Audi a3 or Hyundai i20

Ultrasonic

The list of cars that fall somewhere between an i20 and an S3 is vast!

Is it the performance or the look/prestige of the Audi that your partner wants?

Just realised you said 'first car', I trust you have had cars in the past individually? The idea of an S3 truly as a first car could lead to some comedy inurance quotes . If neither of you hae been driving for a while they could still be exciting.

As a (pretty desperate) stab at a compromise, how about a sportier Ford Focus.

As you're likely to be doing low miles, I'd be inclined to look at older higher spec cars as another possible compromise route.

Ultrasonic

Oops, got confused by a post above, we're talking about an A3 not an S3 aren't we! Not quite such a huge gulf, and no comedy insurance quotes!

Ultrasonic

Other than a Focus, another option would be a Seat Leon (the guts of which is the same as an Audi). But useless if it's the Audi brand that DH wants.

bluedrop

This is our first car in this country. He's driven abroad for 10yrs. Excellent public transport in london and sheer laziness made him leave it this long(5 yrs). We are pretty desperate now. I'm way far behind. I've never driven before so I have many more driving lessons to go!

londonTiger

OP if you want a3 get a zipcar membership and drive it around for a while. See if you really like it. It's not as prestigious as some people are making it. It's just a slightly more higher end everyday hatchback.

it shouldn't be a huge expense. They're reliable as long as you understand that cars need maintenance. If you can afford to pay for it outright there's no worry about maintenance.


Unless of course you're thinking about finance - which can be difficult to work with alongside a mortgage.

londonTiger

bluedrop wrote: »

This is our first car in this country. He's driven abroad for 10yrs. Excellent public transport in london and sheer laziness made him leave it this long(5 yrs). We are pretty desperate now. I'm way far behind. I've never driven before so I have many more driving lessons to go!

Problem with driving in London is that you kinda feel like a prisoner because you can't go anywhere without worrying about parking, conjestion (fine for evening and weekends). You have to play your day more and can't just hop on and hop off like you would using public transport.

Go into central london on the weekend and you better go before 6pm and park somewhere and stay parked until next morning to get back. If you drive there late it's virtually imposssible to find a spot. Or you can park somewhere like holborn and take the tube to picadilly. then at the end of your evening take a cab to your parked car a mile away then drive home. :rotfl:

A car is a nice luxury to have but it's use is limited, especially if your social life revolves around zone 1,2. So many weekends wasted in traffic.

worried_jim

One car is Primark, the other Next. Your husband wants to be seen in Next where as you are happy in Primark.

chrisw

Trouble is, if he wants an Audi and you end up with a Hyundai he will never be really happy with it. For a large number of people a car is more than a means of A to B. Every time something happens, he will say 'told you we should have had the Audi' and it will be your fault.

bluedrop

chrisw wrote: »

Trouble is, if he wants an Audi and you end up with a Hyundai he will never be really happy with it. For a large number of people a car is more than a means of A to B. Every time something happens, he will say 'told you we should have had the Audi' and it will be your fault.

Exactly. To me, a car is a means to comfortably get from A to B without walking to the station/bus stop and waiting time. My husband doesnt admit, but I see disappointment everytime I talk about another car.

ChasingButterflies

londonTiger wrote: »

They're reliable as long as you understand that cars need maintenance. If you can afford to pay for it outright there's no worry about maintenance.
.

DH has just changed cars and sold his (much loved and admired!) A4... Now I know it isn't the A3 but for instance if a bulb goes on my car I can go to halfords and have bulb replaced and fitted for (around) £20. DH had a front bulb go out of warrenty and couldn't have the bulb changed and needed to get a whole cluster @£300 (yes it was at a main dealer as it was a company car) That is just one example, everytime that car went into the garage I breathed a sigh of relief that it was a company car and not mine (that we have to pay the bills for!)

Although he was amazed at the cars value after his period of ownership 08 plate he purchased at 18 months old with low mileage for £23k and sold to webuyanycar for £9k with 92k miles and some work needing to be done to car...

Is there come sort of compromise to be found op?

Also is the congestion charge an issue? my uncle travels in the congestion charge zone quite a bit and bought a Toyota auris(?) to avoid the charge :rotfl: He does also seem to like the car!

Just a couple of thoughts - I know very little about cars but do know about having to work a compromise between the car DH would like and the car he actually buys...