I have been offered an S3 on a lease business deal.

The price per month after 6 month payments deposit is an incredible £270 per month over 3 years.

I nearly bit his hand off but then looked at the new ST.

3 down and £340 per month.

The ST is pretty much equal performance wise but the S3 is more expensive to run.

I'm gonna do a proper costing exercise next week but in the meantime any thoughts from any one?

P.S because I am classed as an employee of my company, I'm eligible for company car tax....

Its a nice choice to have to consider

??

How many miles a month/year,

& driving what area?

george

S3 would hold its price better if it was bought outright. And you get quattro of course. Less chav than the ford as well in my opinion. Then again that's coming from someone who's about to buy a 2nd hand one

S3 would hold its price better if it was bought outright. And you get quattro of course. Less chav than the ford as well in my opinion. Then again that's coming from someone who's about to buy a 2nd hand one

Normally I'd agree on the holding value front but the new S3 was announced this week and the ST is brand new so i think it will be a lot closer than you'd normally expect for these two models, this time round. IMO.

The ford is a nice car especially inside, love the estate, altho give it a while the road will be full of them I'd say like the current one which is a shame :(

Holding price not an issue as it will be leased and sent back after duration of contract.

I'm more looking at actual day to day running costs.

Insurance will be under the block insurance of my company, so not that much of an issue.

The only issue is do I get another diesel?

I had a vRS CR estate that went back in Feb which I put on just over 45,000 over in two years, so would a petrol be more expensive to run?

I never really got much than late 30 mpg on vRS to be honest.

Biggest was 50mpg on a run to London in roadworks, so I don't really fall for the official MPG of any car manufacturer.

I believe it's the way you drive.

Based on 20,000 a year mostly driven around Yorkshire Sk4gw.

Edited 23 September, 201213 yr by taff170

Neither are the Economic choice if petrol gets to £7 a gallon and more & you pay for your own fuel.

You can get a More Economic Audi Quattro & still have fun, or a VW.

Even a Ford.

Its down to what you want really.

Have fun going and trying some.

I suggest a Subaru or even the very ugly Subaru XV (CVT with paddles) , you will get a real good deal on one of those.

george

Cars are not in the same league as each other tbh. S3 is a class bit of kit. Quality product built to very high standards. Amazing fit and finish inside and out.

Ford = plastic flimsy mess. I have yet to sit in a ford whose inerior didnt feel like it was made out of low rent recylced food packing plastics. Go and sit in a mondeo or a kuga and prod and push / pull the dashboard elements about, it is comical. Worst made cars i have ever seen and there are loads in our company car fleet and they are all the same.

The fords i have driven do drive quite nicely though but as an ownership proposition there is no contest IMO. The S3 costs more brand new but you get what you pay for. Plus it has 4wd.

Dont take my word for the build quality thing go and sit in a new ford and see what i mean. I dont know how they get away with it plus its even more incredible that people think fords build quality is on par with the germans??? It is simply not true.

New ST looks nice and i wouldnt mind owning one but if it was my money on the line i would get the S3. I have had one before and it was the best car i have ever owned and the only car i ever regretted selling.

Ford is a fleet car maker as are Vauxhall. They are not Audi / BMW / Merc rivals and never will be. The quality of my Skoda is streets ahead of all the fords i have driven by a long way.

If you get the ford you will enjoy it as it is a good car just be realistic about the differences between the ford and the Audi.

I think with that mileage I would be sticking with a diesel. Your going to be almost doubling your spend on fuel with either of them.

Cars are not in the same league as each other tbh. S3 is a class bit of kit. Quality product built to very high standards. Amazing fit and finish inside and out.

Ford = plastic flimsy mess. I have yet to sit in a ford whose inerior didnt feel like it was made out of low rent recylced food packing plastics. Go and sit in a mondeo or a kuga and prod and push / pull the dashboard elements about, it is comical. Worst made cars i have ever seen and there are loads in our company car fleet and they are all the same.

I also agree with this. I had one recently on loan and it felt decidedly low rent compared to my vRS.

S3 all day long IMO, but I'd go diesel with that milage if I was honest.

But if you can afford it, why not.

price better if it was bought outright.

Dont think...Get the S3

'All about money, or is it'?

We are talking big differences in Purchase/lease prices moving on from a Focus ST.

Is it to be a 5 doors now, a Sportback.!

http://www.broadspeed.com/new_cars/Audi/A3

http://www.broadspee...di/A3_Sportback

http://www.broadspee...cars/Ford/Focus

george

Dont think...Get the S3

It would be the old model, that's why so cheap.

Looking at fuel costs I maybe better of with a diesel a3 black edition which they are knocking out at about £200 per month.

Again old model though.

It would be the old model, that's why so cheap.

Looking at fuel costs I maybe better of with a diesel a3 black edition which they are knocking out at about £200 per month.

Again old model though.

Old model is still good though. You wont get the new one at these prices. In fairness the 1st generation A3 is still better than a ford. Do it you know you want to. Mate at work as a black edition sportback, the 170bhp diesel quattro version. Superb machine although the s-line suspension is savage. Can you have normal suspension as a no cost option? I know BMW let you do this on the M-sports but didnt know is Audi offer this.

