Thinking of replacing the Yaris...

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Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
4,145
Location
Southampton
Hi!

I will have cleared a few old loans in the next few months so looking at replacing the Yaris. It's served it's purpose well but low running costs are no longer the issue they were for me when I bought it. I'm craving something a bit more "manly" and more powerful, but also refined at the same time for the motorway cruise to work and I'm looking to move towards something petrol and turbocharged. The Audi S3 has always caught my eye so that's where my search begins. Does anyone on here have one (or knows about them) and can advise what I need to be looking out for?

I can see they seem to hold their value quite well, with W plate 2000 models coming in at around £7k privately. I'm sure this will bring in the "for £7k you could be buying this..... brigade" so if there is something similar I should be considering then please let me know. Not looking to go bigger size-wise than the S3 so no Mondeos or the like. I just don't need a large car.

Thanks,
Andy
 
I'm going to get shot for this becuase I said I never recommend BMW's but hey. This is going to sound like an odd suggestion becuase they are normally scorned upon but have you considered a 3 Series Compact?

No, wait, listen - they do a 325Ti which is supposed to be absolutely brilliant fun to drive. Small hatchback, rear drive, 200bhp. It's the closest thing I can think of to an S3, is almost as quick, but will be newer for the money.

Otherwise, stick with the S3 IMHO.
 
Begbie said:
Can a seat leon cupra R be had for this cash?
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Yes, it can, in fact for about half the cost for a similar aged model, the S3 is a lot more expensive than the cupra, but there are plenty of reasons why. (No doubt someone will be along and try to claim they are the same car, which while essentially true, drive both back to back and you'll see why the depreciation on the Leon is much higher than the depreciation on an S3).

Having said that, there are a few things to consider, for a start £7k is pretty much the bottom end of the S3 market. That doesn't mean that everything in this price range is a shed, but it's old-ish, and high mileage. It will also be the 210bhp variant, rather than the facelift 225. Costs wise, the S3 is not a cheap car to run, and certainly not if something major goes wrong, in fact it can get eye-wateringly expensive for what is basically a small hatchback, and that's true even if you use an indepedant because it's the parts prices that are high.

The main things the S3 has going for it are 4WD (waits for the 'but it's only Haldex' comments from people who don't understand that slip is not wheelspin), the build quality, image and exclusivity. You don't, as a general rule, get chavs in S3's (as opposed to LCR's and CTR's of similar ages), and the S badge is still considered special by many a car enthusiast.

If you're serious about getting one, find somewhere with one you can testdrive first, see what you think, decide if it's worth the money (the value holding abilities of the S cars is quite scary, but that can make them a poor second hand choice), and work out if you can realistically afford to repair it if it goes wrong in a major way. (remember we're talking about 7-8 year old cars here, it doesn't mean they are all going to explode or anything daft, but it's worth remembering).
 
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Thanks for the replies so far people. I'd just typed out a big reply but my IE crashed and I can't be arsed to retype it all so here's a summary!

3 series Compact - too girly! Don't think I've ever seen a man driving one.

Regular 3 series is a very nice car but a bit too big for my liking.

Leon Cupra R - another possible but not sure on the build quality (interior plastics etc). What's it like inside compared to a new Golf? Have driven the new Golf's quite a bit and that's the minimum sort of build quality I'm looking for.

Dolph - The main thing that worries me is the age of the S3, although the reviews I've read around the 'net suggest the S3 is a solid reliable car and parts aren't actually too expensive. The Yaris hasn't had a thing go wrong in the 5 years I've had it so I'm not used to high running costs. It costs me £35/year tax, £40/year service, £30 MOT and £200/year insurance! It's still on it's original tyres after 45k mile as well! In a way I don't want to get rid because it's so cheap to run but I've done the sensible car thing for 6 years now and it's about time to bring the fun back into driving. When I had my 106 I'd go out for 200 mile drives just for the hell of it but the Yaris isn't inspiring enough! :)
 
scratch said:
Leon Cupra R - another possible but not sure on the build quality (interior plastics etc). What's it like inside compared to a new Golf? Have driven the new Golf's quite a bit and that's the minimum sort of build quality I'm looking for.
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It is identical dash and interior to the A3 of the same age, so the interior quality is as good as you are expecting it to be, infact IMO better than a MK5 golf.
 
paradigm said:
It is identical dash and interior to the A3 of the same age, so the interior quality is as good as you are expecting it to be, infact IMO better than a MK5 golf.
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Definitely better than a Mk4 Golf but I wouldn't say it's better than a Mk5. The interior is becoming quite dated now.
 
