Thinking of buying...

[SubZero]

An S3, you may think I'm crackers as I currently have 2008 Mondeo Titanuim X and I'd dropping back 7 years... I want a smaller hatchback that's going to be fun to drive with enough power to put a smile on my face when I'm feeling in the mood! Really love the look of the S3 and it certainly ticks some boxes on paper performance wise but I'm a bit apprehensive of getting a 14 year old motor!

Before the Mondeo I had a Mk1 Fabia vRS which I sold with 150k on and it's still knocking about now, I know 1.9 tdi's can do mega miles, but I miss the fun factor of driving a warm hatch.

Got the chance of a mint low mileage 2001 S3 in red with the 210bhp engine that's covered 80k miles and has a full Audi history for sensible cash... Looked at a 225bhp S3 but it had done nearly 130k for similar cash and I believe the road tax is £490 per year on the bigger bhp model?

Would the S3 be a safe bet or you reckon it could potentially turn into a money pit and i'll regret it? Don't know much about the 1.8T VAG engine but have seen quite a few over the 100k mark and some getting on for 200k, so it must be a fairly strong power plant if looked after? Just want something nippy and reliable and as I said really like the look of the S3's and my Fabia was a great car so the S3 I'm assuming is a much better machine? Not expecting anywhere near the mpg though but I don't do that many miles nowadays.

Good or reckless decision?

 

[<tuffty/>]

210ps (AMK)/225ps (BAM) are same road tax... Band K

<tuffty/>

 

[dusty]

Do lots of research and view lots of cars Before deciding these cars can quite easily turn into money pits if not carefull have a read through the stickies section plenty of info there

 

[SubZero]

210ps (AMK)/225ps (BAM) are same road tax... Band K

<tuffty/>

Ah right cheers, I thought the 225ps just went into band L with 226g/co2, won't dismiss a 225ps then as £500 for tax would be a bit much.

Do lots of research and view lots of cars Before deciding these cars can quite easily turn into money pits if not carefull have a read through the stickies section plenty of info there

Yeah I'll have a look around at some motors first before deciding, the red one is low mileage for it's year with a good history but equally a higher mileage one with a decent history in good condition could be just as good? At that mileage you'd think more wear & tear items have possibly been replaced. Will have a look at the stickies, cheers.

 

[Persian]

Ive just bought an s3 2002 BAM engine which is the 225 bhp and firstly road tax on all these cars or any car before 2005 I believe is £295.

Now the main point, I literally drove up and down from London several hundred miles viewing several cars till I found what I did. One mistake I made was looking at cars below 90k miles which is a real struggle with these s3's.

Yet the one I bought is on 110k however 1 owner and for that I found literally everything to be in perfect condition for its age. Cost wise I'm having a bit of fuel problem with mine as its drinking more than it should returning 18/19mpg (I've got a post on this if your interested).

As lots of members told me before purchasing leave a thousand aside for sure and now I know why!! For the obvious the cambelt etc needs doing if you intend to keep the car so £350-600 depending, apart from that my clutch is on its way out so I assume whether it's the master or slave that would be a triple figure also!

Overall I do recommend s3 absolute fun to drive and just look at for petrol heads like me however do consider spending time and money making it as perfect as you like. Expect the unexpected in other words...

Also I would avoid modded s3 unless from the forum as 2 of them which I saw where absolutely rubbish.

 

[allan mc]

Not a red one frkm durham is it?

 

[Tom93]

If you could take vcds and a smoke tester with you that would be ideal lol.

 

[SubZero]

Not a red one frkm durham is it?

Yeah that's the one, you know it?

Just had an email back from Audi with details on service history for the red one, as follows.

I have looked at the service history and Teesside Audi have only carried out 1 service on the S3. I can see on the national Audi database where the car has been serviced for you so I have made a list below for you of the dates and mileage and the dealership for you.

I cant see that the cam belt / water pump has been changed. You may need to call Poole Audi just to ensure they haven't changed it as I cant access there invoices to see what was changed, Poole Audi - 01202 775050


Poole Audi - 26/11/2002 @ 9,016 miles - service.

Poole Audi - 02/07/2004 @ 25,125 miles - service

Poole Audi - 06/07/2005 @ 34,704 miles - service

Poole Audi - 15/06/2006 @ 41,604 miles - service

Poole Audi 17/08/2007 @ 54,453 - service

Teesside Audi - 21/08/15 @ 81,205 miles - Full service inc haldex oil change and MOT test

Hmmm.... Bit sketchy, I've been told that it has been serviced by an independent garage after 2007 and the latest one at Teesside Audi, it should have had two cambelt changes now on age alone?

