2010 AUDI A3

bittersweet: sweet to drive, bitter to maintain

Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: 2 Technology Rating: 4 Value Rating: 2

I bought this car used, from a low volume dealer (shady, I know) with 54k on the odometer. It was a terrible purchase, even at a price I thought was great. It was leaking coolant the third day home, and required over $5k in repairs the first year. It was out of warranty, buyer beware, etc. I still like the car. It is expensive to fix, but when it is good, it is really good. Nothing cruises at highway speeds like a German car. Plenty of power, even on a high mileage engine. One thing I learned during the first year of ownership is this: don't take it to a dealership for service, period. You will overpay, in a ridiculous way. Example: bent rim, new wheel: $825. Really. I bought four new wheels and tires on tirerack.com for a hundred more than that, and they were lighter rims, and look better. That is just one example. The best thing you can do is learn to do your own maintenance/repairs and be vigilant. Read the online forums and watch the youtube tutorials. You will have to buy all new tools with a german car though. It is nothing like an American or Japanese car, which I have previously owned. Lots of starbolt fasteners. Even the wheels are held on by lugbolts (17mm) instead of lugnuts, which freaked me out the first time I rotated the tires. Most used car ownership experiences have a few repairs involved, especially once you break six figures on the odometer. For an Audi/Volkswagen, the parts are expensive and the service at the dealership is outrageous. I suppose I knew that going in, but that first year was rough. The interior is holding up pretty well and it looks like a much newer car than it is. The front seats are supportive and comfortable even on long road trips. The leather has held up well with a minimum amount of creasing and no cracks. The seatback on the passenger side did randomly detach at one point, but I was able to fix it with a pair of pliers and some glue. The navigation system is one of the least user friendly I have ever used, with a very cumbersome amount of effort to program a destination. It works fine once you get it programmed I guess, but I just navigate on my phone to avoid the headache. The bluetooth is easy to program at least, but it doesn't stream audio to the radio. The system does have an input for an aux cord though, and my wife likes the satellite radio. The sound is great. The performance is the best part about the car. It is a GTI in a fancy suit. Plenty of power to keep the driver entertained and with the S-line sport package you get great steering feel and confidence during cornering. Under aggressive acceleration I get a lot of wheel slip, which is the only gripe I have. Even with grippy summer tires, you have to baby the throttle a little bit. Most drivers probably aren't as lead footed as I am though, so it may not be an issue for most. The transmission is as high end as I have ever driven (manual), with smooth clutch engagement and a shifter that slides into gear like a hot knife through butter - so smooth. It feels very refined, but is every bit the sport hatchback when you want to play. The exterior of the car has also held up very well. The paint is still glossy like new. The styling on this car was well ahead of its time, and it doesn't look even a little dated. My wife fell in love with it because of the looks, and she hates hatchbacks. I get compliments on it all the time. You take the good with the bad. The Audi has been a bittersweet ownership experience. Sweet to drive but bitter to keep it running.