Which one to go for?

[New Age Driver]

Hello all..new here.

I'm in the market for an Audi A3 (Golfs are so common these days, no offence to Golf owners)

I'm looking at a 1.6

Anyway, I've recently been reading some buyers guides and they have really put me in a bad position as to what model to get. There's the Standard, Sport, Special Edition and the SE (which I thought was just an abbreviation of Special Edition)..also, is it worth getting an FSI SE or Sport? and would that hike up my insurance?

Which one is the best? I read one review which said the SE model is the best..?

My local car dealer says £14,995 but I think thats just for a standard one...I'm not sure...so I could get a second hand one for cheaper and get an SE or a Sport.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Twizzler]

Well, you buy SE if you want the most comfortable model and S-Line etc if you wish to hurtle around bends and enjoy a little discomfort.

 

[EssVier]

Id avoid the 1.6, would be so slow it would be painful to drive!
£14995 would buy you a bog standard 1.6 yes, have a go on the configurator and see what the final price would be (not including dealer discount).

 

[New Age Driver]

Id avoid the 1.6, would be so slow it would be painful to drive!

I'm 19, so getting a 1.8 or 2.0 would seriously hike up my insurance, would it not?

 

[Kontraband]

its a bit of a fine line really.. as to how much... yes, it would definately increase, but sometimes the small increase is worth it...

 

[mfspen]

If your budget will stretch, and you don't want an oil burner, you would be better off going for the 1.4T.

It's more powerful, more economical, and has much more torque, especially at low revs.

 

[New Age Driver]

If your budget will stretch, and you don't want an oil burner, you would be better off going for the 1.4T.

That would seriously hike up my insurance, getting the Turbo injected 1.4..

 

[New Age Driver]

If your budget will stretch, and you don't want an oil burner, you would be better off going for the 1.4T.

That would seriously hike up my insurance getting a turbo injected 1.4..

 

[Dandle]

I personally wouldnt spend £15k on a new low spec Audi at 19 when you could buy something so much nicer when you are a little bit older with the same money. Unless of course the money doesnt matter and your not financing it over a few years.

 

[New Age Driver]

I personally wouldnt spend £15k on a new low spec Audi at 19 when you could buy something so much nicer when you are a little bit older with the same money. Unless of course the money doesnt matter and your not financing it over a few years.

Well, that's why I might go for a used one so I can get a better spec model.

 

[rwest]

What about an ex-demo car? You can't choose the spec, but I bet you'd make enough of a saving to put the money towards the higher insurance costs. You could still get dealer finance. This would enable you to choose something like the 1.8t fsi or 2.0t fsi (1.4 t is probably still too new...). This would be a much more flexible car on the open road/motorway.

Not that the 1.6 is a bad car...but probably better thought of as a premium quality second car/town car.

 

[New Age Driver]

What about an ex-demo car? You can't choose the spec, but I bet you'd make enough of a saving to put the money towards the higher insurance costs. You could still get dealer finance. This would enable you to choose something like the 1.8t fsi or 2.0t fsi (1.4 t is probably still too new...). This would be a much more flexible car on the open road/motorway.

Not that the 1.6 is a bad car...but probably better thought of as a premium quality second car/town car.

Thanks for the reply.

How do I get an ex-demo car? what does that entail, exactly?

 

[Twizzler]

You ask Audi dealers if they have any ex-demo cars.

 

[New Age Driver]

Also, what's dealer finance? Just for us in-experienced fellows who don't know the ins and outs haha..

 

[Twizzler]

Sad, really.

 

[mcc49]

Why dont you get some online insurance quote for the different engine types? Right now you dont seem to be so sure on what you exactly want. A 1.6FSI is a group 9 insurance, 1.4T is a group 11 and a 1.8T is a group 13 regardless of trim level as thats purely cosmetic. Maybe that would help you decide when factoring in insurance cost.

Next thing to do is to go to an Audi dealer and test drive the car you want, just because it sounds good on paper, doesnt mean you will like the way it drives.

Just dont rush into things and dont let the dealer take control of the situation, a car is an expensive purchase and you should only sign the dotted lines when you are ok with everything.

 

[New Age Driver]

Why dont you get some online insurance quote for the different engine types? Right now you dont seem to be so sure on what you exactly want. A 1.6FSI is a group 9 insurance, 1.4T is a group 11 and a 1.8T is a group 13 regardless of trim level as thats purely cosmetic. Maybe that would help you decide when factoring in insurance cost.

