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Audi S3 is awesome

PLF8593

Drag Race Newbie
Location
Philly
Car(s)
19 Alltrack 6MT
This was true until the '17 model year. Now I cannot find a Golf R (Base MSRP $39,375) for less than $40,xxx. and attempted to negotiate with only getting $300.00 under MSRP. With the S3 (Base MSRP 42,900) and Golf R only $3000.00 difference in price, I feel like I could negotiate the S3 to a price lower than the Golf R, since the local dealers won't budge on the price.

My only issues is that I cannot justify spending $40K on a compact car.

Yeah but that S3 wouldn't be as well equipped as the R for the price, so you'd be paying nearly the same amount, for less features, less utility, and a badge with 4 rings instead of 2 letters.

Also, what's your issue with spending money like that on a compact? Compacts weigh less, so they're more nimble/sporty. You'd rather get a BMW 5 series? I guess it's just a matter of what you value but I will never drive a "luxury car." I need fun on my commute, and not just in a straight line.
 

ScottVoiers

New member
Location
Cleveland, OH
I'm totally on board with people saying the interior of the S3 is nicer. I'm big into the feel of the buttons and dials and such and the S3 has nicer tactile sensations in its switchgear than the R IMO. I'm also probably one of the few people who likes the pop-up navi display and the S3's climate vents. If the car was offered in 6-speed manual I would have gotten one.
 

TheWombat

Go Kart Champion
Location
Vermont
This was true until the '17 model year. Now I cannot find a Golf R (Base MSRP $39,375) for less than $40,xxx. and attempted to negotiate with only getting $300.00 under MSRP. With the S3 (Base MSRP 42,900) and Golf R only $3000.00 difference in price, I feel like I could negotiate the S3 to a price lower than the Golf R, since the local dealers won't budge on the price.

My only issues is that I cannot justify spending $40K on a compact car.

Yeah, could well be. I bought my R last year at well under $40k. Here, though, the one VW dealer in town is also owned by same company (and across the street from) that owns the Audi dealership. They used to be in the same building, when I bought my GTI some years ago, and that was no fun--the VW folks got pushed into the peasant quarters. I imagine price comparisons would get weird.

Up here, they sell few S3s or S4s, and lease a butt load of baseline A4s.

Like you though I'm not thrilled about dropping over forty grand on a car in this class. I'd rather save up and go up a class level.
 

N10S

Ready to race!
Location
St.Louis area
I got a fairly long solo test drive in a cpo 2016 S3 this afternoon. I have owned two v6 bi- turbo S4's in the past and was interested in how the cars power stacked up and also how it would feel compared to my stock gti pp. Man I have to say it was quite impressive. I have not had the chance to drive an R yet but I have to say if it's in line with S3 then it runs a lot better in stock trim than I expected.

As far as the interior I am not a big fan of the tablet on the dash and the control knob on the console. The seats with the extending thigh bolsters are really nice. I have been in golf R's and they feel and look pretty much like the gti. Whether you like the Gti/GolfR interior better or not is a matter of taste, but for me personally the S3 cockpit is definitely a more upscale feeling driving environment . With new S3's running in the $48-53k range I am not sure the Audi is $10-12k more special though. I need to take a closer look at the golf R's again and get a test drive. I owned a mk4 r32 years ago and maybe it's time to go that direction again.
 

TheWombat

Go Kart Champion
Location
Vermont
N10S;446236 With new S3's running in the $48-53k range I am not sure the Audi is $10-12k more special though. I need to take a closer look at the golf R's again and get a test drive. I owned a mk4 r32 years ago and maybe it's time to go that direction again.[/QUOTE said:
That's the real sticker for me, that and no manual transmission option which I think would be perfect for such a small sedan. No doubt the S3 is a great car, but is it worth the price differential is always the question.

Out of curiosity, how did your experience with the S3 compare to driving the S4?
 

CLapperhighs

Go Kart Champion
Location
United States
The other thing about the S3 is they were wayyyy more available when i had ordered my R. IDK if that's still the case. So I ended up in an S3 instead because my R had no ETA, and Audi coral springs got me $10K off on the S3! Which was nuts. So i got a loaded S3 for $2000 more than my R was going to be. So yes the sticker is higher, but it seems to be much easier to get a deal on one. So take that into account.

And the interior of the S3 with the super sport seats is pretty incredible. Does not feel like a $42,000 car. Feels like an $80k car. I love it.

I do miss the hatch of my GTI though..


EDIT- (So i did not notice the two previous pages in this thread Lol... only saw the top post on this page. oops)
 
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