• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
  • We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.

Used car shopping advice: Are used Audis a good buy?

TaySan

TaySan

SayTan
Member
Dec 10, 2018
31,483
Tulsa, Oklahoma
I don't know much about cars, but tomorrow i'm going to take a look at a 2008 Audi A4 2.0t at 116,186 miles. It's in my price range(less than 6K) and i like the look of the car/interior, but i'm concerned about reliability since i don't make a lot of money. The car fax report says it has a good service history and my dad is dead set on wanting me to buy it, but i want to know what i'm signing myself up for before buying it. Any second opinions appreciated.
 
Cort

Cort

Member
Nov 4, 2017
4,356
That's a ton of miles, I would keep looking to see if you can snag something in the 40-60k mile range.
 

CosmicPanda

Banned
Oct 31, 2017
842
nope wouldnt buy a used luxury german car thats older than 4 years and have more than 30000 miles.
 
Fat4all

Fat4all

Woke up, got a money tag, swears a lot
Member
Oct 25, 2017
93,039
here
repairs and parts for audis can be pricey, and with that many miles its gettin to that age where repairs are gonna be popping up
 
Fat4all

Fat4all

Woke up, got a money tag, swears a lot
Member
Oct 25, 2017
93,039
here
the price isn't bad

how long are you intending on having it? how often would you use it?
 
Kieli

Kieli

Self-requested ban
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
3,736
While we're all here, is a fuel injection drain/flush necessary? I was told by a mechanic I needed it, but I did my own research and apparently it's just some high-margin & unnecessary service.
 
nullref

nullref

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,057
At that age and mileage, I'd say it's likely that it's about to get expensive to maintain. It's not that Audis are especially unreliable, necessarily—more that that's the age at which all cars start needing substantial maintenance, and German luxury cars have more expensive maintenance.
 
turbobrick

turbobrick

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,092
Phoenix, AZ
As someone who once worked at a dealership and had to deal with all the used car trade ins, Audi's by far had the most things wrong/broken with them. I'd avoid.

Besides, Audi's are just more expensive VW's anyway. If you want an A4, save some money and buy a Passat.

Or better yet, buy a Toyota Camry and have a reliable, long lasting car that will be cheaper to repair.

TaySan said:
I don't know much about cars,

but i'm concerned about reliability since i don't make a lot of money.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah, don't buy this car. Or any European car.
 
Last edited:
Kieli

Kieli

Self-requested ban
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
3,736
Stay away from Hyundai. Absolutely shoddy build quality. They had to recall a lot of Sonatas from one of the early 2010s 'cuz of some engine issue. They're dirt cheap for a reason.
 
Fat4all

Fat4all

Woke up, got a money tag, swears a lot
Member
Oct 25, 2017
93,039
here
for a daily commuter car sommit like a toyota is just a better idea

repairs are much cheaper in the long run, you get a lot of miles out of the engine, you can get one that's cheap and that has fairly low mileage if you shop around

the audi would last you a few more years and cost you a lot more out of pocket for parts and repairs
 
Avitus

Avitus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,925
latex said:
Aren't used German cars like the biggest no-no in the auto world?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yes, because they aren't easy to service and the problems are exponentially worse if someone doesn't keep up the maintenance to begin with. Japanese non CVT naturally aspirated cars are so much more forgiving.

Kendrid said:
As already said, buy a used Toyota. It won't be cool but it will not need an extreme amount of maintenance.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

A 10+ year old A4 isn't cool, not paying out the ass and not being stranded is cool.
 
turbobrick

turbobrick

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,092
Phoenix, AZ
neoak said:
In the Americas they are because they only sell luxury ones here
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Parts are expensive here. Also when people slack on maintenance, problems build up and get worse. Its why you can buy 10-15 year old German luxury cars for cheap on craigslist. They need more repairs than they're worth, unless you're doing the work yourself. Having owned a Mercedes, and having helped my friends work on their German cars, I've learned I don't want to own one again.

Avitus said:
A 10+ year old A4 isn't cool, not paying out the ass and not being stranded is cool.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This. If it were an Audi S4, then it could be in the cool conversation.

Dr.Phibes said:
Lol, some people here. The A4 is most definitely not a luxury car.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

The base model A4 in the US would probably be a mid range model in Europe. You can't get a non-luxury trim Audi in the US. The base price of the A4 here is just under $40k
 
Clay

Clay

Member
Oct 29, 2017
8,115
Why does your dad want you to buy it? I'm guessing he's either extremely handy with cars and can help with maintenance, or knows absolutely nothing about cars and is setting you up to made a godawful decision.

Luxury cars are extremely expensive to repair. Small stuff that would be a cheap, quick fix on a Toyota/ Honda/ Hyundai/ etc will be outrageous for an Audi. If you're comfortable working on cars yourself and feel confident that you won't have to take it into a shop often, go for it. Otherwise, do not buy that car.
 
Border

Border

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,859
Luxury cars plummet in resale value pretty quick and you can get deals on them.......but when it's time to get a repair you will absolutely pay through the nose for it.

Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and maybe Kia Forte should be your main options.
 
