What car (choice of two)

What car (choice of two)

Author
Discussion

BE57 TOY

Original Poster:

2,628 posts

147 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
Both cars cost the same and are the same model and in good condition. Will be used for 18k per year kept for 5 years.

One is a top of the range variant, auto, leather, diesel, 57 plate with 73k.

One is a low down the range model, manual, cloth seats, petrol, 60 plate with 51k.

Which would you go for?

poing

8,743 posts

200 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
Depends on the car, top of the range Audi versus bottom of the range Aston then I'd take the Aston...

We might need a bit more info please.

Al U

2,312 posts

131 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
Personally I never compromise on spec when buying a car. I decide what spec I'm going for and then only look at cars with that spec and then decide on colour, mileage and condition.

Al U

2,312 posts

131 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
Double post. Pistonheads needs to sort out the issue that a post posts again if the user uses the back buttons after posting.

deltashad

6,731 posts

197 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
Is this 'guess the car'?

Matt UK

17,686 posts

200 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
poing said:
We might need a bit more info please.
This, very much so.

Liokault

2,837 posts

214 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
Do you like auto? Do you like leather?

Paraicj

502 posts

141 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
Are the petrol and diesel engines similarly powered? If so I'd go newer petrol manual. As long as it's not so basic as to include things like manual windows and a tape-player...

BE57 TOY

Original Poster:

2,628 posts

147 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
poing said:
Depends on the car, top of the range Audi versus bottom of the range Aston then I'd take the Aston...

We might need a bit more info please.
They're both the same make and model as each other.

If it's important then they are Audi A3s.

The lower spec petrol has electric windows, CD player etc as asked by another member.

The petrol is 105 and the diesel is 167 bhp.

deltashad

6,731 posts

197 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
I don't like small auto's. Would go for the manual in an A3 if it was me.

Jasandjules

69,866 posts

229 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
18k of motorway driving? If so an auto may be better?

schmalex

13,616 posts

206 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
I'd go for the diesel auto. Stirring a manual box for 18k miles a year in a small petrol engine can't be fun in anyone's book.

BE57 TOY

Original Poster:

2,628 posts

147 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
schmalex said:
I'd go for the diesel auto. Stirring a manual box for 18k miles a year in a small petrol engine can't be fun in anyone's book.
This was the conclusion I'd come to but wanted other people to confirm my suspicions... Obv the petrol is younger with less miles on it.

Matt UK

17,686 posts

200 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
105 bhp in an Audi A3 size car will be hard work. I bought an Auris with similar power - even as a station / airport car I hated it and moved it on within a year.

It was my biggest motoring regret, so I say go for the older diesel.

schmalex

13,616 posts

206 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
BE57 TOY said:
schmalex said:
I'd go for the diesel auto. Stirring a manual box for 18k miles a year in a small petrol engine can't be fun in anyone's book.
This was the conclusion I'd come to but wanted other people to confirm my suspicions... Obv the petrol is younger with less miles on it.
The diesel has significantly fewer miles per annum than the petrol (12k vs 17k). By the time you've run them for 5 years, the gap will be a much smaller %age of the overall miles travelled.

Personally, for covering a fair few miles every year, I'd want the most comfortable, toy laden auto I could find.

Also, today, I saw someone in an A3 diesel racing someone in a Civic Type R. They were both caning the nuts off them and driving like tw@s, but the CTR wasn't getting away from the A3.

BE57 TOY

Original Poster:

2,628 posts

147 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
In 5 years time the diesel would be on 163,000, ready for scrap heap and presumably worth zero?

However the petrol would be on 141,000 so another year or so left in it?

schmalex

13,616 posts

206 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
Would the petrol not have led a more stressful life, having to be worked harder to achieve the same performance, whereas the torquey diesel would just rumble away.

I don't think a diesel would be worth £0 at that mileage, though. I would imagine there is still a market for it, especially, if it is fitted with lots of options?

TNH

559 posts

147 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
I had a 1.6 petrol a3 for a month whilst I was between cars. It felt completely gutless, even in comparison to the 1.9tdi a3 I was waiting to be delivered. It just felt as if it had no torque whatsoever so I felt as if I had to rag the nuts off it everywhere, resulting in about 28mpg which is pathetic when you're only trying to keep up with traffic and not win the traffic light grand prix...

Matt UK

17,686 posts

200 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
BE57 TOY said:
In 5 years time the diesel would be on 163,000, ready for scrap heap and presumably worth zero?

However the petrol would be on 141,000 so another year or so left in it?
Way too simplistic IMO.

Both engines could last longer (or less). I sold a 9 year old Passat 1.9tdi on 175,000 miles for over £2k.

I doubt it will the engine going bang which will kill either - more likely to be electrical faults, a prang or a service repair quote at MOT time worth more than the car which will encourage it's owner to kill it. Other than that modern diesels and petrols can sail past those miles. I actually seem to remember that reading somewhere that, so long as they are serviced to the book, VAG engines are designed/tested to cover 500,000kms as part of their normal operational life span.


whytheory

750 posts

146 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
Would go for the diesel, won't it be a DSG too? 170 TDI pretty quick, 105 will be totally gutless, no contest?

I imagine there'll be demand for 170k A3s in 5 years time.

Edited by whytheory on Sunday 29th September 22:18