 

[allan mc]

Been to view it, its not great, i will telk you my findings at dinner time as im about to start work now, paint and damage

 

[SubZero]

Ah right not worth it then? Garage likely telling me porkies as I asked about the condition, told them I'm not gonna bother viewing it if it's in average to below and they said it was in excellent order for it's age and I wouldn't be disappointed...

 

[S3-LINCS]

Most these cars will be leaking boost at this age mate.
I've had 3 now and the pipe work under the inlet is old enuf along with the tip ect for renewal..
A few bushes will need doing soon if they ant been done wishbones ect...

A good tune and you have a 12yr old car that will leave most new cars standing!

 

[allan mc]

Well the red one, first impressions was good but it was raining when i viewed it, but upon closer inspection the things i noticed were possible new wing on drivera side (panel gaps slightly out) headlights, one faded the other not, passenger side had not much oil or grease on door hinges and whole side been painted so possible new door at some time, also door mirror cover cracked on passenger side, trim not fitted correctly on passenger door either, bit of rust on one of the wings (cant remember which side) bits of over spray on passenger side

Inside seemed good, cup holder wouldnt pop out, pixelated dash, also after a short drive i never got any heat through but i may have had it on wrong settings, trim seemed good condition

Drive (this is the only one i drove) bit of blue smoke from first acceleration as my friend pointed out but couldn't see any myself, clutch and gearbox seemed fine, boosted fine and drove quite well

Personally i think its been modded and put back to standard, has air filter on and it may have some sort of exhaust

Its not a bad car but not 4k worth, maybe £2900-£3400 as they didnt know if the cambelt and so forth jad been done, just too much wrong with it for my liking, paintwork that had been done was good but not sure how ling it had been done, might rust through in a month lol

But go and have a look if your not too far away,i offered £3400 and they refused, but thinking now im glad they didnt accept lol

Hope this helps

 

[Cleotra]

You mentioned that didn't want to get lemon nor moneypit.

Well 81kw tdi might not be as fun but in the 3 years of owning mine literally the only thing i have done out of the usual service is to replace a thermostat and a relay 109.
Insurance is dirty cheap and 50 to 55 Mpg on average in city driving after certain cheap mods.
96kw might be faster but in general it is not as robust and introduced more potential leaky parts.

 

[SubZero]

Thanks for the info, decided to give that one a miss.

Just done a history check on total car check and it's clear with the amount of MOT failures & advisories over the years it hasn't been well maintained, if the information given is correct.

Heres a few samples.

 

[dusty]

Thanks for the info, decided to give that one a miss.

Just done a history check on total car check and it's clear with the amount of MOT failures & advisories over the years it hasn't been well maintained, if the information given is correct.

Heres a few samples.
View attachment 74924 View attachment 74925 View attachment 74926

I don't blame you for giving that one a miss, no oil on the dipstick is a definite warning, I wouldn't rush into buying an s3 viewing as many as you can will help, I think you will just kind of know when you've found the right one

 

[thegoal007]

Be wary of comments like....its good condition for its year.
Or too many previous owners......as you can imagine the excuses you will hear.

 

[SubZero]

Found another one that I like the look of nice colour & interior, it's a bit older 1999 model with higher mileage but below average for it's age @ 123k, full service history apparently and the ebay advert from the dealer says it's recently had a new turbo and still under warranty.

Looks tidy but a bit pricey for age & mileage @ £3595? I'm budgeting for around the £4k mark. Private plate included as well.

http://www.alpinemotorco.co.uk/detail/173381/used-audi-a3-hatchback-s3-quattro-3dr-wigan

 

[Stuart B]

I have owned mine for 2 months and it has been on the road for less than half that time. I paid 2900 and have already spent 500 extra on basic parts, it likely needs another 500 on other parts (not including CAM Belt and Water Pump). They are great fun, but the limit of the car - so everything seems to go wrong.

I have been driving cars since 1987 and never once had to remove and service the brake calipers just to change the pads or had a service history include gearbox rebuild, 5 ignition coils and MOT failure history with split CV boots every 3 years, replacement drive shafts, failed seat motors, failed sun roof motors, a door that opens when you drive over bumps, a stereo which never picks up radio and gets worse with the aerial connected, traction control sensors that stop working if you park overnight on a slant, seized / rusty ruined brake nipples (they will probably snap when I try and remove them at the weekend) - sealed unit gearboxes where the manufacturer recommends you never change the oil but owners say you should. oh and a sticking cup holder but I fixed that Nearly every bolt I try and undo is rusty and seized, sensors have been disconnected, splash guard removed, oil leaks, squeaky clutch, rough idle, blowing exhaust.

