RS3 or Golf R?
Discussion
Title says it all, really. They're the same price, give or take £2k and six months.
The Audi is (considerably) faster, slightly more practical and probably a better motorway car too (longer top gear).
The Golf is (much) better looking, cheaper to run (servicing and parts), more economical, better packaged, much lighter.
In the real world of London traffic, British motorways and petrol at £1.50 a litre, which one do you buy?
The Audi is (considerably) faster, slightly more practical and probably a better motorway car too (longer top gear).
The Golf is (much) better looking, cheaper to run (servicing and parts), more economical, better packaged, much lighter.
In the real world of London traffic, British motorways and petrol at £1.50 a litre, which one do you buy?
Mastodon2 said:
Of the two, I'd take the Golf, in reality I'd take neither. I don't see either car as being particularly brilliant at anything, and they cost a fortune for what you are getting. What is it about either car that has you so attracted to them?
Fed up with large cars; need sufficient practicality for kids + bike; need 4wd to deal with snow in the Alps (and dislike fwd anyway); don't like Subarus.Frankly if anyone made a fast diesel 4wd hatch with DSG or a snappy autobox, I'd buy that. But they don't (in the UK at any rate). Audi only do the A3 as a diesel quattro with a manual box. VW don't sell any 4wd Golfs here except the R.
As for (another poster's) London and motorways point - I live in London and get around the country on motorways - like everyone else. I also spend a lot of time driving long distance on the continent. If it's a nice sunny day and I've nothing else to do, I'll be on my bike (pedal variety) not desperately trying to find the one road in the home counties with neither a speed camera nor a traffic jam.
Instead of spending 40K on a tarted up Golf or Audi, why not spend £5000 on a diesel estate for lugging / long distance boring stuff, and the remaining £35,000 on something nice for yourself? Trying to have a fast / nice car that is practical and deciding that the only thing that will do is a 40k Golf seems like utter madness.
Mastodon2 said:
Instead of spending 40K on a tarted up Golf or Audi, why not spend £5000 on a diesel estate for lugging / long distance boring stuff, and the remaining £35,000 on something nice for yourself? Trying to have a fast / nice car that is practical and deciding that the only thing that will do is a 40k Golf seems like utter madness.
That's too many cars. Anyway, I'm not that interested in driving for the sake of it any more. I just want a nice place to sit in stationary traffic; with enough power to be interesting in the mountains and on the occasional country road that makes up 1% of a journey; good motorway manners at 85 for the other 99%; and 4wd for the snow, the general traction and because I like it.Is it me, or do the rest of you live in another country? I can't remember the last time I drove anywhere without a thousand other cars, speed cameras, road works and endless frustration.
I'm not interested in being told that I should buy a car to enjoy the deserted roads of North Wales or the Highlands. I don't live there. Besides which I'm tired of having to have my eyes out on stalks for the BiB and scameras every time I try to enjoy driving (here or abroad). I'll stick to the track for the balls-out stuff, thanks, and I have a car for that already.
Edited by 964Cup on Sunday 9th December 01:31
bagman13 said:
RS4?
A. Manual. B. Too big. Frankly, the Golf and RS3 are too big as well. What I really want is a modern Integrale, but with an auto box.
Before you all bleat at me let me remind you: I live in London. Please don't tell me to move - there really are more important things in life than driving, even on this forum. In London, we average 12mph and there's traffic light every 150m. So yes, I want an auto, because 45 stop starts and 160 gear changes every 15 minutes gets old fast. I cycle to work these days; not because I've gone green, but because it takes me 20 minutes compared to 50 minutes by car. It's 6 miles.
If this is a car you are buying purely out of necessity, why spend £40k on one of two hot hatches that do not meet your requirements? Neither of them will be any good on snow because they both have very wide, low profile tires which are useless on it. The Audi's gearbox is apparently dim witted in town and its suspension too hard outside it. The VW is better, but still compromises comfort for driving pleasure. If what you want is something small and comfortable to waft about in with four wheel drive for when you encounter snow, then get an Audi Q3, Ford Kuga etc... If you're after something fun, spend a few grand of your budget on a diesel barge and the rest on something enjoyable.
Otter Smacker said:
I'd go for the Audi too out the list. But in reality, this would grab my attention more for the money:
2005 DB9 a snip under 35k
Been there, done that (Porsches and Ferraris, not Astons, but the principle's the same). Try actually running an out-of-warranty DB9. What do you think the servicing costs will be, or the parts cost, or the cost of a rear tyre when you run over one of London's myriad discarded screws and nails? Never mind that you'll get 7-8mpg around town. Insurance will be interesting, too. These are £150k cars new, and the running costs don't depreciate.2005 DB9 a snip under 35k
I'm sick of spending £350 on a tyre, or £1,000 for a tarted-up oil change and spanner check. It's one reason to stay away from the RS3, because Audi seem to be suffering from a toned-down version of the well known "911-effect" (which is that every time your car goes to the dealership, there's a £1k bill).
