Should I sell my S3 8L? If yes, what should I get?

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Forbzeeee

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Hi all

I am in a similar situation to many others in that it is time for me to change my car and get something else.

I have owned my 2001 S3 8L for 3 years but feel its time to go. I absolutely love it, its got a Stage 1 Revo remap, lowered on KWs, H&R ARBs and is immaculate inside and out. I have never had any problems with it, apart from the intermittent cutting out of the Bose sub but other than that the car is perfect. I do about 12k miles per year and drive to work every day (20 miles per day being motorway).

This is the best car i have had. I love the power, the looks, the feel, the quality and the reliability. I have previously owned Toyota Celicas ST185 and ST205, Honda Civic Type-R EP3, BMW 330Ci, Mitsi FTO V6 MiVec, MKIV Golf GTI.

Because I love my Audi so much I am considering either an S4 (4.2 variant) or an S3 8P and planning to spend upto £15k (maybe 16k but thats pushing it a bit).

So the question is this.... What would you go for and is there anything else i should consider?
 
Things to consider are running costs, the S4 will be heavy on fuel, and parts and servicing are more than the 8l S3. I dont know a hugh amount on the 8P but same again check the cost of running, have a chat to the guys on the 8P section to get an idea. If it was me and I could afford one Id go for an S4 advant, you'll be able to pick up a very tidy one for a lot less than an 8P S3, but then its an older car also.
 
I would go for an 8P S3 if it falls into your price range. S4's are nice, but it's going to feel like a boat after your 8L S3. Depends what your priorities are really.
 
Not liking the idea of it feeling like a boat. I need to go on a few test drives i think. So far the S3 8P has 1 vote, S4 none
 
With a budget of 15k I'd go for an Edition 30 Golf Gti, you'll get a good one with that budget.

If the budget was 20k then I'd go 8p S3, for your money though you'd get a better golf than S3 IMO...
 
Squash that last comment, just had a quick look, 8p S3's have dropped in price a lot, you could get a nice one with your budget, I'd get an S3 actually :)
 
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Thanks All, a friend at work has a Ltd Edition 30 Golf GTi and yes it is very nice but i am not sure that i could go back to a golf from an S3. I don't know why, but for some reason it just wouldnt feel right.

Update: I have looked at the running costs of both the S4 and the 8P and the S4 seems like it will cost a good deal more on a daily basis which will leave me less money for mods.

I think i am swaying more towards the S3 8P but keep the suggestions/opinion coming guys.
 
audi upgrades
I would'nt sale mine but if i was lookin for a new car id get a golf r32 around a 54 plate around £11,000 and keep the change!,or i would sale my car if i had the money for an rs4 around a 54 plate lol,any1 got a spare 20 + grand??
 
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looker89 said:
How about a Lotus elise? Or a an M3?
Click to expand...

One you need a hand to get in/out of and the other you'll need a hand to get out of a ditch with the recent winters...unless you drive like Miss Daisy
 
You should buy this £500..bargain..

df1efcb9e7c8553c42ce2e28db0facd1.JPG

02dc511e8b437e15527751e3bd24049b.JPG

:wtf:
 
How about a 3.2 V6 8P A3 with enough left in the budget for a filter, exhaust & wheels, mabey even a few tasty retrofits (RNS E, Bluetooth, LED DRL etc etc) My choice would be the manual 3dr but theres also DSG gearbox & Sportback 4dr. You'll pretty much be getting a Mk5 R32 golf without the "downgrade" back to a golf..
 
If it were me I'd be tempted to stretch a little for a porche cayman (starting around 15k now) sports car with luxuries
Sticking with Audi, S3 8p is tempting especially seeing 300bhp reasonably easy but they are slightly bland IMO.
I dont think the 8L S3 can depreciate too much more quickly, maybe stick it out for a little longer? I thought about changing but for the money there isn't too much that is streaks better than an 8L!
 
audi s4 b7 4.2 v8 saloon shape would be it for me m8.
skyline r33 gtr if you want the power.
bmw m3 e46 for the noise.
lotus exige or vx220 for handling.
8p s3 if you just want a newer verson of what you have.
 
Thanks for all of the feedback, replies etc , it is greatly appreciated. After reviewing these suggestions i think i am going to stick it out for a bit and wait for the right 8P.

Thanks goes to Jay A3 for the link to the 8P (i think it is very nice) and thanks to W3STY for persuading me to keep my 8L.

