Bernie1123

new to Audi and test drove this one - nice car - dont know much about Audi though. Also drove the C300 Mercedes convertible - trying to decide which one so Audi enthusiasts I would appreciate your input Thanks.

Firefighter

Bernie welcome.
The word Mercedes here is a curse word. :-)
I have an older A4 convertible and it is the best car I have ever had. If the price difference is not too great go for the A4. I believe that the A3 does not have the Quattro transmission as all the other Audis do and the A4 is slightly larger and more comfortable. I'm not sure if the C300 is all wheel drive, but the quattro handles very well on all surfaces.
Just my biased opinion.

VWNCC

Those are 2 different class of vehicles. The A3 is entry level luxury and the C is an A4 equivalent.

The A3 has quattro AWD system, but it is haldex based, not torsen-based like the A4 and above. I think that's what the above poster meant about quattro transmission.

The A3 has the DSG transmission and is much better than the C300's gearbox. Interior quality wise, the C is no doubt more premium. Design wise is subjective. Performance wise, A3 2.0T quattro is similar to C300.

davisflyer

Mercedes C class cabriolet competes more with Audi A5. A3 cabriolet will be cheaper for sure. Looking at reliability, Audi is now way ahead of MB. I'm partial to the Audi A3 cabriolet because I own one. But there are too many subjective decisions between the two. Buy the one you like best!