I test drovethe base Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 last week. Both were very nice! Wanted the Mazdaspeed 3 but was unsure if I could live with a 6 speed manual. Drove the base automatice and it was fun but just didnt have quite enough power so I was leaning toward the Speed3 since it could be had for 800 over invoice and it was very rare making it VERY TEMPTING to buy on the spot.! Saleman almost had me [&:] roped. Then I went to drive a GTI 4 door and liked the DSG very much. Noticed the GTI has a great deal more road noise in the cabin then the MS3. The GTI was not nearly as quick but it seemed to just feel right and it was alot of fun. The question was could I live with the road noise. I tested the Jetta and Passat and both had same loud roar coming from driving on local street. Was still torn an what to do so I went back to look at the MS3 and hated the base stereo and the upgraded bose sounded almost as bad. Might have driven off in that MS3 if it had a decent stereo.Was on my way back to the VW dealer when I decided to check with Audi because they offer some great leases this time of year. They had three A3's in stock. Drove the Quattro V6 with DSG. It was a real treat!! But the price was way too much for me. Drove the 2.0T with S line. Very nice ride. Not quite the immediate response of the V6 but it was very close for alot less money. Then I drove the base 2.0 which does not have the Sline suspension upgrade. It was still sporty and much more comfotable over the local streets than the S-line. I kept asking myself do I really want to pay extra for essentaily a GTI in different clothes. The more I sat there and thought about it the more I realized the answer was YES because of the better interior and the fact that GTi's are everywhere. I like having a more exclusive car. So I had to decide on S-line 2.0 White or base 2.0 Silver. I liked silver better but somehow the S-line's subtle differences on exterior appearance really started to become evident after staring at them side by side for awhile. So I got the white one after a lengthy negotiation with several sales managers. Jeez I love shopping for cars but the buying part is exhausting!! I can't wait to get it chipped. I want that ear to ear smile that I know I would be experiencing if I had the MS3. My only complaint is the road noise. The mazda was much quieter over most local streets. I think there are ways to shield the noise from the A3 cabin and I will be looking into it as well as the many mods that I see here in the forum. I am glad to see such an active forum and I look forward to future discussions with fellow A3 owners. I hope I have the same luck I had with my 1993 Jetta. It was base 1.8, Nuespeed chipped and ran like a dream for 60,000 miles.

 

Heres a picture of my new baby!

[IMG]local://upfiles/38042/C2D77342F33B47678060161E28D51A0D.jpg[/IMG]

 

Nice car!

Welcome to the fold, and we look forward to pushing mods on you as often as possible. Honestly, your car will be much faster than the 3.2 with just the chip. It is a very nice car and easy to mod.

Cheers!

 

And much handsomer; you'd be ready-to- take Prozac depresssed after a few months seeing that fugly Mazda in the driveway.

 

Yes just like my man chef says, welcome. But the pressure will definitely be on to mod her to the limits, your limits that is . Start of with a simple affordable ecu reflash, giac,revo apr, take your pick and tell us your feed back after you gain those 50 extra horses. Good luck[8D]

 

Hey,

Make sure you make it to the GTG on July 15th in Irvine. We have a great bunch of SoCal Audi enthusiasts that meet every month. Check out the "West" section for details. You'll also see a bunch of A3's with different mods.

Cheers!

 

good choice you will definatly enjoy

 

Many APR dealers will have special Waterfest pricing, so you'll be able to get it "chipped" soon.

 

Chef, what's a GTG? Not sure if I can go on such short notice, but I assume there will be other GTG's to come.
A3_yuppie, what's waterfest?

BTW, I had some quality time this week with my new A3 and it is one of the most enjoyable cars I have ever had. My wife drives a 2005 BMW 545 and the A3 is actually a little more fun. I cant wait to break it in. I will definitely be getting the APR or the nuespeed flash based on the posts I have seen. I will talk with newspeed and the APR folks too before I decide. I almost want to go with Nuespeed because it runs with 91 octane and it would be something a little different from what everyone else has. I need to do some research before taking the leap. Have to upgrade the stereo for sure!!! Saw this Pioneer in the dash of an A3 on another forum that looked like a Nav/stereo. Looked like a good fit for the dash. I will look over the stereo posts, but if anyone knows of any useful information please let me know. Thanks everyone for the replies!

 

I was forced to make the same decision. The noisy and sporty GTI or the refined A3? 10,000 miles later I’m still sporting a “perma-grin” driving the A3.