What are your thoughts on the Audi A3?

[TheProfessor]

My wife and I are looking at getting a slightly more upscale car and the A3 is right at the top of the list. The interior is really quite nice, and it has a much more sporty feel than anything we\\\'ve owned previously. We\\\'d get the base engine, but at 200 turbocharged horespower it should still be quite fun (mated to the 6 speed manual tranny of course) ;) We also really like the fact that it is a five door hatch, plus it comes with no-charge scheduled maintenance (sadly, this disappears for the upcoming 2007\\\'s).

My only issue(s) with the car are the following:

- How can a $35K car not come with HID\\\'s?
- Exterior styling is on the bland side
- Not too sure about the reliability of VW/Audi

I will say this, after spending considerable amounts of time looking at more up-scale cars I can easily say that the Mazda3 is the bargain of the century when you consider what it comes with at the price it does.

Other cars currently in contention, though admittedly a little behind the A3 are a gently used BMW e46 (similar to what WUD has) and the Volvo S40/V50. So, what are your opinions?

[Broli]

i love the A3
i think it is one of the sweetest cars out there!

i believe audi/vw use H7 bulbs as well, so don\'t let HIDs deter u,
there is a projector yes???


I think the exterior styling looks sick! (really nice for u old guys, lol)

dont do white again!!!

that car needs to be flashy!
looks nice in red!


good choice man!

if u get it, u have to take me for a boot!

[majic]

ask mk.. i think she got a little wet last time thinking about it ;)

personally i like the look of it.. a hatch and 2.0T engine.. other than that i haven\'t seen the interior but they always turn my head.. black or red :D

lack of HIDs.. damn.. well just steal them from PSIVIC or take them off one of the mazdas (one u trade in)

*fingers crossed they use teh same bulb*

[Broli]

i am basing my assumption of the same bulbs
on my buddys

mark 4 gti
it is an h7
so??

[TheProfessor]

Oh, I almost forgot but I called insurance and they said that the A3 will only cost me about $6 more per month over the Mazda3 :)

And I wouldn\'t let the lack of HID\'s deter me from getting the car, but still, how can that be an option in that price range?

As much as everyone here who knows me would hate it, I am having the salesman try and track down a white one :D

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c220/egarlinghouse/DSCF2293.jpg

And look how good it looks dumped:

http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMTAzMzUxMTZzNDEzZGZkMzF5NTQx.jpg

[bluntman]

I was actually thinking of leasing a fully loaded one in a couple of years...with the V6 and the Sport Package (which gives me the HIDs). But then I found out that is uses premium gas so that idea was promptly scrapped. From what I\'ve read about it, the DSG (or as it SMG) transmission was phenomenal, even better than BMW\'s version. I still like it. I don\'t see too many around either, I guess most people are opting for the A4 for a little more money. Reliability shouldn\'t be a problem with the A3, provided it was built in Germany. I wouldn\'t buy a VW or Audi that was built in Mexico or the US.

[///M]

Bi-xenons are a $950 option, though they only become available after the addition of a $2500 sport package or the luxury package. The A3 is rather limited in terms of standard equipment, especially for the price. One thing I don\'t like about the A3 is that its thick D-pillars significantly impede rear visibility.

I find the MKV GTI to be somewhat of a better buy, being essentially the same car with more standard features (e.g. standard HIDs!), and priced cheaper to boot. Theer\'s a 4-door version arriving soon (if not already) if the 2 door doesn\'t suit your needs. Of course, it lacks the snob-appeal of the Audi badge and some Audi-exclusive features (e.g. OpenSky).

The 2.0t engine is awesome - very responsive, very torquey, and makes a nice sound at it too.

[///M]

Originally posted by bluntman


I was actually thinking of leasing a fully loaded one in a couple of years...with the V6 and the Sport Package (which gives me the HIDs). But then I found out that is uses premium gas so that idea was promptly scrapped. From what I\'ve read about it, the DSG (or as it SMG) transmission was phenomenal, even better than BMW\'s version. I still like it. I don\'t see too many around either, I guess most people are opting for the A4 for a little more money. Reliability shouldn\'t be a problem with the A3, provided it was built in Germany. I wouldn\'t buy a VW or Audi that was built in Mexico or the US.