Well a 1.4T and a 1.8T would blow the boat with my insurance. I'm 19 and a student but I do have part-time work in the evenings and weekends. Would you say the 1.6FSI is better than the getting just a normal SE or Sport?

Next thing to do is to go to an Audi dealer and test drive the car you want, just because it sounds good on paper, doesnt mean you will like the way it drives.

I have already test driven a 1.6 Special Edition and it was a smoothe drive, much better than my Vauxhall Corsa. There was no rev in gear changes, it just felt so easy.

Just dont rush into things and dont let the dealer take control of the situation, a car is an expensive purchase and you should only sign the dotted lines when you are ok with everything.

It's hard when the dealer holds all the cards. I'm 19 and this will be my second car, I didn't even buy my first car. So, you don't know how much you can haggle him down to or what deals you can get e.t.c.

 

[mcc49]

Would you say the 1.6FSI is better than the getting just a normal SE or Sport?

I dont quite understand what you mean. Do you mean a standard A3 with an 1.6 engine as opposed to the SE/Sports trim? The basic A3 is pretty spartan, doesnt even have manual air conditioning unless you go special edition. If you can stretch an extra £2k (assuming you are buying new) I would definately get either the SE or Sport depending if you want driver comfort or sportier handling and looks.

It's hard when the dealer holds all the cards. I'm 19 and this will be my second car, I didn't even buy my first car. So, you don't know how much you can haggle him down to or what deals you can get e.t.c.

You are the customer, you hold the money and they want your business at the end of the day. Just dont go in with an 'I definately want an A3' attitude as they will see that and become much harder to haggle with. Tell them you are keeping your options open and blag about cars of similar class (eg: VW Golfs) saying how they are offering you X car for Y amounts, can you match/beat the offer.

I normally shoot for a 10% discount of list price but it varies depending on how much your car cost and how much extras you are adding to the car, I managed to get 11% off a new A3 S-Line last monday but it will vary from dealer to dealer.

 

[New Age Driver]

I dont quite understand what you mean. Do you mean a standard A3 with an 1.6 engine as opposed to the SE/Sports trim? The basic A3 is pretty spartan, doesnt even have manual air conditioning unless you go special edition. If you can stretch an extra £2k (assuming you are buying new) I would definately get either the SE or Sport depending if you want driver comfort or sportier handling and looks.

What I mean is, is the 1.6 FSI Sport better than the 1.6 Sport? Is the 1.6

FSI SE better than the SE. What I'm geting at is, is it better to get FSI?

You are the customer, you hold the money and they want your business at the end of the day. Just dont go in with an 'I definately want an A3' attitude as they will see that and become much harder to haggle with. Tell them you are keeping your options open and blag about cars of similar class (eg: VW Golfs) saying how they are offering you X car for Y amounts, can you match/beat the offer.

I normally shoot for a 10% discount of list price but it varies depending on how much your car cost and how much extras you are adding to the car, I managed to get 11% off a new A3 S-Line last monday but it will vary from dealer to dealer.

After the test drive I said to the sales guy, 'I definitely want this car' ooopppss...

If the car is second hand, would you still try and get the price down?

 

[Deleted member 22276]

Hello all..new here.

I'm in the market for an Audi A3 (Golfs are so common these days, no offence to Golf owners)

I'm looking at a 1.6

Anyway, I've recently been reading some buyers guides and they have really put me in a bad position as to what model to get. There's the Standard, Sport, Special Edition and the SE (which I thought was just an abbreviation of Special Edition)..also, is it worth getting an FSI SE or Sport? and would that hike up my insurance?

Which one is the best? I read one review which said the SE model is the best..?

My local car dealer says £14,995 but I think thats just for a standard one...I'm not sure...so I could get a second hand one for cheaper and get an SE or a Sport.

Thanks for your help.

The new A3 is a heavy car, I had the 2.0FSI for 4 years and it was pretty gutless, I can't imagine how boring the 1.6 will be. Why don't you go for something completly different until you can afford the insurance on a quicker new car? I highly recommend the Mk2 Golf :icon_thumright:. I had the 1.6 golf driver and it was an absolute hoot to drive, wish I had the GTi though!

