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

[Maolfunction]

Yeah if this is your main concern just buy a Toyota, Honda, or newish Hyundai.

Even with 100k plus miles a 10 year old Honda or Toyota will be pretty much golden for at least another 100k.

Just get a third party inspection before you buy anything and check the tailpipe for smoke while it's running. Huge thing with any car is regular oil changes. Someone running 20k on Dino intervals because they are stupid just destroys a car.

Also if you can stretch your budget a little look at a Nissan leaf. Can be had for sub $10k lowish mileage and you will actually make back the investment on not buying gas.

You gotta think about it as investment. An $8k car with virtually no annual maintenance is better than a $6k car with $1k+ of shit going wrong every year. Or a hybrid/electric at $9k that's also reliable will save you the maintenance and a lot of gas money every year depending on how much you drive.

Also keep in mind typically the newer the car the better interest rate you get. So a $10k car at a sub 5% interest rate might actually be more affordable than you think vs a $6k car with 9% interest. Like do a 60 or 72 month loan at lower interest to keep the payment down because you just bought a 2012 instead of a 2008. Those 4 years and lower mileage will likely beat out a 10+ year old car even though you're paying for it for 1-2 years longer.

Like just me but it's much smarter to buy a 2012 or newer with sub 100k miles vs an 08 with more miles even if it costs you 4k more. You'll end up spending that 4k pretty quick on maintenance and gas on the older car anyway.

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This is what I did when I bought my Spark. It made much more sense from a financial standpoint to pay for a new car a bit longer on a fixed monthly payment plan for a car that so far has no need for repairs other than an oil change and a 30K mile lookover than taking out a high interest loan for a used vehicle that might wind up needing to go into the shop every few months for part replacements.

Sure, I'm paying more for the price of the car for a longer period of time, but I'm spending way less over the course of those 5 years because I'm not spending $250-500 every three months because something broke.

 

[Deleted member 17092]

It's a nice car and a great engine in pretty much all guises, but every experience I've had with VAG vehicles involves random unexpected water pump replacements, full rotor replacements after 20k miles, strange electronics failures, etc. By all accounts the MQB platform cars are an improvement, but they'd still be pretty far down on the list of vehicles I'd recommend to someone on a tight budget.

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I drove a 2010 manual Tiguan to 120k miles with literally zero issues and zero oil consumption. Now I have a GC and I've replaced the fucking radiator twice in under 15k miles after buying it (thankfully the shop warrantied the second replacement, but still).

There are lemons I suppose but I do think Audi VW has improved a lot since the 00s.

The Jeep has 85k miles and yeah other than the radiator it's been good. It's the plastic on the sides of the radiator = intentional wear out within 75k miles. The replacement was a defective part with a pinhole leak.

BMW id avoid like the plague at least if it isn't just the straight 6 with no turbo.

Ford has auto transmission issues on their 4 cylinders.

Chevy can't seem to figure out a turbo.

Chrysler honestly most things suck outside of the 3.6 pentastar and the Mercedes 5 speed that they stopped using (which thankfully my jeep has).

 

[kvetcha]

I drove a 2010 manual Tiguan to 120k miles with literally zero issues and zero oil consumption. Now I have a GC and I've replaced the fucking radiator twice in under 15k miles after buying it (thankfully the shop warrantied the second replacement, but still).

There are lemons I suppose but I do think Audi VW has improved a lot since the 00s.

The Jeep has 85k miles and yeah other than the radiator it's been good. It's the plastic on the sides of the radiator = intentional wear out within 75k miles. The replacement was a defective part with a pinhole leak.

BMW id avoid like the plague at least if it isn't just the straight 6 with no turbo.

Ford has auto transmission issues on their 4 cylinders.

Chevy can't seem to figure out a turbo.

Chrysler honestly most things suck outside of the 3.6 pentastar and the Mercedes 5 speed that they stopped using (which thankfully my jeep has).

