mlam81

I'm starting to look for a more family-oriented car (don't worry, the S is a keeper). For those of you who know about these 2 cars, which would you choose and why?

sanjay

we went from a fully loaded A3 3.2q to a fully loaded 2011 Forester XT for our winter car.

The Audi was better in mostly every which way - faster ... much nicer inside and out ... many more neat features (adaptive bixenons, heated windshield washer fluid....led tail lights)

However the Forester is significantly cheaper and gives us a lot more ruggedness and usability -- we dont worry about babying the Forester ever -- I assume it's better in the snow and it has much more ground clearance --

We had the Audi for exactly 4 years -- and 50,000km

We have had the Forester for exactly 6 months today (and 5000km) -- both have never had a problem (but too soon to tell in the Forester)

Both have similar fuel usage (our A3 was a V6)

I think a base impressa will be $15k less than an A3 so it's not a fair comparison -- the A3 will be much much better if you're comparing awd models to eachother

mlam81

That's kind of how I'm feeling towards the subaru. It's cheaper, I don't have to worry about dings and scratches, and it's quite possibly a bit more spacious on the inside to fit rear-facing child seats. But at the same time, if I'm getting a wagon, I wouldn't mind having a wagon that's more pleasing to drive.

Sanjay, being a former audi owner, would you ever buy an audi second-hand?

sanjay

for sure

assuming it's not an old turd --

I'd prefer to buy a newer car with warranty if possible .... i dont think i'd want to buy a 2006 A3 with 170,000 km on it however.

Holeecow

I've heard that vw's and Audi's have a lot of electrical problems past 100k.
Don't know if it's true.

I have an a4 1 year old about 20k on it. Amazing in the winter. Mainly because you feel really planted in it. Something you'll really appreciate having driven the s. I imagine an a3 quattro would feel very similar.

If plan on getting new, audi will really get you on the options. If you get the base model it's not nearly as bad.

andi.audi

A3 doesn't share the same quattro system with the A4. Both A3 and TT's quattro are not full time 4wd. Their 4wd only activate once spin is detected.

Subaru impreza might be a better option if you need a wagon. At least parts are cheaper in the long run.
But if you don't need a wagon, an A4 quattro sedan might be a better choice as it is only 2-3k more than a A3 with 4wd.

Also, the completely new 2012 A3 will be launching in a couples of months. The resale value of the current generation might drop significantly.

it'S2klean

Subaru impreza has personally saved my life, so a plus to safety, and I think Audi's to maintain are a pain.

Holeecow

I leased my Audi because I was worried about maintenance.

Just the other day it said that I had a headlight distance controller malfunction.... Don't know what it is but it disappeared the next day.

I did not know that the A3 and the A4 aren't the same quattro.

The current A3 does look like it needs a new model.
Are you thinking of buying new or used?

mlam81

I'm thinking of buying a couple years used. I don't think I'll ever buy a new car ever again.

it'S2klean

I would go with the A3 cuz its alot nicer and you can even tune it, but if you got the wrx wagon...thats a freakin great DD