Audi A3

[DeeZee]

Originally Posted by FisherFanHye

Awsome Cars. I love Audi. I used to have a convertable, and I'm sorry I don't have it anymore. My mother's lease is finishing and I was showing her A3s and A4s. Get a S3 or even a RS3 (if you have the money).

P.S You said your work allows you to get a good deal, Can that good deal extend to others?

only for employes

[CPATCRASH]

Originally Posted by DeeZee

What does the STR crew think of this vehicle I can get great deals on Audi's through my work (way below dealer cost). Drive back and fourth to work and my bike will fit in the back. Also better MPG than my F150 4x4 Super Crew


http://www.audiusa.com/audi/us/en2/n...s/Audi_A3.html

I had a 2000 A6 and it spent more time in the shop than on the road. It was very under powered as well.

If you really want great mileage with lots of room check out the Honda Fit!

[DeeZee]

Originally Posted by CPATCRASH

I had a 2000 A6 and it spent more time in the shop than on the road. It was very under powered as well.

Was thinking of a used Infinity FX. Any thoughts ??

[CPATCRASH]

Originally Posted by DeeZee

Was thinking of a used Infinity FX. Any thoughts ??

My wife has a G35 and it has been a great car. We are turning it in when the lease is up in January and getting a Civic. The gas mileage on the G isn't great and you need premium.

[HELLDOG]

Life is to short.. Do IT so we can all make fun of you..

[DeeZee]

Originally Posted by HELLDOG

Life is to short.. Do IT so we can all make fun of you..

what do you mean??

[scruffylooking]

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/audi-a3-32-dsg/

Got a good review from the folks who hold nothing back. I've heard it described as an Audi TT with four doors and a big trunk. It was on my short list of cars that met the criteria of fun, practical, and reasonably priced.

[foofighter]

Doug,

from a once avid VW/Audi afficianado the A3 is a nicely designed car, you cannot compete w/ Audi's teutonic design. their interior design and fitment cannot be beat. Chevy benchmarks Audi's interior shooting for 4mm gaps throughout the cabin. The engineering that goes into these cars are insane, bordering on WTF did that do that for when they could have done (built) it a simpler way. But we're not Zee Germans so we'll never know.

Now, let's get into the meat of things. We have it on good authority (we have family that's a master Audi tech) for a dealer in San Diego. As good of a design as they are he's starting to see his fair share of 2.0T motors come in w/ fuel pressure problems. What makes this 2.0T motor so great and award/race winning is the FSI (fuel stratification injection or something like that) in order to spray a very fine atomized mist of fuel into the combustion chamber it has to run extremely HIGH fuel pressure 2 fuel pumps IIRC dont quote me but i believe it's in the neighborhood of 1600 psi. Well some of the pumps are failing and some other cam or something the pump runs off of off the engine is prematurely wearing.

if you're under warranty cool, it's just an inconvenience but if you're out of warranty get ready to pay. In addition to that the rubberized coating that Audi and VW puts on their door triggers and interior buttons tend to wear out prematurely and the (zee germans) blame it on the pH of your skin that's causing this and they wont warranty it...which is BS IMO.

lastly, audi service is hit or miss...i've been fortunate to have some great friends and Family (when i'm in a pinch) to really give me A+ service from the moment i pull into the service drive. some people complain about the low level of service compared to other luxury makes e.g. Lexus, MB, BMW to name a few. How would you feel if you spent x dollars on an Audi and go drop it off for service and they give you a dam cavalier...i'd be pretty pissed. I would expect the same car as a loaner...imagine buying an R8 and getting something non-audi as a rental LOL

Also, with these FSI motors YOU HAVE TO RUN Premium Unleaded the car's performance will severely be hampered if you put in lesser grade gas. Again all due to the high compression that this motor runs.

Sorry i was long winded but I want you to be thoroughly aware if you decide to get it...it's a great car no doubt about it it's on my list but like others have said it's based on the Golf Mk V chassis and it's essentially a gloried 4dr GTi. I know you're getting a deep discount and that may justify it but there are so many cars out there that are in the same price segment that offer more and are dare i say more reliable?

Lastly, Audi rank the highest of the luxury nameplate to have the biggest hit of depreciation...30% in the first year from some research that was conducted the A4, A6, and A8 led the way.

Originally Posted by DeeZee

Was thinking of a used Infinity FX. Any thoughts ??

Their resale is crap so you can get a great deal on them...they did it right w/ this crossover.

[evdog]

Originally Posted by DeeZee

What does the STR crew think of this vehicle I can get great deals on Audi's through my work (way below dealer cost). Drive back and fourth to work and my bike will fit in the back. Also better MPG than my F150 4x4 Super Crew


http://www.audiusa.com/audi/us/en2/n...s/Audi_A3.html

I've got an A3. Love it... Fun to drive, decent power, good on gas, and has a fair amount of room inside. I just hit 10k miles with no problems so far. With seats folded down you can fit 2 bikes inside with front wheels off.

I found an aftermarket hitch and put on the Thule T2 rack (1 1/4"), which works great on this car. With the T2, a roof rack and carrier you could actually carry 4 people and 4 bikes, though room for gear would not be the greatest.

If you frequently travel with 3-4 people plus gear then you probably want something bigger. For me the lack of ground clearance is the only real problem. I just have to be careful anytime I'm off pavement. Otherwise its a great car. I'll try to put up a pic with the rack in the nxt day or so

[DeeZee]

Originally Posted by foofighter

Doug,

from a once avid VW/Audi afficianado the A3 is a nicely designed car, you cannot compete w/ Audi's teutonic design. their interior design and fitment cannot be beat. Chevy benchmarks Audi's interior shooting for 4mm gaps throughout the cabin. The engineering that goes into these cars are insane, bordering on WTF did that do that for when they could have done (built) it a simpler way. But we're not Zee Germans so we'll never know.