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I was gonna say, I never mentioned anything about FCA, nor would I.

And tbf regarding VAG, my folks had a 2010 Touareg diesel, which is not exactly known for its sterling reliability. My friends have a 2013 GTI and it has, by all accounts, been reliable.

I had a ~6 year foray with a Ford Fiesta ST...no more Fords for me. Back to Mazda.

 

[turbobrick]

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...de1=TOYOTA&modelCode1=COROL&clickType=listing

It's a private seller. He buys cars that were junked from insurance and fixes them. The car doesn't have a car fax or anything, but it look and drove ok it was just really dirty.

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Should be good enough. Some people say the 1.8L has a bit of oil consumption, but as long as you do your oil changes when you're supposed to you shouldn't have an issue.

I would still take it to a shop and see what maintenance it needs, since the seller just flips cars and probably didn't do any of it.

Either way I would say its a good choice.

Chrysler honestly most things suck outside of the 3.6 pentastar and the Mercedes 5 speed that they stopped using (which thankfully my jeep has).

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I'd argue the 5.7/6.1/whatever V8 is the better choice over the pentastar. Its an old engine but by now its very reliable, and was even pretty good when it was new. Parts are also cheaper for the V8, and from experience they don't have many issues. The early pentastars had a lot of issues, though I don't know how they've improved as its now been 7 years since I worked at a dodge, chrysler jeep dealer.

The rams with the cummins diesel are also very good, and they keep their value incredibly well. In my 7 years working at a dealer we never replaced a single one. Granted that sometimes certain repairs can be expensive, but its an engine that doesn't die. Though the earlier 5.9L were even more reliable than the newer 6.7L.

The older 3.5L V6 were fairly reliable as well, but that's going to be in an older model, as they stopped making them in 2011.

 

[Skunk]

Eh, honestly post 2012 Audi/VW especially with the 2.0t are pretty reliable. Yes that's still relatively new but no significant issues have really popped up thus far with that engine.

It's also an extremely fun engine and it's easily tuned to near 300hp and 350lbs tq. A4 or golf r will rip a sub 4.5 0-60 with a $500ish tune. It's nuts.

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I would avoid the car in the OP like the bubonic plague, and I've long been wary of the woes of various VAG owners (for a long time even when they insisted reliability was improved; it wasn't). That being said, I've heard from a multitude of people I trust now that the post-~2012 or so cars are actually quite reliable now, finally.

I mainly wanted to reply to say you aren't kidding on tuning. The tuning numbers being pulled out of these modern MQB cars are quite frankly *astonishing* if tuning is something you're into. Almost unbelievable even. The gains a mkVII GTI get from a tune alone are insane, not just in peak numbers, but how they are delivered. 80whp from a tune alone is pretty amazing on any 4-cyl, but the actual trap speed in the quarter mile almost defies comprehension; it picks up 13mph in the quarter with just a tune. That's a scary good improvement.


The idea of slapping a tune on a used Quattro A3/A4 or Golf R is pretty nifty indeed.

 

[neoak]

Should be good enough. Some people say the 1.8L has a bit of oil consumption, but as long as you do your oil changes when you're supposed to you shouldn't have an issue.

I would still take it to a shop and see what maintenance it needs, since the seller just flips cars and probably didn't do any of it.

Either way I would say its a good choice.



I'd argue the 5.7/6.1/whatever V8 is the better choice over the pentastar. Its an old engine but by now its very reliable, and was even pretty good when it was new. Parts are also cheaper for the V8, and from experience they don't have many issues. The early pentastars had a lot of issues, though I don't know how they've improved as its now been 7 years since I worked at a dodge, chrysler jeep dealer.

The rams with the cummins diesel are also very good, and they keep their value incredibly well. In my 7 years working at a dealer we never replaced a single one. Granted that sometimes certain repairs can be expensive, but its an engine that doesn't die. Though the earlier 5.9L were even more reliable than the newer 6.7L.

