![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Why does this forum think everyone needs 200bhp+ cars?
Changing my TDI A3, thoughts?
- Thread starter Roady
- Start date
Why does this forum think everyone needs 200bhp+ cars?
Yeah. If you really really want another A3, you should consider a petrol based on your usage. Something like a nice 1.8T or 2.0T should do you fine, they're both very good engines.
If you're really desperate for economy, how about one of the 1.4T models?
If you're really desperate for economy, how about one of the 1.4T models?
It doesn't matter if it's affordable, a performance variant is a waste of money if you are not into that sort of thing. He could buy a newer lesser one and judging by how much he loves his 140bhp A3 be just as happy.
[TW]Fox;26026478 said:
I wouldn't describe a 200BHP Scirocco as a performance variant, the Scirocco R yes, but not the TFSI. It's just a nice, moderately quick petrol car. He clearly doesn't want to keep his A3, so if he's going to spend some money he may as well get something nice. You don't have to be a petrolhead blasting around on B roads to enjoy a car with decent acceleration and handling - for instance one of my friends loves her Fiat 500 Abarth despite knowing nothing about cars: for her it's nippy and makes a nice noise and that's all that matters. There's zero point in changing his A3 for an identical one, so why not get something practical but a bit more enjoyable?
Thanks for the advice guys, as mentioned I am currently seeing some turbo/fuel related problems which has been put down to a bad 'batch' of fuel, my garage has put additive into the fuel and I'm to use up the tank before filling with a 'premium' diesel (Shell vpower or BP Ultimate?) but as of yet I've not found a Shell garage selling diesel vpower, I've not checked the local BP's yet. Any other 'premium' diesel suggestions?
Only once this premium fuel is flowing and the turbo has a good chance to clean itself will I know for sure my A3 is ok. She has always been hungry with oil and coolant which has always made me think to change before something major goes wrong... No garages (Audi and others) have confirmed or denied why this is.
I've done around 46k miles since I got the car (4.5 years) would that still be considered low mileage? It's certainly lower than I used to do! I enjoy the economy of diesel (always have) and with the power of the A3 I really don't see why I should change to petrol... Bear in mind I've always driven diesel (17 years), the petrols I've driven (work cars/vans) are nothing in comparison (except the R8 and Gallardo's I've also driven)! It's probably worth me taking the TFSI for a test drive, I'll probably stall it!
I was mainly looking to change now as the fuel problem (which might not 'just' be fuel!) made me think to change before I end up with a bigger problem (turbo will be a £600+ fix, if it doesn't recover from this problem, what's going to go wrong next!?). Running this car into the ground I imagine is going to cost me £2-3 over the next 3-4 years, opinion is that's a better investment than a newer car which will depreciate more than that in the time (but 'in theory' not have any problems)?
I take HangTime's point about my 'not having money in the future' comment on board. I've always lived well within my budget, never bought anything on finance, only used my credit card twice and always worked hard. I've always put money to 1 side (savings) for myself and usually spent it on changing my car rather than keeping an older one on the road. I hope to never be in the situation that I need to sell my car to finance any debts.
If I *was* going to keep a 'weekend' car, I'd probably get an older shape Focus RS, but that'd go against my diesel principles!
Just use normal diesel and add 2 stroke motorcycle oil in 1:200 to the diesel which is exactly what vpower is.
[TW]Fox;26025300 said:
I can't think of a fun car for £12k other than an e46 M3.
My car is starting to feel slow and I have only owned it for 2 weeks infact I am actually missing the tdi torque and finding having to change down from 6th to 4th and back up a real chore when overtaking :/
Perhaps I need a remap?
Perhaps you need a reality check. Heaven forbid you need to drop a couple of gears.
Every car starts to feel "slower" once you've adjusted to it a bit
Soldato
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Power does not equal "more enjoyable".
I believe I can testify to that statement pretty accurately.
You do seem to believe that if you can afford a more powerful version of a car, then you must do so as your budget allows. This is not always the case because;
a) as above more power does not equal more enjoyable
b) some people dont care
From what I have read from your posts is this you own a performance jaguar and are relatively young still (under 20).
I can assume you live at home and have no where near the living expense of most "normal" people.
Fair play to you, I was the same when I owned my previous Supras.
My point is that, just because you can afford to do so, doesn't mean other people can.
As I have gotten older I've had too come to this realisation that not everyone is mental about cars and needs ultimate horsepower to enjoy life, there are other priorities and ultimately to the average TDi A3 owner, maximum horsepower and performance cars, are not one of those things.
Caporegime
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I don't actually live with my parents, sadly I have to pay bills, rent etc like the rest of us, but I am under 20 so you're half right.
I completely get what you're saying regarding performance, but as far as I can see the OP has two choices, 1) stick with his car, which I think is the sensible choice, but he doesn't seem to want to do, or 2) get something else.
There seems little point in getting the exact same car again, and there seems little point getting a diesel with the mileage he does. Therefore you're looking at petrol cars of a similar size to an A3.
I agree that an out and out performance car like an M3 is a stupid idea, but if he's set on spending a particular amount of money, something like the Sirocco seems a good choice to me. 200BHP really isn't a huge amount nowadays, and having something with some performance does make overtaking, joining motorways etc a bit easier.