Or if you really want a new A3 why not go for a TDi?, the insurance can't be that bad on a diesel and it will be MUCH more gutsy than the 1.6.

 

[mcc49]

What I mean is, is the 1.6 FSI Sport better than the 1.6 Sport? Is the 1.6

FSI SE better than the SE. What I'm geting at is, is it better to get FSI?

by 1.6 I meant the 1.6FSI, theres only 1 1.6 engine in the A3 range and thats the FSI and its identical in all trim levels (standard/SE/Sports). I suppose if you drove the 1.6, liked it and have your heart set on it then go for it, sure it wont be as gutsy as the TFSI but you are a new driver.

After the test drive I said to the sales guy, 'I definitely want this car' ooopppss...

Best thing to do is play 2 or 3 garages against each other if the original one arent prepare to budge in price, find a couple of local Audi dealers and make them compete for your business.

If the car is second hand, would you still try and get the price down?

Yes just dont expect more than expect as large of a discount compared to a new car.

 

[PeterS]

I think the 1.6 FSI has been replaced by the 1.4T FSI, so as others have said your choice is between the standard 1.6, the 1.4T FSI or the 1.9TDI as the 'entry level' engines.

Which is best for you depends on what you want from the car; when we made the choice for our second car last year we didn't set our to buy an A3 at all, but the A3 Special Edition (with an 11% discount) worked out cheaper than the Golf we were going to buy.

For us the Special Edition (plus a few options ) worked out far cheaper than an SE or Sport, nice though they would have been. That limited us to the 1.6 or 1.9TDI. The 1.6 is £500 cheaper than the base model, with standard a/c; the 1.9TDI was £100 more than the equivalent engined base model. That pushed the premium for the 1.9TDI to nearly £1,900. We didn't think it was worth it - its a noisy old engine, and one I'd had in an A4 10 years ago!!

The car is just used on A/B roads usually, for a morning/evening commute, and its performance is fine in that environment IMO. Sure, its no ball of fire, but it'll keep up with day to day traffic on A/B roads, and cruise at illegal speeds on the motorway You wouldn't chose to take it out for some 'spirited' driving, but that's not why we bought it...

And lets face it, anythings better than a Corsa

Just my thoughts...

Peter

 

[mcc49]

Yea I was told by the dealer than they were phasing out the 1.6FSI and replacing it with the 1.4T also. This could potentially see a price drop or simply more ammo to fire at the dealer when haggling with the dealer.

 

[klauster]

id suggest getting a 1.6 engine in a smalller car than the A3, its a heavy car...

 

[New Age Driver]

So, all 1.6's have an FSI engine?

On the 1.4 T FSI, well apart from the insurance being unbelivably high, the cheapest one I can find is at £17,000..which is definitely exceeding my budget.

A3 2.0's aren't cheap either and diesels are just too noisy for me and have such negative connotations surrounding them.

I thought the 1.6 was quite speedy myself and ran really smoothe. I mean its no Ferrari but then considering I live in London, where there's a speed camera every 2 minutes, your not exactly gonna be hitting 100mph all the time, are you..

 

[golf]

New Age Driver, if you are going to be shelling out that sort of cash on your second car at your age, there are vastly better options out there than a 1.6 A3. In your position I'd probably go for a SEAT Leon, the 1.9 TDI from the current range is only a group 6 for insurance and will be a lot cheaper than an A3 to buy.

If you are set on getting an A3, I'd say go for a diesel as the 1.6 is lethargic and you will have to rev the hell out of it to get anywhere.

Also, as a side note, your spelling and grammar for a teenager is commendable, which makes a change!

 

[rodenal]

I agree with what people are saying above, 15k is a hell of alot of money to spend on a 1.6 A3, there's alot better car out there for that money.

Remember also that the 1.6 will depreciate much faster than any of the other cars in the range.

I have a 1.6 8L and considering the new A3's are heavier i think you'd be mad to buy one - i know what you're saying about not being able to put the foot down anyway but i'd be looking at different cars if i were you.

Another thing that's confusing me a little bit is why you're worrying about insurance costs when paying 15k for a car?? wouldnt it be better to pay 13k for a nicer car and pay a little bit more for insurance?