The older 3.5L V6 were fairly reliable as well, but that's going to be in an older model, as they stopped making them in 2011.

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Pentastars are really good, as long as they have the 8 speed transmission.

We'd be hearing by now the 2015s giving engine problems, which are the current versions. Now, the transmission though... Oof.

But yes, HEMIs are "simpler" engines, and more reliable.

 

[Kenstar]

Car shopping poor really sucks.
I hate cars and I hate driving. :/ Nothing, but expensive moneypits to keep you poor.

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then buy the reliable workhorse appliance of a car for people who hate driving and maintenance : Corolla
but yeah it sucks that a personal vehicle is pretty much required of people unless you live in one of the few big cities with fully realized transit systems

 

[Nobleman Swerve]

I would avoid the car in the OP like the bubonic plague, and I've long been wary of the woes of various VAG owners (for a long time even when they insisted reliability was improved; it wasn't). That being said, I've heard from a multitude of people I trust now that the post-~2012 or so cars are actually quite reliable now, finally.

I mainly wanted to reply to say you aren't kidding on tuning. The tuning numbers being pulled out of these modern MQB cars are quite frankly *astonishing* if tuning is something you're into. Almost unbelievable even. The gains a mkVII GTI get from a tune alone are insane, not just in peak numbers, but how they are delivered. 80whp from a tune alone is pretty amazing on any 4-cyl, but the actual trap speed in the quarter mile almost defies comprehension; it picks up 13mph in the quarter with just a tune. That's a scary good improvement.


The idea of slapping a tune on a used Quattro A3/A4 or Golf R is pretty nifty indeed.

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1.8t base Mk7 here. Swapped in a turbo from the GTI and with the accompanying tune I've so far been able to run a 13.48 quarter mile, faster then the stock Golf R, Type R, or Focus RS (which I've personally outpaced at the dragstrip). With the additional fueling of the 2.0 block and how stout the internals are these cars could arguably be described as the best tuner cars you can buy right now.

 

[CostcoCousteau]

Just buy a used Countach and call it a day

 

[Doom_Bringer]

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subscriber++

 

[Pwnz]

Ah hell no.

Audi's are money pits. Just get an Acura, Lexus or hell a v4 turbo sonata.

 

[Shizza]

I bought a 2000 A4 1.8T in 2008. It had somewhere just over 100k miles, and it served me well - no real issues. Routine maintenance is a bit pricier than a cheaper car, especially if done at a dealership, but I was happy with their service and it was nearby.

It was still going strong at 200k miles when I sold it. Living in a major city where I walk everywhere now, so no real need for a car, but at some point when I need one again it'll be the car I get again. I don't miss having a car, but I miss having THAT car. So much fun to drive.

 

[xxracerxx]

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...de1=TOYOTA&modelCode1=COROL&clickType=listing

It's a private seller. He buys cars that were junked from insurance and fixes them. The car doesn't have a car fax or anything, but it look and drove ok it was just really dirty.

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So it's a salvage title? Take it to a mechanic before buying.

 

[ascii42]

I wouldn't buy a luxury car as a primary vehicle without a warranty of some sort. Particularly if, as you say, reliability is a concern. For the same money you could get a significantly newer "normal" car that's probably more advanced in a lot of ways.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

A high mileage audi is a car you cant afford unless you are willing to pay for it twice. Even TTs which are great cars, the ones from that generation had an awfully fragile transmission.

 

[DJChuy]

I had a used Audi, and it was an awful experience. It kept breaking down, and it was pretty expensive to fix. Both parts and labor were pricey. Only kept it for a year because of how much it took to maintain.

 

[Sectorseven]

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...de1=TOYOTA&modelCode1=COROL&clickType=listing

It's a private seller. He buys cars that were junked from insurance and fixes them. The car doesn't have a car fax or anything, but it look and drove ok it was just really dirty.

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I would be very cautious about buying a salvage vehicle. Could have been in a flood or have frame damage or who knows what.

