Thoughts on this car please?

[Tsh93]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 10 November 2021 at 22:36

[Burgerbob]

https://www.google.com/search?q=used+a3+review&amp...

[Canon_Fodder]

Nice looking thing isn't it

Bit of a sheep in wolf's clothing though,.

I'm not sure what use-case these fit really. It you want to munch M-way miles, you don't want the S-line trim, but if you want fun you don't want the 110hp diesel.

6-spd box is it?

[Canon_Fodder]

Also, those black alloys looked kerbed TF. who was the previous owner, Stevie Wonder?

[Macneil]

I guess if you're a young lad it looks the biz but yes it is expensive and if "sportiness" is important to you you'd be better off with the 2.0 or the petrol engine.
Those wheels and tyres, you'll not be able to hear yourself think in it unless you're on a newly surfaced a-road.

[ZX10R NIN]

2.0d S Line Nav 49k Tax £20 66 Plate £15.5k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109016...

2.0d 66 43k 17k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111109...

2.0d 66 23k 17.2k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108246...

So I'd say yes that 1.6d S Line is expensive.

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Wednesday 10th November 21:32

[samoht]

My parents have a 1.6 TDI Golf which I think is a similar drivetrain. It's fairly economical, expect 50mpg in normal use I think. It's not very fast, as Autocar say it's enough to keep up with traffic, but little in reserve to push on.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/audi/a3/first...

Autocar said:

The ride is also a concern, and the sports suspension must take the majority of the blame for that over-firmness. It is true that 1.6 diesel-equipped A3s sit on less-sophisticated torsion beam rear suspension, but equivalent cars on standard suspension and the same 17-inch wheels ride more pliantly than this example.

Your example has 18" wheels so is potentially even worse than described.


So I suppose my concern would be that you're looking at a car that has a crashy and uncomfortable ride, and yet is also rather slow and doesn't handle as well as, say, a BMW. So it's kind of the worst of all worlds.

I suppose my bottom line would be that if you want an economical car like this, it would probably be best with smaller wheels and softer suspension and enjoy a quiet, comfortable ride. OTOH if you care about performance, the VW group 2.0 TDI is well-known and liked and gives a Golf-class car good performance while still being pretty economical; so I'd be inclined to compromise on age/mileage and get 'the good engine' of the diesels if I cared about speed.

[georgeyboy12345]

Tsh93 said:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2021111094...

Personally really like the look of it (aesthetically) Nice colour and sporty look to it.

What's your opinions on the car itself? 43,000 miles doesn't seem too bad for a car that age however is it expensive? I know the market is crazy at the minute but I'd like some opinions on it.

Would also love opinions on the engine and how economical it is, looking at the Auto Trader estimated fuel economy it looks good with an average of 68mpg. Also £20 road tax which is a bonus.

General opinions on the car please?

My first thought were "god, that's expensive!", but as you say, might be the going rate at the moment. How many miles a year do you cover? If you are only doing short journeys I'd swerve it. Have to say the car really isn't my taste, but whatever floats your boat.

[georgeyboy12345]

ZX10R NIN said:

2.0d S Line Nav 49k Tax £20 66 Plate

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109016...

66 43k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111109...

66 23k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108246...

These are miles better options imo

[RoVoFob]

Tsh93 said:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2021111094...

Personally really like the look of it (aesthetically) Nice colour and sporty look to it.

What's your opinions on the car itself? 43,000 miles doesn't seem too bad for a car that age however is it expensive? I know the market is crazy at the minute but I'd like some opinions on it.

Would also love opinions on the engine and how economical it is, looking at the Auto Trader estimated fuel economy it looks good with an average of 68mpg. Also £20 road tax which is a bonus.

General opinions on the car please?

I personally would avoid this car. Poor advert, poor presentation and a few warning signs from the pictures. It really doesn’t look like it’s been looked after, so while the mileage isn’t an issue, the condition could be.

Seems very expensive for a car with a coarse and low-power engine (the 2.0 TDI engine is more refined, more powerful and still impressively economical), the advert says nothing about the car, the pictures are awful and you can see that the front left wheel has notable kerbing, as if it’s been slammed into a kerb at speed. It also looks like there’s a tear/mark in the passenger seat.