The MKV GTI is built in Germany.

[bluntman]

Originally posted by autoexe



Originally posted by bluntman


I wouldn\'t buy a VW or Audi that was built in Mexico or the US.

The MKV GTI is built in Germany.

Precisely. I\'d buy the GTI in a heartbeat...if only it had 4 doors. The Rabbit is being built in Mexico right? Plus, GTI\'s engine isn\'t available on the Rabbit, is it?

Back to the A3. Go for it Prof!

[majic]

Originally posted by TheProfessor

And look how good it looks dumped:


actually that looks pretty NASTY.. maybe b/c of those mazdaspeed look-a-like wheels :sarc

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by autoexe


Bi-xenons are a $950 option, though they only become available after the addition of a $2500 sport package or the luxury package. The A3 is rather limited in terms of standard equipment, especially for the price. One thing I don\'t like about the A3 is that its thick D-pillars significantly impede rear visibility.

I find the MKV GTI to be somewhat of a better buy, being essentially the same car with more standard features (e.g. standard HIDs!), and priced cheaper to boot. Theer\'s a 4-door version arriving soon (if not already) if the 2 door doesn\'t suit your needs. Of course, it lacks the snob-appeal of the Audi badge and some Audi-exclusive features (e.g. OpenSky).

The 2.0t engine is awesome - very responsive, very torquey, and makes a nice sound at it too.

I know the GTI is a better deal but the styling is just not for me (well, at least the 3 door). We are likely going to test drive one within the next week or so and after that we\'ll see just how good (or not good) the car really is. I may feel it isn\'t worth the extra $$$ and then the search will continue!

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by majic

maybe b/c of those mazdaspeed look-a-like wheels :sarc

Those are the base wheels.....if we were to get it the car would come with the wheels in the first pic.

[Broli]

do it!

[TheProfessor]

Well like I said, we should hopefully be test driving one soon. There are a number of factors involved here including the biggest.....pricing. They have literally run out of A3\'s in Canada and the \'07\'s aren\'t coming until September (and those will likely already be spoken for). As such, the dealers aren\'t offering the greatest deals on them.

Here\'s another question, what other car would you consider if you wanted something a little bit nicer, faster, and was willing to spend around $35K?

[Broli]

mini cooperS
how much is a g35? (if that is in the range i would take the g35coupe over the A3)

[majic]

Originally posted by Broli


mini cooperS
how much is a g35? (if that is in the range i would take the g35coupe over the A3)






why don\'t u take your lazy ass over to infiniti\'s site (http://www.infiniti.ca/en/index.html) and find out for yourself :p

and no it\'s not.. 12-18K more

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by Broli


mini cooperS
how much is a g35? (if that is in the range i would take the g35coupe over the A3)



I\'ve looked at the G35C but there are a few problems:

- can only afford a used one, and even then, it typically won\'t have much, if any, warranty left
- insurance is quite a bit higher
- not nearly as practical as the A3, and considering we\'d be getting rid of a Mazda3 Sport it would be nice to have

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by majic



Originally posted by Broli


mini cooperS
how much is a g35? (if that is in the range i would take the g35coupe over the A3)






why don\'t u take your lazy ass over to infiniti\'s site (http://www.infiniti.ca/en/index.html) and find out for yourself :p

and no it\'s not.. 12-18K more

Majic, your avatar is so fitting for you ;)

[Broli]

Originally posted by majic



Originally posted by Broli


mini cooperS
how much is a g35? (if that is in the range i would take the g35coupe over the A3)






why don\'t u take your lazy ass over to infiniti\'s site (http://www.infiniti.ca/en/index.html) and find out for yourself :p

and no it\'s not.. 12-18K more

shut ur mouf ass!

if i was buying the car
i would check!

but since i am not, it will only crush my spirts!

plus ur here,
so what would u do if i searched?