 

[eclipze]

Don't do it. Had an '06 2.0T Quattro that I bought in '11 @ 60k miles for 15k and by 90k miles I had insane oil problems that turned into needing a new engine. I still had 12k on the loan so I had to drop 9k to get a new engine or pay 12k to get out of the loan and buy a new car. Beat that fucker till it died in 2016. Wasn't going to do any more timing belt or any other maintenance on it. Happily driving a Mazda 3 GT. May not have all wheel drive and a turbo, but it's far less expensive for maintenance and fuel.

 

[tmtyf]

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...de1=TOYOTA&modelCode1=COROL&clickType=listing

It's a private seller. He buys cars that were junked from insurance and fixes them. The car doesn't have a car fax or anything, but it look and drove ok it was just really dirty.

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If he fixed a junk car I wouldn't get it. I own a 2006 corolla xrs that I use as my daily commute. It has 195k miles and runs great still. If I sold it I'd probably wouldn't get more than a couple of grand for it.

Don't be in a rush and keep looking.

 

[Clay]

This thread made me reminisce with my wife last night about the time we almost bought a used Audi. The year we both graduated with our bachelors we bought a car together. We were just about to buy six year old A6. We were idiots, totally fell for the marketing basically. Wow, we can afford a nicer car than our parents drive! Awesome!

Lucky we found a Kia Optima that was only a year old for a similar price that had much more modern features (I remember a USB port to connect a phone to the sound system was one of the major selling points). I think about that every time we shop for cars now. So glad we dodged that bullet, we would have been completely fucked the first time it required an expensive repair. I am way more mindful of doing research before buying something I'm not knowledgable now, and I'm always really grateful I was able to eventually realize I almost messed up instead of learning the lesson the hard way.

 

[aliengmr]

I would be very cautious about buying a salvage vehicle. Could have been in a flood or have frame damage or who knows what.

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Cars are often salvaged because the cost of repair exceeds the price of the car. However the cost of repair is often inflated due to labor cost and having to go through certain sellers for parts.

Since it's a Corolla, the value is low because there's so many, and because there's so many, parts are cheap. A salvage title for a Corolla isn't a big deal.

 

[KiLLaDeZo]

A 2008 with over 110k miles at 6k ? Get out of here lol

 

[SneerfulOwl]

If you really want a used luxury car, at least go for used Acura or Lexus. Their parts are mostly same as Honda and Toyota.

 

[Ceileachair]

4Runners as well. Those two cars are bulletproof when it comes to resale. My 96 4Runner had 20 offers in an hour after posting.

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Absolutely, so I picked up a 1990 Toyota v6 sr5 pickup (before the Tacoma name) 5 speed 4 by 4 with only 126 thousand miles on it for $5600, someone already offered me 10 grand for it, I told them no way. It's my dream truck

 

[BubbaKrumpz]

Don't do it.
I have a 2010 GTI with 130k and finally starting to have problems and no longer under extended warranty.
Got a water pump, timing chain tensioner (just going to do the whole thing), vacuum pump. Finally time to do the clutch and lower control arms.

 

[chuckddd]

I'm about to let my 2004 Tacoma go for a new one. Wonder what the blue book says...

retail at over $11k lol

 

[Freakzilla]

If you're not rich and you buy a German car. You are not smart.

 

[TaySan]

A 2008 with over 110k miles at 6k ? Get out of here lol

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I just can't find anything sub 100k for less than 6K :/ it's just something I have to settle with the right car.

 

[Skunk]

1.8t base Mk7 here. Swapped in a turbo from the GTI and with the accompanying tune I've so far been able to run a 13.48 quarter mile, faster then the stock Golf R, Type R, or Focus RS (which I've personally outpaced at the dragstrip). With the additional fueling of the 2.0 block and how stout the internals are these cars could arguably be described as the best tuner cars you can buy right now.

