Poverty Spec or Fancy Exec?

Slidey

Just wondering..

Just for example, would you rather a poverty spec (entry level) A3 or a fully loaded, all extras Golf?

Personally after owning a Golf with leather I would find it hard to go back in spec in any car in the future.

Also which do you think would be easier to sell when you are finished with it and which would you lose the most money on?

colm_mcm

Good point. A3's in this country are generally bought by people who don't like cars. I can't see any area where an A3 is better than a Golf apart from dash plastics.

Performance A3s are few and far between round here, most are 1.6 models with very basic levels of spec.

Drummerboy08

colm_mcm wrote: »

Good point. A3's in this country are generally bought by people who don't like cars. I can't see any area where an A3 is better than a Golf apart from dash plastics.

Performance A3s are few and far between round here, most are 1.6 models with very basic levels of spec.

Agreed. If i had the choice between say, a 2.0TDi / 1.4TSi 170bhp GT Golf with some nice extras, or a base model A3 TDi, i know which i'd have..

TomMc

Both cars are aimed at similar enough buyers, at least where females are concerned. Base spec cars will hold a higher percentage of what you pay for them new, but will be the hardest to sell on when you eventually do. On the other hand a higher spec car is more desirable and so more saleable second hand, but you will still write off most of the outlay on the extras. It is a case of hitting the happy medium. The most important things like 5 doors (rather than 3) and metallic paint (in a nice colour, not black or silver but say something like a vibrant blue) and with the more up to date engines should be your starting point. After that go easy or you could be adding thousands upon thousands to the overall price. VAG are one of the worst when it comes to standard equipment and rip people off for many extras which are standard on a lot of other manufacturers cars.

Slidey

Lets not get stuck on VAG, there is surely other examples!!

Berty

What annoyed me about the new golf is that the Highline has a standard rear view mirror but the entry level(paddy spec) has the chromostatic(is that the term) rear view mirror.

WTF?

1.9tdi Highline in VW Castleisland, Co Kerry is brand new €22,700 on the road.

Although I would prefer a GT TDI myself they have not released it in the new shape yet and from what I gather do not plan on anytime soon.

I have an AUDI A4 and would never have another one especially not an A3.

colm_mcm

VAG are by far the biggest offender of orrefing same engine/drive layout, same engines, same transmissions, and largely same styling cues, for hugely different prices

Take the SEAT Axeo

2 years ago, it was ok for Audi to charge 40k for an A4 TDI

now it's ok for SEAT to produce the exact same car with some updates for 25k?

Is the SEAT overly cheap? No.
Was the Audi overpriced for what it was? Yes

Does that bother Audi drivers? not in the slightest.

I can't think of another manufacturer that operates like this. I mean, an Is220d isn't a rebadged Avensis, Ford made an effort to make an X type and a Mondeo pretty different, An Alfa 159 and a Fiat Croma may be cousins, but you wouldn't know it.

Berty

colm_mcm wrote: »

Does that bother Audi drivers? not in the slightest.

Oh yeah. It really bothers me. My A4 was €46k new.

colm_mcm

hope you enjoy your exquisite dash plastic and wonderfully engineered silicon damped grab handles Berty, cos apart from that, it's a Bora

Was it really worth the 20k extra for slightly better styling and some exclusivity?


just kidding, but you get the point

Slidey

OT, not exactly, Bora doesn't have multi link suspension and AFAIK the A4 does

colm_mcm

Meh. so does a Jetta.

L1011

I'm never buying a car without air conditioning again. You don't think you'd use it in Ireland until you have it for a while and have to go without...

Berty

I paid €0 for the car and pay €0 and 0 cent on BIK. I do not pay for Tax or insurance(new disc arrived today). Free fuel also. Free servicing, tyres etc etc.

Its also my own private car outside of 5:30pm.

L1011

How do you pay 0 BIK?

I pay nothing more than the small BIK (just got 62 quid back for blades and bulbs today actually) and can use it outside of working hours, I just hate it... about 75 euro a month which is more than I'd spend in my own petrol driving to base to get it if I wasn't paying BIK for it and it gives me up to another hour in bed some mornings!

vectra

Berty wrote: »

I paid €0 for the car and pay €0 and 0 cent on BIK. I do not pay for Tax or insurance(new disc arrived today). Free fuel also. Free servicing, tyres etc etc.

Its also my own private car outside of 5:30pm.

so why does it bother you?

ninty9er

vectra wrote: »

so why does it bother you?

Because he's a complete badge snob :P

bazz26

I definately go for the highest spec I can afford. While higher spec cars cost alot more new they command little more money than basic spec models second hand.

For example, I recently upgraded from a Ford Focus to a Volvo S40. The spec on the S40 is great value for the money. Like the A3 and Golf the S40 is basically a Focus underneath but I picked up a tidy S40 with leather heated seats, climate control, 6 disc cd changer, etc for slightly more than a similar year Focus.

Biro

Depends on a lot of things. Before VRT changes the 2 litre 170 diesel A3 was cheaper than the same engine in the Golf. In that case I'd have the A3, nicer looking car.
Where engine is concerned I'd go for engine over extras. If it was a 320d fully loaded versus a 520d entry, I'd go for the 520d. Same with A6 over A4 loaded, given the same engine in both.

pburns

colm_mcm wrote: »

VAG are by far the biggest offender of orrefing same engine/drive layout, same engines, same transmissions, and largely same styling cues, for hugely different prices

Take the SEAT Axeo

2 years ago, it was ok for Audi to charge 40k for an A4 TDI

now it's ok for SEAT to produce the exact same car with some updates for 25k?

Is the SEAT overly cheap? No.
Was the Audi overpriced for what it was? Yes

Does that bother Audi drivers? not in the slightest.

I can't think of another manufacturer that operates like this. I mean, an Is220d isn't a rebadged Avensis, Ford made an effort to make an X type and a Mondeo pretty different, An Alfa 159 and a Fiat Croma may be cousins, but you wouldn't know it.

You and I are on the same page when it comes to Audis Colm! I quite fancy some of the more expensive, Quattro versions (A8) but entry-level A3s/A4s are purely for badge-snobs.

I had to laugh at the SEAT Exeo thread a while back. Peeps were falling over themselves salivating about what great value the SEAT represented because it was an Audi in disguise. Like that was such a whoopty-doo:rolleyes:! The didn't seem to get that the thing was massively over-priced in the first place!

25 big ones for a near-decade old design, bargain-basement badge and dynamics that in it's day couldn't match cars a class down like the '01 Mondeo? Wow, yeah, fantastic value! (nice dash though:D)

Re the OP's question - I find specing cars frustrating. You either have to pay through the nose for some very basic items (VAG) or you are stuck with a limited choice of 'paddy-specs' which include some what you want and exclude what you do

I've never looked into them in detail but Volvo seem to offer pretty good, personalised specs at a reasonable cost. VAG are the worse and as mentioned the Japanese give you a very limited range of specs.