I think you're mad anyway lol i'm 24 and i'd never pay 15k of my own money out on a car unless i was earning mega money, and i wouldnt even dream of taking 15k out on finance thats just bonkers, especially when you're still young and have better things to spend your money on.

 

[PeterS]

So, all 1.6's have an FSI engine?

On the 1.4 T FSI, well apart from the insurance being unbelivably high, the cheapest one I can find is at £17,000..which is definitely exceeding my budget.

A3 2.0's aren't cheap either and diesels are just too noisy for me and have such negative connotations surrounding them.

I thought the 1.6 was quite speedy myself and ran really smoothe. I mean its no Ferrari but then considering I live in London, where there's a speed camera every 2 minutes, your not exactly gonna be hitting 100mph all the time, are you..

No, the 1.6FSI has been dropped and only the 1.6 non FSI remains in the range.

I wouldn't pay £17k for a 1.4T FSI though; our 1.6 Special Edition cost just over £14k brand new. That included metallic paint, interior light pack, front centre arm rest, outside temp gauge, leather steering wheel and an upgrade to the 'concert' stereo. A Golf would have cost more; even a Clio dCI (yes, we looked at one of those...) would have cost similar money and there's no comparison IMO

As I said earlier the 1.6 is no ball of fire, but for us as a second car its perfectly fine. If it works for you I wouldn't discount it :icon_thumright:

I'd question the 'heaviest depreciating' tag as well; traditionally the lower models in the range hold their value proportionally better than the larger ones, and we'll certainly lose less in £ because we spent less in the first place!!

Peter

 

[sat1983]

I think you're mad anyway lol i'm 24 and i'd never pay 15k of my own money out on a car unless i was earning mega money, and i wouldnt even dream of taking 15k out on finance thats just bonkers, especially when you're still young and have better things to spend your money on.

Well, that is debatable! I mean i'm 24 and have spent £18k on my current 2.0 TDI. I'm not earning mega money but my interest is in cars and this is where I spend my money on. I stopped smoking just over a year ago and am tea total so why not blow my cash on a nice car. I really truely believe in the saying " You only live once". You do, so make the most of it, as long as you're being sensible.

 

[Eeef]

The engine line up has changed quite a bit since i last looked! No 2.0TFSI anymore?


[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/radiobtn_sel.gif"] [/URL]Standard 1.4 TFSI125 6 speed[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"][URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"] [/URL]Details [/URL]15,600.00
[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/radiobtn.gif"] [/URL]Standard 1.6102 5 speed[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"][URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"] [/URL]Details [/URL]14,750.00
[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/radiobtn.gif"] [/URL]Standard 1.6102 tiptronic[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"][URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"] [/URL]Details [/URL]16,150.00
[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/radiobtn.gif"] [/URL]Standard 1.8 TFSI160 6 speed[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"][URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"] [/URL]Details [/URL]17,295.00
[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/radiobtn.gif"] [/URL]Standard 1.8 TFSI160 S tronic[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"][URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"] [/URL]Details [/URL]18,695.00

Diesel

[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/radiobtn.gif"] [/URL]Standard 1.9 TDI e(DPF)105 5 speed[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"][URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"] [/URL]Details [/URL]16,000.00
[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/radiobtn.gif"] [/URL]Standard 2.0 TDI140 6 speed[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"][URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"] [/URL]Details [/URL]17,590.00
[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/radiobtn.gif"] [/URL]Standard 2.0 TDI140 S tronic[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"][URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"] [/URL]Details [/URL]18,990.00
[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/radiobtn.gif"] [/URL]Standard 2.0 TDI(DPF)170 6 speed[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"][URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"] [/URL]Details [/URL]18,415.00
[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/radiobtn.gif"][URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/radiobtn.gif"] [/URL][/URL]Standard 2.0 TDI(DPF)170 S tronic[URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"][URL="http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif"] [/URL]Details [/URL]19,815.00

 

[L60N]

At 19 years old; i'd be looking at a cheaper car unless your minted which, as stated; worrying about insurances says to me that your not.

So, IF 15k is an affordable car, why not look at something in the 13k range, that leaves you 2k for insurance/services/tyres etc.

Having said all that, im just like you; i want the most for my money too, but somtimes that just leads you down the road of struggle.

13k will buy you a LOT of nearly new car for your money and you wont be worrying about the above.