Bitch Pudding

Bitch Pudding

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,202
Nothing wrong with buying a used German premium car in general

BUT

do not buy this car with this particular engine. It's famous for loosing oil due to a construction failure. I'm talking about 0.5 gallons every 1.000 miles. Audi did not solve this problem before 2012. Also applies for the 1.8 petrol engine.
 
OP
OP
TaySan

TaySan

SayTan
Member
Dec 10, 2018
31,483
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Clay said:
Why does your dad want you to buy it? I'm guessing he's either extremely handy with cars and can help with maintenance, or knows absolutely nothing about cars and is setting you up to made a godawful decision.

Luxury cars are extremely expensive to repair. Small stuff that would be a cheap, quick fix on a Toyota/ Honda/ Hyundai/ etc will be outrageous for an Audi. If you're comfortable working on cars yourself and feel confident that you won't have to take it into a shop often, go for it. Otherwise, do not buy that car.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
One of my dads best friends is an Audi fan that swears by them so i think partly he's just taking his word on them. He has the money for those type of car, but i dont and i don't think hes thinking the long term with these cars. I don't want to let him down because he always tries to look for whats best for me, but i don't want to trap myself in a financial hole either.
 
turbobrick

turbobrick

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,092
Phoenix, AZ
TaySan said:
One of my dads best friends is an Audi fan that swears by them so i think partly he's just taking his word on them. He has the money for those type of car, but i dont and i don't think hes thinking the long term with these cars. I don't want to let him down because he always tries to look for whats best for me, but i don't want to trap myself in a financial hole either.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah, don't buy this car. Your dad's friend is clearly biased because he likes the brand and can afford to put up with repairs. Seeing as you don't have money, that's a reason by itself not to buy it, as it wouldn't shock me that you'd have a $1k+ repair bill at some point in the non distant future.
 
hordak

hordak

Member
Oct 31, 2017
2,542
Anaheim, CA
according to consumer reports, audis and bmws in general have poor ratings over time

photo1_zpsa96faa1d.jpg
 
Clay

Clay

Member
Oct 29, 2017
8,115
TaySan said:
One of my dads best friends is an Audi fan that swears by them so i think partly he's just taking his word on them. He has the money for those type of car, but i dont and i don't think hes thinking the long term with these cars. I don't want to let him down because he always tries to look for whats best for me, but i don't want to trap myself in a financial hole either.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I would just find some articles and show them to your dad. Audis are nice in the sense that they look and drive nice, but they're a horrible choice for someone on a budget, regardless of how old they are and how good a deal you get on the car itself. It's widely none they are extremely expensive to maintain.
 
Kill3r7

Kill3r7

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,450
They are great cars to own at low mileage but can be rather pricey once they get long in the tooth which is true of most luxury brands whether we are talking cars or appliances.
 
Hokey

Hokey

Member
Oct 29, 2017
2,164
I have a 2012 2.0T Quattro I bought it brand new and the service pricing basically has not changed in 7 years. I haven't had any issues except for a water pump change last year which was around $1.2k AUS but other than that the car has been a dream and I wouldn't even think about buying another brand atm.

That being said I would not buy a used German older than approx 6 years because it's around the 6-10 year mark you can start seeing a couple of issues pop up here and there and combined with regular service pricing you may see huge amounts of cash going into the car all of a sudden (I had a VW Passat before this and around the 10 year mark it became a nightmare).

So in your case I would not buy it based on the age (same applies to Merc & BMW), nothing to do with the milage and brand.
 
NoblesseOblige

NoblesseOblige

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,231
Family owns a car garage specializing in Audis (well, any German brand really). They usually have this to say when asked if somebody should get one:

Audis are great cars, if you do the repairs yourself. Otherwise they're not worth the expenses.
 
Akira86

Akira86

Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,594
don't do it. A4s are fun to drive but they're expensive as fuck to maintain.

you might get lucky and get a used Audi that has no electrical issues, but the mechanical ones are a guarantee, and when they come, they're expensive.
Will absorb thousands of dollars in a single visit.


also this isn't even one of the fun Audis, its an a4 2.0. If you were to take on the expense you'd at least want the one that is fun to drive.
the only way I would consider this is if your dad's friend is the seller, and he literally treated this car like his own son.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
TaySan

TaySan

SayTan
Member
Dec 10, 2018
31,483
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Wow it looks like a universal bad idea here. Definitely not going.
Wish i had a better budget i can't find anything sub 100k miles :/
 

Sandersson

Banned
Feb 5, 2018
2,535
Im just gonna give my two cents. I bought a used 2011 1.8 A4 with automatic gear. The car had about 180k km under its belt when I bought it and is now a bit over 200k.

I bought from another person and I ended up paying 11k euros for it. It came with two sets of tires, one set was brand new as in never used before.

I had some reservations and was prepared for unforeseen problems etc, especially since this is my first own car and my experience with cars is pretty limited.

Atleast so far, I have had zero problems with it. Not a single one (except for some jackass who decided to gash its paint.) Its very good to drive, looks extremely good and not single one of my friends would have thought its "almost" a 10 year old car at this point. Im pretty sure my next car is going to be a new Audi A5.
 
Keikaku

Keikaku

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,779
If it has an S-tronic gearbox don't buy it, especially early ones are prone to failure. Multitronic, Tiptronic and manual should be okay.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.