I am enjoying doing this and I assume the value will be held (but it gets dark early and it is wet on the drive) - maybe I got one that wasn't cared for well enough?

I have a lovely interior too

In my opinion if you want something fast and fun and problem free there are other cars for 5K, if you want a future classic / project then the S3 8L is for you.

I have learnt a lot about turbos and an awful lot about how complicated cars actually are and the effort involved to make them faster / more powerful. The forum is a hive of knowledge, it actually scares you to make changes because you realise you really don't know the full impact.

 

[Stuart B]

By the way that car looks lovely are they aftermarket wheels, all my complaints disappeared when I looked at the S3. they are like emotion magnets.

 

[S3-LINCS]

Sounds like you got a good un Stu.
Maybee you should off had a rac/aa check and you would if probs give it a miss.. There just like any other car really mate only as good as you look after them really...
Its a good job we have the fourm with all the tech guys to get info off or we would all be scratchin r heads ay lol...
Am looking to go s4 after Xmas witch could be a bigger pain I will have to see!

Still keeping the s3 tho...

 

[Stuart B]

yeah I appear to moan and complain a lot, but do still enjoy the satisfaction of doing things - I will stop once I get the front discs, pads and bleeds done, well I may as well check the gear box filler plug undoes in order to change the gear oil next, and I really want to change the front drive shafts too - in order to eradicate the click on slow corners.

you know what it is like though you hear a noise and then open a can of worms. I think I have common things wrong but instead of one or two of them - I have them all

I had a T25 camper van for 6 years and the reason it was less of a pain is it is relatively simple - but I did have the nightmare underpowered DF water cooled 1.9 engine - but still managed to drop the engine drill and helicoil the exhaust studs and put it all back together on a weekend - with this car I cant even get my hand on the brake fluid cap to unscrew it.

Anyway I didn't mean to hijack the thread submitters subject, as s3-lincs said get an AA guy in to do all the checks (they have the confidence to challenge whereby I really don't) - I am not sure he would have actually picked up much - there was no errors in the ECU, the brakes were still perfectly legal I just wanted to change them, it started and ran and the door closed perfectly until I put lithium grease into the mechanism - he might have found the rear caliper boots basically absent - and the radio worked fine where I bought it for local stations and the CD player not working wouldn't have mattered to me, oil leaks are expected and I think a slight blow is common on these.

I will get it back on the road this weekend.

 

[S3-LINCS]

Lol yeh mate funny enuf I had a ****** bolt drop out today on the way home..
I thought I had run over something at first.. An thought I better check Got home jacked it up and there was a bolt missing out my ****** dogbone mount.. Replaced with large m10 for now as it fitted snug..
I thought my second gear felt a bit notchy this morning.. i had fitted a new dogbone about 2month back but must ov not torqued it up properly

 

[ayfreetee]

Don't let high miles put you off, as long as it's been well maintained, with plenty of oil changes, they go on forever, plus higher mile cars tend to have all the the work done that a lower mile car will soon need doing.

 

[Stuart B]

so as predicted one nipple seized and snapped off (neighbour will try to remove to retap - or I have a couple of purchases ready in case)

also I snapped a 7mm Allen key in a pinion but got it out with a stud removal tool, so one side is done one more side to do then full bleed and try again

 

[thegoal007]

3.5k for a 99 , "I" personally would never go for it. Main reason for me its just too early (and I will get shot down by those who own early ones),
but that's me and my own personal opinion. I'm sure there are plenty others who see that as absolutely nonsense...just like my taste in chrome additions!
Hey in years to come a fully restored (or rare mint original) early S3 may fetch silly money, but to flip that around what would a late S3 fetch in similar condition? But that's me thinking really long term!

 

[Stuart B]

that's a difficult call really a decent original 2001 AMK is 4.7K

what are 1999 S3? AGY? are they 190 BHP K03 or the same 210 K04?

 

[<tuffty/>]

that's a difficult call really a decent original 2001 AMK is 4.7K

what are 1999 S3? AGY? are they 190 BHP K03 or the same 210 K04?

APY, 210ps, K04... note all VAG power figures are actually PS not BHP... 210ps cars are actually 207bhp... 225ps (BAM etc) are 222bhp

<tuffty/>

 

[thegoal007]

that's a difficult call really a decent original 2001 AMK is 4.7K

what are 1999 S3? AGY? are they 190 BHP K03 or the same 210 K04?

a decent original 2001 for 4.7k - really? i would be looking at getting a decent 03 plate for that sort of money.
It depends on what we mean (level of..) by decent examples !

 

[basil brush]

"Age related marks" is my favourite
Age doesn't mark a car , carelessness does
Car trader waffle , I hate it