Audi RS3 (2012 model) v. Current model S3
Discussion
Hi I just wanted some feedback from fellow PH'ers regarding the possible purchase of an Audi RS3 (2012 model) with 44,000 miles on the clock up for £26,950 at a private garage (not main dealer) v. a new shape 2014 S3 (from an Audi main dealer).
My current car is an '09 Audi A4 3.0 TDi S-Line Quattro 250ps with 67k on the clock. I really love this car & my girlfriend reckons I'd be crazy to chop it in. The garage have offered £11.5k as a trade in which they reckon is above book price & more than Audi have offered. I know I could get £13k'ish if I sold privately as being a manual box it's quite rare.
I have test driven the RS3 & the 5 cylinder turbo engine mated to a DSG gearbox was astounding!! It pulls like a train & has so much character..for my money the RS3 would be my choice. I have not test driven the new shape S3 yet...
Decisions, decisions....
My current car is an '09 Audi A4 3.0 TDi S-Line Quattro 250ps with 67k on the clock. I really love this car & my girlfriend reckons I'd be crazy to chop it in. The garage have offered £11.5k as a trade in which they reckon is above book price & more than Audi have offered. I know I could get £13k'ish if I sold privately as being a manual box it's quite rare.
I have test driven the RS3 & the 5 cylinder turbo engine mated to a DSG gearbox was astounding!! It pulls like a train & has so much character..for my money the RS3 would be my choice. I have not test driven the new shape S3 yet...
Decisions, decisions....
The car is effortless to live with day to day, easy to drive and performance very accessible. As you've experienced you don't need to be in the upper eons of the rev range to really get moving, although it will smash into the limiter if you want. RS3 specific faults include squealing brakes (fixed with updated components under recall on symptomatic cars) and prop shaft bolts that snap using launch control, but this tends to be on remapped cars, and reinforced bolts can be bought online if you're concerned. The other common fault is the rear window regulators packing up, this is a flaw on all 5 door A3s of this gen.
I've had a couple of other issues. I had a coolant hose feeding the turbo with a small leak which took a quite to diagnose and fix, and my car has been sat at the dealer for a while with an engine rattle that appears at partial throttle from 3k rpm which the factory has been unable to diagnose after a couple of software tweaks and a valve replacement, and so am waiting to hear back on the next step. I read on the owners club forum about a guy who had similar symptoms who Audi told the noise was not an issue, but the dealer won't let me take the car away so it's looking like it'll be a big fix (under warranty!), but I'm going to see if I can get a replacement car instead. Don't let this put you off though, I seem to be the only one on the internet in this situation.
Fuel-wise on a steady run you'll see very low 30s, low 20s when really pushing it. Dynamically the car is pretty crap with a front end that will wash out, but there's a lot of grip available so you have to really push for it to cause problems.
I've had a couple of other issues. I had a coolant hose feeding the turbo with a small leak which took a quite to diagnose and fix, and my car has been sat at the dealer for a while with an engine rattle that appears at partial throttle from 3k rpm which the factory has been unable to diagnose after a couple of software tweaks and a valve replacement, and so am waiting to hear back on the next step. I read on the owners club forum about a guy who had similar symptoms who Audi told the noise was not an issue, but the dealer won't let me take the car away so it's looking like it'll be a big fix (under warranty!), but I'm going to see if I can get a replacement car instead. Don't let this put you off though, I seem to be the only one on the internet in this situation.
Fuel-wise on a steady run you'll see very low 30s, low 20s when really pushing it. Dynamically the car is pretty crap with a front end that will wash out, but there's a lot of grip available so you have to really push for it to cause problems.
My dad was looking for a small £30k car and had the same decision to make just a few weeks ago.
He went for the S3 saloon as he likes newer cars and is not a petrol head.
I would have gone for the RS3 as they are rarer and have the nicer engine plus I do not do many miles and would enjoy tinkering with it.
I think the S3 was better for him as the interior is much nicer, cheaper to run (I know it will depreciate more), 3 year warranty.
I imagine out the box the S3 is the slightly better car going by the reviews too.
He also looked at the A45 but the boot was far too small and the M135i interior was quite far behind the Audi but they did have the by far best deals.
He went for the S3 saloon as he likes newer cars and is not a petrol head.
I would have gone for the RS3 as they are rarer and have the nicer engine plus I do not do many miles and would enjoy tinkering with it.
I think the S3 was better for him as the interior is much nicer, cheaper to run (I know it will depreciate more), 3 year warranty.
I imagine out the box the S3 is the slightly better car going by the reviews too.
He also looked at the A45 but the boot was far too small and the M135i interior was quite far behind the Audi but they did have the by far best deals.
Just my 2p worth:
- reckon you'll be ok going from manual to a DSG? I tried this myself (manual B8 S4 to DSG B8.5 S4) and could not settle with it at all. Fine on a test drive or when going for it but for daya to day stuff just found it dull - ie an auto. (Now slithering around in a 135i with lots of power and nowhere near enough traction - never again
)
- if you don't need the space what about a TTRS which has the same engine and comes in manual?
Good luck with whatever you go for
- reckon you'll be ok going from manual to a DSG? I tried this myself (manual B8 S4 to DSG B8.5 S4) and could not settle with it at all. Fine on a test drive or when going for it but for daya to day stuff just found it dull - ie an auto. (Now slithering around in a 135i with lots of power and nowhere near enough traction - never again
)- if you don't need the space what about a TTRS which has the same engine and comes in manual?
Good luck with whatever you go for
So I drove the new S3 the old S3 and the old RS3. I ended up buying a 2011 S3, it looks great, but it's not the car I would buy again as it's just to heavy.
I you love driving then walk away and buy the Megan RS, if you want a fast A to B road car that is great at long trips then this car is for you.
