father_jack

I've just been offered a 2001 S3 for £21k as a private sale.

Question is how can you tell if its a 225bhp one rather than a 210bhp one and what's involved in getting the other 15bhp back if not. i.e. is it just a chip.

Also it's probably an import (haven't seen the car yet), how can I tell and what warranty should it have? I don't want to trust what the owner has to say and would like to be armed with facts beforehand.

Any info appreciated

Cheers

FJ

Veracocha

Father jack,

My MY2001 S3 is 210bhp, as are all MY2001s. The 2002MY are 225bhp as far as I know. One thing to bear in mind is that Audi update the ECU when you get is serveiced and I think they update it with the 225bhp map anyway. When I had my 20,000 mile service done, afterwards it felt noticably more punchy and the fuel economy dropped slightly so I think is has had the update. Also we have had older S3's dynoed at 230bhp that are completely standard so I wouldn't worry about getting the 225bhp model.

The warranty is a year as standard and the guy will have official paper work to prove so.

If you get one, have a great time it is a superb all rounder!

father_jack

Great reply - cheers.

btw - are Audi a bit sniffy about dealing with imports or are they happy to take the cash?

Veracocha

No problems Father Jack!

From what I have heard you will have more difficulty selling an import. Some dealers are fine and some sneer at them and offer you bad prices.

For 21K you should be able to source a uk spec S3 unless you are after a fully loaded one with sat-nav etc.

Jon Jonzz

As Veracocha says, you should be able to get a used UK 210bhp S3 for less than £21k - a brand new S3 (225 bhp) from the car supermarkets is only £21,999.

My local Audi dealer told me that the used prices of the old model S3 had dropped £700 in the trade over the past month or so.

Veracocha

Yeah it's a little bit annoying that to a certain degree the S3 bubble has burst. When I first got mine last April you could sell them for as much as you bought them for if not more, as demand was so high but not met. Now so many are being imported that resale values have dropped but they still hold better than most other cars including other Audi's.

father_jack

It was an ex-work friend that was selling this one, so I was hoping for a swap + cash. Unfortunately he's just sold it to a garage in London who are picking it up today. He said none of the dealers in Scotland would touch it, but sold it no bother over the phone to the one down south.

P1Fanatic

Was looking at the S3 a while ago and its a bloody great car but a few things put me off it:

1. Size of boot - smaller than A3 with haldex system taking up space. I like my golf so need room for 2-3 bags of clubs.

2. Gearbox - seemed very notchy/clunky when changing gear.

3. Audi salesmans attitude - seemed like he couldnt wait to get test drive over and done with. Thought it was me being young etc but a lot of people get the same bad service. Phoned another and was promised a call back as soon as they had their new 225bhp demonstrator in so I could go on an unaccompanied drive - never got the call back and was the end for me.

Apart from that its great. Youll be hard pushed to find a car with a better interior (blue alcantara mmmmmm), build quality and depriciation. A little pricey for the performance you get but £700 gets you another 40bhp courtesy of a chip.

Other than that cant really fault it. Just prefer the rawness and agressive looks/performance of the P1.

Simon.

Jon Jonzz

Veracocha, I agree that the S3 bubble has burst - not only by imports, but most Audi dealers have 1 or 2 on their forecourts whilst such stock was rare a few months back.

Like P1Fanatic says the S3 is a very good all round car if space is not paramount. I still have not decided what to replace my S3 with.

ChrisG

I think there is a new A3 being released at the start of next year. Yet more depreciation?

Veracocha

The interior was part of the attraction, I too went for blue alcantara and after a year they still look superb!

A chip is a must and I really want one! You can expect about 260 - 270bhp and 260-280lb/ft from a good MTM or AMD chip putting it on par with a UK Sti7.

Veracocha

This is the interior that I have, even though the photo is taken from a guys car called 'Blue' on the audi-sport.net site! .

http://www.audi-sport.net/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000948

BTW how do you turn it into a shortcut link??

P1Fanatic

If your lazy Click Here

Veracocha - edit this post to see how I did it

Simon.

P1Fanatic

P.S. I reckon the door inserts would look good with the P1 interior and blue Prodrive seats

Veracocha

Cheers P1fanatic.

You can have this private drag video now: New S3 about to be *run in*