Hi,

I am in the market for a mid-sized car that will hopefully last for many years to come.

My main objectives are to get a reliable car that has room for my baby to grow and also still be fun to drive and not too expensive on maintenance. I don't want to end up spending thousands of dollars to maintain this car.

I'm going to be a new father, and want the best of both worlds. I hope I'm not being naive here, but I'd like your opinions on whether this car would suit my needs. I'll be trading in a small, somewhat sporty car for this one.

Thanks for looking!
-Rod

 

I have no doubt that you would love an Audi. My 2.8l has and will be a very reliable car, but European cars are not for most. I personally think you would be better off going with an Accord, Mazda 6 or maybe a Camry.

I say this because you said you want a reliable car with cheap maintenance. Audi does not fit your requirements. If you DIY then maybe.

I guess if you tell us the years your looking at that might help determine the long term maintenance costs.

Best of luck,

Jeff

 

Rod,

Jeff made some great points.
I will give you a small example, based on some of the highlights in your expressed inquiry.
As seen in my signature, I have also a 2000 Elantra, which we purchased brand new, 4 miles on the odometer. Based on complete records, I added up all the maintenance expenditures in 9 years of ownership: $ 2,179
(including TB + all other belts at 60,000 miles; and front brake pads - the original lasted 78,000 miles!...LOL, not much of a hard nosed driver here when it comes to braking...).
To me the number is staggering, especially when for the Audi in only one month post purchase I spent over $ 1,600 in parts I already replaced or will replace, or for upcoming maintenance items.

Please don't understand me wrong, as I'm not trying to compare the crappy Hyundai with the A6....LOL.
However, there are so many other FUN cars to drive and enjoy for many years to come, but that will keep your money in the pocket unlike the Audi.
I think the "fun" and the "pride" of owning an Audi both fade extremely rapid when it comes to deeping your hand in the bank account.
Audi is anything else but "cheap maintenance".

 

I will most definitely be doing most maintenance myself. I can spare a weekend if it means saving me almost a thousand dollars. The only thing I'd shy away from is changing the clutch, but that's why I'm getting an auto instead. I'm mainly looking at 2000+ A6's, maybe even as low as 1999. But from what I hear, Audi has really gotten its stuff together lately and makes reliable cars.

I've installed intake and exhaust on my car myself, and don't mind getting dirty. I always do my own oil changes and have been building up my collection of tools. As long as I have a manual (and the right tools), I'm confident I can do the job myself.

One of my main draws to this car is the trunk space and AWD cuz I like to go snowboarding in the winter. Also, is there a Chilton's guide for this car? My current car doesn't have one available, and it'd be nice to have one to refer to when doing the major maintenance/repairs if I get this car.

 

If you do your own repairs and maintenance, the ownership may turn out to be gratifying.
Good luck finding one you like.


If Chilton doesn't publish manuals in print, they surely have Online ones, accessed via yearly membership, it seems:

http://www.chiltondiy.com/

 

Driving an Audi vs. an Accord or Camry will provide a much safer car in case of an accident, and you cannot put a price on that peace of mind, especially with your precious cargo on board!

 

Based on this very section of your post, I would respectfully say, stay away from Audis then, especially used A6. They are prone to proble,s, sometiomes little ones but pricey to fix (Parts and labor) I know you say you can do some DIY but even some folks who DIY on other cars, don't Audi... You may end up spending too much $ on it and/or get friustrated with it. Try maybe a B6A4, IN know several owners who have had no issues wiht them but theyare smaller, especially the back seat.
Why don't you look at an Accord, they are super reliable and even the prior 240hp engine was fast, about as fast as a stock 2.7T. It is large inside, decent tr\uck and cheap to maintain. The Mazda 6 though a bit smaller is big enough for a small fmaily and less boring in terms of dynamics than the Accord.

 

Rod,

I compare Audi ownership to a high price escort service. (Not that I have ever done that...) It does everything beautifully. When you ask it to perform, it will. If you want to relax and enjoy the ride, it will provide it for you. Not to mention it is screened to provide you with one of the safest ride as well. Yet financially, it will eat you alive.

I am not saying that it breaks down more than other comparble vehicles. Obviously it is not as reliable as most Japanese econobox. But in comparison to other european brands, reliability is pretty much the same. The issue is that parts costs are astronomical. Not to mention the labor cost. And the ways that these cars are crammed with all the goodies, any repair pretty much requires you to dismantle pretty much the whole car, skyrocketing the labor cost...

With that said, I am not saying that you shouldn't go get one. If I did, I would be a hypocrite. If you are able to budget and save about $150 to 200 per month on maintenance and repair, I say go for it. I sure enjoy the ride.

 

BTW, if you get one, VAGcom and Bentley Manual are a must.

 

Wow, this is a tough one. I have only owned my A6 for a few months, so I don't want to steer you wrong. My A4 has 144K miles on it and has been the picture of european reliability meaning that it has needed basic stuff like motor mounts, Timing Belt water pump etc. To me, the maintenance is ussually accounted for in the price. I bought a Range Rover with 36K miles for $20K. I bought the A6 with 53K miles for $10.5K. A comparable Lexus (Reliable Luxury Car) would have been about double on both of those purchases. So, you pay now or you pay later. I like having the far superior european ride and knowing that I get to drive it for 25 cents on the dollar. If you can't enjoy that value equation, then stay away and keep the resell values low for the rest of us If I were buying for all the things you mentioned above, I would buy a G35 Infiniti. Fast, cheap, reliable, RWD or AWD, semi luxurious. That said, it is no Audi (2005 is the best year IMO). I like the Mazda 6 idea above, but they hold their value fairly well, so you might find that it isn't that much of a savings up front. The Accord is only advisable in my opinion if you are buying new as they hold their value very well and tend to get driven by people who need to put a lot of miles on a car. Thus you will be getting something with a lot of miles on it and paying a premium for it. They are great cars, but I would get a I-30 Infiniti or Nissan Maxima/Altima before I would get an Accord due to resale value. I would never buy a Toyota as they have no soul, so I can't comment on them. I am sure they are fine appliances. Based on the age you threw out, you could also look at the Mazda Millenia, the precurser to the Mazda 6 and a nice enough car. Suburu makes some interesting cars as well, but I don't keep up with them.