Re: residual values

[Wendell_Gurley@notes.toyota.com]

Audis are consistently in the top three in reliability studies after 5
years here in the US.  "Reputation" isn't always "reality" and I can say
from my experience with an 87 4000q, I have had almost no problems in 11
years and 145k miles.  Other than tires, brakes, and muffler (typical wear
items), here's what's gone wrong:  ox sensor light came on due to a bad
sensing unit and was covered under warranty; plastic radiator overflow tank
got brittle and had to be replaced at 142k, and recently a door handle
trigger broke at 144k.  That's it.  Build quality is improved since my
generation car, so I'd say you have the same uninformed masses there that
is typical of the American car market.  Plus the market is 1/10th the size
in Canada, meaning there isn't a lot of room for brands to establish their
reputation.

>Not many people seem to be in the market to buy a 5 or 6 year old quattro
=
>given that they can lease or buy a new car and KNOW what their car budget
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>is going to be for the next 12 months. The small after market, and =
>reputation of Audis for expensive parts and sevice does nothing to hold up
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>their residual values and I can't, with the "possible" exception of the A4
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>with 1.8t engine, see that changing.
>
>Regards, Mike