AUDI S3 MK1: A MODERN CLASSIC BARGAIN?

[@virtual-adam]

Have had one of these since 2005. Mines the pre-facelift (prefer the interior design of mine to the face-lift), these models don't suffer with the button wear issue. Great cars but you will need to do some annoying jobs at some point. The leather door inserts come away (as can been seen in the video), PVA glue is a great way to re-stick them. Also the headliner will likely need doing at some point. The door blades (lower exterior trim) are very hard to find in good condition secondhand, and they will have corrosion underneath that needs treating. Maintenance costs are quite reasonable, if you can get a scan tool and are good at searching the forums then you can do a lot of small jobs yourself. Don't get cheap parts, always use OEM quality as the cheap parts never fit/work properly and will cause you loads of hassle!

[@DjNikGnashers]

My good friend was looking for a cheap hot hatch about 6 years ago, and looked at dozens of barried/thrashed Civic type R's, and a few other brands, but I saw an early S3 on a 'Y' plate, which the previous owner had lovingly looked after, and he managed to bag it for for £3000. He still has this car, and I think the value is now on the rise.

[@ghostieable]

Hi Andrew, Bought a 19999 S3 off you 12 years ago. Black / blue Alcântara. Used as a daily. Love it. Mechanically sound. Whistling turbo. Cheers for video. An S3 is for Life not just for Christmas.

[@KeithJD]

Had a dolphin grey one for 13 years, bought in 2006 sold it January '19. Fantastic car.

[@peterdonoghue8161]

Bought one as a smoker a while back, kept it 6 years, the thing was brilliant

[@jasonrobinson1191]

I have ming blue 2001 S3 which i bought at cheap at 1400 and spent a few grand bringing it back to mint condition but it's a keeper for me and I bought it to pass onto my son when he's old enough. I have a c5 RS6 from the same era but that's a different story. My favourite audis are from the early 2000,s

[@fletchermusician3365]

I Have 1 Bro...in silver 225bhp Bam.. refuse to sell... They are a GREAT 4X4 Hatch and SO Tuneable... FAB Video.. Thumbs UP.....

[@volkswizard]

Thanks 👍

[@darrencottrell5541]

Videos are coming quick and fast of late, great stuff Andrew. Nostalgic and classy lines on the wide-arch S3, a great era for Audi. You reference the TT, I can also see that the A2 also carries similar family character traits of those years, wheel arches for one and the climate control unit a recognisable part of the switch gear. Hard touch plastics in the 99s and early 00s, much more durable than the soft-touch of later models. Nice example and trip down memory lane. I should add, well done on sourcing it and to Audi for rightly rewarding your efforts with the first review.

[@davidhall7744]

Maybe it’s an age thing, but similar to your Audi 80, I feel this period of design (particularly interior design) had a quality and subtlety about it which is missing in present day cars. I certainly prefer the matt look to the overly glossy dashboards in VAG’s current range. Nice review 🇩🇪👍

[@blownG60rado]

I bought a 2001 S3 on a Y plate in 2007.i loved the quattro system,it was limpet like on twisty roads but the suspension overall was quite forgiving for a car in this sector. The 1.8 turbo was quick and revvy but it never felt like it was a quick car,just getting you to the speed limit without drama or fuss. I did feel that it was a numb car to drive,not really getting much feedback from the steering,or the 'road feel'. Plus,it was thirsty. I was filling it up every 7-10 days,so I'm not sure if it had a small tank or if the Quattro system had a big impact on fuel consumption. I eventually traded it in 2 years later on a 2007 MK5 Golf Edition30,which I still have as my daily driver and won't be getting rid of any time soon...yes,it is that good!

[@martinschofield5465]

Had a silver one back in 2000 with blue alcantara. Fantastic car and the quality of the plastics was superb even lower down and in the back. Even the boot was better trimmed than they are now.

