musantemike

This is my first leased Audi (S3), And I find myself beating on the car bc I know it's going back to the dealer. Whereas, when I owned my A4 I would baby the car to make it "last". Anyone have this same mindset?

snagitseven

When you say "beating on the car" do you mean you are abusing the car while driving or not taking care of it's appearance?
Either way, whether leasing or owning, there should be a pride of "ownership" in a fine machine you live with every day for 3 or 4 years. Owning to sell/trade later or leasing to turn in or buyout at lease end - IMO there is no distinction to either with how well you should treat your investment.

markN1689

Paid cash for mine. Its garaged and I keep it super clean in and out.
1,000 miles but I've launched it more than a couple times already. Considering a chip after the first service but I might hold off.

If I were you I'd get the chip for sure though. Do you have it already?

BTW I'm forwarding this "Anyone else beat on their leased car" thread to you local audi dealer. Have a great day



jk

superswiss

I've leased cars in the past, but I didn't treat them any different than my current RS5 that I paid cash for. I drive/drove them hard and enjoy them while I can, but I keep them clean, take care of them and properly maintain them, even changing the oil more often than the scheduled maintenance calls for. Beating on a car to me means not giving a crap. The dealer will charge you excessive fees at the end if you turn the car in with excessive wear and tear and if you didn't maintain it properly. I ended up buying the car I leased most recently and kept it for another 4 years. You never know what you gonna do at the end of the lease.

gamegenie

Its understandable. Say if you get into wreck and have the car's damage repaired to factory appearance. You're not going to care for the car regardless since you leased it because in your mind you will get another brand spanking new vehicle at the end of the lease. But someone buying it new to own/finance is not going to have the same attitude since it will be harder to sell. Where as a lease its not really your car to begin with and the onness is on the dealer to resale.

musantemike

Don't get me wrong. I love the car and keep it spotless and do have "pride of ownership". I simply drive the car harder knowing I will have it for 36 months vs 10 years. I had my A4 for 7 years and babied it. But now I unleash the beast everyday.

markN1689

Oh that's what you mean.
I run my s3 hard. In fact I think that it is better for the engine break in to be more aggressive.
That being said I will never park my s3 in a questionable spot. Would rather risk walking super far then getting a door ding. Also, when on a congested highway I won't tailgate so I can avoid getting chips on my front bumper. And I'll take speed bumps and steep driveway exits slow so I dont scratch the front lip.
Other than that she is garaged and I consider her 'babied' but I also run her super hard.

It's why we all got the s3 over the a3

musantemike

This pretty much describes how I am with my car. Maybe I'm just addicted to the power.

Squalo

You are an idiot. Wait till you get the turn-in final inspection.(:-(

Vermilion

I beat on mine a little everyday. Shifting at redline quite often and all that. I also hate washing my car and its always dirty but I don't give a ****. I leased it to have fun and try out Audi. I didn't "break" it in or anything. Hell it had 50 or so miles on it when I got it so I'm sure those 50 miles were hard test drives.

I was the same way with my Subaru STI's. I would take them off road quite often and down gravel roads. Listening to the rocks banging against the underside of the car would make most people cringe but, its what it was made for. The S3 could be used for the same if you wanted. Drive it how you want and who cares what others think.