Chips with everything...

Sorry to ask a stupid question but why would you want to replace an Audi S3 with a Vauxhall Astra?

This concerns me also.

Thirdeded.

Indeed, the Astra puts down those 240 horses so well through the front wheels already! You want more!?

Justin.

Why? Have you recently had a frontal labotomy?

"Ooh I know, I'll sell an extremely good handling car with gobs of power that'll hold its price for one that's 10% less grunt with crap handling and whose price will drop like a stone."

At least get an S15 import/HKS RX8/Supra turbo or somesuch if you want to go back to 2wd lunacy, at least the silly end is driven then.

Ladies and Gentlemen. I present to you the person that buys "Girls Aloud" and "Busted" instead of Led Zeppelin, Robyn Hitchcock, Pulp, Paul Simon or any other number of talented musicians...

Richard

seriously drive the VXR first, once it tramlines all over the road and scares the shites out of ya you'll be begging for you're S3 back! if you go for mental power you want RWD or 4WD IMO not FWD!

Eh? The a3/golf/leon/octavia platform doesn't handle well. It grips but it's incredibly dull to drive. The astra is probably more interesting to drive as it doesn't cope as well with the power. I can't imagine it'll be easy to get much more power reliably out of it though.

James

You're getting a VXR Astra? WTF?!

Have you actually driven one of these things?

About the worst possible torque steeer / tramlinery / every-which-way brown trousers fair ground ride you will ever experience. (and the seats & dash are probably lifted from one too)

If you want FWD muscle- Focus ST.

Otherwise RWD or AWD.

NOT A VXR!!!

Tim..

Hardly a stupid question the Audi is a much nicer car all round.

May as well take it down as soon as you get it, a properly built engine shouldn't take more than a few mins to run in properly. It's not like the old days, people do confuse running in with the lessening that an engine experiences (most are at there best after about 10k).

He wants the thrill of torque steering into oncoming traffic every time he pust his foot down.

Fraser

Why change - the 4 year contract expires, cost, i.e. I want something cheaper but as powerful, the S3 been thoroughly thrashed from new. Residual values are not an issue. Also how many of you who have criticised the VXR in favour of the S3 have (1) driven a VXR and (2) driven an S3. At least I have done both. I accept the suggestion of a Focus ST - I'll look at that. It can be chipped to 300bhp I heard.

Tee Hee!

What can I say, you are obviously a man with such exquisite musical taste, so subtle and sophisticated; tell me do you lie in the dark playing sweet pulsating melodies with your little organ every night? Do you have a big Swedish friend called Bang Olufson to suck you off?

Thanks for the advice, I am looking at the Focus ST also.

You are right it is the same unoriginal sh*t and adds no useful information other than to affirm your handle credentials.

3/10. Points removed for failure to snip sigfile correctly, clear demonstration that post has 'gotten to him' (must have been right about Busted, then). Direct gay insinuation.

I take it all back. An Astra VXR is perfect for you. Apparently they sell matching baseball caps.

(If you're contract hiring, consider an RX8 - at least the proper wheels are driven, and you'd probably like the pub kudos of 'being quicker around a track than an M3'; whether or not you could actually handle it is another matter, or course ;) ).

Richard (who doesn't actually like Led Zeppelin much, and has no musical taste, but doesn't consider Busted or Girls Aloud and material of that ilk to be music).