Trading in Advice

Big_daddy

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Oct 20, 2006
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ive decided to trade in my leon for some thing different! but i want some opinions and suggestion on what to get. i got my eye set on Audi s3 or civic type r! (yes civic). about to get a evo 5 but it dont sute me! so these 2 cars are my last choice!
 

RobM

Back from the dead...
Sep 27, 2006
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Neither of those are that different though?

The S3 is the same as the LCR but with (part time) 4WD, but you'll end up paying a lot more than an LCR to get the same age, mileage and condition. Great car, not a great sensible purchase.

The Civic is different in as much as it's a different beast to drive. If you like your in-gear acceleration now, you'll hate the Civic. Everything is a gear change away. Flat out acceleration is good, don't get me wrong, but nothing happens before the VTEC kicks in so you need to keep it above that point all the time if you want to shift on a bit. Motorway overtaking is harder and involves changing down a gear.
On the plus side, the Civic handles very well and is a better track day tool, if that's what floats your boat.
 

Big_daddy

Going going gone.....
Oct 20, 2006
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yeh the s3 has 4wd which great advantage! espcially when its icy! (had few problems gettin up the hill yesterday- tcs was not helpin on leon). Yeh civic strong engine and hardly get any problems and u dont get limp mode with that. i like a cupra r but i just had leon and want some thing differnt! if u get my drift.
whats faster civic or the s3 .lol
 

RobM

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Sep 27, 2006
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The S3 has more power (210 or 225bhp) but is heavier and has 4WD which increases transmission losses.

The Civic has less power (197bhp) but is lighter and has less transmission losses.

So overall, with everything else being equal (driver, road, conditions, tyres etc etc) they will be almost the same in terms of outright speed.

The difference will be if you put them against each other on a rolling start... the S3's torque - and the Civics lack of it - will really become evident here.
 

Big_daddy

Going going gone.....
Oct 20, 2006
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so u get more g force from s3 than with type r! if revo a s3 that should blow it! but i dont want too high fuel consumption! if i get v tec controller, that should imporve the pic up!
 

LiCkWiD

LiCkWiD EvOLuTiON
Nov 15, 2006
892
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Essex
Have you not considered any other machines? An Impreza P1 for example? The cash you'd pay for an S3 can be otherwise spent on a 3-door Impreza super-car.. or what about a Focus RS? or Escort Cosworth? Don't forget the blue oval! It's a door-way to cheap repairs and mega performance with thousands of dealers and tuners nationally.

I notice you've already got, or have had an Impreza. The P1 is a different beast, as I'm sure your aware. Anyway, what about a Celica GT-4 or something like that?

Does it need to be the S3 or the CTR?
 

Big_daddy

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Oct 20, 2006
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Those cars guzle like a bi*tch! i dont like ford! subarus are too common in my area! My cuz got white wrc GT4.
i want some that dont kill me on fuel consumption!
 

NeilC

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Mar 23, 2004
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somewhere else
mbike? To be fair you havent really said what your requirements are or even what you are unhappy about with the leon. I think i'd find the s3 a bit safe and dull to drive and would prefer to stripout and cage a type R but everyones different.
 

Big_daddy

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Oct 20, 2006
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i want a car that is quick! that is economical! (not tdi). s3 are strong cars and 1.8 are economical to drive. type r are quick and you dont get fault such as limp mode. i dont want car that no higher group 17 insurance!
 

Big_daddy

Going going gone.....
Oct 20, 2006
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S3 question! i am aware that the s3 has same engine as the lcr and come with option of 210 and 225.
according to parkers it states that at 225 has turbo injection but the 210 has multi point fuel injection? whats the sito with this. the 225bhp is insurance group 18!
The lcr 210/225 are turbo injection and insurance group 17.

can any one shed some light!
 

RobM

Back from the dead...
Sep 27, 2006
4,982
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Southampton
Quick and Economical don't often go together when talking about petrol engines. If you want something quicker than you have now, you're going to end up with something that drinks more fuel. There isn't a lot you can do about that I'm afraid.

The Type-R will be OK on fuel as you can drive it around sensibly at low revs keeping it well away from the VTEC changeover point. But the fact you have to thrash it to make it move will ruin that economy when you want to shift.

If you want fuel economy, buy a diesel. If you want performance, accept the fact that it's going to cost you more in fuel.

Oh... just as I'm typing this another car idea has popped into my mind... Celica TSport.

190bhp, looks good, handles very well, is lighter than any of the other cars mentioned here and offers reasonable fuel economy. It's similar to the VTEC idea in that there is a changeover point when the high lift cams kick in (VVTL-i) and things go mental.
But, the driving position is perfect, the reliability will be vastly superior to the Leon (no sensor problems, no MAF failures, no turbo to worry about, no cam belt to change), the looks are great (even better when lowered!) and they are still quite practical as they have a big boot and seat 4. Well worth a look, especially as prices are coming down a lot these days.

And for what it's worth, a TSport will keep pace with a Civic Type-R every day of the week if you can drive it well :)
 

Chris 16v

Full Member
Nov 10, 2005
261
0
Your two choices seem very odd to me -

as mentioned, the S3 is just an LCR (better looking imo) with a temp 4x4 system. They are older and more dated in appearance too - you will still get limp mode too - why is there an issue with this? A lot of cars , non turbo included, have this to prevent people killing engines if they arent running correctly.

I had an Accord Type R - yes great fun to rev the tits off but fuel consumption was horrific - if you want to keep up with an LC let alone and LCR or S3 you will need to be 6200rpm plus and you will not see the good side of 20mpg.
The honda will feel like hard work to drive fast too.

Persoanlly i would look at an S4 or a 330 - the latter being the faster, more reliable and well built option. not to mention the looks, fuel if driven with respect etc.

Going from an LCR to an older S3 or a more expensive S3 is pointless imo.

Your cash at the end of the day
 

Big_daddy

Going going gone.....
Oct 20, 2006
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i am aware! i want turbo petrol but it has a max of 1.8. if type r no more than 2.0L. accord type r 2.2 and they big for me! the s3/lcr are quite god on petrol as the 35mpg and with 6peed on the motorway! wicked!
 

UncleFester

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Apr 30, 2006
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Or just avoid the CTR and get something that has torque lower down the power band. 4k rpm + at motorway speeds will become tiresome very quickly, there's nothing more irritating than a car that wants to be raced when all you want to do is drive.
 

UncleFester

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Apr 30, 2006
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For me ( this might be an age thing ) i like the fact that the Tdi will cruise happily and when i want to go quicker, i don't need to change gear, i just squeeze the throttle. Then again, that's one of the reasons i went from a honda to this in the first place .... i had a very happy if expensive 2 years with the Honda .... the sound of the engine with an induction kit at 7kprm was electrifying - maybe you need to 'do it' :)
 
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