s around £4-500 depending on the fitter. Would recommend @DJAlix. He did mine and it’s been trouble free for 2-3 years. You will save a little doing it yourself but routing cables and pulling off trim panels was too much for me.
if I were you I would look for one with b&o, standard in the black editions, and tech pack and if it’s within budget a facelift so you get the vc as well. Otherwise you might end up spending a fortune trying to retrofit bits to bring it up from a base model.
 
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@DJAlix has partners covering the whole of the UK who can assist with all kinds of retrofit options ;)

While it's on my mind, if you can't find any evidence the Haldex oil has been changed and the pump gauze cleaned factor this into the purchasing negations. I'd strongly advise it's done every 10k to 20k as it's a known weak point on the Gen 5 Haldex. It'll cost around £100 for a garage who know what they are doing or £30 for a DIY effort.
 
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Harvey said:
@DJAlix has partners covering the whole of the UK who can assist with all kinds of retrofit options ;)

While it's on my mind, if you can't find any evidence the Haldex oil has been changed and the pump gauze cleaned factor this into the purchasing negations. I'd strongly advise it's done every 10k to 20k as it's a known weak point on the Gen 5 Haldex. It'll cost around £100 for a garage who know what they are doing or £30 for a DIY effort.
Click to expand...

also stronic service if it’s done or close to 38k miles. Think I was quoted £3-400 at dealers for this alone.
 
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