ChrisR32

I had the symphony in my Sportback and my Mum had the concert in hers. Both were standard non-bose systems but I was convinced that the Symphony in mine sounded better - but maybe that was just the choice of music that was available!!

When my Sportback needed new boots, I opted for the SC3's from the previous SC2's it had from delivery. The 3's seemed to be noticably more grippy in the wet conditions than the 2's they replaced. Although I was comparing new tyres with what I remembered the old ones to be like when they were new - and memory does play tricks on us all!

Yes that's true - but you never really buy a diesel expecting it to comapare to the best petrol option! Incidentaly - I won't rev my motor more than 4k when it's cold - and my good friend couldn't close the gap with his DSG Mk 5 R32 even with me short shifting!! And I manage to get about 32 MPG when driving miss Daisy down the A50!

You only complete the order when you see - and are happy with - the car. Just tell them that it's not the car you ordered - job done! You might be pleasantly surprised at what vehicles will probably turn up for you to choose from!

Also, be aware of the fact that pre-HD plasma tele's won't (well mine won't anyway!!) support 60hz games. And pretty much all of the new games on the 360 are all 60 hz only!!

Where's the pearlescent (sp) silver gone form the S3 spec on the new car website? Is it a fault or does that mean my Silver one is now an exclusive jobby???

I don't mean to sound a bit stoopid, but when is the next Buxton meet? I live about 20 mins drive from there, and I'm now begining to understand that you need to live your life as well as your kiddies life!!

Well, sitting at work yesterday I got a phone call from the dealer that I was getting my S3 from, and they asked me if it'd be possible for me to pick it up on Friday night rather than Saturday morning. Having two young children - a 3 year old boy and an 8 month old little lady, the prospect of not having to negotiate an early free pass out of the house as well as spending another fortune - combined with not having another sleepless night of anticipation was tempting........ Er YES!! Apparently the garage is fairly quiet on Friday night and busy on a Saturday and they'd like to give me a proper 'in depth' hand over! On a side note, can I just recommend anybody who is in the North Midlands area to deal with Crewe Audi (01270 507070) - Specifically John Cooper (the salesperson) and Jerry (the Sales Manager). In a long - and varied - period of buying motors I have never come across a set of individuals who make it as easy and painless to hand over a large chunk of savings than these gents. They managed to put together a deal that bettered every single Audi one that I was offered - and trust me I tried a few - by a significant amount. I'll not bore you with the details (PM me if you're interested!) but it amounted to a couple of thousand pounds! Their honest approach to how much money my car was worth - not in the Glasses guide, but how much they were going to retail it for - was, to be honest a welcome change - if not a shock! I hadn't seen a silver S3 in the metal, and my first thoughts were that the color wouldn't do the car any justice - loosing the definition between the wing mirrors, the front and rear splitters and the color of the bodywork. As it was a Sunday when I turned up to do the deal, the fleet manger that was running the vehicle wasn't there, so I had to rely on pictures to give me an idea. I mainly bought the car because I couldn't afford to turn down the deal on the table, but man am I pleased! I've had some fairly bright colors in the past and I can honestly say that the subtle color changes from silver to a goldy bronze at dusk has opened my eyes to the subtle nuances of the safe, old man's silver option! Oh and if you're thinking about the black/silver leather option, look at it before you make your mind up - I was horrified by the concept and web pictures, but in the flesh it looks stunning! Obviously please take my opinions with a pinch of salt, and no doubt they'll become even less objective as time wears on and the car feels more my choice rather than the best option that was available to me! Once again, thanks to Shao for helping me confirm my choice and expect a low down between the various motors that I've been lucky to experience soon! By the way, has anybody actually looked at EVO mag and had a look at the times posted by the S3 for 0-60 and 100 and compared these to the other cars they've tested? I would love to see what the modded vehicles are capable of! Anyhoo, enough (semi) drunk and delirious ramblings for one night - I need to think of where me and minny me 'need' to go tomorrow! Can anybody confirm that the Inverness Tesco has a better choice of morning paper than the Meir Park one??!!

Shao - Many thanks for your advice, I've taken the plunge and I pick up a 1 month old S3 in Silver with one or two bits and pieces extra on Saturday morning. I've had a look at a few other motors, but nothing else seems to tick the box like the S3 does in pretty much all the boxes. I agree with pretty much everything you had to say - and the performance shocked me to be honest! I was expecting it to be rapid, but not as much so as it was! I would even go so far as to say it is touch and go whether the S3 or the Impreza Sti I had before the Sportback were any different in out and out straight line pace! Thanks again for your advice! Cheers, Chris.

OK then! I have a 54 plate A3 Sportback 2.0T Quattro Sport and I think I've got a fairly decent deal on a new Suzuka Silver S3. I've now got two children, one 3 years and one 7 months old. After my first child I ended up changeing my Mk4 R32 for a Sportback (via an Impreza Sti - but that's another story!) for the extra room. I've farily recently bought the other half an Altea after the arrival of the second child (her polo was too small) and since this change I've been hankering after a more fun every day motor. Every weekend outing - with the luggage of kids - seems to be taken in the Seat rather than my Sportback so I'm thinking I can afford to loose a bit of the practicality that the bigger A3 offers. Is the S3 really that much of a difference in overall driving experience and should I be looking at other cars as well? The overall ownership proporsition must consider the residual values so I've sort of eliminated the Focus/ Megane type options as in my opinion they will end up costing more in a 2-3 year period. I also must have a 4 seater car to continue getting my car allowance from work and the Z4 doesn't allow this - and I must travel to and from work (and drive other collegues around) in the car that I claiming the allowance for, so I can't register the Altea for my 'work vehicle' and use the BM every day - I've already tried that one! Help Tyresmoke please!!

Sorry fella - only just logged back on!! I wasn't talking about PS - 360 is my weapon of choice!

I've got the opportunty of buying a May 06 Cayman S with 16k miles, full-on leather - and all the protection sills ect ( that's all i know at the mo!) for 35K. It's a mate who is buying an automatic one, and the dealer (i think) is taking the p!$$ with the part exchange. He'd rather let me have it then the garage make money! I do about 8K miles per year so the over average mileage should be negated within a a few years1 What's the verdict?

Is anyone playing it online? My gamer tag is Mossquito!

Don' tell me that now!! I only took delivery of a Z4 Coupe in February - and it is loaded. 41K's worth to be exact! I'll look forward to the dealer in a few years time when that conversation happens!

My favorties were parked side by side in London - apparantly something to do with Mr Al-Fayad. Two Bentleys. The first NOT 1. The second BUT 2.