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I am in the motor trade and can drive any number of VW/Audi cars and have had TTs, V6 4motions, numerous GTIs etc.
It took me 4 years of trading before I got my hands on an S3, all the others were too expensive or rough.
In July I bought a 94k mile 2001 model year (facelift) one in silver with silver alcantra/black leather interior with options of sunroof, Bose, Symphony and with just 1 owner, a marketing director for a well known holiday firm in Suffolk - I only got to buy it because I bought his wife's Recaro clad Mk2 GTI 16v and it was on his drive. Transpired he didn't know what to replace it with and had considered Imprezas but they weren't his style so he held out for a new R32 DSG. On the day he got his new car, I met him in Norwich and picked up the S3.
The drive back to Birmingham will be a fond memory - sunny mid-summer saturday evening, empty roads - I always thought the S3 was just a slightly more focused Mk4 Golf GTI but while the basic powerplant is similar the rest of the car is nothing like the Golf with a very firm and unwallowy ride, tenacious grip, enticingly gruff if not tuneful engine note and so much torque!
That was 2 months ago and during this time I have taken it to the Nurburgring for a gentle lap as well as the more usual commuting and clocked up 3000 miles.
During this time all I have had to do is replace the thermostat due to slow warm up.
It seems to love Shell Optimax (now V-power) which it's been run on from new and is discernably slower on hot days, with more obvious shove into those lovely Recaros when the temperature is below 20 degrees.
I'm really struggling to know what to replace it with seeing as I can only have VAG cars, an RS4? a 996 911 (not officially VAG I know)?
Back to the V6 4motion and there really is no comparison, it's sloppy suspension and nose heavy stance as well as its anodyne looks mean it's much heavier fuel consumption is not justifiable, the R32 is better but it's too in yer face for unhassled city driving and you are looking at £15k for a good one when £10k will buy an excellent late S3.
So if you've got a nice well cared for and historied S3, you've got a very nice car.

S4 - obvious answer. Ask around on the B5 S4 forums... it is such a great platform to play. If you can spend the extra the RS4 is even better, ready to reach 450+ bhp with a few bolt on extras. The S4 you can see 350 with a little work, but the motor must come out to go past this point and achieve RS4 power.

With the suspension uprated the S4 is a very capable car... up the brakes & you are onto a winner. You can mod these cars with time over the 450 mark & honestly - bang for buck I simply dont know of another car that can compare!

Have had my 2002 '02 S3 for three and a half years and still think it's a great car - especially once it was remapped, as it really seemed to come to life after that.

I had considered trading it in against an RS6/S4(B6/7) when then need for a bigger car came up, but had been tempted by the RS4 for a few years, and in some ways it was the similarities with the S3 that help convince me (same Recaro's, etc.) - plus the price meant the other car (a Clio) could go.

B5 S4 is tempting but the MPG is significantly worse, yes it can be made to produce 450 bhp (I've driven ash318's MRC tuned S4) but that doesn't come cheap.
Also while I appreciate discreet cars, the S4 doesn't have the wider arches of the S3 and looks a bit boring in comparison plus not all have the excellent Recaros of the S3 which are pretty much the same as those in the RS4.
I've driven a B5 RS4 recently too and what a car but entry level is £20k for an X reg with 100k which is more than double that of an S3 though it's SOOOO much quicker but as for handling, it isn't exactly neutral and is less of a track car than the S3. And if you talking £20k then that buys a decent 996 911.
Sticking to £10k what is there? And don't say WRX, I like quality AND performance!

The only way you are going to tick all the boxes is to spend a small fortune. I know that if I sold the S4 I would be stuffed for choice on a replacement. There is simply nothing in this cars class that offers the performance/status etc of the S4. Tough one mate, glad I am not in your shoes.

In defense of the S4... the MPG is not bad if you are on more open roads. If I drive around town 1st, 2nd, maybe 3rd in my trip to work & back 10 mins eihter way I get 180 miles for a 55l tank. If I am on the open road however I get 350miles. That is well up on my boring 2.8quattro A4 I used to have which got about 280 on the open road!!! If you are mixing your driving you should see respectible MPG figures for what the car is. Certainly better than Evos, Scoobys & v8 S4's etc. Not quite the economy of the S3 though... you are blessed there.

S4 is tempting, good point..

BTW, there is one thing I hate about the S3, I am 6 foot and can't get the seat low enough, must be a Recaro thing as I can in every other Golf IV based car I have driven....

I am 6'2 and I actually have my recaros a little higher in my S4 as I feel it is too low at the lowest setting, so there must be a little extra head rom

Always have both at their lowest setting, but the mounting of the seat in the RS4 means that the seat goes noticably lower - could be the fact that the seats in the S3 have to allow access to the rear seats.

Usually drive both regularly, but if I've been driving the RS4 for a while getting back into the S3 can feel a bit weird to start with because of the seat height.

For the price, a below average miles B5 S4 would be a very similar proposition to the S3 - both very tunable, well built cars, not an Evo/Scooby. What put me off the B6/7 S4 was the amount you had to spend to see any performance gains.

There is not that much performance gains you can get with b7 without spending silly amounts of money, although this is just from my initial research. I've had my B7 since june 29th and have managed to do nothing have not really seen anything with great value for money. ie even Milltek systems will not really offer any benefits.

Drove my S3 today from Silverstone to Aylesbury on A413, "one of best roads in Southern England" according to a local and it's true!
Good visibility for overtaking and some challenging corners.
A good friend who knows about cars was in passenger seat and he could not believe how poised the car felt during this 30 mins journey.
I was amazed too, I normally feel nervous driving hard through corners but the S3 gave me so much confidence it was untrue!