Buying an S3 ?

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  • Jon441cc
    S2Forum Fiend
    • Dec 2005
    • 2061
    • Country: United Kingdom

    #1

    Buying an S3 ?

    Im on the look out for an 1999-2001 S3 but would first like to find out about some of the pro's and con's of ownership. If any members on here have any feedback or know of any good examples for sale, it would be most appreciated.
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  • s2driveruk
    Super Moderator
    • Jul 2003
    • 12696
    • Country: England

    #2
    only downer i know of was the initial coil packs but i guess they must have all failed and flushed through by now.

    Well specc'd for sure
    sigpic

    1992 3b S2 Coupe

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    • Jamo
      Retired OG Mod
      • Mar 2004
      • 21750
      • Country: United Kingdom

      #3
      speak to 4wheeldrifter about them he has one in his fleet

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      • madpugger
        S2Forum Extremist
        • Sep 2007
        • 1901
        • Country: Scotland

        #4
        I have one, and whats more its up for grabs!

        They are really nice, but I prefer the I5 sound!

        The standard map is pretty poor I think, it seems very slow to me, but that may be because if the torque of the S2 confusing me. I had a Supersprint full system with de-cat on it and that helped considerably with the torque. Seats are amazingly comfy, steering is very sharp. Its like any modern car really, the waistline is pretty high so reverse parking can be a right PITA at times. The BOSE is fantastic, it blows my mind every time i drive it, even just listening to the radio.

        Cruise can be fitted at minimal cost due to the fly by wire throttle it has which is a bonus. Also a remap now costs much less than it did as the 1.8T has been round a while!

        Le Mans 2012
        Nurburgring 700
        1995 S2 Avant

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        • RIX
          S2Forum Addict
          • Jul 2004
          • 229
          • Country: Denmark

          #5
          go for the one with BAM engine face lift version is so much nice.
          i had one when i lived in germany(summer of 2003)
          the was from 21.1.2002 blue with blue sweed bose sound,i tried a 210 version and to me it felt alot slover,
          mine also hand the hand polish alu mirros
          great car
          not tuned it showed 255km/h
          with 18" wheels 250km/t
          race at tuned s200 a we where dead even.
          misit bought it with only 10tkm on it

          regards
          RIX

          Comment

          • 4WheelDrifter
            S2Forum Zealot
            • Oct 2004
            • 5773
            • Country: Devon

            #6
            I've recently been looking around for another one. There seems to be a lot of dodgy ones about now, so make sure you check the history and ID thoroughly before you buy.

            It seems to be window regulators, clutch pedals, MAF's, ABS longitudinal/lateral sensors, and recently thermostats and G62's that seem to go IME. I've not come across any coil failures yet. I think that's a myth.

            Beware of low mileage cars IMHO. A lot seem to have pretty bad service history. The owners don't seem to realise that cars need regular servicing. Just because a MY2000 has only done 70k doesn't mean it should be still on its original cambelt, for example. A yearly oil change is obviously what you're looking for.
            Make sure they've had a healthy diet of fully synthetic oil. I have taken the sump off ours asap to check the oil pick up pipe. Some seem to have trouble with oil pumps otherwise.

            If you're thinking of a remap for one, >MY00 have no EGT or WB lambda sensing, so can melt engines if you're not careful. But MY01> have 2 lambdas, so tend to be fussy about de-cats.
            Other than that 210 or 225 end up about the same remapped. They are pretty slow stock.

            I thought the Bose system was good, until I got used to the S8 Bose. Now it sounds rubbish.

            There are lots of options to choose from. So it depends on how fussy you are to how easy it will be to find one for you. Finding the right car one with all of them can take a long time.

            Oh, and new mirror covers are fairly cheap, so don't be put off by S3s with those chrome/alloy effect mirrors, which strangely seems to be most of them.

            HTH
            SS

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            • RIX
              S2Forum Addict
              • Jul 2004
              • 229
              • Country: Denmark

              #7
              one the 225 there is hydr.cam adjusting,it´s just generally a better looking car
              the bose sub from the a4 is bigger but not sure if it fit´s.
              had one coil fail on mine,i drove 17tkm in 5month´s,that´s how/nice a drive it is
              the moved back to denmark could afford the tax we have here so bought a s2 avant
              the rear diff oil only last 20-30tkm

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              • Jon441cc
                S2Forum Fiend
                • Dec 2005
                • 2061
                • Country: United Kingdom

                #8
                Ive spotted a couple of ringers for sure on Autotrader, contact via email only

                Im not a fan of the polished wings mirrors, colour coded are the way to go i think and good to know that they are cheap to replace.
                sigpic

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