[@kevinmchale6637]

Love my 2001 remapped by AMD It revs so strongly all the way to the red line its so much fun on a twisty road you can really put the hammer down. The petrol consumption is pretty devastating though compared to my other cars. You’ve got to be on top of the the fluid changes on these and the oil pick up pipes. Great review loved it!

[@LangersVW]

The problem I’ve got with your video’s Andrew is when I watch them........ I end up looking and feasting on what’s currently on the market looking at the classifieds after😉😂 love the S3 my dad had an A3 that was specced to S3 ie the recaro seats alloys was 180 bhp nice car loved the build quality think he wished he got an S3...... There’s a part of me that would go for the R32 over the S3 simply because of the sound track of the V6 yet it lacks the S3 build quality great video as always

[@macphersontube]

Very excited to watch, I’ve had my S3 8L 9 years now. The 18” RS4 style wheels on these cars are nine spoke though, not ten.

[@volkswizard]

Sorry, watched it back once uploaded and counted them and 10! There was a 10 similar 10 spoke on B5 A4 1.8 SE, got confused

[@volkswizard]

Sorry, watched it back once uploaded and counted them and 10! There was a 10 similar 10 spoke on B5 A4 1.8 SE, got confused

[@jasondougie213]

I had a 53 plate BAM and i knew I shouldn’t have ever gotten rid of it. It was a great car. You’re right about the standing starts, I remember blowing away most things at the lights with mine. Handling was great for the age of the car too. I also had the Bose sound system with the subwoofer in the boot. Great video!

[@Greig300]

I had an 8l S3 for about 4 years loved it. Did eventually rust alot... but I did so 160k in the car. Areas to watch are front sills, side blades on the doors they corrode inside out from the rivets/screws, roof sills corrode along the gutters and rear boot plinth corrodes.

[@sparetimefun9911]

can anyone else hear that high pitch noise on the video?

[@volkswizard]

In the intro and sitting in the car there is prob some interference. Due to popular demand I started using radio mics a few vids back and realised that they get interference from GoPro WiFi. I had to reshoot the bits after that with it off. So sorry about that, one of the many pitfalls of filming

[@TurboJoee]

Nice to hear this, bought my third s3 in nogaro blue last week, for exactly the same reasons your saying. Definitly a modern classic that WILL be going up in price in the very near future.... grab one while you can !

[@volkswizard]

I am sooooooooooooooo jealous, noggy blue too, woohoo!

[@MrBarnshaw]

You were right about values!!

[@maternb.5360]

I have a S3 from 1999. I love it! I will never sell!

[@natel5370]

The original hot hatch that started the hyper hatch race . I wish they had done a vw oak green green one ! Sure fire investment or Audi wouldn’t have bought it for the collection

[@waynephilbert]

I had one. Nogaro blue, with matching Alcantara interior Recaro seats. Damn I loved that car. AMD remap and Haldex controller upgrade too. Probably should never have sold it. It was actually very reliable too. Only issue was a coil pack playing up. Simple fix and it kept on going without issue.

[@daranleighton9813]

I’d forgotten about these. You’ve got me wanting one now. Much more understated than the current crop of vulgar looking models from Audi. I think this colour would be my preference too.

[@volkswizard]

I got myself wanting one (which is awkward!)

[@dsummers8191]

Sold these from new and enjoyed many a mile behind the wheel. Looked great then and looks great now. An excellent all-weather compact GT car. Good content from the Volkswizard.

[@nighttripper1432]

I have one, it's a 20 year old car and it's still a head turner

[@bunter6]

Love my wee 51 plate noggy, just about to put it away for the winter. I agree about the seat height, my 1M Leon Cupra R felt a much more sporting drive due to the much lower seat height.

[@samcourt6228]

I like these. Prices will go up a bit once all of the ruined Barry boy ones are dead. My uncle had a nice grey one (although he never really liked it, so it didn’t hang around long). I still like the seats in these and I like this era of subtle fast cars, the B7 RS4 is still my favourite RS car which still look so right to my eyes; chunky but not OTT like modern RS cars.

