R32 to S3 8P advice please?
Discussion
I've had an R32 for three years - the first I sold after a year to go into an S3. However, I backed out as I couldn't live with the fugly back end of the 3-door S3 (which IMO looks horribly dated now) and I couldn't afford a sportback at the time (they were still 20k+). I ended up buying an '06 R32 DSG which i'm looking to sell now.
If I could bring myself to do it i'd probably buy myself the best condition 58/09 plate R32 I could find, but even for me I think three R32s in a row would be a bit much.
So with a budget of around £16-£16.5k I can get myself into a (hopefully) well looked after 58/09/59 plate S3 sportback, i'm not fussed on whether it's manual or auto. I've considered the alternatives (i.e megane/focus/mazda etc) - none of which appeal to me as much as an S3. I'll probably miss the V6 soundtrack, but it'll be nice to fly under the radar with my next car as with a non-resonated exhaust my golf does attract alot of attention.
I don't go for track days, I don't generally drive like a loon everywhere flat out through the twisties - the golf does everything I want from a car perfectly and i'm hoping the audi will be the same. Reasonably quick (by modern standards), nice interior and a posh badge (yes i'm shallow 8-)).
I've done a bit of searching on what it's like to live with the car, what to expect etc but they're all 2-4 year old threads so i'm looking for something a bit more contemporary. I'd love to hear from people that own or have owned it and what they liked/disliked about the S3 and any issues they've had with it. The magazine reviews at the time it came out are less than complimentary, and i'll probably end up buying one despite what anyone else thinks but I would like some reassurance that it's not a truly awful car whose engine is going to be starved of oil within the first 10 miles.
thanks in advance
If I could bring myself to do it i'd probably buy myself the best condition 58/09 plate R32 I could find, but even for me I think three R32s in a row would be a bit much.
So with a budget of around £16-£16.5k I can get myself into a (hopefully) well looked after 58/09/59 plate S3 sportback, i'm not fussed on whether it's manual or auto. I've considered the alternatives (i.e megane/focus/mazda etc) - none of which appeal to me as much as an S3. I'll probably miss the V6 soundtrack, but it'll be nice to fly under the radar with my next car as with a non-resonated exhaust my golf does attract alot of attention.
I don't go for track days, I don't generally drive like a loon everywhere flat out through the twisties - the golf does everything I want from a car perfectly and i'm hoping the audi will be the same. Reasonably quick (by modern standards), nice interior and a posh badge (yes i'm shallow 8-)).
I've done a bit of searching on what it's like to live with the car, what to expect etc but they're all 2-4 year old threads so i'm looking for something a bit more contemporary. I'd love to hear from people that own or have owned it and what they liked/disliked about the S3 and any issues they've had with it. The magazine reviews at the time it came out are less than complimentary, and i'll probably end up buying one despite what anyone else thinks but I would like some reassurance that it's not a truly awful car whose engine is going to be starved of oil within the first 10 miles.
thanks in advance
You can largely ignore the magazine reviews; they're incredibly capable road cars and actually not shy on track either. It obviously isn't a drift machine, it obviously doesn't have Elise style steering and it obviously doesn't have a 7 litre V12. Now we've got the silly magazine cliches out of the way...
It's a lot like your R32 but with a slightly more up-market feeling interior, particularly so in a late car with a few options fitted.
The engine is very strong and pulls willingly even at high revs (they use a significantly larger turbo than a 'regular' 2.0TFSI). Like your R32 again they don't feel rocket ship quick but accelerate nicely, feel very flexible and need something and someone very handy to outrun one across country (doubly so when it's wet or greasy). They're very compact and stable so easy to exploit on our roads.
The seats are OK rather than great; I could never get the driving position just so and the standard, perforated plasticy leather isn't particularly nice to look at. I prefer the alcantara/leather combo (optional).
The engine is really tough and rarely gives problems, In the real world they'll want oil every 10k, plugs/filters every 40 and belt/pump every 5 years (the official guidance is 5yrs/75k, whichever is the sooner). They all need rear diff oil (Haldex) every 40k. Autos need S-Tronic/DSG oil every 40k also. Were it my car I'd be tempted to do the gearbox oil more frequently, this particular S-Tronic box is strong and generally reliable but expensive to repair.
The standard clutch is fine on standard power unless abused and will *just* take a remap if you're mechanically sympathetic. Streetable, uprated items aren't silly money.
Tuning. How much power do you want? 300 easy, 350 still easy enough, 400 not hard by any stretch. Very easy cars to turn into a little flying machine. Plenty of chassis options too with upgraded Haldex controllers very popular on higher powered cars.
That's probably plenty to get on with; there are lots of owners around here and some good old threads on the same subject but search is crap so they're tricky to find!
It's a lot like your R32 but with a slightly more up-market feeling interior, particularly so in a late car with a few options fitted.
The engine is very strong and pulls willingly even at high revs (they use a significantly larger turbo than a 'regular' 2.0TFSI). Like your R32 again they don't feel rocket ship quick but accelerate nicely, feel very flexible and need something and someone very handy to outrun one across country (doubly so when it's wet or greasy). They're very compact and stable so easy to exploit on our roads.