[majic]

Originally posted by TheProfessor
majic, your avatar is so fitting for you ;)
i chose it carefully

Originally posted by Broli

so what would u do if i searched?



i could do some work instead of holding your hand ;)

[Broli]

Originally posted by majic




Originally posted by TheProfessor
majic, your avatar is so fitting for you ;)
i chose it carefully

Originally posted by Broli

so what would u do if i searched?



i could do some work instead of holding your hand ;)

u just like holding my hands, u fruitcake!

and, my intensions were for the prof to check
not u!





but on the topic, i would get like an 04 g35 coupe RED (NOT WHITE)
with the spoiler!

oh man, so sexy!

[bluntman]

Originally posted by TheProfessor


Here\'s another question, what other car would you consider if you wanted something a little bit nicer, faster, and was willing to spend around $35K?

It may not have the prestige associated with Audi, but what about the Subaru Legacy GT?

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by bluntman



Originally posted by TheProfessor


Here\'s another question, what other car would you consider if you wanted something a little bit nicer, faster, and was willing to spend around $35K?

It may not have the prestige associated with Audi, but what about the Subaru Legacy GT?

I don\'t care too much for prestige, which is why I already looking into the LGT, but the wife just doesn\'t like it. Since she\'ll be driving it also, we both have to really like it.

[bluntman]

The Lexus IS 250 is out.

The Nissan Maxima starts at $35k.

(Don\'t shoot me) Hyundai Azera. I don\'t have Flash installed so I can\'t see the MSRP.

Other than that, go for the Volvo.

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by bluntman


The Lexus IS 250 is out.

The Nissan Maxima starts at $35k.

(Don\'t shoot me) Hyundai Azera. I don\'t have Flash installed so I can\'t see the MSRP.

Other than that, go for the Volvo.


I absolutely love the IS250, but the Lease rates are so crazy high that it takes it out of my price range.

I\'ve never liked the Maxima and we would prefer to stick with a smaller car.

I\'d be completely open to a Hyundai to be honest but the Azera is not sport at all. If they had a serious sports sedan I would definately give them consideration.

The Volvo is a definate possibility as we have already test driven it and started speaking with a salesman. The only issue there is that they don\'t seem to be too reliable and for some strange reason Volvo has not given you the 6 speed manual option with the T5 (turbo) engine, only automatic. So if we want a manual tranny we either get the 2.4i (non turbo I5, good for 168hp and 170 ft. lbs of torque) or get the fully loaded and out of our price range T5 AWD!

Aaahhhh, why is this so hard?

[billyfo]

I agree w/ others, get GTI instead of A3, it\'s about $10K less than Audi if you loaded w/ similar package w/GTI. If I had $, I would get rid of my 3 and got the GTI:D

2nd choice V50, 1.9% lease/finance rate, so quite attractive ($$ side) than other luxury brands.

[Zaku_4]

hey

for 35k u could look at a wrx lol. its faster, handles better (a3 is fwd?), and and... i dunno. lol the only downside tot he wrx is its ridiculously cheap interior (for the price) and the fact that the rear seats are only a little better tahn the IS series by lexus :D

EDIT: was curious what the V50 was. looked at it and wow, it looks strange to me. the center \"infotainment\" unit looks very unique. personally though, im done wiht hatch backs. if only the s40 was CHEAPER cause i cant justify 31k base on a \"volvo\" lol

[TheProfessor]

Alright, I just priced out a mid-level GTI and it\'s really not that much cheaper than an A3. I think the difference for similarly equipped cars was around $2500, and quite frankly, the A3 is much nicer and comes with added features like no-charge scheduled maintenance, dual sunroofs, dual zone climate control, and a nicer interior, plus two extra doors! The only thing that I could see missing from the A3 was an in-dash cd changer, but that\'s no biggie for me. Does anyone know when the five door GTI is due out?

