Audi A3, or something else?

[pilottom]

Hi

I'm looking for my first car and was strongly considering a '97 1.6L Audi A3 (I can't afford one with an engine any bigger because of insurance, I'm 19!!). I am looking to spend £3k - £4k and have found one to have a look at, which has done 63,000miles.

Has anyone had any experience with similar versions? If so, how good was the reliability? was it expensive to repair when it did breakdown? Is there anything I should look for if buying one? Would you recommend buying one?

Also, is there any ways of getting my insurance premiums down? (I have had my full license for 1year 9months and have only been driving my mums car as a named driver) Are there any other cars you would recommend I get instead?

Many thanks,
Tom

[alfaspiderman2]

having had 2 A3s I'd say no

they are heavy cars and need plenty of power to make them entertaining - get a Focus

[UpTheIron]

Having owned three a 1.8T, a 1.6SE, and an S3 - the last two are still part of the fleet, my quick summary would be:

1.8T Not quite as fast as you would like it to be. Obviously a heavy car when pushing on around corners. 46k miles in one year from brand new, only fault was the rear wash wipe pipe coming loose, fixed under warranty.

S3. Performance not so bad but doesn't feel as quick as it should be. Even heavier than 2wd models, and very noticeable (especially when compared to the Tuscan!!!) Perfectly reliable as long as you can live with intermittent ECU warnings and dodgy fuel gauge (common problem due to quattro fuel task shape).

1.6SE. GF has owned this one for 5 years or so...in 40k-odd miles it has had NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING go wrong, but she doesn't break cars like I seem to do, however it is pretty gutless and certainly is no drivers car (none of them are TBH).

Also, the 1.6 is the least economical of the three. Could you stretch to the 1.8 (non-Turbo)?

All of them are pretty expensive if something does go wrong...I actually use a garage around 100 miles away and is typically less than 50% of the cost than a main stealer.

What are you looking for out of a car - would you prefer a premium brand, but the entry level car (still with all the toys), or a mid-market or economy brand without the badge but faster and / or more fun to drive?

What aboout a VAG turbo diesel - likely to be quicker than the 1.6

[paulie-mafia]

alfaspiderman2 said:

having had 2 A3s I'd say no

they are heavy cars and need plenty of power to make them entertaining - get a Focus

I'd agree with this. I had an A3 and it was OK, but the handling wasn't that exciting. Hired a Focus in the Alps a couple of years back and that was awesome fun!