audi a3 1.8t vs bmw 328i

[bella]

it's time to change the car again. otherwise known as: my much loved and adored vw has lasted a year with me and it's about to fall apart. the repairs will cost more than it's worth. so we're selling it on.

i have 8 grand to spend. it can be spent either in the uk or germany. rules include no french cars, and nothing at the lower end of the specification range.

i've decided i want an audi a3. simply because i fell in love with the noise the door makes when you shut it, and they generally look like classy motors. and i want a change of image, pronto. i also decided i wanted an s3, but sadly the budget won't stretch to that in this country.

the car guru has come up with the idea of a bmw 328. my basic issue is that my parking space at home is too small. and i don't like the gangster's moll image that comes with them.

but which is the better car? an audi 1.8t a3 or a bmw 328? which is built better? does anyone know the car market in germany? do i stand a chance of getting an s3?

so many questions, so little time.

[JMeissner]

The BMW by far. RWD, 2.8 litre straight 6-cyl engine which sounds beuautiful. Of course it has sort of a bad image, but I think that is more of how you style it. Keep it standard.

The Audi is too boring if you ask me. For sure, great interiour quality etc. But FWD and a turbocharged 1.8 litre 4-cyl engine can't really compete with the BMW engine.

The BMW is far much more fun to drive, I mean you can control it with the gaspedal...

Check www.mobile.de for prices.

[Mackmot]

I think the A3 its more you Maria and you already love it. If you get the BM then you'll still be looking at A3's wishing you had one

[imull]

If you want an A3 save yourself several grand and buy either a Golf or a Fabia vRS.

BMW has the power and the right wheels doing the work

You can pick up older WRX and 2ltr Turbo Subaru's for 8grand...

[MichaelC]

Sorry to dash your hopes, but I don't think you don't stand a chance of getting a (decent) S3 for that price, and if you did then, much the same as me, you'd have little chance of insuring it for a sensible price.
However as an Audi man myself I think the 1.8T A3 is great, and I'd pick it over a BMW any day of the week. It will be less costly to run too.
However, is there anything necessarily wrong with the image of a gangster's moll?

[imull]

forgot to say that the vRS is new so second hand is a no no but at its price, an 8grand deposit would be bugger all in payments especially when taking into account free insurance (sure I saw it in an ad) the warranty etc....

[BertMk2]

Go for the Audi - smart looking motor, not too flashy and you get that lovely turbo whine. The BMW just screams (I really, really dislike Bimmers). You're far less likely to get cut up and abused by other drivers in the Audi as well

[Truckosaurus]

Following on from imull's Skoda suggestion, you can get a Octavia vRS (1.8t) for the £8k budget, this should be quicker and handle better than a cooking A3, and nearly as good as an S3 (180bhp vs. 225bhp, minus the 4wd of course), these cars are getting a good reputation with lots of the old school Impreza drivers (from before they were fashionable) switching to the Czech camp.

If you can see beyond the badge then you are onto a winner.

[garcon]

Very different cars really. A3 is a bit "girly" (purely my view!! ) but it's the sensible choice - cheaper to insure and run than a 328i, vastly better fuel economy and not alot slower. And people will let you out in traffic!

You won't find an S3 at sensible money. Did they do a 1.8T quattro on the early A3s?

Skoda vRS is a great car (180bhp version of the same 1.8T unit) but zero image, and used examples won't drop below about 11 grand unless they're thrashed & crashed... I wrote that before Guy replied - if you can get a decent one for eight grand you have a bargain!

By the sound of it you've more or less talked yourself into an A3 already. It's a quality car, good image, lovely inside - find one in the right colour with the right kit and you're laughing...

[MikeM]

My wife has an A3 1.8T and has been really happy with it. Day to day it's quick enough and handles well enough. If it's what you want - have it.

[TerryC]

hey, i've owned a golf 1.8T and a bmw 325i before which are similar to your choices. here are the pros/cons i've observed:

Audi A3 1.8T
*One of the most tunable engines from VAG. Could be chipped easily up to 200bhp+ with a software remap
*Quality interior which has soft leather feel to it
*Maybe not too pretty to look at, but the A3 is a nice car as an overall package. Bold & conservative.
*More practical being a hatchback
*Easier to drive due to FWD
*Handling may not be as good as on the BMW.
*Service cost may not be as cheap as you would think.

BMW 328i
*Nice sounding 6potter engine
*Limited tuning potential from N/A engine
*being RWD, more fun to drive (but slightly more difficult to drive especially in the wet)
*Has a nice sleeker look, more grown up style of car
*Interior looks & feels rather bland unless it's fully loaded with toys (woods, technical interior...etc). Tend to use many dull, plastic parts.
*Pedals are slightly offset to the right (in relation to sitting position/steering wheel) due to drivetrain
*Make you feel more special because the dash/console areas position towards the driver
*May have a typical "BMW" driver image associated with the marque.
*Service costs maybe high.
*Consumption is a bit higher than on Audi A3.

[TerryC]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by garcon
[B] Did they do a 1.8T quattro on the early A3s?
[QUOTE]

a mate of mine just bought one of these early high-miler for just over 5k from a small stealer. it's done 100k and with full service history. the early 1.8T quattro only came with 150bhp instead of the higher 180bhp output on later cars. great car though!

