Uncle Creepy

Sadly, I would have to agree that Audis are really boring cars to drive... and that's coming from a TT RS owner. (I have also driven the new RS3 and a MY2011 S3). A lack of steering feel is indeed a factor, but also the way they handle just doesn't particularly excite. Finally, even when accelerating or driving quickly, there doesn't seem to be any sense of speed or occasion, probably due to the extent of the sound proofing.

And regarding the supposed infamous Audi build quality, in my experience, this couldn't be further from the truth. My car has squeaks, rattles, and buzzing noises coming from various locations, and as soon as I get one fixed, another rears its head. And the multiple courtesy cars I've had from Audi during my short ownership - which I've required due to really poor reliability - have suffered from similar build quality issues, eg. random noises.

I'm a member of Audi forums, and a disproportionately high number of RS owners seem to report reliability issues with their cars. The mantra amongst owners seems to be: 'if you own an RS, you have to accept ownership comes with several thousand pounds of repair bills a year'.

I'm not saying they're all terrible, but from my experience, Audi makes second-rate performance cars, plain and simple. I'll certainly never buy another!

OP, depending on which neck of the woods you live, I'll happily take you for a spin in mine some time.

dpb

Several thousand

I imagine uncle creepy , because it is SO well insulated , you probably more aware of every last squeak .

what you needs a thousand pound ****box xsara , at least itll be more fun/pound haha

Uncle Creepy

scooby k

Think I've heard it all now, will pass on the s3.

Shocking to hear the newer Audi cars suffer such expensive problems, I thought BMW M models and AMG's were costly to maintain but damnnn.

How did u find the new rs3. I think they sound blooody awesome for a hot hatch.

Uncle Creepy

Overall, the new RS3 is very nice, but it's not the most engaging driving experience I've ever had. It was only a test drive, though, so I couldn't go too bonkers! A good mate has just bought one - £47k all specced up - so no doubt he'll let me have a proper hoon in his soon. But if you buy new, reliability isn't a concern, as the warranty will take care of anything.

Here's an interesting thread, especially post 26.

https://www.scoobynet.com/non-scooby...liability.html

Any flagship German model (RS, AMG, M) is going to be costly to repair. Considering the performance, the TT RS is actually a reasonably cheap car to run in terms of tax, fuel, and insurance. However, new front brake pads and discs are £900, and obviously if anything major goes wrong and an out-of-warranty trip to a main dealer is required, it's probably time to sell a kidney!

S cars won't be quite as costly to repair, but personally I wouldn't buy one. I know a fair few people with A models, eg. A1/A4, and they seem fairly reliable, but the S and RS performance models seem to have more than their fair share of issues.

Uncle Creepy

Here's a thread from a month or two ago:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/t...&t=1593721&i=0

It's quite long, but if it's the one I'm thinking of, there are a fair few people who don't rate Audi reliability too favourably.

scooby k

The reviews complained the rs3 for its lack of driving involvement and 10k higher price tag compared to its rivals.

The Golf r comes up as being the winner, lot of car for the money but suffers from early turbo issues. Not sure how wide spread though.

stilover

I'm really surprised at your comments regarding reliability. More surprised that you have squeaks and rattles inside your TT-RS.

Every Audi either me or my father have owned have been completely issue free. From S4's, RS4, R8, and S3. Not a fault (Touch wood on the S3)

I've had more issues with Ford, Peugeot, and Renault. Renault being the worst.

Biggest problem with Audi is the hit and miss of a decent drivers car.

Uncle Creepy

When I've moaned about my car's reliability to people, their responses have been either: "I/my dad/my mum/my friend had an Audi and (it never had a single issue OR it was constantly back at the dealer for repair work.)" There doesn't seem to be a happy medium; they seem to have had either amazing or dreadful reliability.

Strangely, my experience of Ford and Peugeot was trouble-free motoring... well, until they completely died!