Have you driven the tiptronic capt ? Surprisingly brilliant. Given there are 2 manual 993s in NZ both of which are owned by people why would rather lose a leg than sell them I made the decision to get a tipper. It's quite excellent really and the track time I've had in it has been as much fun as my old manual. But anyway the
Main thing is it's going up in value the longer I hold it.

The only thing I'd add is that, with the 3.2 (and I've heard that same applies to R3.2) if you have a manual, the clutch bite is an acquired taste

Don't know where you're coming from on that one. I've got a MK V R32 manual and the clutch is fine. Even MrsM drives it happily and she drives like my father. IMO, Audi don't do very good manual transmissions, probably because such a high proportion are auto's. Drove an A5 manual last year and it was absolutely horrible

As a pedant point, the full fat A3, the S3, has always used the 2.0T engine rather than the 3.2 used in the R32. The A3 and TT 3.2 are good cars but more like fast saloons rather than focused hot hatchbacks – even with the S-line spec

There's nothing wrong with the clutch but it is a bit "all or nothing" compared to the other models. I remember reading it in a review (and referred to in an Autocar article about another car too) and I know what they mean. Apparently, and I've not driven one to compare, it's the same clutch in R32 and that can feel similar. Autocar cited it as a reason to consider the DSG, however, like you Cpt, I don't find it a problem at all. Nor does my wife.

PS I've spent quite a bit of time driving the new 3.2TT manual and loved that to drive. Seemed a lot more sprightly and only downside was that I kept hitting my head on the A pillar getting in and the windscreen was so narrow it felt like I was driving around in a postbox. I've heard that the 2.0Ts handles better because of having less weight over the front end, but not driven one to know for myself. All nice cars though.

Just been out this morning with wife test driving an Audi TT RS. Crikey its a good car. 2.5T engine. If you ever get to have a quick blast in one take it.

Another thumbs up for the A3 – I bought a 2.0 diesel sport at 18 months old and still have it (- it's 5 years old now). I intend to keep it for another 2 or 3 years, as it's the best car I've had, goes like a little rocket, and is reliable. Took it to Chamonix last year and off to northern Italy in it shortly.

Only gripes: watch stone chips on the side of the car – they WILL corrode if you don't treat them. Black paint on one of the pillars went … Audi not interested, as "trim", so not covered by the bodywork warranty. The local dealership were very sympathetic and did it at cost for me.

Apart from that it's great! (Audi TT would be car of choice though, if I could justify having one).

I did find low speed smooth driving tricky in my mk4 R32 – super sensitive throttle often had me slightly kangarooing over speed bumps. Great on the open road though!

I'm still interested to hear your thoughts on the tiptronic system Capt – comparison to my thoughts and all that.

NZCol, I haven't driven a tiptronic 911, but for the same reason that you wanted a manual S3/R32, I would only buy a manual Porsche. IIRC, the Tiptronics are not only auto but 5 speed rather than 6. Tiptronics are much cheaper second hand which shows they are less popular.

This was my 993 – manual of course 🙂

Nice, yeah its an interesting one. I've driven a fair few manual 911's of various vintages and I found the tiptronic was actually better to drive on the track, pickup and throttle control seems really really tight once you've done a couple of laps – its got a learning module which reacts to what you are doing with it. Sure its 5 speed which means its a totally different driving car in terms of gear length but it works. The tippers here go for the same as the manual, given there are so few we're pretty limited but the man doesn't seem to command a premium at all. Lovely cars though and just the right vintage i reckon, mine is a Targa. The garage thats looked after mine from new is of the view the tiptronic transmission is good for 300k miles with no servicing ! Thats a lovely example you have/had, the owner prior to me had it 15 years and had a carpeted and heated garage for it – bizarre. He cried, and i mean CRIED when he gave m the keys. He'd blow his colostomy bag off if he saw it being powerslid round the track !!

Anyway back to the original question – i collected my S3 today. Its very beautiful and nice to drive, had a 200K round trip in it to a customer and its just nice to drive. Bonus point was finding the iPod integration thing hidden in the glovebox before I left so could just plug in and go. Nice.

Sadly the 993 went a couple of years ago. Best car I've ever had

You will really enjoy the S3, but be prepared to start getting bored in about 12 months. Just enough time to save up for a new Golf R manual with Recaros 🙂

The 993 truly is a stunning 911. The 997 gets closeish (the 996 was minging) but the 993 will always be the prettiest IMO.

A Golf R is is basically an S3…

Surf-mat – In theory I agree the Golf R is basically an S3, but all the reviews say that it is as good to drive as the R32, whereas the S3 is dull. Same underpinnings – much better execution

I drove a golf R incidentally. Nice but was underwhelmed slightly. It's certainly better handling than the r32 on my limited wiggly road test – lighter front end helps. However it was almost double the price of the s3 I bought !