[335d Rocco]

Since I've moved back down south I'm no longer doing the miles to justify having a diesel, now only doing 20 miles a day. I've been looking at other cars to see what takes my fancy and I'm kind of leaning towards getting an Audi S3, I know very little about them although I have owned an Audi A4 cabriolet diesel a couple of years ago.

I've seen one which I like the look of and was hoping for some pointers if anybody had any, on the price or anything else which anybody notices

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...true?logcode=p

[mowflow]

It's ok but it lacks the 3 essentials in my opinion. DSG, Recaro buckets and RNSE.

[Guvernator]

Yep as above it seems pretty light on spec however DSG vs Manual is a personal choice although DSG will probably help come resale time. Recaro buckets are pretty rare so if you try to hold out for a car with them you might be waiting a while and RNSE (sat nav) is a must IMO although it can be retrofitted pretty easily in Audi's.

Funnily enough I too have been considering a 5 door S3 as a daily to replace my E93 now that we have a kid on a way. They might not be the last word in driver involvement but as an all round practical package with a little bit of fire in the engine bay, they seem like a good bet.

[335d Rocco]

Thanks guys, I've never seen one with the Recaro bucket seats, are they the seats that keep getting nicked from audi cars??

I wasn't really fussed about DSG but if it's something that makes the car more appealing come selling time, maybe I should get a dsg version.

As for RNSE, other than its use as a sat nav, is it better than having a standard radio/cd head unit?? I've got sat nav in my current car and very rarely use it.

Would the price be about right on the autotrader car??

[AlanYoro35i]

HOW Dare YOU!!! lol

[335d Rocco]

Originally Posted by Yoro35i

HOW Dare YOU!!! lol

I had a feeling someone might say that, another bmw isn't out of the question, but I'm just a little bored of the interior of the e90, I don't think I could afford a new shape 3 series for a while yet so have been casting my eye at other makes. I might still keep the current car for a while longer yet anyway, I'm just starting to get the changing itch

[mowflow]

The manual is actually quite nice, especially when compared to the horrible notchy shifting of a BMW. However, the DSG is just so much better. It's such a well sorted box and goes in the GTi's S3's etc so well.

The buckets are brilliant but yes they are rare. I found the sports seats (same as the ones in the S3) in my a3 sportback to be pretty crap. They are not as adjustable as the M Sport seats with no thigh support and the back was too wide. They may fit you ok but I'd never buy a car with those seats again.

The RNSE is a little more than just a sat nav as it takes SD cards for music. In general it just makes the interior feel newer. Don't be fooled I to thinking the Bose is worth having either. It's shit. I went from an E90 to an a3 the same vintage as this and although the a3 was very good quality it did feel grimly old tech. I think that car is pre face lift as well (going by the lights) so it will be the old red DIS. It does have the newer style air vents though so I could be wrong.

I don't know what your situation is in terms of practicality requirements but don't write of a GTi or even a Cupra K1 for that matter. Lots of other good options in that price range as well. I'll say it before anyone else does...... That money would buy a well sorted e46 M3.

To find out more about S3s have a nosey around audisport.net

Edit. To the guy thinking about a sportback. It makes a decent family sized car. We had the 1 child when I had mine but it was more practical than my e90. It also looks more modern than the 3 door S3 from certain angles.

[takumichinoku]

Bought one new in 2011 new. Sold it 14months later. Had manual and it's not a bad shift and is ok. Recaros are so rare it's not really something I would call a must although rnse is. Standard unit looks cheap without it. Good all round car, I did the usual revo remap etc and still found it dull to drive. If you want an all weather car with decent speed then get one. If driving is ur thing then I wouldn't bother. Got more feedback from my Wii remote. Oh and the 4pot engine sounds rubbish

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by takumichinoku

... Got more feedback from my Wii remote.....

[gIzzE]

I sold my 335i to get back into something a bit smaller and fun, Norwich Audi bought an S3 down to me from another dealer and I had finance in place for it.
Took it for a spin when it arrived and......after 6 miles brought it back and pulled out of the deal.
I couldn't believe how numb it felt, I was genuinely bored of it after 10 minutes.
That really didn't go down well with Audi and my 335i had already gone.

We went and bought a 123d instead.

[gIzzE]

I would just add though, that I would buy an S3 sportback still, but would be DSG and just enjoy it as a nicely put together car, not as a drivers car.

[335d Rocco]

Well, after trying a couple of s3's, none of them could convince me to get out of my 330d and into the s3. Nice cars undoubtedly but I just didn't feel right in them.

So after thinking things over for the last few weeks, I'm looking at maybe getting an 330i convertible (e93??), after doing a bit of Info digging, I've noticed that the n52 seems to be more reliable than the newer n53 engine, mainly due to the n53 suffering from coil pack and injector problems, is that right??

Could someone confirm when the n53 replaced the n52 please, I'm going to be looking at getting a 2008-09 car, would that be the new LCI shape.

Also, I have one which I'm waiting to view which is a 2008 57 reg, what sort of things do I need to check on these please. It's got 56000 miles and is an M Sport.

[Vaheed1]

If you want an all weather Audi for that sort of price....get an RS4.

[gangzoom]

The current and previous gen (B8) S4 is suppose to be very good. Most reviews put if level or just ahead of the 335i. Just like the 335 they are also very easy to tune. Probably one of the few cars I would swap my 335 for.

[AlanQS]

Originally Posted by Uk 330d

Could someone confirm when the n53 replaced the n52 please, I'm going to be looking at getting a 2008-09 car, would that be the new LCI shape.

Can't comment on the engine but E93 at 2008-2009 would be pre-facelift.

[335d Rocco]

Originally Posted by Vaheed1

If you want an all weather Audi for that sort of price....get an RS4.

I'd love an RS4 but certainly wouldn't love the bills if things went wrong

[335d Rocco]

Originally Posted by AlanQS

Can't comment on the engine but E93 at 2008-2009 would be pre-facelift.

It seems the late 2007 models are defo n53, looking for newer than 07 so don't think I need to worry which engine is in the car for 08 onwards. I've yet to see and LCI e93's in my price range, I've promised myself I won't go over the £13,500 mark so daren't start looking at 14k+

[mowflow]

Originally Posted by Vaheed1

If you want an all weather Audi for that sort of price....get an RS4.

It would be a fairly scabby or leggy B6 for that money or a good B5. I don't know much about the B5.

A friend had a B6, he went on about how reasonable the servicing costs were until he got hit with a £1400 bill for some new discs and pads at one service. It scared him into getting shot of it