Audi A3

Gelicate · 06-09-2006 9:30pm #1

Hi, Im thinking of buying a 1998 or up Audi A3 and was wondering if there is anyone out the who owns or has owned one and could tell me of any potential probs to look out for...... Cheers!

bazz26 · 06-09-2006 10:55pm

Gelicate wrote:

Hi, Im thinking of buying a 1998 or up Audi A3 and was wondering if there is anyone out the who owns or has owned one and could tell me of any potential probs to look out for...... Cheers!

Never owned one but they are basically the same car as the VW Golf/Bora, Skoda Octavia and Seat Leon/Toledo, just a bit more expensive with a nicer interior. So they probably will have the same potential problems as the others.

Also check out http://www.honestjohn.co.uk and http://parkers.co.uk.

Sizzler · 07-09-2006 9:36am

Gelicate wrote:

Hi, Im thinking of buying a 1998 or up Audi A3 and was wondering if there is anyone out the who owns or has owned one and could tell me of any potential probs to look out for...... Cheers!

You're basically paying for the badge

If you are rolling in it then yeah go for it but since you are looking at a '98 one I would suggest you could prob get a decent 99-00 Golf for the same price that you would probably pay for the A3.

eg

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=487932

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=490009

smash · 07-09-2006 9:39am

ye, you can get a better car for the money, you're just paying for the audi badge. Golf is a lot better

bazz26 · 07-09-2006 9:46am

You could also argue that you could pick up a 01/02 Skoda Octavia or Seat Leon for similar money as a 00 Golf.

This is a very old argument.

Gelicate · 07-09-2006 11:43am

Cheers, for the suggestions lads. Every man and his dog has a Golf and I think the A3 shades it looks wise. that "parkers" website is legend. give a good idea of what you should be paying in the UK. :cool: cheers

smash · 07-09-2006 12:35pm

Gelicate wrote:

Cheers, for the suggestions lads. Every man and his dog has a Golf and I think the A3 shades it looks wise. that "parkers" website is legend. give a good idea of what you should be paying in the UK. :cool: cheers

I dunno now, 98 A3 - not much styling to it... Golf looks a lot better.

Sizzler · 07-09-2006 1:25pm

Gelicate wrote:

Cheers, for the suggestions lads. Every man and his dog has a Golf and I think the A3 shades it looks wise. that "parkers" website is legend. give a good idea of what you should be paying in the UK. :cool: cheers

You could also say that every woman and her poodle has an A3

Its not exasctly a mans mans car.

Gelicate · 07-09-2006 1:48pm

Sizzler wrote:

You could also say that every woman and her poodle has an A3
Its not exasctly a mans mans car.

True, but I can't afford a style 1.9 TDi which would be a little more masculine. 1.6 Audi A3 it is!

thoughts....

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/cars_search_beta.asp?modelexact=1&lid=search_used_cars_full&make=AUDI&model=A3&min_pr=75&max_pr=4000&mileage=8&agerange=&fuelid=&transmissionid=&bodyid=&colour=&postcode=SE1+1BE&miles=10&max_records=50&source=1&photo=1&sort=5&ukcarsearch_full=SEARCH

Sizzler · 07-09-2006 1:53pm

I like the first one

VeVeX · 07-09-2006 5:46pm

There is a reason that Audi are more expensive then Vw or Skoda and it more then just the badge. An A3 of this year is a better quality car then a Golf. The styling is nicer and the interior is made of a higher grade materials its also is less prone to rattles and squeaks.

The Golf platform cars may have the same underpinnings but theres a far cry from an Octavia to an A3 in terms of quality and this is reflected in their price.

colm_mcm · 07-09-2006 6:41pm

isn't it great when the quality of a car is measured in the finish of it's interior plastics.....

bazz26 · 07-09-2006 7:58pm

colm_mcm wrote:

isn't it great when the quality of a car is measured in the finish of it's interior plastics.....

Indeed, VAG marketing at it's best.

eamon234 · 08-09-2006 8:41pm

Forget the A3 and buy a Skoda Octavia - better spec, better price, and virtually the same car and you could fit a small African village in the boot - plus residuals have rocketed in the last couple of years - don't listen to the VW/Audi badge snobs it's just a waste of money - and if you can afford to tax and insure it try and get a VRS model they're fantastic! If you're worried about the interior track down a Laurin & Clement version the interiors are top class.
I've driven Audi's and VW's and I'd still opt for the Octavia every time purely because they're better value

JHMEG · 08-09-2006 8:57pm

It's been shown in several surveys that the Octavia is by far the most reliable Golf variant.

colm_mcm · 08-09-2006 9:11pm

it is also widely believed that Skoda drivers are more forgiving than Audi drivers, and generally much easier to please. (that said, I don't buy into the whole Audi thing, unless it's a proper Audi, not that under-talented, over-priced A3 and A4)

Henry Ford III · 08-09-2006 9:21pm

JHMEG wrote:

It's been shown in several surveys that the Octavia is by far the most reliable Golf variant.

I don't understand why however.

If the chassis is the same, the engine and drivetrain the same, why these big differences in reliability?

PauloMN · 08-09-2006 11:00pm

The guy wants an A3 and asked what to look out for, he obviously doesn't want a Golf or an Octavia.

Yeah, yeah, well done, they're the same cars under the skin. Full marks lads, but some people just want Audis, and each to their own I say. The world would be a very boring place if we all just chose our cars based purely on price.

OP - I personally would recommend against a 1.6 A3 (or Golf or Octavia just to keep everyone else happy). I think they're too heavy a car for that size engine. The TDi is absolutely the one to go for, or the 1.8T if it's available in the A3.

colm_mcm · 08-09-2006 11:05pm

seconded. anyone who buys a 1.6 A3 obviously isn't buying it because of the driving experience.

Copper · 09-09-2006 9:12pm

Watch out for electrical problems, esp the door sensors. One thing I did notice about the A3 was that if you get a flat tyre, the wheel was stuck on the shaft with rust and you can't get it off, I ended up using tyre weld.
Mechanic said it happens a lot with the A3 wheels.

JHMEG · 10-09-2006 8:47am

Henry Ford III wrote:

I don't understand why however.

If the chassis is the same, the engine and drivetrain the same, why these big differences in reliability?

Can't really understand that myself. Maybe the Czech workers take more pride in their work?

eamon234 · 10-09-2006 8:49am

that's right about the doors - they are prone to problems with the drivers side door latch - best way to spot this problem is switching on the lights with the car off and opening the door - if the warning buzzer doesn't sound there is a problem with the door latch - this is common across all models whether Audi VW or Skoda

Gelicate · 11-09-2006 9:09am

eamon234 wrote:

that's right about the doors - they are prone to problems with the drivers side door latch -

Well chaps, thanks for all the advice. I take on board the skoda advice. If i was under serious pressure i'd probably go for one but alas i am a snob and want the Audi. So i ended up gettinga Audi 1.8 SE 1997 with relatively low mileage. Seems like a great runner so far. although i think the Thermostat has packed it in already. I presume this is a fairly low cost fix???

Audi A3

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