[@por925]

Great video, looks very fresh. For a twenty year old car it sounded tight, didn’t notice any rattles from the interior either.

[@macphersontube]

You’re so right about the seat height!! It’s always annoyed me you can’t get lower, even my A3 tdi had a lower sear position! Those electric Recaro are not all they’re made out to be 🤨

[@nickbitten6037]

Whilst i am not a big Audi fan i did enjoy the vid. Recall spending a day in an ordinary A3 a few months after it came out and was impressed.

[@goon83]

I still have my s3 from oct 2001, i bought it in 2009. Love it till this day! Daily comfy cruiser it is. Love this vid, but plz upgrade your mic, there is a very high sound during the whole vid! Super annoying

[@delboy1396]

Love the mk1 remeber buying my first one first fast audi i owned s3 started my love of the fast audi life too making me go for rs4 I've owned 2 of these cars at same time sold one kept one in my collection mine has no where near the mileage of this one and unmodified example 1/3 of mileage Great vid to the s3 8l

[@ravenmaster6364]

great as usual 👍👍 I really really wanted an s2 in 97 (would still love one!) I remember the nothelle s2 article in vwac mag, at the time I had an emerald green 16v 80 sport. When these s3 models came out they were dubbed 'all weather kings' and the on road presence was really something, I feel they look better in the metal as it were! the wide arches and the deep bumpers were especially menacing when viewed from the rear, and still a classy car to this day. I would rather have one of these over the modern offerings 👍

[@malcolmscott4150]

Great car and great video Andrew - love this series 1.8 T and S3 - they are such a great looking and well engineered solid car and with a turbo engine that revs oh what fun :)

[@alexheath7828]

I remember seeing one of these as a kid every day parked opposite my house , always loved this shape every since

[@Realworldnews247]

I’ve had A3’s and golfs all my life I have a soft spot for the mk1 a3, Had 3 of them, now have an a3 sport back

[@mrchristie4133]

I had a misano red s3 bam back in 2006. One of the best cars I ever had.

[@progd4v3]

I have a black 99 pre facelift running a gt2860 turbo 350bhp with 93000miles on it.owned for 8yrs,car is so much fun,will never sell it.

[@Birmingham_racing]

I think they look abit too outdated but that's just me. Good platform and huge tuning potential with awd to put all the power down. You could argue the Leon cupra r is better buy with same engine, more sporty set up and lighter being fwd. Only problem with the Leon is it looks too much of a boy racer car

[@einfelder8262]

Very nice example, hopefully Audi will fix the door card bubbles before they display it beside the new one. My only gripe with early Audis is the sombre black interiors. I have a Golf GTI MKV with Latte leather and similar headlining - much nicer not like a coffin.

[@Scala598]

I do like these as a spec sheet car, however I think they fall short as a 'modern classic'. A numb driving experience with a 4cyl turbo, pretty much today's formula for a hot hatch. Comparatively the Golf R32 that shares the platform has unique, special character because of its engine and that's why it's way more desirable as a modern classic.

[@chrisp4899]

It would be cool to have seen a video of audi giving this car a refurb

[@exgtt2061]

I found the pick of this platform to be the Leon Cupra R 225. Find one of these in good nick (neigh on impossible) and hold onto it. I good ones will supersede 8L S3 values.

[@gaycha6589]

I had both a mk1TT 225 and and a Mk1 S3 (same running gear). The engine was a wheezy, poor-revving effort which let the car down massively. For that reason I do not think it will have classic status. Most ‘classics’ have engine at heart of the romance. Never going to be the case with the VAG1.8T units.

[@smiler921]

That spec is beautiful, some are marmite with hideous interior colours

[@volkswizard]

Glad you like it Al, clearly a man of class 😆

[@thedetailingdoctor5746]

I’ve got a beautiful b6 a4 cabrio manual 1.8t if you fancy a drive in that. Lovely car brilliant engine. I’ve plans to do the ko4 upgrade to get me s3 power soon.