[///M]

Originally posted by TheProfessor


Alright, I just priced out a mid-level GTI and it\'s really not that much cheaper than an A3. I think the difference for similarly equipped cars was around $2500, and quite frankly, the A3 is much nicer and comes with added features like no-charge scheduled maintenance, dual sunroofs, dual zone climate control, and a nicer interior, plus two extra doors! The only thing that I could see missing from the A3 was an in-dash cd changer, but that\'s no biggie for me. Does anyone know when the five door GTI is due out?

Audi\'s free scheduled maintainance has been discontinued starting from MY 07 cars.

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by autoexe

Audi\'s free scheduled maintainance has been discontinued starting from MY 07 cars.

Yes it has, but there are still enough 2006\'s floating around to buy that it\'s still a factor for most potential buyers, including myself!

[Whos ur dadd]

A3 FTW.

Are they avail. in AWD now? majic pls answer.

[Mica3SGT]

Quattro is now available in 2007 on the Audi A3 3.2 S-line @ $44,990.00
The base A3 2.0 is available with front wheel drive only.

I\'d have to go with the VW GTi over the 2.0 A3 for the money. I like the wheel package, 3 door configuration and styling over the A3. The GTi will soon be available with 4 doors as an option.

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by Mica3SGT


Quattro is now available in 2007 on the Audi A3 3.2 S-line @ $44,990.00
The base A3 2.0 is available with front wheel drive only.

I\'d have to go with the VW GTi over the 2.0 A3 for the money. I like the wheel package, 3 door configuration and styling over the A3. The GTi will soon be available with 4 doors as an option.

As far as I know the Quattro is/was available on the 2006 3.2\'s as well. For those who say \'I\'ll take the VW GTI over the A3\' keep in mind that the A3 is much nicer on the inside with more creature comforts ;)

[esi]

Well, wtom prompted me to input my opinion on this topic. ;)

Being an owner of the 3.2Q, and previous owner of the 2.0T (Don\'t ask);

http://www3.sympatico.ca/cora320/FrontA3onGrass1.jpg

I can perhaps offer some advice and opinion. I\'m sure you have already done some forum searching in vortex and such. The white A3 that\'s dropped is actually not in Canada anymore. It got into an accident and was shipped to somewhere in Europe. The owner bought another white one, his brother drives a GTi. Met both of them in an Audi meet. (Think there\'s one coming up soon, usually on Home Depot at Hwy 7 / Yonge)

Well, back to the original topic. The 07 pkg is a lot more complicated and to a certain extent, more expensive if you want features like HID. But then again, most owners opted for premium or sports pkg anyways. $900 for HID is a very reasonable price. But like what you said, you would expect it to come standard as the GTi. The reason for not including them was to lower the base entry price to increase sales. There should be plenty of 06s left and they could probably give you some nice incentives. They are making 8% on top of invoice, so a discount close to invoice is quite possible.

As far as the 3.2 vs 2.0T, feel free to read this review I wrote:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2577149

And this is from another poster who prefers the 2.0T:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2550801


Now, to the GTI vs A3 topic. This is all personal preference. They are basically the same car, but I prefer the exterior of the A3. A stock GTI looks too tall. Don\'t get me wrong, I like the GTI as well, heck, I was one of those stupid people who ebayed a FAST. (GTI Toy) The interior is quite different though. My friend just bought a 4 door GTI with leather pkg, but I have to say, the A3\'s interior looks better. They are essentially the same car, just like the 3.2 to the R32. The GTI/R32 is about 50 lbs lighter, but the A3 has a bigger trunk. (If you take the drivers out, you can fit 4 sets of golf clubs in the trunk)

So to sum it up, the GTI, A3 2.0T or 3.2 are all great cars, and you won\'t regret getting any one of them. Reliability might be an issue, as this is no Lexus. But for me, it has been minor problems that was easily fixed. (Things like glove box handle) Other then that, I\'m very happy with my A3.

