bsnyder100

I never realized that seating in the A4 was WORSE than the the A3.... but, the more I think about it the A3 does make great use of its interior space, which many cannot conceive of looking at the exterior.

--> I would A4 it if i were you, or an A3 w.o. sport tuned suspension (can be rocky on poorly maintained city roads) good luck

RyanS3

A3 rear seating is > A4. But not by much at all.

audi_since_90

My ex still has the '00 1.8T Avant now with 160,000 miles and no major problems other than the wheel bearings.

No rattles, squeeks, oil consumption - runs very strong. very impressive.

LavaGrau_A3

I've been driving a new A4 2.0T Quattro for a couple weeks as a loaner. I traded an '02 A4 for my A3, so I know the car(s) pretty well.

I'm not at all impressed with the A4 after driving the A3 for 1.5 years. The steering, handling, style and finish of the A4 are showing their age. Even though my A3 is in the shop with a DSG problem (waiting for a control unit), I'd take the DSG over the slushy TipTronic any day. No comparison.

The 2.0T motor in my loaner sounds like a tractor engine, but I guess that would be the case with the A3 as well (although it didn't seem as bad on the A3 2.0T).

I wouldn't purchase without at least driving the A3 3.2. I bought a 3.2 primarily for the equipment package and s-line styling. After driving both A3 2.0T and A4 2.0T Q as loaners, I have a renewed appreciation for the smooth and responsive drivetrain on the 3.2 (and Quattro is a nice addition as well).

John

hamproof

I had 3 major problems with the 01 A4 1.8T.

A/C control sensor malfunction - caused ticking sound inside cabin

Coilpak - we all know this coz' they had to replaced all of them on the 1.8T on VW and Audi. I barely made it to the dealership when it failed. Car was shuddering so bad (might be coilpack related coz' there was a misfire in 1 or 2 of the cylinders)

Camshaft - they had to replace the camshaft (under warranty) coz' I believe it was cracked. Took them forever to fix this issue which is the main reason why I decided to sell it before the warranty ended PLUS I knew I was going to be putting on 20k/year.

All these in about 2 years of ownership

Rub-ISH (Brandon)

2.0t and ESP do an excellent job in snow and ice, surprisingly so

Corrado79

FYI: You probably already know it, but S-line package is now available on 2.0T also

vplaza

then the A3 is probably the way to go. Unless you need the extra cargo area in the back, that $7K is a lot to justify. Of course, I don't know how critical Quattro is where you are, but here in SoCal, it's not a must.

DSG is much better than the TIP, but you're getting the 6-spd anyway, so no comparo there either.

LavaGrau_A3

And I would have been closer to choosing the 2.0 had it been that way in 2006.

hamproof

Really torn. Want to get Q, but don't want 3.2 on the A3. Don't want to necessary spend $7/8k more to get Q on A4 with 6 speed since DSG > Tip.

So, any Michigan drivers who bought an A3 2.0T regret not getting the A4 Avant or maybe other cars, like Subie (WRX, Legacy, Outback), Passat, MazdaSpeed3, Mazda6 etc?

Don't mean for this to be thread to stomp on other makers, but wanna see any negatives on the A3.

It appears to be the perfect car for what I'm looking for (minus Q on the 2.0T). My other concern is reliability. Have to be able to get to 100k w/o doing much other than oil changes basically (and regular wear tear items, such as tires, brakes, fluids).