[@jamesoneill5810]

Goodwood Green is now a £2400 option on the current S3 ....Audi Exclusive and gone are the days when Audis where put together like the MK1 ....l do agree the current design language is aimed at the larger markets

[@davel8byr]

I do still like these. I think silver is my favourite colour for the 8L... i recently seen one with the 2.5 RS3 engine in, thought it was quite cool but could raise a few eye brows as to whether its ruining a future classic

[@dacads]

Looked at buying one years ago but couldn’t get over the plastic trims on the sides and back! Still a bit off putting but myself been a bit older and wiser now I could probably forgive that. Hasn’t aged badly at all otherwise!

[@Kayobong]

Love the video mate, I have a 8P S3 and the roads around suffolk aren't the nicest so suffers some of the same issues as the 8L. Would love to see your take on how well the 8P S3 has aged.

[@Zeshan1982]

Awesome vid Andy . I remember I came to see you in my brothers W reg Audi years ago. I think it was around 2003. What a car in them days.. Zeshan

[@FK2VtecTurbo]

I ran one of these to 230k miles it was still going strong when I sold it, great cheap cars 👍

[@RokinLee]

Had 52 plate imola yellow s3 from new... oh happy days, suspension fettled by AMD, tuned by APR. Awesome car.

[@RyanRhysJones]

Near-side side light out?

[@volkswizard]

Could be the light but it certainly looks like it, was OK yesterday so just bad luck.

[@RyanRhysJones]

volkswizard love the content mate! Very informative 😀

[@intunewithcars9484]

i had a 52 reg dolphin grey s3 225 gutted i sold now ...sold too cheap aswell £3200 and totally mint, tbh i got worried as the mileage was about 160k, paintwork was flawless ...argggg gutted

[@kells77]

I have the Same engine in my mk3 golf GTI I also have the MTM 340 ps kit on it too but now I’m around the 500 BHP mark

[@JNAMOTORSPORTS]

Is this just a TT also?

[@hamwicbi1265]

I want one!!!! it looks like it's getting hard to get a hold of one now for a reasonable price. Everyone knows it's classic

[@SavingSalvage]

How odd! Audi UK contacted me at the beginning of the year as they were going to buy my s3 8L. I guess this was the reason why.

[@danielmarshall4587]

Oh thank you so much for this. Your points are bang on, very much so as I'd entertained thoughts of buying one in the mid to late "naughties" it would have been a pre-owned one with MANY miles on the clap-o-meter. cheers for another lovely vid.

[@danielmarshall4587]

The "tracking" shots are glorious, good good stuff.

[@AUDIDOIT]

Great review. I was invited out for an Audi driving day early 2000. I drove the TTmk1 and s3, back to back. The s3 felt much better balanced. I have to say though, it feels no where close in ability and performance to my 2007 mk5 edition 30 GTI. I do love the mk1 s3 but never enough to want to buy one. I did feel it had the edge on its prettier sister TTmk1 as far as out the box handling was concerned. But I ended up buying a TTqs anyhow. lol. Again great review really enjoyed it. :-)

[@BS-ge4ne]

How much do you rate the QS handling over the 225 and S3?

[@AUDIDOIT]

@@BS-ge4ne the qs in fine fettle is a great machine. You can really feel the lighter weight of the qs to the 225 TT. Compared to the S3 I can honestly say there was not much in it. It really comes down to practicality. I would always have a qs over a nice mk1 s3 through. It is such a special place to sit. And responds really well to a few chassis mods. I really recommend the H&R anti roll bar kit. Really gives the car more stability in the twisties, also as a by product improves steering feel. For fast uk B road fun, leave the dampers and springs if they are in fine fettle. Hope that helps. My qs was featured in Audi driver magazine back in June 2014. Any more questions would be happy to reply.