[TheProfessor]

Cool, thanks for the input. I think I\'ve read some of your posts over on VWVortex. Unfortunately, unless the salesman can work out a miracle deal for us, we\'re ruling out the A3. The lease/finance rates are quite high and with the upcoming launch of the Volvo C30 I think we might wait and see.

[esi]

Talk to Alex at Pfaff. Tell him Elton sent you, he should be able to give you a fair price. Then compare to what you have been getting.

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by esi


Talk to Alex at Pfaff. Tell him Elton sent you, he should be able to give you a fair price. Then compare to what you have been getting.

You don\'t happen to have an e-mail address for him, would you?

[Whos ur dadd]

How about Lease Busters (http://www.leasebusters.com/$295/details.asp?ID=13791)

I think this is the DSG tranny? Are all the automatics DSG?

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by Whos ur dadd


How about Lease Busters (http://www.leasebusters.com/$295/details.asp?ID=13791)

I think this is the DSG tranny? Are all the automatics DSG?

As far as I know they are, and we definately want manual tranny.

[Whos ur dadd]

I hear the DSG\'s are even better than the BMW SMG\'s... You owe it to yourself to give it a try!

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by Whos ur dadd


I hear the DSG\'s are even better than the BMW SMG\'s... You owe it to yourself to give it a try!

I don\'t care how good it\'s supposed to be, my wife and I are not yet ready to start driving autotragic cars :p

[Whos ur dadd]

I hear ya, but allz I\'m sayin is that hardcore MT drivers who have tried the DSG/SMG love it. Ultra fast shifts, automatic rev matching... not your typical slushbox.

[3GFX]

DSG isn\'t really an automatic anyway. Its a manual transmission with two clutches. Basically its got your next gear ready for you. Its like having someone sitting on your transmission tunnel jabbing it into gear when you yell SHIFT and you don\'t even have to use the clutch.

Its something nice when your ready to not shift, to be in an automatic mode. For example when you\'re in traffic on a LONG drive. You just throw it in automatic mode. Give it shot, you might just like it!

[TheProfessor]

Sorry, if it doesn\'t have a clutch we don\'t want it (yet). I\'m sure the time will come where we\'ll be sick of rowing through the gears, but we ain\'t exactly as old as WUD or Fang yet ;)

Edit: Let\'s also not forget that the DSG tranny is an extra $2K.....and when it\'s an option you don\'t want, it\'s an even greater \'cost\'.

[esi]

DSG is currently the fastest transmission out there. (Bugatti uses the same transimission, modified for it\'s HP of course) And yes, it\'s faster than SMG and your convensional 6-speed. However, I do understand the preference for that almighty third pedal. ;)

Unfortunately, I don\'t have his email. But I\'m sure you would be able to find it in Pfaff\'s web site. It\'s the new dealship on Jane. (Beside Vaughn Mills Mall)

But as I said before, if you are looking for best bang for the buck... go with the GTI. There\'s no doubt, for that kind of performance and quality, they don\'t have a lot of competition. The new c30 looks a little too cute for me. But then again, I\'m biased, not a big fan of Volvo. I used to think I would start liking them when I hit 30... I was wrong. :hoho

[TheProfessor]

I couldn\'t do the GTI for the same reason you didn\'t.....don\'t like the way it looks. As for Volvo\'s, I\'ve loved them since before I was 30!

[///M]

Originally posted by Whos ur dadd


I hear ya, but allz I\'m sayin is that hardcore MT drivers who have tried the DSG/SMG love it. Ultra fast shifts, automatic rev matching... not your typical slushbox.



I\'ve tried both DSG and the 6-speed on the A3 and GTI, and while I like the DSG, I much prefer the 6MT and wouldn\'t have it any other way.

[esi]

Originally posted by autoexe


I\'ve tried both DSG and the 6-speed on the A3 and GTI, and while I like the DSG, I much prefer the 6MT and wouldn\'t have it any other way.

You are wrong! This kid told me DSG is better!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2RdBiquHnQ&eurl=

:hoho