Looking at buying an Audi A3 Sport

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Im gonna view this later:

(copied from autotrader)
Audi A3 1.9L TDi Sport 5dr 2007
2007 (57 reg)
Hatchback
80,000 miles
Manual
1.9L
Diesel

5 Doors, Manual, Hatchback, Diesel, 80,000 miles, Black. Tax May 2012,MOT Nov 2012, 1 Owner from New, HPI Clear, Full Audi Service History, 5 Door Hatchback, Black, Diesel, Manual, Trip computer, Rear wiper, 3x3 point rear seat belts, Drivers airbag, PAS, Steering wheel rake adjustment, All 4 Electric Windows, Remote Central Locking, 2 Keys, Traction Control, Climate Control, Air Conditioning, CD / Radio, Original Audi Alloys. £6,495


Its done 82k, cambelt was done at 80k with a full service, good tyres - basically no expense needed. The guy has owned it since new. For £6.5k it seems like a very good price!
I know the 1.9tdi is crap.. but im going to be driving 6-8k pa, so I want something reliable, and the 2.0tdi is far from that!
And before you start - im going to be driving in town 95% of the time. And the 2.0T does 25mpg, and this goes 45mpg in town.. so worth it!

Ive read lots of reviews saying that the sport spec has a really rough suspension.. can anyone here shed some light on this?

Any general opinions?
 
6k a year means its absolutely NOT worth it at all. You won't get 45mpg in town either.

Spending 95% of your time in town with that boat anchor shaking your interior at the lights will drive you mad.
 
Don't forget to add some cheap LEDs all over the front and to drive 4 inches from the car in front.

Also do you know a good chiropractor?
 
I've had almost every VAG diesel up to the 5.0 V10 and none of them would do better than 35MPG around town. You will not get 45MPG. Definitely not.

On 6,000 miles per year you want a small petrol that will heat up quick and be economical all the time, not just over longer distances.

Doing 6,000 miles per year in a 1.9TDi will kill it. Get yourself a 1.3 Fiat 500 or something, but not a TDi.
 
average cost of petrol 1.32, average cost of diesel 141

so to do 7000 miles at 25 MPG Petrol= £1680.24
cost to do 7000 miles at 40 MPG Diesel = £1121.75

Total saving per year 560 quid.

Now consider a Diesel car costs more to buy then a petrol car and I think the service costs may be a little higher. Also you will not even get 40 MPG around town, more like 35 (so cost would be £1282.00).

Is it really worth driven a Diesel for that sort of saving?
 
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Dr House said:
average cost of petrol 1.32, average cost of diesel 141

so to do 7000 miles at 25 MPG Petrol= £1680.24
cost to do 7000 miles at 40 MPG Diesel = £1121.75

Total saving per year 560 quid.

Now consider a Diesel car costs more to buy then a petrol car and I think the service costs may be a little higher.

Is it really worth driven a Diesel for that sort of saving?
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Was just about to post something similar to this. I wouldn't be looking at a diesel for that sort of town mileage. Let us also not forget that turbo diesel engines will cost more on average to fix as well (Quite relevant for a car that has done 80k). I'd would look into a small petrol N/A engined car.
 
A3 are great cars, but yeah if I were you Id at least consider what a petrol engined A3 of similar spec would come in at.

The comfort (inc. sound) and response of a petrol will serve you better!
 
Dr House said:
average cost of petrol 1.32, average cost of diesel 141

so to do 7000 miles at 25 MPG Petrol= £1680.24
cost to do 7000 miles at 40 MPG Diesel = £1121.75

Total saving per year 560 quid.

Now consider a Diesel car costs more to buy then a petrol car and I think the service costs may be a little higher. Also you will not even get 40 MPG around town, more like 35 (so cost would be £1282.00).

Is it really worth driven a Diesel for that sort of saving?
Click to expand...

£560 is quite a lot of money in my world (and im not exactly on the breadline!!) The 1.9tdi is pretty solid, so shouldnt cost much to maintain.

The petrol in this case costs the same at this one. In the A3 the 1.9tdi petrol equivalent is the 1.6 fsi (but with <80k miles) - which is even more woeful than the tdi!

Suggesting the Fiat 500 over a a3 is crazy.. I take it youve seen the interior of the 500?!?
 
[TW]Fox;20915183 said:
If 500 quid is a lot of money in your world and you want something cheap to maintain why are you trying to buy a used Audi?
Click to expand...

Because its pretty cheap to maintain!
Parts are just standard VAG stuff, so servicing is as cheap a vw/seat/skoda.
Im sure a Ford fiesta would be cheaper to run, but the audi is worth the premium for its quality. Im no speed freak, so the 1.9tdi is fine.
If there was a premium for the diesel I would consider the petrol, but in this case, the petrol costs the same, except will be lower mileage.
 
I have to say I would plump for the 1.9tdi over the 1.6 fsi. My wife had a 1.9tdi Golf 105bhp and that sat at just over 40 mpg and she only did about 4k a year commuting 5 days a week. We now have a Seat Altea 2.0FSi which is based on the same platform and doing similar trips that's in the low to mid 20s. Its a lot more fun to drive but to my wife that makes little difference, shes driving in rush hour and all shes worried about is extras like bluetooth and folding mirrors with little thought to how smooth the engine feels.

The 1.9tdi is pretty bullet proof compared to the 2.0tdi engines and in the Audi it is 130bhp spec (or was when I bought mine). I also think the 1.9 is probably cheaper to maintain just for the fact you don't have spark plug changes every 30k, oils and filters are the same.
 
Think we should just all step out of theis thread fellas, this isn't a "spec me" thread, after two minutes in here I've worked out it's a "I'm buying this car regardless, and then going to disagree with everyone elses opinion in the thread" thread. He's set for buying a 1.9 TDI A3 to roll around town doing 6k miles, don't think there's much we can do tbh.
 
Mucky_Pup said:
Think we should just all step out of theis thread fellas, this isn't a "spec me" thread, after two minutes in here I've worked out it's a "I'm buying this car regardless, and then going to disagree with everyone elses opinion in the thread" thread. He's set for buying a 1.9 TDI A3 to roll around town doing 6k miles, don't think there's much we can do tbh.
Click to expand...

I came in to post exactly this. He doesn't want advice, he wants agreement which he won't get.
 
Owned an A3 sport for a year (not by choice) terrible ride, terrible interior (i do not have a clue why everyone praises its interior) and the steering felt as direct as piloting a class 2 yacht in a gentle breeze. Great engine though, however mine was a petrol so you can strike that off your list. Looked nice though.

Keep us updated on your purchase bud.
 
For 6k a year of buy the 3.2 v6, they're dirt cheap compared to the diesels.

I've got a 2.0T dsg and it easily gets over 30mpg on town, 40 is doable daily on my 30 mile motorway commute, just not in winter!
 
I've got a 3.2 V6 and I do roughly 6-8K a year. I worked out that overall, it would take me 4 years for the costs of the more expensive diesel car (wanted the 170 and my V6 was priced quite well) to start working out cheaper.

I'm waiting for a couple years and looking at the 1.4 TFSI engines with interest, according to the stats they do ~44MPG combined and are ~8 seconds to 60 depending on what car it's in.
 
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