Rick D

Hey Guys,

Currently living in southern Ontario and potentially looking to replace my old baby.

I currently drive an '03 VW Golf TDI with 375K KM (233K miles).

I absolutely love this car, I love how great the fuel economy, how cheap it is to maintain. Sure it is probably one of the slowest cars out there, but the low end torque makes it seem less slow.

I have had this car for 200K+ KM and 7+ years, and she has been a dream.

But I am prepared to move on.. but I am not sure to what.. (I am at a point where I want to set the budget at under $25K CDN)

Yesterday I test drove a couple cars :

(1) '10 S4 with high mileage (225K KM) - loved this car, it was so quick and firm and drove very nice. But I drive quite a bit (30K KM / year), and no exaggeration, this car would cost twice as much in just about everything than my current car

Price $17K CDN - very reasonably priced due to high mileage

(2) '09 A4 - (196K KM) fully loaded NAV, back-up camera, etc. this car was nice enough inside and out, and while not as fun, it is better on gas. This car has been in for oil consumption, and passed Audis requirements (stupid lenient) twice in the last year. My GF purchased an '09 A4 earlier in the year, and Audi did the full oil fix, and has been driving great with no consumption since, but the dealer said that they likely wouldn't cover this again.

Price $12K CDN

(3) '10 A3 TDI - (166K KM) - this car was base model, and honestly, I have no idea how they were making such basic cars. This car looked not much different than my '03 golf on the inside. This car felt homey, and familiar, but I want more of a new feel to it. I also would prefer a sedan, and the earliest TDI sedan was '15. Also I am not sure how this diesel issue is going to effect anything.

Price $14K CDN (not willing to move)

I haven't ruled out another VW, but if it isn't a TDI, I will be looking at Audi.

Any advice or conversations would be appreciated ! Let me know what you would do, and where to look next !

A4Audi4Fun

Engines between Audi and VW are pretty similar. The A3 is really the Audi version of a Golf. Given the mileage you drive, I'd probably stick with a VW. An S4 will be very expensive to run compared to your current TDI.


For 25K, there should a number of the new year A3's around or maybe enen something like a Golf R. Thing is, any of the petrol engines will be more expensive than your current TDI to run. With VW TDIgate you might also find a good deal somewhere on newer model TDI's. (A3 or Golf). If you are after more of that luxury feel, you might even want to consider a Jetta or an A4 but now you are getting into a larger vehicle. A B7 A4 (2006-2008) might be a good compromise for you though. y 2.0T is good on fuel (not TDI levels though) and if you chip it, they can be a lot more fun too.


Decide what's the primary requirement - economy or fun and then go from there.


2012 and newer Audi A3 for sale in Toronto | autoTRADER.ca


This search showed a number of A3's within your price range

Rick D

It's tough, I have only ever known economy. My foot is always to the floor in the TDI, and I still get 900+ Km to a tank, I can't imagine having to stop at the gas station literally twice as often.

I really like the looks of the 2015 A3, but finding a TDI seems a task in its own.

The new jettas seem to be very reasonably priced, and actually feel nice on the inside, and finding a TDI might be more realistic. But I would prefer an Audi if possible.

My car is still going strong, and its not unheard of to get 400K-500K KM on these 1.9 TDI's, so it may be years before I need to actually replace this car.