Audi S3 owners - I want your experience

[tex]

hey all,

I'm hoping a member with one of these cars, or someone with genuine experience having owned one previously, can tell me about their experience with it.

Is it as great a little package as what I think it is?

Is the build quality more than just panel and trim deep so to speak?

Is maintenance related items much more expensive than FPV?

I am in the market for another vehicle and S3 sits at the very top of the contenders so far. We've consisdered the Focus XR5, VW R32, Beemer 1 series, Mondeo XR5, and the Merc two door. No consideration given to Sub or Mitsu offerings, don't want an EVO or Rex.

Any advice would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance

looks like we'll place an order later today unless something really really horrible comes out of the left field.....

[Polyal]

I cant give any first hand experience but those R32's look and sound great, that would be my choice. Have you driven them all?

/useless post

[Chopped]

It's an Audi, expect to pay through the nose for everything related to it !!
(Not specifically S3 related but plenty of stories of Audi gearboxes going boom)

Apart from that...very classy/sporty car indeed.

[trippytaka]

I have driven/tested the last few variants of the S3 (and all cars listed here). IMO the steering is dull and lifeless (like most Audi). The rest of the car is brilliant, but at the pointy price end of the market.

Servicing costs? No idea, as I have never had to service one, nor an FPV unfortunately.

A mate of mine loves S3s and has owned three. And a few of my friends mums have owned them too. No mechanical problems. Anecdotally I can confirm that mechanically you should have bugger all hassles with them. Trim etc stays in good rattle-free condition... I only have experience with up to 100,000km.

Shame you don't consider the Mitsu option. Evo still one of the greatest cars on the road.

Mondeo XR5, I hated it. Sluggish, heavy, boat like steering. Clumsy car.
Focus XR5 was great. Tight like prom night.

R32 Golf: Don't waste your money. Get the GTi if you want to go down the VW path. The R32 feels heavy on the road and the GTi is a lot more fun. Build quality would be about the same.

BMW 135i is one of the best cars on the road! Brilliant. If I had the money, I'd be putting the GF in one for sure. Other than the fact the thing has a BMW badge, I can't fault it.

Merc? Don't bother. Boring. Slow. Uninspired.

[CFOUR]

Not pouring fuel here but the top gear lads reckon Audi's are for tools.
Are you not looking at a G6E or G6ET? 09 plated ones are going cheap.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by CFOUR

Not pouring fuel here but the top gear lads reckon Audi's are for tools.
Are you not looking at a G6E or G6ET? 09 plated ones are going cheap.

Which top gear lad?

The tall one who writes columns for regional newspapers and behaves is a very Kyle Sandilandesque manor?
The woolly headed one nicknamed Captain Slow who makes documentaries on weird things?
The one that looks up to Grant Denyer and Kylie Minogue and hosts children's afternoon entertainment?

What does Paris Hilton think of them? Hot? or not... Surely her opinion is important, she is a media tart who has driven some expensive cars....

Couldn't be the Australian Top Gear lads, they said the Audi they tested (R8) was incredible and the most fun you could have with your clothes on.

Audi make very good cars, I would buy a TTRS or R8 in a second (if I could afford it)......

[4dlvr]

cant say much for the other cars but if it were me i i would toss a coin between BMW 135i and the xr5..

they both have the very same great attributes about them, great torque everywhere, great to drive, good looking, great build quality..

personally if i had the extra $$ i would go the bmw with out a thought,
test drive these two at the very least

[tex]

Originally Posted by 4dlvr

cant say much for the other cars but if it were me i i would toss a coin between BMW 135i and the xr5..

they both have the very same great attributes about them, great torque everywhere, great to drive, good looking, great build quality..

personally if i had the extra $$ i would go the bmw with out a thought,
test drive these two at the very least

ya know the 135i is an 80k car....

You reckon that's comparable to the XR5T?

Ford would be flattered.

I didn't like the Beemer, even smaller that an S3 sportback.

The XR5T, yes I would own one of these, I was very very impressed by apparent the build quality

[gcg2503]

From the sounds of the cars he has looked into I think the small-mid car size is what he is after CFOUR. G6ET too big!