[Truckosaurus]

Originally posted by garcon
Skoda vRS is a great car (180bhp version of the same 1.8T unit) but zero image, and used examples won't drop below about 11 grand unless they're thrashed & crashed... I wrote that before Guy replied - if you can get a decent one for eight grand you have a bargain!

I did a quick Autotrader check before I posted, and there was a vRS for £8250 at a dealer, it was an '01 model with 71K miles, a bit leggy admittedly but it would all be motorway stuff so should be able to do another 71K without hassle (other than ignition coils )

[bella]

interesting so far guys, running costs still aren't an issue - thank god for having parents company in the motoring industry.

the 3 series will be too big for the parking space (what part of this does my father not understand? the person who parks next to me also has a 3 series), but it's also going to be too big for *me*. it's a coupe so i'm really worried the rear visibility's going to be dodgy, and i'm only little.

like what terry's saying about the tuning potential on the 1.8t.

i've had it with vw's. the build quality on my golf is non existant - the glove compartment doesn't shut properly and some of the dashboard is dropping down (can't think of any other way to say it!). my dad's p reg caravelle is exactly the same.

the golfs we would be looking at are the 1.8t and the v5. thing with the golf is, everyone's got one, you know what i mean? they're really boring. you see little blonde office assistants driving them.

also - i really liked the way my vr6 was chuckable due to the front wheel drive. rear wheel drive just gave me and my dodgy driving style really bad understeer, the golf gave me so much more scope to do silly things.

just checking for an s3 in germany - only ones below 12,000 euros are the barry wagons! prices are still a couple of grand lower than here though.

[TerryC]

with the 3-series coupe, obviously the rear visibility is not going to be as good as on a standard hatchback - without the extra boot to consider. it may actually surprise you that even though the 3er is a longer car, it's also a slightly narrower - golf & a3 are a little bit wider.

if you think you're more inclined for the audi, then just ignore what we said & go for it. however, a budget of £8k is really a bit tight to get anything half decent and one that had not had a hard life so it's probably worth a wait - don't ask me how long though as the S3 is always a sought after motor. people reckon you still need around £15k for a "decent" one.

i can understand what you said about the golf. everyone drives one. this is a problem with cars like this. same could be said for the many focus, astra...etc. the audi a3 is still pretty exclusive cos there are simply not that many of them around in comparision.

alternatively, try looking for a later model A3 1.8T Quattro with the 180bhp. you should still be able to get one hopefully if you try harder. good luck.

[bella]

correction - just found a stunning bright blue 1.8t quattro with 75,000 kilometres on the clock for 11,950 euros.

sad to see the golf go, but the 1.8t engine is faster than my vr6 so...

one last question - does the turbo whistle?

[josvandeperre]

No thats the boys....

Sorry should that be in the one-liners thread ?

[imull]

the turbo on all VAG cars is dissappointing. they have fairly low boost and also dont make as much noise as some others...

I assume the one in Germany is a left hooker Bella? Fine on the motorway but a royal pain in the ar5e when you get on to any decent road as you have to pull a long way out to see before over taking - the reason i would never have a LHD car

Also check what insurance etc is for a left hooker. My sister had a quote for LHD car vs the 1.3punto she eventually bought and it was rediculously expensive...

[bella]

i find lhd easier than rhd. my first car was a old 3 series french registered one, saved me a bomb in speeding fines. overtaking's easy, you just stick it in the gutter and look around the traffic that way. it gives you better positioning on blind junctions and it's so much easier to parallel park on the correct side of the road.

insurance isn't a problem, that's free anyway.

my theory is if we can get a 1.8t for less than 8 then i can get the lads at the store to spend the rest on upgrading the turbo and taking it somewhere to be chipped.

i have to test drive one tomorrow though, my dad's a bit concerned about the handling. he tried an a4 quattro a few years ago and went straight back after 2 roundabouts claiming it wallowed beyond belief.

[Mackmot]

With that engine you could get it sorted at Palmer's

[bella]

i don't think that'll be necessary.

[Mackmot]

Ive had an idea, why dont you get the polo you like and with the rest of the money get you race licence sorted

[bella]

because that's another matter to be dealt with by another set of funds.

this isn't the place to discuss this wayne.

[Mackmot]

sorry

[TerryC]

Originally posted by bella
one last question - does the turbo whistle?

bella, obviously all turbochargers spin at high speed that they would make the whirring "whistle" noise when boosting/accelerator is depressed. the turbo used on the Audi A3 are usually made by Garretts and it's capable of maximum boost of up to ~1.5bar. By default, the factory sets it at quite a low boost (probably only 0.7/0,8bar max), making it last longer & more reliable theoretically. This explains the tuning potential i mentioned earlier. This however can be changed quite easily with appropriate mods. If you get this car and want it to be louder, one can always fit a supersonic atmospheric dump valve, replacing the standard plastic one. The car will have that loud distinctive "psst" sound everytime the throttle is lifted - which can only be cool. i'm no mechanic but this is what i know. hope it helps.