I wasn't referring to the style, which yes, is becoming dated. On the whole, the MK4 golf and A3/Leon seems, or at least gives the impression of a nicer interior quality than the Mk5 Golf.

I really dislike the MK5 golf interior, it feels cheap and nasty.
 
paradigm said:
I wasn't referring to the style, which yes, is becoming dated. On the whole, the MK4 golf and A3/Leon seems, or at least gives the impression of a nicer interior quality than the Mk5 Golf.

I really dislike the MK5 golf interior, it feels cheap and nasty.
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I actually found the interior of the Mk5 R32 I drove to be not too bad. Quality was on par with my Toledo as far as how well it was screwed together but plastics in the Golf were of a slightly better quality. Where they both fall down on interior quality is the doors. The interior handle assembly especailly is very flimsy.
 
[TW]Fox;11163545 said:
Remind us again what you are replacing, for a bit of context ;)
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Hehe..it's a turbo diesel...grrrrrr :) The Yaris was only ever bought to be a cheap car. I paid £6500 for it (with a list price of £10500) and 5 years later it's still worth £4500, which is pretty good going methinks :)

I've been looking at pics of the Leon and just can't bring myself to appreciate the rear end..it just looks wrong!
 
scratch said:
Dolph - The main thing that worries me is the age of the S3, although the reviews I've read around the 'net suggest the S3 is a solid reliable car and parts aren't actually too expensive. The Yaris hasn't had a thing go wrong in the 5 years I've had it so I'm not used to high running costs. It costs me £35/year tax, £40/year service, £30 MOT and £200/year insurance! It's still on it's original tyres after 45k mile as well! In a way I don't want to get rid because it's so cheap to run but I've done the sensible car thing for 6 years now and it's about time to bring the fun back into driving. When I had my 106 I'd go out for 200 mile drives just for the hell of it but the Yaris isn't inspiring enough! :)
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Parts expense is relative. The S3 isn't that expensive to run compared to other cars of similar performance, but it is expensive compared to other cars of a similar size.

It'll certainly be significantly more expensive than your Yaris has been, but that's not a reason to be put off, only something to be aware of. Expect an average of about 30mpg (less if lots of short journeys or booting it everywhere), servicing is going to be around £150 from an indy, or £200-250 from Audi (it's not a car you want to take to any old garage IMO), tyres will be expensive and probably last around 15k. Road tax will be full whack, and so on.

Ironically, a deal like you originally got for your yaris would be spot on for me for a second car.
 
Dolph said:
Ironically, a deal like you originally got for your yaris would be spot on for me for a second car.
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I do hope the rest of the forum doesn't spot me saying this but have you considered a Fiat Panda 1.1? No, really, you can get them brand new for £4995 and unlike traditional £5k new cars, they are actually not that bad..
 
[TW]Fox;11164705 said:
I do hope the rest of the forum doesn't spot me saying this but have you considered a Fiat Panda 1.1? No, really, you can get them brand new for £4995 and unlike traditional £5k new cars, they are actually not that bad..
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Methinks this man's been on the pop :D
 
[TW]Fox;11164772 said:
Sorry where was I.

LOL ALL CARS IN THIS THREAD ARE CRAP GET A BMW 5 SERIES LOL

;)
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mr fox, you are guilty of many things... least you can laugh at some of the guff thats chucked at ya

back ot

seriously dude... a leon IS an a3/s3 but with that badge on its just sooo much cheaper. go take a look at one... wish i had.
 
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