into their line. Get you to eventually graduate up to other Audis. This is my fourth and smallest and I seem NOT to be it's target audience. A 50 year old !? I loved my allroads but really wanted a smaller and more nimble car. Not really for the dollars saved on gas- but I'm glad I'm doing my part there, but also just the ease of a small car. Turning, parking, getting around town. Even the JOY of driving this vehicle after the heavy alload. QUESTIONS:

How many here are coming from a larger Audi?
How many are new to Audi?

So, I may not be typical of their target market. Then again, I didn't downgrade, IMHO. I paid the same for my A3 that I paid for my A4 Avant in 2002. Different cars, but I really like the A3 and am glad I bought it.

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/63004/pc280028.t.jpg"></center><p>Haven't purchased the A3 yet, but working up the money and will most likely order this fall.

My Touareg was very much Audi-like however..complete with the 4.2L V8 engine.

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/11242/new_kit_pics_001.jpg"></center><p>it was time to get a new car (b5 had 115k on it and going downhill). more pics in my sig/pic poster if you wanna see pics of my old baby

I love every aspect of my a3....and i have a base model. : )

I had (past tense) a 2002 A4 3.0 Avant (Tip) but sold that because of the center console intrusion issue. It kept rubbing my right knee and it hurt on long drives. I need to really sit in the A3 for a while to see if the same holds true. If it doesn't, then I'll get one. If it does, I'll stick with my 174,000 mile A4.

I know what you mean. My 02 A4 Avant 1.8T had the same problems some times, with my right knee getting a little sore. I'd actually have to put my right hand between my knee and the console.

No such thing on the A3. Either that, or I'm having too much fun noticing it. But seriously, there is much more knee room.

Our other cars are an Alfa 164 (slightly larger), and Dodge Dakota R/T pickup (much larger). Hate driving the R/T, and not crazy about the 164 either - although that's just a case of ergonomics not being right.

which had a B5 A4 traded in on that...go figure.

00 A6 2.7t which led to an
01 A6 2.7t which led to an
01 S4 Avant which led to an
02 A4 1.8t which led to a...

Lexus. Go figure. The A3 is for the wifey though.

Just ordered my A3 last week as a sort of birthday present to myself. This will be my first Audi. This is also my first AW post, but I've been lurking here off and on for about 5 years.

Neither my A4 nor my TT ever went back to the dealer (or anywhere else) for anything other than scheduled maintenance. I've also bought 3 new and 1 used VW in the past 8 years.

Good question. For my car, I expect to stay the same size or go smaller for my next Audi (or other car). I have an A4 now. For the family car, we have a minivan, so my car just has to hold 5 of us in an emergancy. The A3 or A4 are big enough for that.

Like you, I'd like my next Audi to be smaller and more nimble. But I want my A3 to be a 6-spd 2.0T with quattro (are you listening AoA?), so we'll have to wait and see if I actually become an A3 owner.

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/76795/s4_004.jpg"></center><p>Thinking about an A3 with DSG in the fall or next spring. I'd like to see what is possible with a 3.2 engine and/or S-Line, and maybe Avus Silver again. Yeah I'm a nut for that color.

The A3 is a great looking car at whatever price it is -- it just happens to be less than what I'm driving and I know I'd be happy with it. In my mind it is far superior looking than the new A4. The design seems consistent from bumper to bumper, much like the new A6 is. But the new A4 is a mess. My 2 cents anyway.

1990 audi 80, 1994 audi 100cs, 1998 audi a6q, 2006 audi a3 2.0t!!! im 19 and i think im in the starting age group they're looking to intrigue w/this and it does get some heads turning

i guess i fit the "target" demographics. this will be the second car i have owned (not counting the mitsubishi galant i briefly leased in mid 90s) and my first "premium" car. moving from a '99 honda civic. i like everything about the a3, including the small size (to simplify urban parking), powerful engine/dsg, excellent mechanics, looks, practical refinement, and even the price tag (affordable yet premium -- which appeals to my inner arrogant yuppie). ; )

most people on this forum seem to be seasoned (ot at least experienced) audi drivers.

but hey, who else would you expect to show up on an www.AUDIworld.com? ; )

cheers, mark.

I currently have a 98 A4 with FWD. I bought it used and have owned it for over 5 years. I'm approaching 190k miles on it and I will be getting a new car very soon.

Before the A3 came out, I lusted after the B5 A4 with Ultrasport. I also VOWED that my next Audi would have Quattro. Hence, I have been scanning the local used inventories for an 04 or 05 demo model B6 A4.

Now that the A3 is out, I'm so torn. I really still want a B6 A4 because it's such a classy car and with a few modifications, it looks incredibly hot, and performs quite well. On the other hand, I drove an A3 and it was a total blast to drive... and I would be getting a brand new car as opposed to a used one.

I know what you mean about the A3 though... I'm having a hard time getting past the "entry level" notion of it... even though it is far superior to most "entry level" cars out there, and far superior to my current A4.