If they’re this slapdash with their advert, I imagine they’re similarly slapdash in how they source/check/prepare the cars. I personally wouldn’t want to buy from somewhere like that…

You say you like the fact it looks sporty. Do you want a car that looks sporty or is sporty? For this money, you can have both.

Here are a few cheaper and much faster options (the A3 takes 10.7 secs to get to 62mph for context) that seem to be better looked after:
£13,475: 2016 (66), 34k miles, Mini Cooper SD 5dr, £30 road tax, 0-62mph in 7.4 secs
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108065...

£13,495: 2016 (66), 33k miles, Seat Leon 2.0 TDI 184 FR (Tech Pack) 5dr, £30 road tax, 0-62mph in 7.5 secs
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110158...

£16,495: 2016 (66), 36k miles, BMW 120d M Sport 5dr, £30 road tax, 0-62mph in 7.1 secs
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111069...

£16,580: 2018 (18), 36k miles, Volvo V40 2.0 D4 R-Design Pro, £155 road tax (because it’s post-17, not because of emissions), 0-62mph in 7.0 secs
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110208...

[HustleRussell]

Not with £17k of mine.

[RoVoFob]

If you really want low fuel costs…

£16,495: 2016 (16), 38k miles, BMW i3 Range Extender, £0 road tax, 0-62mph in 7.9 secs
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109297...

[Tsh93]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and other recommendations, I'm glad I posted now.

If you could do the same with a few more links that would be great and really appreciated so I can narrow down my search.

Skoda Octavia VRS

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2021110291...

Golf GTD

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2021092477...

Another Golf GTD

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2021110492...

BMW 1 series

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2021071450...


Focus ST line

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2021081562...

Another Octavia VRS

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2021102689...


As you can see I'm looking at 5 door diesel cars, want something bigger than my current one and a comfortable journey to work and back, 60 mile round trip mainly on motorways.

[eleveneleven]

I've driven all of these and from my experience I'd go with the GTD

Plenty of power, comfortable/quiet at speed (has adaptive cruise,) you'll get late 40's all day (mpg) on a run.

The VRS would be a close second, fun to drive but I found the suspension to be a tad harsh/fidgety for long distances.
the practicality is amazing though boot is massive. If space is a concern it would be the best option.

Beamer would be third, it's a good steer overall. I'd look for a 120D though instead (or a 125D if you can stretch your budget,) both are quicker than the 118 and economy is roughly the same.

The 1.5 in the Focus will bore you to tears, but it's comfortable and looks nice enough.. A focus ST(Diesel) might be worth a look, I've never driven one personally but heard good things.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111039...

Edited by eleveneleven on Thursday 11th November 13:58

[ZX10R NIN]

Here's what I'd be buying for around your budget, most of the cars are higher tax but I'd happily pay the extra on £10-15 a month

on tax because they're imo better options & will all still do 50+mpg.

Q30 Sport AWD Auto 170 hatchback wise I'd be buying one of these, they're an A Class with a different shell.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110078...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109097...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110288...

FWD Premium Tech 170 Auto you lose the AWD but gain Adaptive Cruise

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111089...

FWD Sport Auto 170

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109097...

Focus ST-3 185 Manual

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111099...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111049...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110018...

V40 R Design Pro 190

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111039...

Inscription 190

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110088...

Auto 190

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110178...

R Design Pro Auto with a Polestar remap

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108156...

120d M Sport Shadow Edition 190 Manual

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106234...

M Sport 190 Manual

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109147...

But if you want a nice comfortable swift BMW I'd buy a 3 series, they're not much bigger than the 1 Series but imo are an overall better car.

320d Luxury 190 Manual

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109257...

M Sport 190 Manual

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110319...

M Sport Pro Nav 190 Manual

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109257...

Giulia Super 180 Auto

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111099...

S60 D4 R Design Lux 190 Auto

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111049...

R Design Lux Manual 190

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108246...