Just out of interest do you guys think that the 8P is over-valued? Don't get me wrong, I am all in favour of slow depreciation but, considering I was thinking of moving from a modded 8L to a standard 8P, I would be paying double the money. To me it doesnt sound like i will be getting twice the car.

Just my opinion, so sorry if i have offended any 8P owners out there.
 
There is no way you are getting twice the car, and if you are thinking that please do some homework....
ive done it from a bmw e30..m to a e36..m to an e46..m ...snobbery asside the e30 one them all.... the worst imo was the e46 m3, so i thought i would try audi....:shrug:............and im happy,,,,,:blush:
 
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You know your current S3 8L inside out having owned it for 3 years. So with that kind of spare cash I think I'd be tempted to go for some additional mods rather than jump ship. Problem is, my re-mortgage just swallowed up my spare cash. I reckon I invested at least "50bhp-worth" in the house. Darn it!
 
Fuel and tax sold me on an 8P over an S4, and the size. To be honest, I really wanted an RS4, so I figured an S would feel a little disappointing... the V8 would be nice though.
 
I had a Nogaro Blue 8L S3 for about a year and a half - I loved every minute of it, had it looking exactly how I wanted it and apart from 1 coil and a window regulator going, I never had a single bit of bother with it and it sailed through its MOTs (52/03 on 102k miles).

I sold it in May this year and upgraded to a Solar Orange 8P S3 (I love Sprint Blue but didn't want another blue S3) and as much as I still miss my old S3 to a certain extent, I'm really really happy with the 8P. I considered E46 M3s, S4 Avants, BMW 1 series coupes etc but I stuck to what I liked and I'm positive I made the right decision. I love Audis and I love S3s, so it made sense just to upgrade to a newer version of what I already had. Plus the 4WD is second to none in the winter and really bad snow, I was the only person who could get out the street last winter, everyone else had to park right out on the main road.

Edit: I get around 29mpg in the 8P and pretty much the exact same in the 8L, so it's pretty good on fuel considered engine size/type etc, and the tax is £260.00pa, so again its not exactly cheap but it's far from the worst.

My old 8L

photo-48.jpg


My new 8P

photo-84.png


photo-71.jpg


I hope that helps :)

Lauryn
 
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Yeah i love seeing an 8L s3 on the road..... ive seen 10 in a month, then none in a month, and the owners always do an admiring stare....
a 8P s3 guy/bird parked next to mine last weekend in a empty car park...lol and they both looked great...evo stylee
 
MartayMcFly said:
Fuel and tax sold me on an 8P over an S4, and the size. To be honest, I really wanted an RS4, so I figured an S would feel a little disappointing... the V8 would be nice though.
Click to expand...

I also thought about getting an RS4 but do not currently have budget to buy one at the moment. Maybe in a year or two (unless i win the lottery some time soon)
 
Peachy said:
I had a Nogaro Blue 8L S3 for about a year and a half - I loved every minute of it, had it looking exactly how I wanted it and apart from 1 coil and a window regulator going, I never had a single bit of bother with it and it sailed through its MOTs (52/03 on 102k miles).

I sold it in May this year and upgraded to a Solar Orange 8P S3 (I love Sprint Blue but didn't want another blue S3) and as much as I still miss my old S3 to a certain extent, I'm really really happy with the 8P. I considered E46 M3s, S4 Avants, BMW 1 series coupes etc but I stuck to what I liked and I'm positive I made the right decision. I love Audis and I love S3s, so it made sense just to upgrade to a newer version of what I already had. Plus the 4WD is second to none in the winter and really bad snow, I was the only person who could get out the street last winter, everyone else had to park right out on the main road.

Edit: I get around 29mpg in the 8P and pretty much the exact same in the 8L, so it's pretty good on fuel considered engine size/type etc, and the tax is £260.00pa, so again its not exactly cheap but it's far from the worst.

My old 8L

photo-48.jpg


My new 8P

photo-84.png


photo-71.jpg


I hope that helps :)

Lauryn
Click to expand...

Lauryn, I think i am going to follow in your footsteps! 8P is the way forward.
 
Syvo said:
looking at this then noticed the 205 underneath 6k for a 205 he has got to be having a laugh
Click to expand...

And the 912 for £40k!
5 years ago they were £15k.

Do you need back seats? Will you have to drive it all year?
I'd be tempted to get an Elise or maybe Boxter S (for the sound) and a cheap winter hack!
Or maybe a B5 RS4 (they've come down a fair bit recently and can be had from £10k onwards...) and a mk2 Golf runaround to save a bit on fuel and adding miles to the RS...

Yes, i've given this a fair amount of thought recently!
 
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