If the A3 had Quattro, it would be a no-brainer. Not that I won't reconsider the Frontrak A3, I just really wanted to own a Quattro for once... especially in Chicago where we get some pretty harsh winters. I never really minded FWD, but I just thought Quattro would be so much more fun to drive. So although Quattro is a major "want", I suppose I could consider living without it since I have never had it to begin with.

Also, I'm an audio nut, and therefore one of the first mods I do to my cars is upgrade the stereo, add an amp, and a sub. The A3 has nowhere to fit an amp and sub without completely wiping out what little hatch space there is. That's a major negative in my book.

So here is where I stand...

Certified Preowned A4 on the plus side gives me quattro, 100k mile warranty, slightly more prestigious, TONS more mod parts available, ability to upgrade stereo the way I want. On the down side it has a slightly dated look now that it has been redesigned, 1.8t vs 2.0t engine, therefore slower than the A3, less nimble and fun to drive than the A3.

A3 on the plus side gives me a brand new car as opposed to one that someone else drove first, new Audi corporate look which I really like (especially the front end), better engine (2.0 is vastly superior to the 1.8), more nimble and fun to drive, sport seats, more back seat room (however this is practically a non-issue as I rarely carry more than one passenger). On the down side, no quattro, no room for sub/amp in the trunk hard to justify spending all that money for a trendy, front wheel drive hatchback, when I can just as easily go out and get a Mazda 3 for a little more than half the price and still have a decent, trendy, fun-to-drive, sporty, front wheel drive hatch back. Also, there are hardly any aftermarket mod parts out yet for the A3. And I just don't know if the A3 is "me". My wife and I went and checked one out recently, and although she thought it was an incredibly gorgeous car, she commented "I just can't see you driving that car..."

I guess I have a lot of thinking to do and some decisions to make.

And the A3 feels more peppy :)

in the back of an A4? As far as I know, the space in the back is at least the same in the A3 if not more.

The whole entry level notion should just be forgotten about altogether. Who really cares anyway unless you're worried what others might think? All you would need to do with someone that questioned your judgment is to give them a ride in the A3 or let them get behind the wheel. They would likely have a different point of view real fast.

Finally, why not wait for the 3.2 V6 w/Quattro if the AWD is a must?

I had serious thoughts of getting one myself but figured I was so unhappy with the poor efficiency of the Touareg it would make absolutely no sense getting an S4 with virtually the same engine with even more HP.

Yea the A3 has more back seat room, but unless you fold down the seats, a trunk is practically non-existant, and there's no rear deck to suspend an amp from. It would be difficult to work with, as an amp and subs don't go in the back seat. They go in the trunk.

Yea, I know the whole "prestige" thing is very superficial. I know it's not really an entry level car and I don't mean to belittle the car that way. I realize it is a very technically advanced, and very prestigious car. I think maybe it's more a case of me holding preference to sedans over hatchbacks. It's not that big of an issue really... just when I consider the idea of spending that much on a small fwd hatchback, it's hard to justify at $30k, no matter how nice it is.

The 3.2 quattro will most likely cost as much, if not more, than a brand new A4 2.0t quattro once you add all the options. At that point, I'd easily choose the A4 instead. However, that is really a moot point as far as I'm concerned because my budget cap is at about $30k. Besides, my current A4 has one foot in the grave and the other on a bananna peel. In other words, it's a ticking time bomb and it's only a matter of time until she has another major breakdown in which I am not willing to invest more money to fix. I'd like to get rid of it and get something new before that happens, so I don't have the luxary of waiting until the end of this year, or early next year, for the 3.2.

But I will be selling it in a few months. 00 jetta 1.8t.. Once back together will be doing about 300whp.

Also have my car before that still 93 passat VR6 which is finally forsale

Daily driver is a 94 jeep grand cherokee

Also have an 82 rabbit diesel undergoing a 2L 16V swap which will be turboed once the others get sold

and 91 GTI VR6 swap also in progress

and 96FZR 600 waiting for some poinst to drop so I can insure it again.

...so in the meantime I went with the Golfs. So not really coming from anything, just had to settle for something else until what I wanted was available (and damn, 8 years is a looong time to wait).

... in the meantime, i investigated importing one (turned out to be too complex), and called audi usa regularly to remmind them i want my a3.

i guess that worked, ; ) so now that a3 is here, it's a very natural switch.

things like 200hp, dsg, nav+/mp3 and opensky only sweeten the deal for me.

good bye, civic! ; )

Lava/grey DSG
Premium
Cold
Nav+sound
XM
Xenon

This is my 3rd Audi. Have had my 100s for 11.5 years and 205K miles. Still running strong (I'm keeping it).

My TT was my first Audi. Then I bought a 5000, and will be picking up the A3 for my wife in a few days. Before the TT we had 3 Saabs...

Tonight, the wife and kids are out of town so I decided to stop by the newest dealer in town to drive an A3. So I fought traffic for 40 minutes to get there look around to find only about5 A3s, including the one in the showroom. To make a long story short, after 15 minutes of looking at, in, around the car, no one even acknowledged my existence, Mind you in mid 30s in a suit so not a ruffian. Additionally, I saw only one customer in the area. After that I walked completely around the dealer on the outside to see if there were any more to be looked at and still nothing. I then went back in side and sat on the desk in the middle of the showroom floor for several minutes and still nothing. Now, I have been an Audi fan since the B5 A4 came out, and consider BMWs a bit pretentious. But it seems like the problem in reverse of VW and the ill fated Phaeton. No one wants to talk to the guy looking at the A3 when he might actually want to buy one. Most likely there is more margin in the other models so I can understand this a little, but I was there to drive the car as this may be my only opportunity. Needless to say I was more than a bit irritated.

