It's time for a new (well, used) car. I'm in the process of selling my Toyota Tacoma for either an Audi A3, or a Honda Element SC. They both seem like great cars right from the start, but it's time to get serious and find out more about the A3. I'm pretty new to Audi's so I could use all the help I can get here. Just a run down on my situation:
I'm looking for either a 2006 or 2007 A3 with fairly low miles for 20-24k. I'm located in San Diego and have been searching through Craigslist, autotrader, etc to find my dream car anywhere in So Cal. What should I be looking for to get the most out of an Audi? I'm pretty set on the 2.0t auto mainly because it fits my price range, and I'm fine with that. I'm 21, love to go to the beach, snowboard and be outdoors so I want a vehicle to fit those types of needs. I've been browsing the forum for a week or so, as well as the Element forum and trying to notice the goods and bads of each vehicle. The goods I see in the Audi are things like performance, luxury, comfort and one attractive automobile! But with all that comes a price, of course which is tricky for a college student. The Element SC is a really sleek vehicle, much better than the original version, I've heard really good things about them, and I can get an '07 for around 21-22k. Keeping in mind I'm still at a young age, an A3 seems as a vehicle geared towards those with a family to fill those seats, but I've always wanted one since 2006. Any input?
I know I have much more reading to do throughout the forum and this looks like a great place to get lots of info, but I was hoping to introduce my noobiness in hope to get some feedback in the right direction. Any recommendations? Things I should look for? Why the A3 is better than the SC? How does the stock stereo sound? I don't plan on doing much as far as mods, I left that all for my Taco.
I appreciate all the help

-possible, future A3 owner

 

Taco?

 

..."Tacoma"

I'm still used to my Tacoma forum. My bad.[&:]

 

You will have an insane amount of fun in an a3 because its so damn fun to drive and it is awsome all around. I live in socal, a little north of san diego, and I also snowboard, and love to go to the beach. Not sure if you surf or bodyboard but I bodyboard and everything fits perfect in the trunk without having to fold any seats down or anything and if you need to you can fold the whole 2nd row down for a lot of space. I havent taken my a3 up to the mountains yet and I know there has been some controversy about snow chains on the A3 but as far as the beach goes its perfect. Ive never driven a honda element but I can garentee you its not close to as fun as the a3 is. If you can, you should try to test drive both just for your personal opinion.

A3 > Element is my vote

good luck!

 

Element's got its plusses but driving ain't one of them. The A3 is a road car. With a few mods it handles well. It's great on the highway right out of the box. It's got the bones of a driver's enthusiast car.

The element is good for hauling stuff. It's remotely fun to drive and can be had with a stick. If you're doing highway miles, Elements can be choppy, blown around by the wind, get marginal gas mileage and not extremely comfortable.

I say the A3 unless you need a lot of space.

However, I had the A3 2.0T and had to get rid of it for deadly engine failures. So, go and figure. Do your research.

Now I'm considering a 3.2...

 

Thanks for the reply! I actually skimboard (at places like Wedge and in Laguna Beach, aka, shorebreak) so cramming a board or two in the back doesn't look like a problem. Sounds like it has a good amount of room which is handy, but again, the Element is a box and has tons of cabin space.

Keep in mind I am looking at the Element SC. Sure it's not going to overpower Audi in performance and style, but it does have essential upgrades that the regular Element's do not. It's really all about price when it boils down to it. I've always been in love with the A3 and if I find one with the right miles/price, I'm sold.


EDIT: Hate for this too get so off topic with the Element talk. To keep it Audi related, I'm curious what kind of mileage I should expect. Also how is the stock stereo? Is there anything I should really look for in buying a used A3?

 

You should really just spend some time with each vehicle, since they are so very different. To say the Element is "elegant" I do not agree, it way more " utility" than anything else. I actually looked
at the Element before we bought the A3 but wow, apples and oranges...The element's rear door windows do not even roll down, huge bummer for a 4 door vehicle for sure...The A3 is a stunning little car, it
may not be right for you, but is on a much higher level than the Element. You can however find a used A3 premium for low $20's, I looked and found alot of dealer loaner cars on the market for a very
fair price....Good luck!

 

dkenn: I was able to fit my skim, bodyboard, and gear in my trunk without putting a seat down. I mean for what im hearing the A3 can do everything you want it to and you get the power and fun out of the a3 that I doubt you will get with the element. I have a stock 07 A3 2.0T and its fast as hell.

For the sound system, ive heard tons of people saying the stock and the upgraded bose systems are almost identicle. I have the stock sound system and it sounds perfect.

MPG: Im getting around 25+ mpg which is good and its costin me about 40$ to fill up my tank and im getting 300+ miles on a full tank. Remember, you will have to buy PREMIUM gas with the a3 im sure you can buy regular with the element so keep that in mind too.

 

Actually, I think these two cars are very very different.

So, in that regard, if I were you, I would open up my search again. Figure out what I really need, what I really want, and what my budget is. Before I bought my A3, I started off knowing I wanted one. But then I went to Lexus to scratch the IS 250 off the list, BMW 1-series, etc etc. But as I kept trying these cars and thinking about them, I had a better understanding of what I was looking for in a car. In the end, I knew either the BMW 1-series of the A3 was going to do the job for me. I chose the A3, and have absolutely NO regrets! Love the car and everything it does for me. But if I needed a car to do something that the A3 cannot do, then I would regret buying it. So keep looking! Cars stick around for a long time, so don't feel too pressured by the feeling of wanting a new ride NOW! Wait till you find the right one for you, and you will know! Then when you sign the papers you will be really stoked about getting your car! I'm 33, and I have to confess, I slept poorly the night before I got my A3! The wife and kids were like...it's daddy's christmas!

Having said all that...forget the element, get the A3! It just ROCKS!

Darren

 

No question. A3. IMO not really a family car. You need to do your research. Go to Audiusa.com, and Edmunds.com