# Buying myself a 1.8T A3. Need a bit of advice/buyers guide



## Rezza (Oct 19, 2015)

Hey guys,

New to the forum. Always had VW golfs. First car was a 1989 1.8carb mk1 golf cabby, then I upgraded to a 1983 Mk1 golf GTI with a 2.0 16v 9a engine transplant coupled with an earlier KR head - great fun car! Been rocking a 0-60 in never 3.1td isuzu up until recently.

Looking to buy myself a 1998 A3, been eyeing them up for years but never got one. I need some help with what too look for bodywise and engine wise. The A3 im looking at is a german version - 1.8T engine 150bhp, 3 door, leather interior and 103000km (64000ish miles). Called an 'Attraction'.
Apparently the timing belt and water pump were changed earlier this year and also the turbo was replaced (Should this be a red flag on a low mileage car?) along with new suspension and exhaust.
I am unsure of the engine code. With it being a 1998 1.8T a3, will there be a certain engine it will have used? From what i've read it will have one of 4 codes - AGU/ARZ/ARX/AUM

What kind of things should I be looking/listening for with the engine? The 1.8T 20v is a completely new bag for me. Im used to the old 2.0 16v 9a engines, having completely rebuilt the one I had in my mk1 golf.

Body wise what should I look out for?

What should I look for on the suspension/chassis/bushes?

What should I listen out for on the test drive?

I have tried to find a buyers guide of sorts, but the only ones I can really find cover the S3s. My main concern is the engine really. My ridiculously reliable isuzu truck has just been written off (A horse and cart crashed into it whilst I was at work....), so I want to get something that wont cause any large problems, or if it does have any problems I can identify them when viewing the car and price it up accordingly.

For what it is the price is quite low - which worries me, along with the replacement turbo at low miles. Here in germany it is priced at 2500 euros, which is very cheap. Although they have stated mechanically it is in very good condition.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I want to make sure I don't buy a dog and also know what to evaluate engine/chassis wise.

Thanks!


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## Rezza (Oct 19, 2015)

There are so many VAG cars running the 1.8T engines I would have thought somebody would have some advice?


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## Rezza (Oct 19, 2015)

Thanks for the help guys. 195 views and no-one has even bothered to reply. What a helpful community. all i was after was some advice or personal experiences with these cars, obviously that is FAR too much to ask.

Really appreciate it.


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