2 ways to look at it then lease it and pay forever, own it and no payments just the one "buying" and its alllll yours so the A4 wins

 

Why don't you start looking in those auto trader or whatever magazines and online? Newer will be better as it has less miles and less chances to have thing go wrong. 02 had some problems with their coil packs I think. Look at technical service bullitens and the national highway traffic associations website for whats gone wrong with 02-06s.

 

might I say im not a number plate/age man my self so not bothered about neighborhood thoughts "even though I have a new car" my old car gets much better respect for its condition and you cant get a warranty on that nor put a price on it, I keep my Jag with a passion beyond money

 

With an audi, the miles you want to limit yourself at depends on the car's history of maintenance... A well cared for audi can go a couple hundred thousand miles without major problems. One that was ignored (even slightly) can have issues as soon as 50K miles. If you have no idea of who owned it or how it was used, I would not buy anything over 70k miles in an Audi (remember - that is timing belt replacement time as well).

I am not fond of the Altima at all, but if it comes down to lease or buy, then I would buy. Leasing = renting. You pay for the car's depreciation while you drive it, which is why the lease costs are low. But you never own it, and it would cost (total cost since leasing) much more to buy the car after lease than it would if you had bought it outright...

 

The Nissan is going to take care of you more than the Audi.. You will be taking care of the Audi more. The Audi's looks are better inside and out, and is way more fun to drive though..