Now, let's get into the meat of things. We have it on good authority (we have family that's a master Audi tech) for a dealer in San Diego. As good of a design as they are he's starting to see his fair share of 2.0T motors come in w/ fuel pressure problems. What makes this 2.0T motor so great and award/race winning is the FSI (fuel stratification injection or something like that) in order to spray a very fine atomized mist of fuel into the combustion chamber it has to run extremely HIGH fuel pressure 2 fuel pumps IIRC dont quote me but i believe it's in the neighborhood of 1600 psi. Well some of the pumps are failing and some other cam or something the pump runs off of off the engine is prematurely wearing.

if you're under warranty cool, it's just an inconvenience but if you're out of warranty get ready to pay. In addition to that the rubberized coating that Audi and VW puts on their door triggers and interior buttons tend to wear out prematurely and the (zee germans) blame it on the pH of your skin that's causing this and they wont warranty it...which is BS IMO.

lastly, audi service is hit or miss...i've been fortunate to have some great friends and Family (when i'm in a pinch) to really give me A+ service from the moment i pull into the service drive. some people complain about the low level of service compared to other luxury makes e.g. Lexus, MB, BMW to name a few. How would you feel if you spent x dollars on an Audi and go drop it off for service and they give you a dam cavalier...i'd be pretty pissed. I would expect the same car as a loaner...imagine buying an R8 and getting something non-audi as a rental LOL

Also, with these FSI motors YOU HAVE TO RUN Premium Unleaded the car's performance will severely be hampered if you put in lesser grade gas. Again all due to the high compression that this motor runs.

Sorry i was long winded but I want you to be thoroughly aware if you decide to get it...it's a great car no doubt about it it's on my list but like others have said it's based on the Golf Mk V chassis and it's essentially a gloried 4dr GTi. I know you're getting a deep discount and that may justify it but there are so many cars out there that are in the same price segment that offer more and are dare i say more reliable?

Lastly, Audi rank the highest of the luxury nameplate to have the biggest hit of depreciation...30% in the first year from some research that was conducted the A4, A6, and A8 led the way.



Their resale is crap so you can get a great deal on them...they did it right w/ this crossover.

I MEAN WOW!!
Duan you know your stuff

I have always liked the FX's but they were too much $$$. But now you can get a nice used one for about $20K. Also the cabin is big enough for my gurth

[FoShizzle]

Audis are kewl...my car is FINALLY dying so I too need a new car. Of course I will take the wife's current one and buy her a new one but damn, its expensive

[foofighter]

my best advice is if you can buy preowned that's CPO go for it. you dont get hit w/ the initial depreciation and you get the added bumper to bumper coverage

Doug, head over to Mission Viejo Infinity which coincidentally is next to MV Audi and drive some cars.

I just cant see you wife hauling the kids around as those grommets get big fast and you'll be looking for more room

[DeeZee]

Originally Posted by foofighter

my best advice is if you can buy preowned that's CPO go for it. you dont get hit w/ the initial depreciation and you get the added bumper to bumper coverage

Doug, head over to Mission Viejo Infinity which coincidentally is next to MV Audi and drive some cars.

I just cant see you wife hauling the kids around as those grommets get big fast and you'll be looking for more room

Dude she is roll'in a full size SUV. That is why I want to dump the truck. No need for TWO big V8's in the fam

[integradriv3r]

Originally Posted by 2wheel_lee

Although I don't have an opinion about the A3, I can say that I'm sure you will severely miss your truck. If you live an active outdoors lifestyle, those little play cars just don't cut it. You may like the better mileage, but you'll hate the usefulness - or lackthereof - of a little car. Mark my words.

Hey I get 30mpg and I can still fit my bike in the back easily.

[DeeZee]

Originally Posted by evdog

I've got an A3. Love it... Fun to drive, decent power, good on gas, and has a fair amount of room inside. I just hit 10k miles with no problems so far. With seats folded down you can fit 2 bikes inside with front wheels off.

I found an aftermarket hitch and put on the Thule T2 rack (1 1/4"), which works great on this car. With the T2, a roof rack and carrier you could actually carry 4 people and 4 bikes, though room for gear would not be the greatest.

If you frequently travel with 3-4 people plus gear then you probably want something bigger. For me the lack of ground clearance is the only real problem. I just have to be careful anytime I'm off pavement. Otherwise its a great car. I'll try to put up a pic with the rack in the nxt day or so

[Abui]

Originally Posted by ryandood

While little hatchbacks are not as useful as a large pickup truck, they are still very versatile cars. You would be amazed at how much stuff you can put into these little cars.

It has to hold my bike (RTR) with the wheels in the drops.

[zipsbiker]

I had a 99 A4 Avant. It was the best car I've ever owned. Audi warranty is good up to 50K miles, but the problems in my case started to pile up right after that warranty expired. While the A3 share similarities with the GTI, there is a noticeable difference. If anyone doubts this, go drive them both and you will see. That's cool that you can get such a good deal.

[SDstumpy]

I drive a A4 wagon and absolutely love it. I test drove the A3 and it was definitely more fun to drive. The tiptronic on that car was amazing. Very little lag between shifts. The only downside I found was that the A3 does not offer roof rails for racks. And you might have trouble throwing the bike in the back. ( I like to keep my bike in the back so I don't have to unload from the roof for my garage, and so I don't have to worry about theft) You can buy after market rails but they sit really high on the A3. I got a used A4 wagon instead for the roof rails, extra cargo space, and standard all-wheel drive. The all-wheel drive A3 was pricey. I would totally recommend the A3 but you might consider a used A4 avant. my $0.02.