Go_Hawks

Hey All, the '17 A3 Ara Blue has me mesmerized and I've very seriously considering getting one. From what I understand, the Ara Blue isn't offered here in the States as one of the stock colors

I've never owned a European car much less an Audi so I need some help from Audi/A3 owners with what I could expect with the transition from Honda to Audi. Right now I have an '08 Accord V6 with 140k miles and she's still running strong albeit a few signs of aging here and there. I haven't ever had to go to the stealership for maintenance yet. I replace all the fluids myself along with any other necessary regular maintenance.

Here are some of my questions:
1. How reliable is the A3? What's the average lifespan? I've heard Audi comes with a lot of maintenance issues (parts just randomly breaking down). Is it just part of the deal (living with parts breaking down prematurely)?

2. Since the Ara Blue is the only color I want (but with a $4,000 charge as a custom color), is it worth it to go for an S3 instead?

3. What are some general things (ie. pros, cons, etc) I could expect from making the transition from an Accord to an A3?

4. Is maintenance easy enough to DIY?

Thanks

Go Hawks

Firefighter

I just sold my super gas efficient Prius and bought an Audi A4 Cabriolet. It is a 2009, but fortunately for me, not one of the oil guzzling ones. You are making a long term investment and you should get what you want. Assuming you have the car for 5 years, that $ 4,000 is only $ 2.19 per day. Easy for me to say since it's not my money, but if you can afford it, why look at your Audi every morning and think "why didn't I get the color I wanted" ?