[ba] Reliability of B5 vs. B6 A4s? or???

[Chris Maresca]

Stay away from the early 2000's BMW and Mercedes, they had horrible 
problems.

Other than that, it's hard to give advice without knowing the 
requirements (e.g. do you need a back seat).  I would put few out there 
that I like, one of which I own.

1. Ford Focus SVT - damn near indestructible.  Mine's got 180k and, 
other than wear replacements, no issues.  Also, no squeaks, rattles or 
anything. Back seat has more leg room than my Jag XJR and you can get it 
in a (rare-ish) 5-door.  Hugely fun to drive - possibly the best 
handling FWD car ever made.  Downside - don't know if they made an auto 
version (I know you can get an auto in the non-SVT version...).

2. Pontiac GTO - hugely entertaining to drive, old lazy V8 reliability. 
Might not be the best in terms of fuel economy, large back seat, boring 
looks.

3. MazdaSpeed3 - loads of fun, but watch that torque steer.  Better as a 
manual, but I hear you.  5-door short wagon.

There's only a few cars I've driven in the last five years that are 
entertaining and affordable.  My short list is as follows - these are 
cars I have no experience with, however:

1. Mazda RX8 - horrible fuel consumption, the auto version sucks, but a 
very fun car to drive.

2. Porsche Boxster - they are cheap-ish and reliable as long as you do 
the (expensive) specified maintenance.  No back seat, however.

3. Subaru 2.5GT Limited (sedan or wagon) - has the WRX turbo engine, a 
true Q-ship and possibly the best looking Subaru

4. Infinity G35 sedan (gen I) - boring, very reliable, generally cheaper 
than other luxury brands - G35x is AWD

5. VW Passat W8 - Perhaps a better Audi than Audis?

HTH,

Chris.

On 11/22/10 3:17 PM, robert weinberg wrote:
> hi all,
>
> i'm on the fence here. i'm looking for a new (to me) daily driver. i can only go
> from immediate experience, but from what i've seen my wife's 1997 A4 12V V6
> Quattro has been a super-reliable car. 215k - pretty much just maintenance.
>
> meanwhile, i've had 2 friends with B6 1.8T Quattros which have proven to be real
> pains in the asses. they've blown racks, ps pumps, coil packs - and lord knows
> what else.
>
> i only know older audis - (like my always adventurous 1991 200q20v ;-)
> i'd like your collective opinion on the following for a decent DD...
>
> B5 or B6 with either a V6 (12V or 30V) or 1.8T
> Mercedes Benz C230 or C240
> BMW 330i
>
> must be auto for the wifey to chauffeur my ass around ;-)
>
> my budget can be up to about $14k - but i'd LOVE to keep it under $10k, if
> possible. the car does NOT have to be super fun - just reliable (within reason,
> of course). i could buy a honduh - but i used to have a nissan sentra for a DD -
> and i felt like such a tool driving it. and it wasn't all that reliable either.
> in the 2.5 years of ownership and 50k miles - i put in reman front axles,
> battery, starter and a water pump. the car had 99k when i bought it.
>
> mileage - eh from as low as possible to about 80k. must have had the timing belt
> service and waterpump if above 70k.
>
> mainly - i already have 1 wallet vampire with the 200q20v, i don't need another
> problem child. and i wouldn't want to drive the 200 on my 55 mile daily commute
> even if it never broke down - it's just a waste of a cool car.
>
> thanks.
> Robby
>
>
>
>
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