[@volkswizard]

qS is special, it's quite supple like the S3 but better damped. TT 225 is pretty crashy especially on 18s and lowered post 2002

[@BS-ge4ne]

@@AUDIDOIT Thanks much appreciated. I own a QS myself but never drove a 225 to see what the differences were. Had a3 1.8t's in the past but never the s3. Have had great fun driving the QS over 2 years now but feeling the time is to scale back to a single modern car that ticks both practicality and fun boxes so typically hot golf/s3/leon thinking at present... Maybe I'll regret getting rid. Saw your old forum posts; awesome QS example that was!

[@BS-ge4ne]

@@volkswizard thanks Andrew. Splendid content as per.

[@acelectricalsecurity]

Personally, have never liked the look of these cars, I get why they made it, I think even today that colour combination world put a lot of people off.

[@carllynch8798]

I had one from new in 2003 was a lovely car

[@volkswizard]

You must have been doing alright, mine was 96k miles in 2006 and £6700 I think!

[@carllynch8798]

volkswizard I bought it from Walton on Thames Audi just over £24k part xd it with a Audi A3 1.8 turbo which I bought a year earlier which was just terrible. Had a XR2 before that which was my first car.

[@samcarman9709]

Is the plate available to buy? I have a genuine MTM S3 8p

[@samcarman9709]

@SaintWill damn

[@adamschoenrock927]

Ahh your video brings back fond memories! Had a face-lift in black with silver leather when I was at university. Unfortunately young and naive and couldn't afford to fuel the thing to get to uni and home each day so sold it after around 6 months 😂🙈 what a muppet!

[@davidcollett1699]

This is car i wanted but it got away. In99 i got a new golf 3dr 1.8turbo 150.which i loved. Was nearly 18grand with metallic and air . These were early 20k at the time. So out of reach. Nice review.

[@BenCFord]

Love this car! One of the first fast Audis I drove 20 years ago.

[@Rushbob.TV.]

My s3 8l is getting a new cluch this week love the car had it for 4 years now can't beat the fun in the snow

[@volkswizard]

I am officially jealous, let's hope we have some snow this year!

[@theenglishtrucker1849]

Those seats need two people to lift them, they are so heavy. My friend wanted them in a Mk2 golf until he tried to pick one up.

[@volkswizard]

Same seats went in the RS4 which was a much bigger car, and come to think of it C5 RS6 which waaaay bigger!

[@joetang9672]

Nice review, I’m on my 3rd 8L S3 tuned to 320bhp, and I just love the shape.

[@volkswizard]

That’s dedication Joe👍

[@chubbybrown4real]

Weren't they all galvanised steel? The corrado is another modern classic I'm Amazed that never took off in value

[@iamyourfuture808]

....it will

[@davidclarke7656]

Another great video Andrew! Love this era S3 especially in yellow!

[@jackgross3140]

You should do a feature of the mk1 Leon Cupra R

[@DRILLBABYDRIL]

A friend of mine in about 1993 had a MK1 Polo badged as a Audi 50. I think it was lime green

[@jamesrichardson4604]

I've got mk1 audi s3 alcantara seats in my 300bhp mk4 golf gti, lovely comfortable seats.

[@Zero_Ninety]

These are going to get more expensive pretty soon. Pretty good investment.

[@volkswizard]

I think so too, bit miffed I haven't got one yet but it's this winter or never

[@mindspinn311]

Can’t wait for these to start getting imported to the US in a few years.

[@volkswizard]

25 year rule? If so 4 years to go and the early ones don't have ESP which is probably not a bad thing

[@mindspinn311]

volkswizard Yes unfortunately that is our stupid rule and nobody has thought to reform it. 25 years is ridiculous. Canada has a 15 year rule. 10 years is by far a long enough period for a car to not have an effect on the domestic market, and that’s nonsense anyway because most of our market is imports anyway. The domestic American manufacturers lost dominance decades ago.