The RS3 is really really fun, but for the extra money I just was not willing to buy the car.
Having now had the S3 now 3months, now the money starts, the handling is good, but when pushed it starts to under steer, with that much weight being moved around it's easy to see why so many people change the suspension inc ARB.
But that's just my thoughts,
If you are buying it to look good and feel good it's the car for you!
Hope that helps.
I you love driving then walk away and buy the Megan RS, if you want a fast A to B road car that is great at long trips then this car is for you.
The RS3 is really really fun, but for the extra money I just was not willing to buy the car.
Having now had the S3 now 3months, now the money starts, the handling is good, but when pushed it starts to under steer, with that much weight being moved around it's easy to see why so many people change the suspension inc ARB.
But that's just my thoughts,
If you are buying it to look good and feel good it's the car for you!
Hope that helps.
zeDuffMan said:
The car is effortless to live with day to day, easy to drive and performance very accessible. As you've experienced you don't need to be in the upper eons of the rev range to really get moving, although it will smash into the limiter if you want. RS3 specific faults include squealing brakes (fixed with updated components under recall on symptomatic cars) and prop shaft bolts that snap using launch control, but this tends to be on remapped cars, and reinforced bolts can be bought online if you're concerned. The other common fault is the rear window regulators packing up, this is a flaw on all 5 door A3s of this gen.
I've had a couple of other issues. I had a coolant hose feeding the turbo with a small leak which took a quite to diagnose and fix, and my car has been sat at the dealer for a while with an engine rattle that appears at partial throttle from 3k rpm which the factory has been unable to diagnose after a couple of software tweaks and a valve replacement, and so am waiting to hear back on the next step. I read on the owners club forum about a guy who had similar symptoms who Audi told the noise was not an issue, but the dealer won't let me take the car away so it's looking like it'll be a big fix (under warranty!), but I'm going to see if I can get a replacement car instead. Don't let this put you off though, I seem to be the only one on the internet in this situation.
Fuel-wise on a steady run you'll see very low 30s, low 20s when really pushing it. Dynamically the car is pretty crap with a front end that will wash out, but there's a lot of grip available so you have to really push for it to cause problems.
The moral of the story is if the OP is going to buy a secondhand RS3 he needs to buy it from a Audi dealer and to negotiate a 2 year warranty as part of the deal.I've had a couple of other issues. I had a coolant hose feeding the turbo with a small leak which took a quite to diagnose and fix, and my car has been sat at the dealer for a while with an engine rattle that appears at partial throttle from 3k rpm which the factory has been unable to diagnose after a couple of software tweaks and a valve replacement, and so am waiting to hear back on the next step. I read on the owners club forum about a guy who had similar symptoms who Audi told the noise was not an issue, but the dealer won't let me take the car away so it's looking like it'll be a big fix (under warranty!), but I'm going to see if I can get a replacement car instead. Don't let this put you off though, I seem to be the only one on the internet in this situation.
Fuel-wise on a steady run you'll see very low 30s, low 20s when really pushing it. Dynamically the car is pretty crap with a front end that will wash out, but there's a lot of grip available so you have to really push for it to cause problems.
I really need the space as I have a 5 year old daughter & the RS3/S3 would be ideal. I used to own a Megane RS225 5 door in metallic blue with loads of options (54 plate). This care was awesome, it had a KTR exhaust system, upgraded air filter & felt so powerful. Lovely sound too. I sold this for £4,000 & regretted this as soon as it went. Wouldn't mind another Renault Megane RS, but I'm not a fan of the new shape - I think it looks awful - no character...
Chevy are you buying outright?
Based on what you've said you obviously need a 5 door.
If you want plenty of money left a manual 5dr 8P S3 would suffice, plenty available.
If you do get the 8P RS3 then make sure it has a proper warranty, when something goes wrong on an RS, the costs can be eye watering!
The advantage of the 8P RS3 is the value it holds, it will fall though with the 8V being here now.
You could get a PCP deal on an 8V S3 Saloon/Sportback, discounts hover around 8-12%, low rates to pay.
Based on what you've said you obviously need a 5 door.
If you want plenty of money left a manual 5dr 8P S3 would suffice, plenty available.
If you do get the 8P RS3 then make sure it has a proper warranty, when something goes wrong on an RS, the costs can be eye watering!
The advantage of the 8P RS3 is the value it holds, it will fall though with the 8V being here now.
You could get a PCP deal on an 8V S3 Saloon/Sportback, discounts hover around 8-12%, low rates to pay.
I currently own a 4 door A4 3.0 TDi Quattro S-Line (240PS) which is a great car, but would prefer a hatchback (I used to own an A3 that I bought from new on PCP). The A5 Sportback looks like a good compromise & I would consider another 3.0 TDi engine but would prefer a manual as I have now, as I enjoy the driving experience. I find auto's a tad lazy. The S3 sportback may be a good choice but I haven't read any reviews on the new shape, I would also consider the 5 door Golf R, but quite like my Audi's. As you say if the RS3 does break, it could cost big money so that's why I would tend to stick with a main dealer for a purchase. I would buy out-right, trading in my A4 & paying the difference. I have been offered a max of £11,500 for my car which I think is paltry as it's in excellent condition, so I am now thinking just keep running the A4 as it's only on 66k miles.
An S4 Avant is just a big hatchback isnt it? 
Not sure on the looks of the S5 Sportback personally and they're a little more like for like than an S4, but can see their appeal.
Not sure on the looks of the S5 Sportback personally and they're a little more like for like than an S4, but can see their appeal.
ChevyHead'68 said:
I currently own a 4 door A4 3.0 TDi Quattro S-Line (240PS) which is a great car, but would prefer a hatchback
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