[michaelthepsycho]

Thinking about changing to a 2011 A3 TDI in Scuba Blue...
Don't really care about the power and handling as a daily driver and the fuel economy / insurance / monthly payment would be great. Any TDI / A3 drivers want to share their experience?

(I know this is an S3)

[immiketoo]

I LOVE this car. I had one as a loaner once and it was a GREAT little car! The transmission was awesome (DSC or whatever Audi calls it)

[michaelthepsycho]

Originally Posted by immiketoo

I LOVE this car. I had one as a loaner once and it was a GREAT little car! The transmission was awesome (DSC or whatever Audi calls it)

Yeah... The dual-clutch DSG (Direkt-Schalt-Getriebe) is one of the major selling points for me. And as far as I know, people tend to say it doesn't understeer as much for a FWD.

[Feyd]

I've got a Candy White 4dr TDI/DSG golf coming in at the end of the month (same underpinnings as the A3 TDI) and I can't wait. Doesn't have the same ammount of gizmos as the A3, but since I was mostly just looking for utility it doesn't bother me too much. The ONLY things I wish you could get on the golf were automatic headlights/automatic wipers, but it wasn't worth the extra money for me to step up to the A3 just for those features. That being said I ordered mine with every option but a sunroof (never used them in the last 3 cars I've owned).

If you haven't IMO you owe it to yourself to at least test drive the golf. Considerably less expensive and pretty nicely equiped for the money. I can only imagine that insurance is less as well.

Not sure what the scene is like trying to get an audi, but I had to special order my golf from VW (3 months from Germany) because they sold like hot-cakes because of the tax credits that the government was issuing. Just be prepaired to wait... or pay to have one shipped from some obscure corner of the US.

[michaelthepsycho]

Originally Posted by Feyd

I've got a Candy White 4dr TDI/DSG golf coming in at the end of the month (same underpinnings as the A3 TDI) and I can't wait. Doesn't have the same ammount of gizmos as the A3, but since I was mostly just looking for utility it doesn't bother me too much. The ONLY things I wish you could get on the golf were automatic headlights/automatic wipers, but it wasn't worth the extra money for me to step up to the A3 just for those features. That being said I ordered mine with every option but a sunroof (never used them in the last 3 cars I've owned).

If you haven't IMO you owe it to yourself to at least test drive the golf. Considerably less expensive and pretty nicely equiped for the money. I can only imagine that insurance is less as well.

Not sure what the scene is like trying to get an audi, but I had to special order my golf from VW (3 months from Germany) because they sold like hot-cakes because of the tax credits that the government was issuing. Just be prepaired to wait... or pay to have one shipped from some obscure corner of the US.

I've test-driven the Golf while shopping for a CC. I can't digest the styling so that's out of the question. I am prepared to do whatever's necessary for the Scuba Blue, though.

[maswastage]

I still think you should go for the golf tdi, it is basically the same car but significantly cheaper. If anything, it might perform better because i think it's actually lighter. If you insist in the A3, go for it. I think you'll be impressed with the dynamics of the diesel engine. Although, for the price of an A3 tdi aren't you getting awfully close into 335d territory? As far as I know Audi doesn't give any sort of discounts on their tdis.

[michaelthepsycho]

Originally Posted by maswastage

I still think you should go for the golf tdi, it is basically the same car but significantly cheaper. If anything, it might perform better because i think it's actually lighter. If you insist in the A3, go for it. I think you'll be impressed with the dynamics of the diesel engine. Although, for the price of an A3 tdi aren't you getting awfully close into 335d territory? As far as I know Audi doesn't give any sort of discounts on their tdis.

You can have a A3 TDI for $33k OTD. A stripper 335d is about $48k OTD. That's a $15k difference

[diehard]

hummmmm....nice!!

[Feyd]

Originally Posted by michaelthepsycho

I am prepared to do whatever's necessary for the Scuba Blue, though.

LOL... doesn't sound like you are making your decisions based on practicality.


As far as colors go, the 2011 Golf is only available in Shark Blue (kind of a light silvery blue) and a blue-graphite (exactly what it sounds like).

I actually wish it was available in a darker blue.. Originally, that was going to be my go-to color, but it is only available on the GTIs.

[freshwhite335]

I just test drove a Golf TDI with a friend who is looking for a new L.A. workhorse. Her and I both loved the Golf TDI except for one thing... there is a lot of vibration transmitted to the cabin when you're not moving. Being in L.A. and spending as much time in traffic here as we do. We ended up taking a GTI out after the TDI and she decided on one of those. I drove it too, pretty incredible car for $31k with all the bells and whistles. I agree with you Feyd, I don't know why VW can't include auto wipes and auto headlamps as options.

[maswastage]

Originally Posted by michaelthepsycho

You can have a A3 TDI for $33k OTD. A stripper 335d is about $48k OTD. That's a $15k difference

Well looking at base prices, a stripper 335d is 44K, but when you factor in the eco-credit and rebates it's actually 39K. The base price for the A3 is 27K, and as far as I know Audi doesn't offer nay special rebates for their diesels. So the difference is about 12K. I guess that's not as close as I thought, but it's not quite a 15K difference either!

Have you made your decision yet? Are you still categorically against the Golf TDI?

[Olagüe]

nice color ;-)

[michaelthepsycho]

It seems Audi dealerships aren't in need of sales... None of them have responded to me. WTF.

[Year's_End]

Love the S3. Couldn't care about the A3. I'd rather get a MkVI GTI.

[bmwcoupeftw]

I would choose Golf GTD or something. I own a Golf 2011 bluemotion 1.6TDI wich i use when i want to be very cool. It does look cooler then a Audi a3, and its interior also looks better. Audi A3 is for girls. Unless u go with a S3 or RS3

[3lusive]

If you would like, try looking into the Jetta sportwagen TDI. i have one in 6mt and it's a very good car. relatively fun to drive, and if i'm not mistaken, it has the same engine as the A3 TDI. Before we bought the TDI we did look into the a3 and thought it was more luxurious but a lot smaller. for only 26k it's not a bad deal, and it's not much different from the a3.

just a thought.

[janishjann]

Like the car very much... Beautiful in blue color and nice wheels..

[3002 tii]

I think the A3 TDI is a great car. I was looking for a commuter car last year with my new job which is approx 80-100mi round trip depending on the route I take. The A3 TDI had just come out at the time but I just had trouble justifying the price tag (if it included Quattro with 6spd, then it'd be a different story). I then looked at the MKV TDI but none were in stock, and on top of that there was no way getting past MSRP. These cars were selling fast and dealers need not discount them.

[OC Guy]

When I test drove and was in the market one I was not impressed. It was a far step down from typical Audi quality. The car felt a bit cheap inside and was a bit noisier than what I expected.