New daily? Thoughts.

[Ca11um43]

I currently own a 2004 Seat Leon Cupra R, with the 1.8t engine (225 BAM), but when I first bought it that was my daily and my project/show car at the same time. I've now bought a dedicated project car, and have decided that the Cupra isn't as good of a daily as it used to be when it was stock. So I'm thinking about buying my first Audi 🤔 It won't be until around October time, when my insurance runs out on the Cupra, but I would like something a bit newer, better on fuel, comfortable, etc etc. So I was thinking about a 2009+ (which I believe is a facelift?) Audi A3, with the 2.0 TDI engine (170hp). But what do you guys think? Is there any better options/models?

 

I never really go on long drives which is why I've put off buying a diesel for so long, but a friend of mine has a diesel A1, and he has never taken it on a long drive. He has also never had a problem with his DPF getting clogged up, or anything. Whereas another friend has a diesel Lexus, and his one got clogged up shortly after buying it due to only doing short journeys. So he got a DPF and EGR delete, with a stage 1 remap. And that's another thing that I'm interested in. Am I likely to start getting DPF problems? And if I am, would a DPF and EGR delete still pass a UK MOT? Tia

Edited August 28, 2022 by Ca11um43

[Steve Q]

The diesel engines are reliable but definitely benefit from longer drives. Dpf and egr can get clogged. You could do the delete but it might not pass emissions. 

[Ca11um43]

10 minutes ago, Steve Q said:

The diesel engines are reliable but definitely benefit from longer drives. Dpf and egr can get clogged. You could do the delete but it might not pass emissions. 

I thought that might be the case...Hopefully somebody who has done those deletes, will comment about their experience with getting it through the emissions. We are yet to see whether my friends Lexus will pass it's MOT, but the person who did the EGR delete, DPF delete, and stage 1 remap (the remap was mainly just to turn the lights off) said it will still pass 🤷‍♂️ Obviously that's a complete different engine though, so I might not be so lucky with the Audi. 

 

I could always take it for a long-ish drive every now and then, but that's not something I would usually do, so I would have to go out of my way and waste fuel to do it (not ideal). 

[Steve Q]

Yea a long drive will work. Have you considered the petrol engines? Considering the egr delete on mine when time comes to be honest. 

[Ca11um43]

29 minutes ago, Steve Q said:

Yea a long drive will work. Have you considered the petrol engines? Considering the egr delete on mine when time comes to be honest. 

I have...I was originally looking at the 2.0 petrol engine, but cost wise, they seem to be more expensive to buy (for the car itself), more expensive for insurance, and would cost more for fuel 😏 One of the reasons why I'm wanting to get rid of the Cupra R, is because it uses soooo much fuel. Also because it has coilovers and polyurethane bushings, so it's not very comfortable for a daily. But yeah, a diesel seems like the best option for what I'm after.

[Steve Q]

Brill. In that case the 2.0tdi is your best bet. If you're looking at an auto make sure the gearbox oil has been changed and if quattro make sure all tyres have even tread on the same axles. As uneven tyre wear can damage the quattro system. 

With the age of car you're looking at electrical issues are the biggest thing. Make sure AC works as a new compressor can be very expensive to have done. 

Also make sure the car comes with 2 keys that work fully and the central locking works. 

Main rust spots are the tops of the arches on the front wings as VAG thought it was clever to put foam in the inside of the top arches on all vw/audi models like the golf mk4, A3, A4 b5, A6 c5 etc. 

I'd also have look at buyers guides on YouTube. 

[Ca11um43]

5 hours ago, Steve Q said:

Brill. In that case the 2.0tdi is your best bet. If you're looking at an auto make sure the gearbox oil has been changed and if quattro make sure all tyres have even tread on the same axles. As uneven tyre wear can damage the quattro system. 

With the age of car you're looking at electrical issues are the biggest thing. Make sure AC works as a new compressor can be very expensive to have done. 

Also make sure the car comes with 2 keys that work fully and the central locking works. 

Main rust spots are the tops of the arches on the front wings as VAG thought it was clever to put foam in the inside of the top arches on all vw/audi models like the golf mk4, A3, A4 b5, A6 c5 etc. 

I'd also have look at buyers guides on YouTube. 

Thanks for the information. That will be very useful 😃 Ideally I'm after a quattro with a manual gearbox...And anything else (higher trim levels, etc) is just a bonus. But I'm not too fussed about the quattro part, so I guess I'll just have to see what pops up for sale when the time comes. There is a 58 plate Audi A3 for sale not too far from me, which is an s-line with the 2.0 TDI engine (170hp), quattro, and with a manual gearbox. But since my insurance on the Cupra runs out in October, it's just easier to wait until then. 

[Steve Q]

4 hours ago, Ca11um43 said:

Thanks for the information. That will be very useful 😃 Ideally I'm after a quattro with a manual gearbox...And anything else (higher trim levels, etc) is just a bonus. But I'm not too fussed about the quattro part, so I guess I'll just have to see what pops up for sale when the time comes. There is a 58 plate Audi A3 for sale not too far from me, which is an s-line with the 2.0 TDI engine (170hp), quattro, and with a manual gearbox. But since my insurance on the Cupra runs out in October, it's just easier to wait until then. 

You're welcome 🙂 try and buy from a dealer if you can in my opinion as you'll have some me come back.