OT: Why are Audis so cheap?, (used) Options

[nickg]

QUOTE (redshift @ Feb 14 2005, 05:27 PM)

Average Jane doesn't gib a crap about a Ur Quattro that 'blew away a lot of the competetion'. If they sold 10 million of 'em, we'd be stepping over cheap parts. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smile.gif) M

one of my passions is audis...that said i have owned several Ur Q's.....you have to look at them in the context of the era it was made, they were faster than 911sc's and had a REAL race heratige that others(save the sc)could only pretend to have. great car. modern Audis are awesome cars, the reason they are cheap relative to era BMW's is they were cheaper new and sold in copious amounts....ie shit loads. they have some inherent problems(early a4's have sqeaky a arms) but parts are generally cheap and very available in the aftermarket. if you live anywhere where awd is a benefit, buy one, you will not know why you didn't sooner. To answer the upped up vw comment, sorry the vw is a vw there in this situation....audi developed the platforms, vw shared it. kinda like the lincoln ls/volvo/jaguar platforms. sure they are pretty close and have parts that interchange, but they are different cars. I would suggest you have your wife drive one, the 99 1/2 up a6's are so nice......I have a hard time seeing a dealer with new 02 tt's on the lot, in this area, they sell everyone before it get's close to the country, much less on the lot

[kkelly]

The biggest problem with used Audi's is the cost to maintain them. (The same is true with BMW and Mercedes.) If you can do your own mechanical work they are no worse than most other cars.

I had the problem child Audi 5000, but didn't have any more repairs than your typical 16 year old car problems. Though I did have a manual transmission.

The Audi TT uses the VW Golf IV platform, with minor changes to the suspension. VW Golf owners like to swap the front suspension pieces to get better camber characteristics

You can check out Audi and VW problems by visiting VW Vortex

[Porsche Rescue]

I have owned at least 8 Audis over the years. Bought all of them used because they are a great value. I like them better than the BMW and Mercedes I have owned. Currently have a 99 A6Q and love it. Buy a low mile used one from a private party with good maintenance records. They can be expensive to repair but so are the other German cars.

[nickg]

just to clarify my post
vw platform cars
tt/golf/jetta/beetle

audi platform
a6/a4/passat/a8/phaeaton


vw platform
taureg/cayanne

[Gint]

QUOTE (redshift Posted: Feb 14 2005 @ 06:09 PM)

QUOTE ____Any other theories?____ Aliens, from the planet Zoteph.

I knew I should have qualified that statement. Of course I meant "practical" theories. Which would automatically disqualify Miles.

Thanks for the replies all.

[0396]

Funny thing, I jusat p/u a new 04 S/4 Advant.
I owned an 86 CS 400 years ago..no problem at all.
Then some had many concerns.

The new S/4 has a V/8 340 hp...is faster than most so call
sports cars out there.

Yea, I could have bought another Benz..but considering I've
always like their Q system why not.
I'm also a skier too, mybe that's another reason why
I like Audis.. For me, why settle for the wanta be in four wheel
drive when you can afford the best.

I look at it his way, would you want the four wheels to 'kick'in when your about to kiss the side of the mt..

Or would you want FULL time all wheel drive.

So, what's your rear worth?

Used Audis for the most part are a steal (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/cool.gif)

[jgiroux67]

I for one love Audi's. I drive a 98 a4 2.8 quattro every day and it is a realy nice car. In my opinion they look great (especially when lowered with 18's on it) and the interiors are stylish.

Audi has a repution for being one of the safest cars you can buy, which is complety true. The car doesnt lose control. Even in a couple inches of snow and low profile street tyres it doesnt slip at all.

The maintenence isnt all that bad. Despite what most people think, they arent too hard to work on either. If a problem arises that you cant fix then you can just take it to a modern VW technician and the can do it. The rediculous price is if you take it to an Audi delearship, they try to screw you.

[JerryP]

Wow. I had this conversation yesterday with a mechanic as I am interested in picking up a used Audi. He took several classes to work on the Audi/VW's and the classes just for the 1.8 Turbos. He said much the same as a lot of you. He loves the cars but says doesn't suggest them to others because he works on so many of them and they can be expensive to keep.

I'm sure its safer for him to suggest Hondas and Toyotas so it doesn't come back at him. That said...he didn't convince me not to pick up a nice used one if the price was right so I'm still looking.

Maybe Cap'n Krusty will chime in. I believe he's an Audi expert and IIRC a big fan.

[redshift]

Sorry to swerve off towards another brand... has enyone else compared '04 MBs, to '05 MBs?

Goodbye Benz. They are shat, and I am talking 600 vs 600... top of the heap, bottom of the bucket.


M

[Steve Thacker]

QUOTE (Paul Heery @ Feb 14 2005, 09:02 PM)

Yep. Real simple. They cost a small fortune to maintain. Timing belts, control arms, etc. The parts alone cost a lot. and, you are going to need to replace them. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/sad.gif)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/agree.gif)

I hate working on them, biggest pain in the ass cars made. Too many damn sensors to go bad and cost a kings ransom to replace. I'm suprised that they don't have an electric ass wiper sensor onboard the cars, they have one for everything else. Run Forest RUN!

