gadrego Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 Sadly, not for me. A friend of mine fancies an S3. Has about £13 to £14k to play with. I know they aren't necessarily as good to drive as some of the opposition but its what he fancies so just trying to find out what to look for when viewing, running costs, potential problems etc... Any help much appreciated. Quote
Guest Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 i would personnally tell him to test drive a leon cupraR i tested both the audi and the leon (they are both the same chassis and dash) and found you got a much better leon for your money .......... if he's dead set then fine , but the seat drives in certain ways and audi doesn't , left foot braking with the fly by wire throttle is the first audi no no but seat yes yes........ but that may not bother him , he may just want the badge. Quote
gadrego Posted January 13, 2006 Author Posted January 13, 2006 You are probably right about the Leon Harv, but like you say he wants the Audi. He's not an especially keen driver so the grabby brakes are unlikely to bother him too much. I think he's more a fan of the looks, the heated seats and the Bose stereo. Each to their own I suppose. Quote
Guest Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 Yep i know what you mean ......... however if he found a leon with full sat nav he would find the hifi then blows the bose into the ground (also better than the harmon kardon upgrade from BMW) he can find leather to , and that greatly enhances the seat interior and makes it seem more audi quality ................ but he can't have seat heaters . and a sat naved fully leather elctric seater leon would actually be a very rare beast . Its how mines speced and when a mate tried to find one second hand he gave up and just had sat nav no leather after a 3 month search. Quote
JeffC Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 I took a 2001 Audi S3 as a px about 6 months ago if hes after perfomance he will be dissapointed, they wouldnt pull a hen off its nest , think the one I had was 205 bhp, but the 4wd kills it , in a straight line was only slightly quicker to 100mph than a diesel audi . no botton end power and didnt feel as though there was a lot more when you revved it, My pal had his mapped to 265bhp and he said it transformed it ? I only had a spirited blat round the block in this standard one and I was fairly impressed with the road holding it was wet and it didnt budge.. build quality, drive and feel is better than the Golf and Leons.. tell yer pal I will sell him a 05 Leon 150 tdi that will wipe the floor with a S3 and give him 45mpg and change in his pocket Quote
GWatson Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 tell yer pal I will sell him a 05 Leon 150 tdi that will wipe the floor with a S3 and give him 45mpg and change in his pocket That would get my vote G Quote
gadrego Posted January 13, 2006 Author Posted January 13, 2006 Point well and truly taken about the Leon, if it were my money I'd maybe be pointing my cheque book at the Spanish option but his heart is set on the Audi. To be honest, I knid of understand, much as I like the Leon. Jeff, I'm surprised about your thoughts on the S3, I've driven a TT with the same 225 BHP engine and I'd have said that it had low and mid range pull in abundance but lacked a really strong top end. Its fair to say though that the S3 is known for over long gears so this might not help. I've told him that we'll no longer be friends if he doesn't get it chipped. I did this to my Golf 1.8t and the diiference is unbeleivable. Leons, TT's and S3's must fly after a remap. Quote
detailer Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 A bloke I know bought an S3 and flogged it pretty sharpish after owning a golf tdi. He said the S3 was butt rape alley on fuel and servicing Civic type R or DC5 integra import? Tdi's a bit nose heavy is he's a spirited driver. My bro has one (CTR) and it goes well enough and cheap enough to run. Doesn't have the badge though if your mates a badge snob (will run rings round the audi in the handling stakes mind). Quote
Guest Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 My mates got a Leon chipped to an alleged 275bhp and by the way it goes I have no doubt it's got about that figure, it just pulls and pulls and the traction is mighty impressive too, when I drove it I was amazed by how little torque steer it had even with the traction control turned off (I think they call it ASR) but that wouyld be the car I'd be spending my money on Quote
Eastern_Westie Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 My everyday car is an S3 - it's chipped (MTM) and has the cat-back Milltek exhaust. Had it rolling-roaded a few months back - 265bhp and 280lb/ft torque. It has really good mid-range, but this really depends on the chip. The MTM gives a very rapid peak in boost, whereas some of the others are flatter - depends what floats your boat. I've owned it for almost 5 years and have loved every minute of it - I'd recommend it as the build quality and spec are excellent. In all that time, it's never let me down, and hasn't even been that expensive to service. But, I might sell it soon, as I'd like something else......5 years is a long time for me to keep a car! In terms of buying advice, apart from the usual things, check for uneven tyre wear. This would point to the 4wd subframe needing to be realigned - not major but will cost a couple of hundred quid for the stealers to fix. Also check for a squeaking noise when driving it (from the front usually). This would be the front anti-roll bar bushes. Mine went recently, and although it is technically possible to buy just the bushes, things are never that straight-forward and it usually ends up with you paying 175quid for a new ARB. Take a look at the Audi forums on Tyresmoke for more advice.... Quote
Barry Ashcroft Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 Forget the petrol I got the missus a 04 Audi A3 2.0 tdi sport 140bhp 6 speed fully loaded absolutly stunning car ok does not have the 4wd, gonna get it chipped next month (pulls like a train now) and returns 52mpg What more do you want why line the goverments pockets leave the high fuel bills to the westie Barry Quote
JeffC Posted January 13, 2006 Posted January 13, 2006 Jeff, I'm surprised about your thoughts on the S3, I've driven a TT with the same 225 BHP engine and I'd have said that it had low and mid range pull in abundance but lacked a really strong top end. Its fair to say though that the S3 is known for over long gears so this might not help Im prob comparing the S3 to the bottom end grunt of the vag tdi 130..I jumped out of a 130 tdi into the S3 and it felt flat .. just the way the tdi makes its power... It beats me why anyone would want to buy any of the german petrol cars when they make diesel variants as good as they are. only petrol Audi I would have would be RS6 and only petrol BMW would be M5... Quote
a4drk Posted January 14, 2006 Posted January 14, 2006 Remember - S3's 210bhp - 98 to 2000 W (Some X's) 2001 onwards - face lift model is 225bhp. New lights front & rear & the tell tale is the actual badge "S3" the older ones is the red rectangular badge... However..... my A4 is only 2 seconds slower to 100 than an S3........ here Quote
Buzz Billsberry Posted January 14, 2006 Posted January 14, 2006 I have a 225bhp Cupra R as me company hack which as basically and S3 with diffrent clothes on same engine running,brakes,6 speed,4 pots,floor pan, dash seats stereo,etc,etc,etc,etc,etc,etc Build quality is ok(not as god as Audi) plus the brakes arn't that grabby but they do stiop u very well if comming in under the radar on afterburner. It's one of the best company cars I've had with regards to just being a car, I chose it over and A4 crop duster(diesel) mainly because it was a petrol. For me going back to a petrol after 15 years of crop dusters was a god send.I drove me brothers new A6 over christmas yep they have improved diesels but they are still tractors compared to petrol. I get around 38mpg according to the trip and topped 140mph(ran out of track! As long as my company lets me have petrol I'll get one everytime. here it is in Bling Black with Max Power wheels! Buzz Quote
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