Civic Si. vs. Audi S3?

[suhhh]

I know that the S3 is in a completely different class than the Si but wanted to see if any of you had experience with Audi/S line or have had it before and could share some thoughts.

I definitely would consider a sports luxury car and I find the S3 very eye catching. I'd consider an F80 M3 but it's a bit out of my price range and I wouldn't want to lease it. I love the look of it a lot and think it looks extremely sleek and compact and also has pretty good modding potential.

I would probably be looking at a 2016-18 S3 with 30-40k miles or less and was wondering if there's any issues I should be looking out for. Main concern would obviously be reliability and any major issues with higher mileage ones.

Thanks all

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[skottharrison]

Isn't the S3 just a nicer GLI, and the GLI have GTI DNA?
So did this just morph into a GTI thread?
Joking aside, the S3 is seen as more mature and adult and people will take you seriously.
If you decide to work on the S3 yourself, it's a lot different than the Honda's. I'm not an expert on special tools, but repairs or work on the car is going to be more complicated and engineered compared to the Honda.

 

[suhhh]

Isn't the S3 just a nicer GLI, and the GLI have GTI DNA?
So did this just morph into a GTI thread?
Joking aside, the S3 is seen as more mature and adult and people will take you seriously.
If you decide to work on the S3 yourself, it's a lot different than the Honda's. I'm not an expert on special tools, but repairs or work on the car is going to be more complicated and engineered compared to the Honda.

From what I've read online, it's usually in comparison to the GTI. But agreed about the more mature and adult image, such a good looking car. My buddy recently got one after trading his Mustang GT S550 and he said he loves it.

But yeah Audi is foreign territory to me, seems like it would be much harder to do any work that's not basic. I'd probably find a specialty shop near me as there's a lot of them.

 

[VarmintCong]

Just a word of advice from someone who bought two used BMWs and drove them a long time.

Don't think cause the S3 has depreciated $10k from new, that it's done depreciating - it'll drop like a stone til it hits like $3k and then level out. You won't save much buying a used one.

Compared to a low depreciation vehicle like the Si, it'll cost you about double to own. I don't think they're worth it.

 

[civicmanic]

Why not a Golf R? Same DNA, but doesn't seem to depreciate near as much.

 

[Phil2019]

I know that the S3 is in a completely different class than the Si but wanted to see if any of you had experience with Audi/S line or have had it before and could share some thoughts.

I definitely would consider a sports luxury car and I find the S3 very eye catching. I'd consider an F80 M3 but it's a bit out of my price range and I wouldn't want to lease it. I love the look of it a lot and think it looks extremely sleek and compact and also has pretty good modding potential.

I would probably be looking at a 2016-18 S3 with 30-40k miles or less and was wondering if there's any issues I should be looking out for. Main concern would obviously be reliability and any major issues with higher mileage ones.

Thanks all

Raced a 2018 s3 and it made me see the dust

 

[suhhh]

Just a word of advice from someone who bought two used BMWs and drove them a long time.

Don't think cause the S3 has depreciated $10k from new, that it's done depreciating - it'll drop like a stone til it hits like $3k and then level out. You won't save much buying a used one.

Compared to a low depreciation vehicle like the Si, it'll cost you about double to own. I don't think they're worth it.

Yeah this is very true, as soon as they start hitting 100k mile mark they start going down real quick because nobody wants to deal with the issues. I don't really want to lease, but if I did decide on the S3 I would probably consider getting a CPO and taking the depreciation hit from there, probably the best route

 

[suhhh]

Why not a Golf R? Same DNA, but doesn't seem to depreciate near as much.

I like the styling of the S3 much more, looks like an angry pug lol. I do like the R/GTI platform and have a lot of respect for it but to me it's a little mundane and "everyday car" looking. Personally if I start getting into that price point then I want something that looks a bit more sleek and stylish

 

[aighead]

I don't have much recent experience with Audi, but my dad's side of the family has had a lot of Audi's in the past and I've thought about them as well as the newer ones look sharp and some sound amazing. My issue is the same as VW but probably even worse (but again this perspective is several years old), all the weird electronics liked to stop working, fit and finish goes to crap for some reason, crazy expensive routine maintenance, etc... They drive like beasts and are fun but I wouldn't really trust them. My dad had an A4 that was loads of fun in the corners, prior to that an old 4000 Quatro that was a tank anywhere, grandpa had an A8 that would feel like it was going 25 at 100mph...