[Steve Thacker]

OK belay my last. They aren't that big of a pain in the ass to work on. I still hate the sensor BS tho.

[BigD9146gt]

redshift, so what's the definition of "Average Jane"?

Cause if i had to guess, it wouldn't be someone who bought a german performance car like an Audi, it would be a Honda, VW, or one of the small engine 3 series BMW... basically what Average Jane's little snobby friends are wining to daddy for.

Now the "Above Average Jane", gets the A4, Boxster, 330Csi, C320, etc. And i will agree that she cares nothing about the Ur Quattro, but then again, who cares about the 914... We do now obviously, but back in the day, it was a popular car.

So in conclusion, Audi has had its ups and downs, but its never going to be an "Average Owner" car. If they were selling to the "Average Market", then they would be their parent company, which isn't the image. If you don't know what the image of Audi is, do a little research. Make sure you don't over look the past 10 years at Le Mans either.... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wavey.gif)

[Porsche Rescue]

If I may generalize a bit, I think if a person is interested in economical, reliable transportation, they should look to a Toyota/Honda/Nissan.
The Audi and other German cars, including Passat VW, are all going to cost more to buy and repair. We buy them to get the engineering, build quality and other characteristics they have. They are called luxury cars for a reason.

[kevinseven]

I just picked up a 2000 A6 4.2 V8 44,000 miles for $20K last week. I'm not sure I'd call that cheap. I think $18K or $19K might have been more in line with the market but the PO had been anal with upkeep and records as well as upgraded the suspension and wheels. I drove it home from New Jersey to Gerogia and never had such an easy/fun road trip. This V8 does really well from 60 - 110 MPH. Awesome.

I thought long and hard about the TT, the S4 and the new A4. The TT was out because I can't afford to have another 2 seater. I found a handful of S4s from 2000 and 2001 that could be had for $22K and that 's with 45,000 miles on them but I remember how cramped the back seat was on my old A4. I was also honestly concerned about the turbo problems that the 1.8t is giving new Audis and VWs and I couldn't afford a new V6 A4. The A6 turned out the be the best option. I added a $1500 after market warranty to the deal to lessen the pain in the event something goes really wrong.

I've owned an A4 V6 and a wierd 1990 V8 Quattro (wierd because it has no number designation - it's just called the V8 Quattro) that I guess turned into the A8 in later incarnations. All have been very nice cars. The V8 Quattro is kind of a pill becuase it is 15 years old and has over 100K miles on it but I only paid $5K so it has served its purpose for the last 2.5 years. I'm sure any $5000 15 year old car would give about the same level of aggrivation and expense.

My father owns a loaded BMW 540 and I think it's a 1998 or 1999 and he thought it was only worth $17K. So are Audis really that far off on holding their value?

[Scott S]

My family has had several audi's - the only problem car was an 85 5000s that had a rediculously expensive hydraulic failure. After that, every car went WAY over 150k miles. Currently mom drives the TT, dad has the A6 (soon to be replaced with a used A8) and bro drives the original big bodied S4. The only issues on the recent group are the a-arm bushings on the 6 (under warranty), lost the headlight bulbs VERY quickly in the 6 (in the first year) and the TT has gone through two radios (also under warranty).

All in all every car but one has been pretty painless. Prior to the TT mom had a Jetta III - it literally fell apart around her. My bro did a two year lease on a new beetle as they were inexpensive and he was recently out of school. As well, the car was total garbage.

Some day I will buy an Ur Quattro coupe - it was my dream car back in high school. I watched two of them playing cat and mouse on I-70 going up into the mountains - it was awesome. Love those cars.

[porschenut]

'nother Audi nut weighing in. We have had 5 cylinder audis in the family for the last 6 years and love the quattros. My local mechanic had some wisdom when I considered one. Audis will always have something broken but always get you where you need to go. 'nuff said.
Check out Audifans.com marketplace for deals. They also have an awesome support group.

My current 80 quattro turbo is so much fun I am considering selling the 914. A rustproof 4 door 4wd with 250 HP and 15 PSI. If only the sunroof were bigger....

[mike_the_man]

I have a 94 S4, and I love it. Every time I drive it, it puts a smile on my face. Although, repairing it is damn expensive. After I bought it, I put about $2000 worth of work into it, although I knew that when I bought it, and the price reflected it.

For the size, it's a darn fast car, and it handles pretty good. It'll cruise at 200km/h all day long, and it's one of the most comfortable cars I've ever driven. I can drive it for hours on end with no problems. All wheel drive is also great around here. I've got a good set of winter tires, and the thing is a tank in the snow. The only problem is that it has been lowered, so clearance can be abit of a problem.

All in all, great cars, just expensive to fix.