Audi Offer everything and all sorts of Options.

No Cost Option to have a Non Sports Suspension or the 17" wheels instead of 18" etc.

Then you have the 'Sales Person',

"you dont want to order that!"

"No you are best with this!"

The Problem with Audi's, (other than the DRL's) are Audi Salespeople,

THere is the Biggest Black Hole ordering System.

They will Take Any Order, & make any Promises.

Be Prepared to wait, & get what you get, & smile and be grateful!.

Rant over. SORRY

Buy what is 'In Stock' or already built.

Audi are the most Jacked up or up their own Jacksy waste of space 'new car providers' i have ever encountered. JMO Obviously.

george

Well I went in a friends 59 plate A3 the other day and it was as quiet and rattle free as my 4 month old S4. That's how good the build is on a lower end Audi, I was seriously impressed.

The S3 will be miles ahead of any Ford. It will outperform the Focus everywhere in respect to power and handling. It has a haldex 4WD system which is pretty good and also means you can actually use the car in our lovely British weather.

The cost you have been quoted is great but I guess this is with no options. This is where Audi get you as they did with me. On a £40k car I specced £5k in options and still had another £5k I wanted. It's just crazy.

The trouble is the new A/S3 has been released which is streets ahead on the 8P S3. Your S3 will already be out of date. Still, I'd take the S3.

Additional income tax payable on 30k a year without fuel benefit per month:

Octavia vRS Diesel Hatch DSG: £92.63

Audi S3 Sportback S Tronic £164.03

Focus ST-2 £92.66

comcar.co.uk is where I got the above figures from.

I was expecting a much much higher payment due to emissions from the petrols and I was correct regarding the Audi but very wrong with the Focus.

Very good point from Nickyboy. Audi standard spec is a joke.

Several of the "optional extras" come as standard on a decent spec Skoda...

Very good point from Nickyboy. Audi standard spec is a joke.

Several of the "optional extras" come as standard on a decent spec Skoda...

My old S3 was very well specced. Not sure about the new one. Mine had leather, bose, xenons, cruise, climate, parking sensors all as standard.

All i need really is cruise, park sensors, Auto or DSG. All cars have AC nowadays. Anything else is just an added bonus and not essential, for me anyway.

My old S3 was very well specced. Not sure about the new one. Mine had leather, bose, xenons, cruise, climate, parking sensors all as standard.

All i need really is cruise, park sensors, Auto or DSG. All cars have AC nowadays. Anything else is just an added bonus and not essential, for me anyway.

Further to above. What would it take options wise to make the ST more deirable than S3? The only option for me would be the option to not have a ford at all and buy a BMW, VW, Merc or even a Seat or Skoda. Even with every modern option on the ford i would still not pick one over an S3 unless the car could drive itself if required and returned 60mpg all the time.

Further to above. What would it take options wise to make the ST more deirable than S3? The only option for me would be the option to not have a ford at all and buy a BMW, VW, Merc or even a Seat or Skoda. Even with every modern option on the ford i would still not pick one over an S3 unless the car could drive itself if required and returned 60mpg all the time.

VAG build quality is massively overrated in my experience. Fords are also more entertaining to drive. Haldex is **** apart from launching

My old S3 was very well specced. Not sure about the new one. Mine had leather, bose, xenons, cruise, climate, parking sensors all as standard.

All i need really is cruise, park sensors, Auto or DSG. All cars have AC nowadays. Anything else is just an added bonus and not essential, for me anyway.

Options on the S3 are still silly. You need to spec cruise, parking system, light and rain sensors, tyre pressure, storage packages, lumbar support, Bluetooth, Bose and then all the gadgets and styling stuff. A lot of the above is standard on a skoda!

The basic price is 33k. What a p!ss take. Trouble is people like me end up buying all these extras and hence Audi can keep doing it.

I looked at an S6, basic price around 56k with options I got up to 70k and could have gone higher. Ended up with the S4 and still just watched the options ticked and price grow and grow.

VAG build quality is massively overrated in my experience. Fords are also more entertaining to drive. Haldex is **** apart from launching

Not in mine and the motoring press. Have had several VAG products. Ford not even close on build quality. In fact Audi is widely accepted as being the best at making quality interiors better than BMW and Merc which i would agree with. Audi is top of the scale ford is prbably bottom or very close to the bottom of the scale for build quality.

Have you seen many new ford focus's? Every one seems to have the chrome strip at the top of the door unpeeling itself. 2 in my street and they are both doing it. 3 at work and its the same with them. Just pish. SIt in a mondeo and grab the centre console down beside the handbrake. See how much you can move it around, wouldnt take much to rip it out completely. Sit in a kuga and depress the dashboard next to the gearlever with one finger and be amazed by the levels of deflection. Its shocking. There is no way this kind of fit and finish will stand the test of time. Dont even get me started on Ford notorious electrical issues. I know of 2 s-max's that have had huge bills ^£2500 due to electrical problems.

Fords are good to drive, the mondeos are anyway but i wouldnt consider spending my own money on one. If i got one as a company car id be happy enough with it but thats all fords are good for, fleet cars.

Edited 27 September, 201213 yr by Jockdooshbag