Maybe I just can't see it from a non-petrolhead point of view, but I will say that I know several people with relatively quick cars who are all glad they bought them and enjoy the power, despite not having an active interest in cars.
Why is a Scirocco a good choice? It's a Golf but more expensive because it's more 'sporty' and more appealing to people who are more into that sort of thing. If you are not bothered about performance a newer Golf with a lesser engine is therefore more car for the money.
Thanks for the advice guys, as mentioned I am currently seeing some turbo/fuel related problems which has been put down to a bad 'batch' of fuel, my garage has put additive into the fuel and I'm to use up the tank before filling with a 'premium' diesel (Shell vpower or BP Ultimate?) but as of yet I've not found a Shell garage selling diesel vpower, I've not checked the local BP's yet. Any other 'premium' diesel suggestions?
Only once this premium fuel is flowing and the turbo has a good chance to clean itself will I know for sure my A3 is ok. She has always been hungry with oil and coolant which has always made me think to change before something major goes wrong... No garages (Audi and others) have confirmed or denied why this is.
I've done around 46k miles since I got the car (4.5 years) would that still be considered low mileage? It's certainly lower than I used to do! I enjoy the economy of diesel (always have) and with the power of the A3 I really don't see why I should change to petrol... Bear in mind I've always driven diesel (17 years), the petrols I've driven (work cars/vans) are nothing in comparison (except the R8 and Gallardo's I've also driven)! It's probably worth me taking the TFSI for a test drive, I'll probably stall it!
I was mainly looking to change now as the fuel problem (which might not 'just' be fuel!) made me think to change before I end up with a bigger problem (turbo will be a £600+ fix, if it doesn't recover from this problem, what's going to go wrong next!?). Running this car into the ground I imagine is going to cost me £2-3 over the next 3-4 years, opinion is that's a better investment than a newer car which will depreciate more than that in the time (but 'in theory' not have any problems)?
Go and google bkd diesel engine and see the issue for porous head and oil pump issues which if fail will take out the turbo
Alex
Soldato
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[TW]Fox;26031018 said:
Like fox says if they were keen on that kinda car then yes it would make sense. But a new, lowered powered Golf would suffice given the OPs requirements.
Take me for example. I have a keen interest in cars.
My car has 125BHP, which is sufficient for the car and more than enough to have fun in. You don't need nigh on 200BHP to enjoy cars and driving.
A lot of it is willy waving. I believe in sufficient power for a car. 125BHP is a 1100kg car, that's fine. 125BHP in a 1600KG car? Nah.
If the OP was looking at a petrol Golf, the 1.4TSI 150PS would be more than enough. Or the 140 TDi if they wanted diesel again
Scirocco does have the "flash" appeal though. Someone I know has just spent £16k+ on a Bluemotion diesel effort. Lovely looking car, in the right colour with a decent spec but the engine makes my heart sink.
In saying that, he is over the moon with it, thinks it's fast and that it's great looking inside and out - which is ultimately what matters I guess (at least until resale time)
In saying that, he is over the moon with it, thinks it's fast and that it's great looking inside and out - which is ultimately what matters I guess (at least until resale time)
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[TW]Fox;26031018 said:
I couldn't find any Golfs that were massively cheaper/better, feel free to link me to some as I didn't spent that long looking.
The Scirocco I linked looks in good condition and is well specced, which I assumed would matter to the OP. He clearly does care at least slightly about cars - if he had no interest at all, I'd imagine he'd be driving a Hyundai I30 or a Kia Ceed, not an Audi A3 - he knows the exact power of his car and says he LOVES it, something that you'd only say if your car was important to you.
More than happy to be proved wrong - maybe the OP would rather save himself a couple of thousand and get a 140 TDI Golf, in which case I'd say why not just keep what he has? In getting a new car, he's making a decision which has zero chance of saving him money, so why not actually have something that looks and drives nicely rather than the exact same car again?
Nath, I totally agree that power isn't everything, if it was I'd still have my old T5! I just think that if you can have a more powerful, better specced and better looking car for very little extra, then you may as well.
Except generally you can't, supply and demand sees to that.
Could you expand more on that please Alex? Symptoms? Do they match mine?
As to everyone else regarding power... I test drove the 170 2.0 TDI A3 the same time as I tried the 140, I could tell little difference for the increased price... Reading forums and reviews at the time suggested the 140 was a better all round car.
If I'm looking at another 140 2.0 TDI why would I choose the Golf over the A3? The engines are going to be pretty much the same, so would the Leon!? The Audi looks better, has more extras as standard and is a better drive (my parents had a standard 1.8 TDI Golf mk5 and it was boat like! None of feel, or looks, of the mk4!)
The last couple of nights I've been looking at the A4, A5 & A6 Avants (as I love the audi estate shape... The A5 Saloon is the only saloon shape I like). None of them are within my budget and specs... So I'm still no closer to making a decision!
The Sirocco's are ok, but as mentioned - you're paying more, for no more car than the Golf, except the looks... The GT TDI Golfs are ok I guess, but similar price to the A3!
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