Golf R for me.
Having spent quite a bit of time as a passenger in an R20 it's certainly a comfy place to be for long journeys. My mate's had it over a year, is really happy with it and still grins when he gets it out the garage, though he is a bit of a golf fanatic.
We've had my mountain bike in the back no problems (seats down and the wheels off). It gets used for pottering about London and occasional long journeys, so it is possible to do what you want and be a happy owner. No idea how it stacks up against the audi though, which isn't much help.
Having spent quite a bit of time as a passenger in an R20 it's certainly a comfy place to be for long journeys. My mate's had it over a year, is really happy with it and still grins when he gets it out the garage, though he is a bit of a golf fanatic.
We've had my mountain bike in the back no problems (seats down and the wheels off). It gets used for pottering about London and occasional long journeys, so it is possible to do what you want and be a happy owner. No idea how it stacks up against the audi though, which isn't much help.
Otter Smacker said:
I'd go for the Audi too out the list. But in reality, this would grab my attention more for the money:
2005 DB9 a snip under 35k
The DB9 is a similar price to buy, yes. To run, trust me it becomes expensive.2005 DB9 a snip under 35k
Servicing at the main dealer is never less than £700 (average is £1100 for me). I struggle to get more than 16mpg. Tyres are around 3x the price of the Audi/Golf R and need changing more often.
The two cars aren't comparable to each other! If you can only just afford to buy the Aston, you will struggle to run it to be honest. I absolutely love the Aston, I still think it's the best looking car ever, but if it was my choice I would go RS3.
chrisispringles said:
If this is a car you are buying purely out of necessity, why spend £40k on one of two hot hatches that do not meet your requirements? Neither of them will be any good on snow because they both have very wide, low profile tires which are useless on it. The Audi's gearbox is apparently dim witted in town and its suspension too hard outside it. The VW is better, but still compromises comfort for driving pleasure. If what you want is something small and comfortable to waft about in with four wheel drive for when you encounter snow, then get an Audi Q3, Ford Kuga etc... If you're after something fun, spend a few grand of your budget on a diesel barge and the rest on something enjoyable.
I'll be running winter tyres in answer to your first point; one of the points in favour of the Golf is that these are easier to get, much cheaper, and narrower than the winter option for the Audi. I'd forgotten the Kuga; maybe that's worth a look, but I've a feeling it will struggle to get out of its own way. To your final point, too many cars as noted earlier. I already have something fun (see my username) and a Disco 4 for when only a large 4x4 will do.What I was looking for was help choosing between two very similar options which for various reasons appeal to me. It's interesting that neither car seems to have caught the attention (or approbation) of the PH massive, so I'm mostly getting "don't buy either".
Up to a point, money's not really the issue. I'm coming out of an S5 cabrio, so whichever I buy it will be a material saving. I have parking for one car, not a fantasy fleet, sadly.
jamoor said:
Not 4wd. Utterly, utterly minging. The 1M was cool, I thought, but the hatch is just vile. It makes the Audi look well-resolved, which is something of an achievement. It's also a BMW; don't like 'em. Had a 535d Touring for a couple of years; never understood what all the fuss was about. Fast, yes, but not *fast*. Economical? Not really. Not terribly spacious. Awful telematics. Liked the HUD and the radar cruise.964Cup said:
I'll be running winter tyres in answer to your first point; one of the points in favour of the Golf is that these are easier to get, much cheaper, and narrower than the winter option for the Audi.
Bear in mind that you will need a set of winter wheels then, I believe that you can get 17" rims over the brakes on a Golf R, I've no idea about the Audi though.964Cup said:
I'd forgotten the Kuga; maybe that's worth a look, but I've a feeling it will struggle to get out of its own way.
They came with the 2.5 turbo out of a Focus ST, hardly going to set the world alight, but plenty swift enough, especially if you remap it. Here.964Cup said:
What I was looking for was help choosing between two very similar options which for various reasons appeal to me. It's interesting that neither car seems to have caught the attention (or approbation) of the PH massive, so I'm mostly getting "don't buy either".
It's because neither of them are really what you're after. They're both hard riding drivers' cars and are not really suited to pottering around town and long motorway schleps.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff