Audi A3

Try a 1.9tdi - very swift & very economical for a small car!

The Incredible Swearing Man© wrote:


Any A3 will cost you a lot to buy, and a lot to insure. I'm in my 30s,
with no convictions, and I live in an average town. My insurance bill is
about £900 a year. That's with full protected no-cliams, and one fault
claim in the last year. TISM is right about the TDi though- I have a
1999 TDi 110. It's fast, economical, refined, and looks nice. Fantastic
motor.
I haven't heard of any serious failings that are very common to the a3,
and I haven't had any serious problems with mine. It seems a few creaks
from the front door trim is to be expected though.
All the mechanical bits are pretty much from the VW parts bin and shared
with the mk4 golf.
Be careful though. Buy on condition and history. If you don't know what
you're doing, get someone who does. If you do know what you are doing,
Inspect the cars thoroughly. Check the usual things you'd check with any
car, and rememmber parts are expensive from a dealer. Audis take the
years and miles quite well so watch out for clocking. Look out for
cosmetic damage- I've seen a lot with dents, scratches etc. I think
they're popular as a company perk (maybe because they're expensive to
buy with your own money), so a lot of them seem to get a bit tatty.
http://www.topgear.com/servlet/tg?DEST=%2Fcontent%2Fjsp%2FroadTestResults.jsp&CARTYPE=&EVENT=1110&condition=used&MAKE=Audi%3AA2&MODEL=A3%3AB6&x=20&y=9

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I guess the claim puts the price up significantly.  My insurance for the A3
is £220 / year and my situation is about the same.


The plastic water pump impellor on the early (97) engines were a failure
item (but not a recall IIRC), mine went and Audi took care of it.

£900 a year for an A3 ?

I pay £300 for an '01 A6 1.8t with esure.
Funny thing was the car before was a 95 Mazda 323F worth about £2000 and the
insurance was £50 more than my £17000 A6.

Liam


http://www.topgear.com/servlet/tg?DEST=%2Fcontent%2Fjsp%2FroadTestResults.jsp&CARTYPE=&EVENT=1110&condition=used&MAKE=Audi%3AA2&MODEL=A3%3AB6&x=20&y=9

That seems a tad expensive: I'm 37 with 2 year's No Claims and it cost me
just under £600 fully comp for a 2000 A3 1.6 Sport.

I think the A3 is a superb and refined car: excellent build quality,
handling and gearbox.  Very quiet engine, commented on by quite a few
passengers.  I'd make sure it has a full Audi service history, though.

--
Alex

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In terms of reliability I think you'll be satisfied as these are *very* well
built cars.  I recall seeing quite a few high mileage A3s for about £8K when
looking for mine which I assume were company cars - they might be a bargain
*if* they have been properly maintained and serviced.

The 1.9 diesel will probably cost you up to £2K more than a 1.6 or 1.8
petrol.  My 2000 1.6 Sport cost £11.5K from a dealer if that's any use.

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One of my mates just got a cracking deal on a 2000 1.8T Sport.  The guy was
moving overseas and had to sell quickly.  £9K with full Audi service
history, low mileage.

*jealous*

Yep, that was very fortunate!