I dont know your taste so im not going to waste my time picking out cars for you

Good luck with it :icon_thumright:

 

[mfspen]

The engine line up has changed quite a bit since i last looked! No 2.0TFSI anymore?

It's still there, but not on the standard car anymore.
You have to go for the SE, Sport or S-Line to get the 2.0T option.

 

[Eeef]

Ah ok. My bad. Looks like they've been frigging around with the configurator again.

 

[New Age Driver]

http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/radiobtn_sel.gifhttp://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/radiobtn_sel.gif Standard 1.4 TFSI125 6 speedhttp://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/entry.do?v...ner&referrer=www.audi.co.uk/audi/uk/en2.html#http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gifhttp://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/img/jumper.gif Details 15,600.00

Is that the price, £15,600.00? All I could find was ones for £17,000.00..


I've taken into account what you've all said. Some sound advice.

My new car is either going to be an A3 or a Golf. I say that as if it's going to happen but what I mean is, it would definitely be a toss-up between the two. I don't think there is anything else out there, for my age group, that is as good as the Golf or the A3. I have a Cosra, and I consider Renault Clio's, Fiat Punto's, Ford Fiesta's to all be on the same level as a Corsa, or below if you're talking about the Clio (only joking). My question to you lot, is, what is the comparison between the A3 1.6 and the Golf 1.6? Which one comes out on top performance-wise e.t.c. or are they both the same?

 

[mcc49]

£15,600 base price for the car, OTR you will be looking at £16,400ish

 

[cdb2]

If you buy used, a 1.6FSI will be better than the 1.6, better performance, newer engine.

Between the Golf and A3 I'd choose A3 everytime. My other half has a MkV Golf and the difference in the interior is like night and day, the A3 interior makes the Golf interior look very low rent. That said I've had more issues with my A3 than she has had with her Golf!

If you are buying new I'd be tempted to wait for the facelift.

If you buy used get quotes from sites like drivethedeal and coast2coast and take them with you.

 

[AudiLad]

just get the 140 diesel simple as IMO,you dont seem able to afford silly insurance,1.6 a3's IMO are poor.
The 2.0 TDI 140 is a superb engine and alot of other members on here will tell you the same,i was the same about diesels before i bought this,I now have a totally different opinion on them,i could not buy the 1.6 because i just wouldnt be happy after a week of owning it,you will feel as if you've just bought the shitest one because its all you could afford,Blunt but true,so as alot of other people have said look at different cars,its only your second car mate,im 19 but this is my fourth lol,especially with only having a part time job,be careful what position you put yourself in finance wise

hope this helps

 

[New Age Driver]

What are peoples views on diesels? I mean, I've heard they affect the performance and speed of the car, compared to the petrol ones. Why are they cheaper than petrol cars?

Also, is an A3 1.6 the same, performance-wise, as a Golf 1.6?

 

[AudiLad]

they aint cheaper than petrol cars mate lol,there the opposite,diesels are the more expensive,and diesels today are alot more advanced than petrols,ive got the 140 TDI and it aint slow,the 1.6 would not stand a chance put it that way,they have a different kind of power compared to a petrol engine,they have high torque outputs,as for the golf and the A3 1.6's they would both be similar i would imagine with the A3 being the nicer drive,and better interior etc,audi also made a 1.9 TDI which maybe cheaper on insurance again for you,the reason for this is it has less power,they know longer make it tho i dont think,someone correct me if im wrong?

 

[Deleted member 22276]

What are peoples views on diesels? I mean, I've heard they affect the performance and speed of the car, compared to the petrol ones. Why are they cheaper than petrol cars?

Also, is an A3 1.6 the same, performance-wise, as a Golf 1.6?

The 2.0TDI is a brilliant engine mate, I should have got that over the 2.0FSI, it has 10bhp less but the diesel has buckets of tourque. I borrowed my dads mk4 1.9TDI golf (130bhp) when my A3 was being repaired and it felt a lot faster, although I wouldn't admit it to him since he always bangs on about how diesel is better than petrol!

I'm 25 now and loving the S3 but if I was 19 again and unable to insure a performance motor I would go for a diesel A3 or Golf without a doubt. I would have thought the 1.6 Golf and A3 would be similar in performance providing they were both non-FSI or both FSI since they are the same chassis and similar weight. But don't even think about a 1.6 until you give the TDI a good long test drive!