Go for the S3 - i think the DSG is the best box out there from all reports.

Edit: a good way to save money when replacing any common parts (when out of warranty of course) is to substitue the Audi parts for comparable VW or Skoda parts. Many ppl are doing this in Europe

[UNR8D]

drove an 03" for 4 months and had a 06" as a drive car for about 2 weeks, both were tight as a drum with over 50K on the clock each, every switch worked and felt new.

only ever heard about turbo's being expensive to replace and brake pads/rotors need to be done at the same time, which is a fairly exxy 40/50K service, correct me if I'm wrong but Audi used to do fixed price servicing on its A3/A4 range so perhaps the S3 fits into that as well?

[Meg's GT's]

Tex, from experience..if I were you I would run, not walk, the other way.
If you want specifics PM.

[tex]

Originally Posted by Meg's GT

Tex, from experience..if I were you I would run, not walk, the other way.
If you want specifics PM.

Hi mate, spill the beans!

i take it you managed to acquire a car that turned lemon????

please explain.

Thanks in advance

tex

[Meg's GT's]

Originally Posted by tex

Hi mate, spill the beans!

i take it you managed to acquire a car that turned lemon????

please explain.

Thanks in advance

tex

Son-in-law has one and in 2yrs it's cost near $10k in parts and repairs. Parts at trade prices, labour done at minimal cost....rear diff, timing belt, water pump, coil packs, brakes, headlight globes (from audi $200+ each) and numerous other parts...a long list.
Just keep in mind that genuine parts are well......well you may as well hand over your first born.
Yes you will save somewhat using VW(depending on whats gone wrong with the car) but in no way will you come off lightly with either option. Once the k's start creeping up then expect to put your hand in your pocket regularly.
Audi do a 10yr paint warranty, which you may or may not need.

[Polyal]

Whats perhaps more important to know is what is the car being used for? Mrs Tex? A get around car, something else to hit the track in? :

Changes the answers, id still stick with the VW if it was a "run about".

The BMW is the best but $$$$, Audi's are nice, but thats about it, Focus is a nice car and the mondeo you would only consider if you need boot space; which then rules out the previous cars.

[tex]

Blimey, there's some mixed opinions in here.

I keep the GT, the wife drives the new one.

It will be her daily, and every now and then, i will do a Supersprint in it, just to rest up the GT a little.

Owned several Rexes, hence never again, don't like EVO, still too cheap on the inside and every 18yo reckons they're awsome....

wanted a bit of brand cred with this one, good build quality, while remaining subtle to stay under the radar. but it had to go hard, and mid 5's to 100 for the S3 will do for a girls car, won't it?

Loved the XR5T, buit slow, and considering the S3 is actually an option - would you buy one over the Audi. Not me.

They really, reallly want to sell us a S3! The RR nearly made me vomit, but damn, there's some room in that! Just mention the B word, you know, the one followed by M & W, and slash, out comes the knife on the price.

[DBourne]

Tex I really wish I was able to let you take my XR5 for a spin, they are honetly brilliant cars.

You mentioned you loved them but are a bit slow? for ~$700 that can be fixed with a dreamscience unit.

They are massively held back from factory (torque limiting etc) and having a dreamscience map running takes that out, plus of course gives it a bit more boost.

From factory they run lean as buggery (euro4) so this also fixes that without adding too much more to the fuel usage bill.

PM me if you want some more info mate.

[STHSV8]

I have a mate who has owned two S3's over the years as well as A4 turbo quattros and BMW's and he states that the S3's were by far the most fun cars he has driven.

[tex]

Originally Posted by SgtBourne

Tex I really wish I was able to let you take my XR5 for a spin, they are honetly brilliant cars.

You mentioned you loved them but are a bit slow? for ~$700 that can be fixed with a dreamscience unit.

They are massively held back from factory (torque limiting etc) and having a dreamscience map running takes that out, plus of course gives it a bit more boost.

From factory they run lean as buggery (euro4) so this also fixes that without adding too much more to the fuel usage bill.