[@jamesgallagher1992]

Lovely car...hope that wasnt the kerb u clipped🤣🤣👍👍

[@volkswizard]

Swerving to avoid the oncoming car? No missed it in this car but a few hours later I had to mount it to avoid a bloody VW Transporter well over white line. Luckily it's an angled kerb and doesn't damaged 225 45 17s. i often avoid that road on my commute these days, better in the dark as you can see headlights well ahead of the car.

[@iamyourfuture808]

Not a fan of the colour combo here but a class vehicle without doubt. Pick one up for realistic money while you can. Sure fire investment.

[@philjamesdrummer1870]

Wow! What a piece of history!! Also, Seat Leon Estate in the background??

[@shotta287]

These were built like tanks

[@lewiscannon8213]

Thats So true I've just sold my one after 6 years and replaced it with a 2016 RS3 8v and the build quality of the RS3 seriously isn't the same.

[@shotta287]

Lewis Cannon to be fair the 8v series is also very well built

[@lewiscannon8213]

@@shotta287 on the face of it the 8v's are much better looking cars but when you dig a little deeper they're not built anywhere near the same as the Mk1 8L .

[@A43R3W]

Facts

[@Djwatzy]

I'd be happy with a TT for half the price to be honest, the next S3 was my favourite (8P)

[@ljgr6045]

Getting one of these some time next year can't wait been looking at them for ages

[@ianwaghorne5327]

I remember a guy who had one with audio controls on the steering wheel. A very rare option he said.

[@volkswizard]

There was a 4 spoke wheel off an A4 SE if you wanted controls, pretty nasty thing. The 3 spoke is so perfect!

[@giovannigallo8429]

Had one of these as a company car.. I loved it..

[@paulkippax4530]

Great looking Audi Andrew, and aged really well to my eyes! Thanks for the review mate.

[@volkswizard]

Thanks for watching and commenting Paul 👍

[@Honky_Konky_Phooey]

Kim and Alex at QSTUNING tuned my golf r 500+bhp absolute weapon #🚀. Love your videos 👍

[@kielarmour9884]

Would you say the 225 tt will be a classic 🤔

[@volkswizard]

For sure!

[@mhuk1220]

I liked my a3 1.6 compnay car back in 2001. It was gutless but a nice car. I like more my mk 1 TT. Looks better too.

[@markcompton6750]

Still looks amazing today Andrew.

[@volkswizard]

Got to agree with your Mark, it does. Beauty is timeless

[@danmoney9932]

Yes....this was my dream car in the early 2000's when I was driving my mk2 golf 16v.

[@Alexandru-T.]

Did you get one in the meantime?

[@danmoney9932]

@@Alexandru-T. no sadly never did. Have had a MK4 golf GTi which is a close relation although a bit crap in comparison.

[@Alexandru-T.]

@@danmoney9932 Well, it's never too late.

[@darrenogden3059]

Great car. Had lots of fun delivering these around the country from keddys back in the day.

[@peterurquhart7191]

This look’s class 🥰

[@john-joeoshea3118]

was gonna get one but with living near london and the ULEZ, it probably isnt the best

[@adamkhan5274]

massive want for one of these as a daily. prices seems to be in a sweet spot at the moment

[@lukebrommage2420]

As an owner for 4 years now i can safely say... no, no it's not!

[@simonthompson9380]

Great review and a wonderfully unstated car.

[@davidviner4932]

Great video, I need a car to transport my dogs but I think I will skip this and get a 2nd gen S3

[@mitch9894]

Was wondering if your would ever do a video on these! I loved my old one.

[@samggg2982]

just bought one cudnt be happier with the car tbh

[@GhostV8]

My mk1 s3 is much lower mileage tbh imola yellow too but would never sell

[@michaelkhan3628]

What's mileage i got a yellow one aswell 💛

[@dawidtf]

i bought one this year as my second car at the age of 18 after seeing a 500hp one at a car meet in london and honestly i love it except that all the old pipes and hoses have now perished and you can tell stuff is starting to get old and needs replacing... had a lot of problems recently but should be back on the road soon if anyone wants to see me he process follow my instagram @s3_dawid