new member with a craving for a S3

[jedi-knight83]

hi

you probably get posts like this all the time but please dont just ignore this one.

I have a corrdo vr6 at present but am selling it very very soon to make way for an S3.

Being quite new to the whole s3 thing though i have some questions please

are there any known problem areas to look out for when test driving private sale cars?

did the face lift just change the headlights and the rear lights and the dash or were there any actual body alterations?

is it true that the 210 bhp ones were actually nearer the 225 mark than audi cared to admit?

any general buying advie would be greatly appreciated.

Im looking for a dark blue car with the full silver leather and the bose upgrade. im not fussed about the year but would like under 50k and i have seen a few for around the 12k - 13k mark as private sales.

thanks

[jedi-knight83]

i just thought of another question.

can the later style headlights be retro fitten to the earlier cars?

thanks

[DuncS3]

Yes they can.

Take a look in the S3 section as the questions in your original post have been asked previously.

Good luck!

Dunc

[jedi-knight83]

thanks, i have had a look and managed to answer some of the questions i think.

when is the new s3 coming out as i guess this will affect the price of the old ones...i.e they will go down and i will get one cheaper

[jedi-knight83]

oh and also.. were the crome mirriors standard or optional on the facelift model..i cant stand them so would hope they optional or can be swapped back to body colour.

and were all the seats heated or was it an option?

thanks

[bjacks]

Chrome mirrors were an option on both pre and post facelift cars, as were heated seats.
You will easily be able to get someone to p/x your chrome mirrors as people will give you about £250 a pair for them as well

You can put the later style front lights on as well, these may be an expensive purchase though.

Not a lot of difference in the engines, both tune to virtually the same anyway.

Things to look out for are pretty few and far between above the usual you'd look for on any car.
Some have duff dual mass flywheels which can be identified by letting off the throttle in 5th or 6th at 3k RPM and you will feel a kind of vibration through the car,
hesitancy and poor running can be MAF sensor,
clutches can wear pretty quick,
seat recliner handles can stop working or brake,
crunchy gearboxes common (especially when cold).

Good luck fiding one mate,

Ben

[TWH]

Yeah, the light's will cost ya - I had one replaced after some silly bint drove into me and it was over £500 I believe. As for the alterations, I've been led to believe that the facelifted cars had better suspension fitted than the 210 ones, but I'm sure some of the guys in this forum will know more than me.

Good luck finding one, they don't seem to disappear to quickly though - looks like bristol audi have finally sold my old one - they've had it since end of June .One thing though, once you've had one of them you just want more which is how I ended up with my beast (now been 2 weeks in the garage and this bloody soot chucker is soooo boring!!!)

[jedi-knight83]

thanks for the replies.... would be interested to confirm if the suspension was actually different pre and post face lift??

im in cambridge and none of the audi dealers around here have ANY S3's at the moment...so annoying!

think i have found one privately though..enthusiast owned. jusk over 60k but with lots of love black with black leather and the revo chip and mtm clutch. hopefully look at it this weekend...oh its the face lift model aswell

[DuncS3]

Facelift looks much nicer in my opinion (interior and exterior).

Useless fact for you but the silver mirrors were a no cost option in Germany, its only here that Audi UK decided to charge you £250 + vat or so...

Regarding suspension, its been rumoured but never confirmed AFAIK

Dunc