All this talk of prop shafts and engine fail has put me off! Also considered a bmw 1m or s4 b7.. Whats the tuning potential on an s4 and costs? Im sure theres a lad near me who is running a b7 s4 which has taken out lambos on the strip?!
To be fair, and yes Im defending the RS3 corner, that is the only engine failure Ive heard of and there really aren't that many propshafts that have failed. And all has been sorted under warranty.
My advice is go and drive them all and make your own mind up
I loved the 1M when I drove the first one around Brands, however I/we need four doors, five seats and my wife wants an auto. The 1M feels very special, and I nearly sold my 997 that day to buy it. The tuning potential on the B8 S4( Im sure you mean B8 and not B7), is massive, see Chris Harris's article on Pistonheads, it just looks a bit 'plain jane' for my liking, but I know that is half the attraction.
All I know, for what we want as a family, the RS3 does it all very well