The seats are OK rather than great; I could never get the driving position just so and the standard, perforated plasticy leather isn't particularly nice to look at. I prefer the alcantara/leather combo (optional).
The engine is really tough and rarely gives problems, In the real world they'll want oil every 10k, plugs/filters every 40 and belt/pump every 5 years (the official guidance is 5yrs/75k, whichever is the sooner). They all need rear diff oil (Haldex) every 40k. Autos need S-Tronic/DSG oil every 40k also. Were it my car I'd be tempted to do the gearbox oil more frequently, this particular S-Tronic box is strong and generally reliable but expensive to repair.
The standard clutch is fine on standard power unless abused and will *just* take a remap if you're mechanically sympathetic. Streetable, uprated items aren't silly money.
Tuning. How much power do you want? 300 easy, 350 still easy enough, 400 not hard by any stretch. Very easy cars to turn into a little flying machine. Plenty of chassis options too with upgraded Haldex controllers very popular on higher powered cars.
That's probably plenty to get on with; there are lots of owners around here and some good old threads on the same subject but search is crap so they're tricky to find!
DSG box
Replace PCV, DV and Cam follower.
Buy Evoms intake, BCS Decat/Sports cat.
Uprated intercooler.
HPFP upgrade
You'll be looking at 360bhp with a 0-60 time of about 3.5 seconds.
What a TTE420 turbo on with WMI and you'll be well into the 400's
Drive it gently will do 35 to the gallon.
Win.
Replace PCV, DV and Cam follower.
Buy Evoms intake, BCS Decat/Sports cat.
Uprated intercooler.
HPFP upgrade
You'll be looking at 360bhp with a 0-60 time of about 3.5 seconds.
What a TTE420 turbo on with WMI and you'll be well into the 400's
Drive it gently will do 35 to the gallon.
Win.
Dr G said:
You can largely ignore the magazine reviews; they're incredibly capable road cars and actually not shy on track either. It obviously isn't a drift machine, it obviously doesn't have Elise style steering and it obviously doesn't have a 7 litre V12. Now we've got the silly magazine cliches out of the way...
It's a lot like your R32 but with a slightly more up-market feeling interior, particularly so in a late car with a few options fitted.
The engine is very strong and pulls willingly even at high revs (they use a significantly larger turbo than a 'regular' 2.0TFSI). Like your R32 again they don't feel rocket ship quick but accelerate nicely, feel very flexible and need something and someone very handy to outrun one across country (doubly so when it's wet or greasy). They're very compact and stable so easy to exploit on our roads.
The seats are OK rather than great; I could never get the driving position just so and the standard, perforated plasticy leather isn't particularly nice to look at. I prefer the alcantara/leather combo (optional).
The engine is really tough and rarely gives problems, In the real world they'll want oil every 10k, plugs/filters every 40 and belt/pump every 5 years (the official guidance is 5yrs/75k, whichever is the sooner). They all need rear diff oil (Haldex) every 40k. Autos need S-Tronic/DSG oil every 40k also. Were it my car I'd be tempted to do the gearbox oil more frequently, this particular S-Tronic box is strong and generally reliable but expensive to repair.
The standard clutch is fine on standard power unless abused and will *just* take a remap if you're mechanically sympathetic. Streetable, uprated items aren't silly money.
Tuning. How much power do you want? 300 easy, 350 still easy enough, 400 not hard by any stretch. Very easy cars to turn into a little flying machine. Plenty of chassis options too with upgraded Haldex controllers very popular on higher powered cars.
That's probably plenty to get on with; there are lots of owners around here and some good old threads on the same subject but search is crap so they're tricky to find!
Really helpful advice thank you!It's a lot like your R32 but with a slightly more up-market feeling interior, particularly so in a late car with a few options fitted.
The engine is very strong and pulls willingly even at high revs (they use a significantly larger turbo than a 'regular' 2.0TFSI). Like your R32 again they don't feel rocket ship quick but accelerate nicely, feel very flexible and need something and someone very handy to outrun one across country (doubly so when it's wet or greasy). They're very compact and stable so easy to exploit on our roads.
The seats are OK rather than great; I could never get the driving position just so and the standard, perforated plasticy leather isn't particularly nice to look at. I prefer the alcantara/leather combo (optional).
The engine is really tough and rarely gives problems, In the real world they'll want oil every 10k, plugs/filters every 40 and belt/pump every 5 years (the official guidance is 5yrs/75k, whichever is the sooner). They all need rear diff oil (Haldex) every 40k. Autos need S-Tronic/DSG oil every 40k also. Were it my car I'd be tempted to do the gearbox oil more frequently, this particular S-Tronic box is strong and generally reliable but expensive to repair.
The standard clutch is fine on standard power unless abused and will *just* take a remap if you're mechanically sympathetic. Streetable, uprated items aren't silly money.
Tuning. How much power do you want? 300 easy, 350 still easy enough, 400 not hard by any stretch. Very easy cars to turn into a little flying machine. Plenty of chassis options too with upgraded Haldex controllers very popular on higher powered cars.
That's probably plenty to get on with; there are lots of owners around here and some good old threads on the same subject but search is crap so they're tricky to find!
I'm not so bothered about the difference in MPG, although it would be nice to be able to drive across country without having to fill up on the way!
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