Autocar UK – 31 July 2019

HOW TO GET ONE IN YOUR GARAGE

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Today, of course, the only feature that

matters is a full service history

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USED CARS

3 1 JULY 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 77

An owner’s view

STEVE HARRIS

“I saw the S3 and had to have it. It’s a

2002-registered car and the mileage

i s h i g h a t 170 , 0 0 0 b u t , i n th e t wo ye a r s

I’ve had it, it’s not put a foot wrong.

It feels as solid as it must have done

when it left the showroom. I reckon

this generation of S3 just pre-dated

the next level of electronics because

I can fix most things on it and, in any

case, there are lots of forums offering

good technical advice. The only

upgrade I’ve made is fitting a Bilstein

B12 suspension kit, which I reckon has

tightened the handling.”

Buyer beware...

QENGINE

Check condition of the breather pipes

at the inlet manifold and ideally replace

them and the vacuum pipes. Watch for

uneven idling or lumpy running, signs

the diverter valve, mass airflow meter

or ignition coils have failed. If the temp

gauge is all over the place, suspect the

thermostat or temperature sender.

If the low coolant level is indicated on

start-up but the reservoir is full, the

coolant level sensor in the header tank

may have failed.

QTRANSMISSION

Check clutch operation. On high-

mileage cars, consider replacing the

slave cylinder and clutch, and the

flywheel.

QSUSPENSION AND

STEERING

At this age and mileage, budget to

replace all the suspension bushes.

Check the front and rear anti-roll bar

sheaths, which have been known to

break. Corrosion can cause springs to

break, so inspect them too.

QBRAKES

Check operation of the brake sensor

behind the brake pedal and the brake

servo pipe, both known trouble spots.

QBODY

Check behind body strips where rust

can form. Affected areas include the

d o o r b o t to m s. E a s i e r to s p o t i s r u st

on the roof rails and gutters. It’s a

performance car so check for fresh

paint and filler, and that the tyres are

worn evenly.

Early cars had

207bhp; later S3s

got 222bhp motors

Seats are by Recaro

but expect some

wear, if not tear

One we found

AUDI S3, 2000 W-REG,

119K MILES, £3790

Strong money for an early 207bhp S3

but it has full service history with all

18 services (one every 6000 miles)

detailed in the advertisement. Looks

great in Imola yellow, too. Black leather

Recaros have no rips or tears.

QINTERIOR

Check if the digital display has lost

its pixels (see below), that the air-con

blows cold and that the glovebox

hinges aren’t broken.

Also worth knowing

The S3’s stereo and digital instruments

can have issues. Among the companies

that can help is Cluster Repairs UK

(clusterrepairsuk.co.uk). It charges

from £40 plus delivery and says no

mileage data is lost when repairing the

instrument cluster.

How much to spend

£1000- £1999

Mainly project cars, including an

undrivable 02-reg S3 with a broken

cambelt for £1000.

£2000-£2999

Decent high-mileage runners including

a 222bhp, 2001-reg with 188k miles,

full history and a new cambelt and

water pump for £2250.

£3000-£3499

Tidier, lower-mileage cars including a

207bhp, 2001-reg example with 109k

miles for £3495.

£3500-£3999

Bright-looking S3s including a one-

ow n e r 2 2 2 b h p , 2 0 0 2 - r e g w i th 1 0 6 , 0 0 0

miles for £3950.

£4000-£5500

The tidiest cars, including a 222bhp

2001-reg with 111,000 miles and a pile

of service invoices, up for £4795.