5,000 miles in 7 weeks...

[HYFR]

Hit 5,000 miles today since 30th Nov...

Mmmm what are my thoughts...

Not much tbh! LOL

Decent little car, not really that special.

Miles better than an S3, but I'd say an S4 avant supercharged is a smarter buy all round.

Looking forward to abit of snow tomorrow to put the quattro to good use.

Great engine and gearbox and good brakes for the road. Looks good also. Just old chassis/old tech.

No build quality issues with the car at all.

I say it still, great VFM proposition as a brand new RS car that you could factory spec....but as soon as you start talking used, the field opens massivesly as your talking B8 S4/C6 RS 6/B7 RS 4 etc etc ... Yes all a few years older but the RS 3 is such an old car anyway you'd be better off if you went for one of these as long as it was mint with Approved warranty...

[P_G]

Is the range getting anybetter DK?

If the S4 had the RS3 looks and weight it would be a winner but both are a compromise compared to the B7 RS4. But then the RS3 is a compromise that fits in my garage!

Don't know about you but I still prefer the 5-pot note to the superchargerd V6. Personal preference on that one.

[Chrishumes]

Good thoughts there mate, im tinkering between a s4 avant, rs4 and rs3...

Rs4 too old now and maybe costly to repair and higher tax

Rs3 still about 5k too much

S4 auto lower tax, and probably my choice, but it hasnt the rs badge...

[HYFR]

Range, not noticably. Got 311 out of a tank today, filled with 30m on the dash, so I guess if I drove to zero you're talking 340...but that was ALL motorway.

I think if you can find a MINT, low mileage B7 RS 4, for £25k I think you've got a better buy...aside from the gearbox the RS 3 is the same if not older tech. The interior in the B7 is miles better quality and feel. Put a 2010+ RNSE in the B7 and your ICE is the same....yes fuel economy and tax are more, but depreciation will be less so overall cost of ownership isn't much different.

All opinions anyway, and I still maintain as the chance to factory spec and be the 1st owner of a practical, fast 5pot RS car, at £40k it is good VFM....but as contradicting as it sounds, I think as a used buy, I'd put my money else where...

[P_G]

Seems odd, I've got 265 on the clock on this tank and the needle is sitting just on the plus side of the 1/4 tank left marker. And that's on winter tyres so I'm good for 340 ou of this tank as well I reckon.

Fuel economy is a LOT more in an RS3 and makes the RS4 look draconian in fuel consumption, on my current standings 50% more which for the miles I do and you do is a lot, I'm reckoning at the mo £120-150 a month in fuel alone saving in the 3. I agree regarding the interior material quality but the cabin is bigger (or the front seats flimsier) in the RS3 than the RS4 and the 3 doesn't to date like a drink of oil like the 4 did. on the whole the proposition of running the 4 and the Ibiza vs the RS3, I'm £300 a month better off which probably combined with maintenance / MOT / insurance increased costs of the two cars vs 1 just about balances the depreciation . So now the cost of tuning is the case for me and the 3 will get a lot more out of it for less whereas for me to get more out of the 4 was going to start costing serious amounts of money.

[geek]

Hit 5,000 miles today since 30th Nov...

Mmmm what are my thoughts...

Not much tbh! LOL

Decent little car, not really that special.

Miles better than an S3, but I'd say an S4 avant supercharged is a smarter buy all round.

Looking forward to abit of snow tomorrow to put the quattro to good use.

Great engine and gearbox and good brakes for the road. Looks good also. Just old chassis/old tech.

No build quality issues with the car at all.

I say it still, great VFM proposition as a brand new RS car that you could factory spec....but as soon as you start talking used, the field opens massivesly as your talking B8 S4/C6 RS 6/B7 RS 4 etc etc ... Yes all a few years older but the RS 3 is such an old car anyway you'd be better off if you went for one of these as long as it was mint with Approved warranty...

Nice and balanced there old bean.

My only comment would be S's depreciate much harder than RS's.... on balance though, quibbling over % points of depreciation on cars like these is someone pointless.

[HYFR]

Yes, tbf, I wouldn't like to do 5000miles in 7weeks in a 4.2V8!!!

But if mega miles is not what you do, the fuel economy difference is balanced with lower depreciation in that comparison.

I do see the pro's of the RS 3, espcially for you P_G

But, if it were my money...£35k for a used RS 3 with 10k on the clock vs. £25k for a mint approved B7 with 40k on the clock...I'd go V8 power!!!

[HYFR]

Or £35k for a used facelift S4 avant!

The S4 B8 does get decent fuel economy when trying also
Would get 340miles from one of those albeit bigger tank.

[gilford]

It seems I'm the only person who much prefers their RS3 to their RS4!

The RS4 is a cracking car but for me just felt very dated.

I still think the RS3 is faster also

[HYFR]

I just can't understand how a B7 can feel dated compared to a RS 3

The B7 has a LCD colour dis vs. The dot matrix thing in the '3

The interior design and build is timeless IMO.

I'm trying not to bash the RS 3, I do think its good...but in my opinion, and my 5000miles, its just good.

But in my 3 RS 4's they were all great
And having done 20,000+miles in a B8 S4, that's a 'good' car with a whole load more modern stuff around it!

[P_G]

That statement alone says a lot though, 3x B7 RS4's of your own money, 1x B8 S4 qand 1x RS3 albeit company cars I imagine you could have chosen the same again if it was 'that' good? Or indeed bought one. Don't know what it says about you and TT-RS's though..... And trying to to fins a used S4 TFSi isn't that easy unless you want it in obligatory black, white, silver or red. And IMO it doesn't carry Sprint as weill as the B7 RS4.

I have to agree with DK,the interior quality of the 3 is not better than the 4 bar a modern RNS-E and proper multifunction steering wheel but then it is a breath of fresh air only because I had the 4 for 5 and a bit years and the interiro is sufficiently different. As for being faster, if in the right gear when it decides to allow you to (even in sport mode I feel it can be dimwitted) and in the low end 'shove' power band it does feel and may indeed be faster but the RS4 always felt fast but then maybe part of that is the caucophony of V8 sound.

I think the litmus test for for me is when I got the 4 after a heavily modified S4 I felt it didn't need anything doing to it and took a couple of years before modifying started. The 3; I'm already thinking ARB's, remap and haldex controllers to make it how I believe I want it. But then relatively it will be cheap to do this. And no carbon cleaning or potential vacuum issues or loss of kick etc. etc....

It's a very good car the RS3 but standard it is not for me a 'great' car. I always knew I had been spoiled with the 4. I'll give it more time for the engine to break in more and get summer tyres back on before writing a review to see how much it has to improve by before I start adding to it. (well, except maybe an ARB )

[HYFR]

I've had 2 S4 B8's ... One manual and one S-tronic.

Will order another if I still can

[P_G]

I can't keep track!

[Nickyboy]

Does this mean you're getting rid of the RS3 and getting something else already? Any chances of you getting a B8 RS4/5?

[MikeFish]

Didn't I read somewhere that he had an RS4 and TTRS on order?