Audi future

[Jon Linkov]

Mike -

I own three Audis..'83 UrQ with MC, a 1996 A4q since new, and a 2001 A4q
Avant (lease).

I've had *knock on wood* good luck with the A4s. The 2001 has been
rock-solid. One minor repair to a rear window cable. The 1996 A4 is at 125k
miles, so has had some work (2 sets of control arms, a steering rack, 2
waterpumps/timing belts, etc) but has still been good.

However, overall, the reliability of German cars, in general, is poor.
They're loaded with brand-new electronics, the newest items that Bosch and
Siemens can produce...and they aren't always reliable. Compound that with
the complexity of these systems and the additional crap they are throwing in
the cars and there is the *potential* for lots of problems.

I would buy/lease a used Audi to replace the Avant when it goes off lease,
but not a new one. The depreciation is awful. And their price value, IMHO,
has dropped severely. No longer are they a "buy" as the A4 line was in
1996-2000. 

If you buy a new Audi, dump it before the warranty is over, so long as you
aren't upside down on the payments!
Jon

On 3/25/04 4:21 PM, "quattro-request at audifans.com"
<quattro-request at audifans.com> wrote:

> Message: 10
> Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 12:58:02 -0800
> From: Michael McLaughlin <mcloffs at mac.com>
> Subject: Re: Audi's future
> To: quattro at audifans.com
> Message-ID: <1B1A35B9-7E9F-11D8-8743-0003938E720C at mac.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
> 
> This whole discussion has made me think a fair amount about the
> eventual replacement of my car. I have a 1995 90 Sport Quattro, and am
> looking at replacing in within the next 12-18 months. My assumption all
> along was that another Audi would be an ideal replacement (probably a
> 2001-ish S4 or A4 2.7T). However, now I'm starting to wonder about
> that.
> 
> From what I gather on this list, Audis just aren't made like they used
> to be. And it seems that the biturbo V6 has some potential issues. I
> also gather that the newer V8s are great engines, but the manual
> transmission attached to it in the current S4 has issues of its own.
> 
> From following this list and talking with some owners of newer VAG
> products, my Audi-replacement plan is up in the air. I'd love to have a
> newer, faster, nicer Audi, but am not sure that's the wisest course of
> action. I even find myself contemplating spending a fair amount of
> money to upgrade my current 90, but that has its downsides as well
> (foremost being there's probably no way in hell I could do an engine
> swap myself, and also sinking serious cash into a 10-year-old car). The
> VW R32 is appealing, but, being another VAG product, it concerns me.
> The new Volvo S40 has a lot of appeal, and with a five-cylinder
> turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive, it's very Audi-like.
> 
> So I don't know what to do. Any thoughts on your part would be
> appreciated.
> 
> -Mike