Now I am terribly unsure of my fondness for all things Audi if that is what I get before the sale, I am truly fearful for what after the sale will look like. I apologize for the rant but dealers really drive me insane...

It is in a way good, because they are not pushing you at all; but as you said, several times I felt like I was trespassing. :)

Once I arranged an appointment; still, they were late and made me feel like I was bothering them.

We are trying Rector Audi this time...

Ali

Just as there are some piss-poor dealers out there, don't forget that there are also a lot of top notch dealers with excellent customer service.

Now if you were talking about a Honda dealer, I'd agree that they ALL have a pompous arragant ******* attitude. ;-)

I ordered my A3 yesterday, the transaction took about 30 minutes. Absolutely no pain. Service at this dealer (Stammler in Boulder, CO) is always great, and I know, because I have bought two Audis from these folks prior and I have a 12 year history with mostly the same staff. Don't relate product to dealer. Product in this case is great, your dealer may need a slap side o the head.

Bought both my Audis from Hoehn Audi in Carlsbad. Same salesperson. My brother-in-law bought his B6 from same person. All three were painless.

Of course, he just left the dealership, so I wonder how it'll be next time. Overall, my experience has been positive.

YMMV.

And we talked about it on the way to the mazda dealer to check out a 3 sedan.

At the Saab dealer not one person approached us. at the Mazda dealer the salesman was right up our ass the second we walked in.. It really all depends what you want. Some people love having someone come right up to them.. some people hate it. I was saying to my GF that there is nothing they can do to win.. coming up will piss one customer off and he will never come back.. not coming up will piss another off and the person will go elsewhere.

I have gotten all my cars either working at the dealer so I went up and said I want it or with the A3 my friend was a tech at the dealer so I was talking to him first and he brought me up to his salesman for his A3 so last nite was really my first experience dealing with sales people (although I did look at a 2.5RS right after I bought my jetta in 00 and the salesmanager let me in the showroom after they closed to check it out)

Unfortunately my GF refuses to drive a wagon despite it being about 8 grand off with GMs employee purchase program right now so she didn't even want to drive the 9-2X. The only 3 sedan they had on the lot was in the showroom, the rest were at the warehouse (tiny mazda dealer w/ a GIGANTIC honda dealer so they have like 4 cars on the lot total) She didnt' want the hatchback and the one in the showroom was sold. We never even got to sit in it becuase the spoiled little bitch who was buying it screamed at us when I opened the door to check out the trim and build quality.

Also my GF is just out of grad school, first job interview today and has no real concept of what making money is, her highest paying job ever so far was 18K a year.. Her parents are big savers (dad makes over 150K and drives a gti 1.8t.. mom is a school nurse and drivers a stripper S70) So to her she thinks if take home 30K a year and your expenses are 15K.. you should be saving 13K and only spending 2K.. Nice theory and all but not practicle when you need to get to work reliably everyday.. So spending 20K on a car is like un heard of for her... I couldnt' even see myself sitting comfortably in the 9-2X it was so cheap inside let alone the 3.

It's a nice car, but cramming the extra 2 doors on it takes away from its sporty looks.

I traded-in a 2003 F150 SuperCrew Lariat on a black and tan A3 with absolutely zero options. The truck was purchased to haul dirt bikes, but the bikes spent too much time in the garage, and my commute of 500 miles a week at 16mpg was less than amusing.

I drove the Saabaru, and although GM was offering ridiculous discounts, I was very unimpressed by the fit and finish of the 9-2. All I could think of when hearing the doors shut was an old Monty Python bit involving the word "tinny". Also, the experience at the SAAB dealer was not pleasant; the salesperson was nice enough, but trying to pin them down on a trade-in value for the truck and get to a final price on the 9-2 was like pulling teeth.

I liked the Jetta TDI and was well-treated by Boardwalk VW in Richardson, Texas. Nobody in the Dallas area had a very good selection of diesels though, so I drove across town to Boardwalk Porsche/Audi to try an A3.

Thirty minutes later, I had purchased my black stripper. It's the only one I've seen so equipped (or is it unequipped), and I got out the door right at $25k, and that was before the dealer's surprisingly generous trade-in for the Supercrew. It's a shame that some other posters had such bad experiences at their local Audi houses; I can't imagine how my experience at Boardwalk could have been much better.

The A3 is great! It's the first really fun vehicle I've owned since my Mazda GTX. I'm getting 27mpg, and I can't keep my foot out of the turbo. 30mpg seems attainable with a little self-control. A real test will come soon when I try to fit two dogs in the back for a trip to the kennel. Goodbye pristine interior.

Now, if I can just find an Audi Sirious tuner at a reasonable price....anyone need two dirt bikes?