PM me if you want some more info mate.

I hope I didn't offend you mate!

I say 'slow' very loosely, they have ample power for what they are imo, and I enjoyed the car a lot. If we were in the market for a 40k top dollar spend, the XR5T wins hands down on anything else available for $$$$.

I reckon they are a good little car, don't for a moment think I didn't dig what they have to offer.

[DBourne]

Originally Posted by tex

I hope I didn't offend you mate!

I say 'slow' very loosely, they have ample power for what they are imo, and I enjoyed the car a lot. If we were in the market for a 40k top dollar spend, the XR5T wins hands down on anything else available for $$$$.

I reckon they are a good little car, don't for a moment think I didn't dig what they have to offer.

No mate, not at all!

But I wish I was able to show you how the XR5 can behave once fords shackles have been removed.

If you enjoyed the car stock, even just with a simple re-map it's a whole new ball game.

Plus if you get the leather seats you are in heaven each time you get in.

[03wrx]

I test drove the 2009 S3 sportsback mid last year. The wife was with me. I didnt find the steering lifeless. It had more torque down low than my 03 wrx had. Great glass roof. The dsg was excellent.

Only downside which the missus pointed out was lack of storage at the back. So the dealer took us for a drive in the S4 as it had a large boot.

This was where the problems started. After driving the S4 I had no interest in the S3. Everything all of a sudden felt ordinary. The interior, engine noise, exterior, quality, performance blah blah.

[5.4 GT]

Hey Tex the S3 is a great little car.

Only thing I don't like in them is the interior. S5 was much nicer.

This one went like stink at the last circuit club meet (it's had a few mods):

[CFOUR]

Just passed a silver mondeo xr5t and it looked awsome.
Is the 1 series BMW rear wheel drive?

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by CFOUR

Just passed a silver mondeo xr5t and it looked awsome.
Is the 1 series BMW rear wheel drive?

All BMW are rear wheel drive except X series which are AWD. They only have FWD in Mini, nothing badged as BMW.

[CFOUR]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

All BMW are rear wheel drive except X series which are AWD. They only have FWD in Mini, nothing badged as BMW.

Thanks gecko I thought as much just thought I check before running my mouth.

In short Tex if you want to run the occasional sprint go awd or rwd. Front wheel drive is less fun.

[Cheese3]

yes the 1 series bmw is RWD

[DJM83]

As has been said Tex service and parts for the R32 Golf and S3 are going to be astronomical to say the least. A member just bought an S3 he is in the ORSM ford area IIRC but as ud know if you cant afford to service and look after the car then you cant afford the car.
Build quality is fantastic with both cars though

[flappist]

Originally Posted by DJM83

As has been said Tex service and parts for the R32 Golf and S3 are going to be astronomical to say the least.

Yeh brake rotors will cost you over $4000, brake pads over $2000, foglight bulb $120 and a simple plastic centre for your wheel over $100.

Oops sorry that is FPV, my mistake.......

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by flappist

Yeh brake rotors will cost you over $4000, brake pads over $2000, foglight bulb $120 and a simple plastic centre for your wheel over $100.

Oops sorry that is FPV, my mistake.......

I wonder if they showed the new buyer the list of prices of 'consumables' for FPV's when signing, would they still buy?

[flappist]

Originally Posted by DJM83

I wonder if they showed the new buyer the list of prices of 'consumables' for FPV's when signing, would they still buy?

So true.....

But then how much is a genuine FG Falcon oil filter?

As far as the servicing costs of Euros and "only a DH would buy genuine FPV parts", my little brother drives a 7 series BMW.

His service costs were insane until he found a mechanic who specialised in BMW and grey imported genuine and NG parts.

His costs now are about the same as a falcon or commodore.

[FlipXW]

Originally Posted by flappist

Yeh brake rotors will cost you over $4000, brake pads over $2000, foglight bulb $120 and a simple plastic centre for your wheel over $100.

Oops sorry that is FPV, my mistake.......

You are probably right but anyone who pays 4g for rotors and even more so 2g for brake pads on an FPV is an absolute DH!