2011-2013 (8P) Audi RS3...any good?
Discussion
So, the search for my next family car continues. I was looking at spending around 20-30k tops and wanted something that was fast, RWD or AWD, a great all-rounder and preferably had something a bit more interesting than your average four-pot turbo under the bonnet. Initial thoughts were between a new hot hatch (Golf R/M140i etc), a nearly new mid-size estate with a 6-pot motor (340i, S4, C-Class etc), although someone suggested an Alfa Giulia Veloce as a wild card which certainly has some appeal or an older M/RS/AMG car (namely a B8 RS4, F10 M5 or C63 AMG).
I kind of came to the conclusion that the hot hatch or the nearly new estate would probably be the most sensible option, as if I spend 30k on a RS4/M5/C63 and then it needs a bunch of expensive maintenance/repairs, then that's really going to stretch me financially. However, a proper M car/Audi RS/AMG still has a strong lure!
I considered, some of my older performance heroes, the mk5 Golf R32 and the E90 M3 which are well under and around about 20k respectively. However, R32s are getting on a bit now and although I think they're still quite special, not that quick by modern standards and the E90 M3 still draws me but tales of horrendous fuel consumption and a relative lack of torque for day-to-day enjoyment put me off slightly.
Which leads me to the 8P Audi RS3....which I see are down to around 20k now.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Ubiquitous they may be and haters love to hate the A3 but for what it was, namely a small FWD or AWD family hatchback, I always thought it was quite a nice and smart-looking little car (in fact moreso than the latest one), if not perhaps as good to drive as a BMW or Golf GTI. Reviews that I have read have been very mixed. Some say that it's a very fast and capable all-rounder with excellent traction and a fantastic engine/transmission. Harris didn't get on with it because he said that it understeered too much on track but I'm not too sure how relevant that is to my daily commute! Without the stupid black wheels with red accents, I also happen to prefer the more subtle looks compared to the new RS3s. It seems to sit quite nicely for me in terms of budget and age, should hold its value fairly well having lost about 50% already and should be cheaper to run than an M3/M5/RS4/C63 but a bit more special than a new 4-pot turbo hot hatch?
So is the 8P (2011-2013) RS3 a "dog" or a good option? Thanks for your advice if you already chipped in on my other thread and your patience in helping me explore some of the options. I've never spent 20k+ on a car before, so don't want to buy the first car that I drive and get buyer's remorse, so am trying to get a shortlist together before I seek out some suitable examples and do some test drives in the new year!
I kind of came to the conclusion that the hot hatch or the nearly new estate would probably be the most sensible option, as if I spend 30k on a RS4/M5/C63 and then it needs a bunch of expensive maintenance/repairs, then that's really going to stretch me financially. However, a proper M car/Audi RS/AMG still has a strong lure!
I considered, some of my older performance heroes, the mk5 Golf R32 and the E90 M3 which are well under and around about 20k respectively. However, R32s are getting on a bit now and although I think they're still quite special, not that quick by modern standards and the E90 M3 still draws me but tales of horrendous fuel consumption and a relative lack of torque for day-to-day enjoyment put me off slightly.
Which leads me to the 8P Audi RS3....which I see are down to around 20k now.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Ubiquitous they may be and haters love to hate the A3 but for what it was, namely a small FWD or AWD family hatchback, I always thought it was quite a nice and smart-looking little car (in fact moreso than the latest one), if not perhaps as good to drive as a BMW or Golf GTI. Reviews that I have read have been very mixed. Some say that it's a very fast and capable all-rounder with excellent traction and a fantastic engine/transmission. Harris didn't get on with it because he said that it understeered too much on track but I'm not too sure how relevant that is to my daily commute! Without the stupid black wheels with red accents, I also happen to prefer the more subtle looks compared to the new RS3s. It seems to sit quite nicely for me in terms of budget and age, should hold its value fairly well having lost about 50% already and should be cheaper to run than an M3/M5/RS4/C63 but a bit more special than a new 4-pot turbo hot hatch?
So is the 8P (2011-2013) RS3 a "dog" or a good option? Thanks for your advice if you already chipped in on my other thread and your patience in helping me explore some of the options. I've never spent 20k+ on a car before, so don't want to buy the first car that I drive and get buyer's remorse, so am trying to get a shortlist together before I seek out some suitable examples and do some test drives in the new year!
Edited by white_goodman on Friday 22 December 17:28
Edited by white_goodman on Friday 22 December 17:30
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