Help me decide on my new car!

Hi everyone, I must first confess to being more of a 'lurker' on the forum as opposed to an active poster lol.
Anyways, I currently own a Stilo 1.9 JTD Dynamic and it has been a superb car and has never let me down contrary to the horror stories you hear about them.

However, I am in a position where I will be purchasing a new car soon and would like the opinions from fellow car enthusiasts. I have narrowed my choices to the 2 below:

1. New Honda Civic Type R GT (New Pre-Reg)
2. Audi A3 2.0 TFSI S-Line (1 yr old)

Both cars have alot going for them, i.e. one has forced induction, the other a high revving N/A Engine. Both also have great residuals. I am leaning more towards the CTR at the mo due to the A3 receiving a facelift this summer and I don't want 'the old one'...

If you had the choice between only the two cars mentioned which would you choose and why?

Thanks

new civic type r isnt as good as the previous model and has poor rear visibility due to the spoiler across the rear windscreen.

It is also lot heavier and only 1bhp more Go for one of the last old models if you are after a type r

A3 out of the two on offer or wait a bit longer

All good points, however from what I read Honda are being very conservative with the acclaimed BHP of the new CTR's as most are being Dyno'd at circa 212 BHP...

Sorry I also forgot to add that the car can not be any older than 1 year old.

I also briefly considered the MK5 Golf GTi which is to many the 'best all rounder' but the MK6 is due out at the end of this year so no go im afraid.

Thanks

someone watched top gear

Yes i did + the car forum community where TG got all their info from to make that piece

the civic in hondafan circles its known as "the second typeR that isnt a typeR" (the previous civic typeR was the first and worst) because it doesnt live up to the traditional typeR expectations. handling is good but it certainly isnt a driver's car and still has the steering feel issue (although not as bad as the previous typeR). its more of a fast shopping car that any woman could easily drive at speed.

the same issue is the main problem with the A3, steering lacks feedback and it isnt really a driver's car, however we swap shopping for commuting so its more of a man's car than the civic.

why am i harking on about the "driver's car" issue? if you buy a performance hatch you expect it to do certain things, shopping or commuting in comfort isnt on that list but taking B road corners at high speed is. why have the performance on paper if you havent got a car capable of using it on the road and giving you a stiffy?

so in both cases you have hot-hatches that dont satisfy driving enthusiasts. how do you choose between them?

if we consider style the audi is better looking inside and out imo. i sat in the typeR just a few weeks ago and i was shocked how much the rear spoiler blocked rear visiblity. the interior was well put together with nice materials but the style wasnt to my taste, as is so often the case with jap cars. the audi is better looking inside imo. so if style is your thing the audi seems best inside and out.

given the choice i'd opt for something else but if i was forced to choose between them it would have to be the audi. the main reason is that i couldnt bear to look at the civic everyday, and i'd get sick of honda fans laughing at me because i dont have a vagina.

prove it

there you go wanting a pic of my penis again.

Thanks for the input everyone. In terms of steering feedback, yes it would be nice to know what the front whels are doing for a change but tbh it's not really an issue. (Bearing in mind I do have a Stilo...Did someone say body roll lol) What modern front drive hatch does have good feedback? (Minus Ford Focus)

I do a lot of town driving, so what type of engine would suit my driving style better, i.e. turbo or N/A? I am of course going to test drive both cars but I just wanted an opinion before doing so.

Thanks

alfa 147 GTA.

but you need to be a real man to own one, i'm not sure if you're up to it.

better looking inside and out too.









both N/A and turbo engines are equally fine for town driving.

Got that right, I certainly aint! Although, I wouldn't mind a nosey about a Mi.To GTA if one were to come along anytime soon.

I think I am still swaying towards the CTR at the moment, I can get an 08 plate pre reg one for 18K from Lookers Honda! Fair enough it isn't as fast as the old one but it's still a lot bloody faster and handles a lot better than my current car.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

If you can live with the fuel consumption have a look at Vaux Monaros,

3yr old and half original price.
£10K for 180mph.

Audi would be my choice out of the two- for build quality and how it does everything 'well'. But it is only an A3 at the end of the day... a bit boring really and if I was spending the amount of money im guessing they are, i'd want something that sings and shouts more! Like the GTA and others (Not the CTR)

I would go for the Audi as for town driving you get a lot more low down torque thanks to the turbo, the Civic's power being beyond 7000 rpm, the current A3 TFSI is basically a Golf GTI underneath and all round a good car, tuning potential also good on that engine as well.