 

[suhhh]

I don't have much recent experience with Audi, but my dad's side of the family has had a lot of Audi's in the past and I've thought about them as well as the newer ones look sharp and some sound amazing. My issue is the same as VW but probably even worse (but again this perspective is several years old), all the weird electronics liked to stop working, fit and finish goes to crap for some reason, crazy expensive routine maintenance, etc... They drive like beasts and are fun but I wouldn't really trust them. My dad had an A4 that was loads of fun in the corners, prior to that an old 4000 Quatro that was a tank anywhere, grandpa had an A8 that would feel like it was going 25 at 100mph...

Yeah this is a big hurdle for me, leaving JDM to go european. My dad used to have a VW GTI when I was a kid and after he sold that my family was primarily Mercedes Benz. Issue after issue though with electronics and just shit constantly going wrong made us switch to Honda and nobody in my family has ever wanted to switch back. Growing up mostly with Honda's and having my first car as a Honda has ingrained the idea of reliability in my head. Although I know there are EU cars that are reliable during this time I always feel like everything will always be less reliable than Honda lol

 

[AlphaDigital]

Audis are slick cars and a great combination of luxury and sportiness depending on the model. My friends RS3 is a riot. The car itself is a tad small in my opinion but it looks great. The RS3 is a whole nother beast though.

My neighbors GolfR which uses the same powerplant is also really nice, and the car is ridiculously fast with little mods. I think the APR tune puts it at a high 11 second quarter mile with the DSG and a couple bolt ons which is insane.

With all that being said, I dont think id want to own one outside of warranty unless I could do the work myself. Im just not proficient with german cars and I think the parts compared to a honda are quite a bit costlier.

 

[suhhh]

Audis are slick cars and a great combination of luxury and sportiness depending on the model. My friends RS3 is a riot. The car itself is a tad small in my opinion but it looks great. The RS3 is a whole nother beast though.

My neighbors GolfR which uses the same powerplant is also really nice, and the car is ridiculously fast with little mods. I think the APR tune puts it at a high 11 second quarter mile with the DSG and a couple bolt ons which is insane.

With all that being said, I dont think id want to own one outside of warranty unless I could do the work myself. Im just not proficient with german cars and I think the parts compared to a honda are quite a bit costlier.

Very true what you said and I agree. I also wouldn't want to own one without warranty as well because german cars are unknown territory to me and I have no idea how to work on them. I'm still young (24), I think I just got a bit excited at the prospect of it. Although I can technically afford one, I still need to take into account maintenance costs and need to have backup money in case things go wrong. Definitely a sleek mature car but I think I might just need to wait a bit until I'm in a more financially better position to get a new/new-ish one rather than settle for a 40-50k mile one and risk it

 

[AlphaDigital]

Very true what you said and I agree. I also wouldn't want to own one without warranty as well because german cars are unknown territory to me and I have no idea how to work on them. I'm still young (24), I think I just got a bit excited at the prospect of it. Although I can technically afford one, I still need to take into account maintenance costs and need to have backup money in case things go wrong. Definitely a sleek mature car but I think I might just need to wait a bit until I'm in a more financially better position to get a new/new-ish one rather than settle for a 40-50k mile one and risk it

If youre stuck on Audi, a B8 S4 might be worth a look. I have a bunch of Audi friends that say theyre really reliable. They are pretty nice and quick too. I think for the most part you want to avoid the higher mileage ones, but im not educated enough on German cars to really know for sure.

 

[suhhh]

If youre stuck on Audi, a B8 S4 might be worth a look. I have a bunch of Audi friends that say theyre really reliable. They are pretty nice and quick too. I think for the most part you want to avoid the higher mileage ones, but im not educated enough on German cars to really know for sure.

Not necessarily stuck on Audi but if I decide to go the luxury performance route then I would likely choose Audi over MB/BMW. I'd consider a BMW F80 if my finances allow though lolol

If I don't go luxury then I'd consider an S2K, miata, 240, just go a cheaper build route and stick w my Si as a daily

 

[civicmanic]

I like the styling of the S3 much more, looks like an angry pug lol. I do like the R/GTI platform and have a lot of respect for it but to me it's a little mundane and "everyday car" looking. Personally if I start getting into that price point then I want something that looks a bit more sleek and stylish

Did you see the new one? Also, if it matters to you, the golf r is available in manual. S3 isn't.

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/11/03/2022-volkswagen-golf-r-specifications-photos/#slide-2275116

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