Hello,

Right now I'm in the market for a 2012 Certified Pre-Owned car with less than 35kmiles for somewhere around $24-$27k. I have narrowed it down to either the Premium Plus Quattro Audi A4 or Infiniti Journey G37.

In regards to looks, the A4 blows the G37 out of the water in my opinion. The only thing that I'm on the fence about is reliability and maintenance costs for the A4.

1) I have read that some common issues with A4 involve electrical problems, headlight problems, and high oil consumption issues. To my understanding, dealers are taking steps to correct the oil issues with a series of tests. Does the 2012 A4 still experience the high oil consumption like previous models? Are there any other problems that are appearing?

2) In regards to routine maintenance costs, on average, how much is an oil change and other regular services for an A4? Where can I find a price listing of the scheduled maintenance cost?

I'm really tempted to go with the G37 just because it seems to give more bang for the buck in terms of price to features and performance. I really like the Audi but I don't want to fall victim to a possible money pit.

What are your thoughts?

 

Hi Mike -
Funny, I am in the same position as you. I currently own a 2007 2.0 (Previously I had a 99 1.8T). Love the ride, driving experience and feel of Audi's.
Having said that - Maintenance costs (constant repairs), is precisely why I am going with the Infinity G(25 or 37) in a couple of months.
One of the most annoying traits is the oil consumption - I add a quart every 1K or so now, basically every month. It has gotten worse as the car aged and from other posts it appears that the oil consumption issue is still present on the 12 models.
If you get an Audi be sure its certified - having that extra safety net is huge, and both times on each car it saved me 1K each.
The G37 will give you less MPG, but has a better warranty 60K and no deductible (Audi does) on its certified program.
Reliability? Hands down Infiniti. For me - the constant trips to the shop over the years has really gotten old with both cars,
Have fun in your search and selection.

 

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I am in the same boat.

I am considering a 2011+ A4 but I am concerned I will spend too much money to get it running.

My current car is 06 Acura TL and it has been a tank for me.

I would love to own a G37 but manual is a must for me and I cannot own a RWD car in the midwest.

Any more opinions? Thanks.

 

Subaru would be a better way to go or a used Lexus IS250 AWD

 

HI Jungy4 -
I agree an IS250 may be your best bet.
With respect to your concern on the A4 maintenance. The fact that possible maintenance costs IS a concern, to me, should rule it out.
Just being honest, because if you are constantly worried about spending $$ fixing the car (whether you can afford it or not, or if you are still making car payments) it ruins the enjoyment.

 

I have a 2012 A4 that I leased. I'm one year out from my lease being up and at about 21.5K miles.

I've had oil consumption since the car was new, but its only gotten low enough to cause concern (about half way down or slightly less on the digital oil meter in MMI) once within its 10K maintenance interval. It seemed to slow down a good bit since the last time I had to have some added. I'm only down a little bit and I'm due for service at 25K. I must say though that it would concern me had I bought it. Since its a lease for me, not much of a concern there.

I must say that otherwise I've been issue free. No electronic issues, electrical, lights etc.

My one quirk is that sometimes my music interface freezes with my iPhone 5S and I have to disconnect the phone and reconnect it to get it working again but I can't reliably get it to replicate so I've never brought it up with Audi.