DRCA

Hi,

Newbie here. I am planning to buy a used A3 in the next few weeks. I'll be buying the car through a broker in Germany to import in France (even tho I live in sunny California I have aging family in France that I need to visit more and more often and renting a car every time I visit is just killing me). The broker is just an intermediary between me and dealers (we both search for cars and he contacts the dealers for the car that I like) and he will commission and independent inspection so I'll know before signing the deal what state the car is in.

Based on my needs I have settled on a A3 5 doors (break / estate). My parameters are:

- Quattro (family lives in the mountains, so snow and ice 3 months of the year)
- Engine: either the 2.0 liters Turbo Diesel 170HP (possibly the 140 HP) or the 2.0 liter Turbo gas 200 HP.
- Year range 2007 to 2014 (based no budget).
- Mileage: less than 80,000 km (50,000 miles) but I might push to 100,000 km (62,000 miles) based on feedback on this post.
- Gearbox - either manual or auto (wife prefers the auto, me the manual, we'll take what we find but consider the reliability too).

Once I get the car
What I would be interested in knowing is what are the possible "gotchas" and things to look for in these models (year range and engine):

- Reliability and maintenance costs (for example distribution belt replacement, quattro maintenance and reliability, electronic gremlins, Auto DSG box, clutch no the manual, etc...)
- Years / models to avoid, year and model to pick

Then I am not especially looking for a built in GPS, but being able to connect my mobile phone to the on board audio is critical for me, preferably via bluetooth (for navigation, phone calls and music). What are the options for these.

Thanks in advance for all the help.

DC

07RippA3

From what I've gathered, 2008+ Seems to be solid. My 07' 8P A3 has had some major work done. I got mine with 80k miles. After about 10k miles I got the timing belt done. (90k mile interval)
Had the valve cover gasket leaking (not a hard job), PCV valve failed as well as the purge valve solenoid (Both incredibly easy fixes).
130,000 miles I had to get a new clutchpack (reverse gear wasn't engaging).
There are a lot of problems surrounding the DSG especially with the mechatronics lottery. I talked to a guy that has the 3.2 Quattro version and he had to get his mechatronics replaced. (A $3k endeavor)
The axle boots tear from time to time on mine, but the 06' axles actually look way beefier.
Also you have to keep in mind that pretty much all Audi's/VW with FSI/TSI up until 2009 (I could be wrong), have an unofficial service interval of 30k miles for the cam follower. (Not replacing it will result in catastrophic engine damage).
These stories are pretty much across the board on these cars. But that's only the negatives.
I drove the 3.2 Quattro and it was a blast. I could see it being a demolisher of snow and ice.
My 2.0T FSI is still a car that almost after 3 years of daily driving (and delivery driving) that still puts a smile on my face. Especially with just getting the APR Stage 1 tune.
For entertainment: I use the stock radio and bluetooth with my iphone very easily, and use a cheap fm transmitter for media. Sometimes on a long trip I'll mount my surface for navigation.

Now for all the maintenance things I mentioned, personally I would never go to a dealer for anything non-warranty or recall related. IE the airbags of death.
There are always honest and reputable shops around, they're not impossible cars to work on despite what some people might say. And parts are actually very reasonable if you can hunt them down and wait for AutohausAZ, ECS, IDParts, ShopDAP, or even Amazon to deliver them.

All in all, they are moderately.. how should I say... "Affordable," for a reason.
My serious advice would be to get a standard transmission if you can, as well as Quattro if the price is right. (I've driven through 7" of snow before no problem with FrontWD, the ESP Traction Control is very competent)

I've made 2 DIY's if you're interested in seeing what kind of work goes into maintaining the transmission and the fuel pump.

DCCA

Thanks! Looks like I am going to go for a 2.0 Turbo Diesel with the manual transmission and the 4WD. Found a good one, well optionned and reasonably priced in Berlin. We'll see how the process goes.

Lucas-1

Hello,
I think this French Audi A3 buying guide could be helpful. You can also find some other valuable information like best workshops in France, solutions to some common problems, technical information...etc.

07RippA3

Very nice choice!

DCCA

Quick update: got myself a 2010 A3 Quattro TDI 170CV Ambition Luxe avec 65.000km, black on black! The car was delivered to a friend's house a couple of days ago, I'll pick it up on Friday!