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I wouldn't really argue that too much, at least in the 4-cyl/sport compact segment.

 

[Deleted member 17092]

Should be good enough. Some people say the 1.8L has a bit of oil consumption, but as long as you do your oil changes when you're supposed to you shouldn't have an issue.

I would still take it to a shop and see what maintenance it needs, since the seller just flips cars and probably didn't do any of it.

Either way I would say its a good choice.



I'd argue the 5.7/6.1/whatever V8 is the better choice over the pentastar. Its an old engine but by now its very reliable, and was even pretty good when it was new. Parts are also cheaper for the V8, and from experience they don't have many issues. The early pentastars had a lot of issues, though I don't know how they've improved as its now been 7 years since I worked at a dodge, chrysler jeep dealer.

The rams with the cummins diesel are also very good, and they keep their value incredibly well. In my 7 years working at a dealer we never replaced a single one. Granted that sometimes certain repairs can be expensive, but its an engine that doesn't die. Though the earlier 5.9L were even more reliable than the newer 6.7L.

The older 3.5L V6 were fairly reliable as well, but that's going to be in an older model, as they stopped making them in 2011.

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Yeah the v8s are nice too but most people kind of expect better than 15mpg these days.

 

[TaySan]

Well looks like i finally found a car for me! A 2014 Ford Fiesta Hatchback at 91,000 miles at $5,000 with a 4.5% rate.
Car/interior is in great condition other than a couple of little scratches here and there.
I couldn't get the Toyota because he wanted straight cash and we couldn't get the cash in time since our back is out of state. :( But i think this is the next best thing and once my CD account isn't locked out i can pay the car off. Thank you everyone for your help i really appreciate everything.

 

[turbobrick]

Well looks like i finally found a car for me! A 2014 Ford Fiesta Hatchback at 91,000 miles at $5,000 with a 4.5% rate.
Car/interior is in great condition other than a couple of little scratches here and there.
I couldn't get the Toyota because he wanted straight cash and we couldn't get the cash in time since our back is out of state. :( But i think this is the next best thing and once my CD account isn't locked out i can pay the car off. Thank you everyone for your help i really appreciate everything.

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Is it automatic? If so don't buy it. They have shitty transmission problems. Like seriously, stay away

Its a pretty well known issue

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a27438193/ford-powershift-transmission-problems/

https://www.resetera.com/threads/fo...-flawed-transmission-sold-them-anyway.128437/

I know we sound like a broken record at this point, but there's a reason why everyone is saying get a Toyota Corolla.

 

[Deleted member 17092]

Well looks like i finally found a car for me! A 2014 Ford Fiesta Hatchback at 91,000 miles at $5,000 with a 4.5% rate.
Car/interior is in great condition other than a couple of little scratches here and there.
I couldn't get the Toyota because he wanted straight cash and we couldn't get the cash in time since our back is out of state. :( But i think this is the next best thing and once my CD account isn't locked out i can pay the car off. Thank you everyone for your help i really appreciate everything.

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Much better way to go!

 

[Deleted member 17092]

Is it automatic? If so don't buy it. They have shitty transmission problems. Like seriously, stay away

Its a pretty well known issue

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a27438193/ford-powershift-transmission-problems/

https://www.resetera.com/threads/fo...-flawed-transmission-sold-them-anyway.128437/

I know we sound like a broken record at this point, but there's a reason why everyone is saying get a Toyota Corolla.

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Yeah it's a known issue but I'd think it's still pretty rare. That new Ford might even still help out with it. My gf has a 12 focus with almost 100k and the auto has been fine.

 

[TaySan]

It's too late I already bought it. :( Oh well I don't do a lot of driving( only work 3 days a week) I think it should last me at least 3-5 years and I will be happy. It's definitely not a "cool" car, but it will do for now.

That and my dad was getting impatient with me and didn't want to drive all the way to Phoenix/Scottsdale/Tempe again so I had to settle.

 

[ugoo18]

Sorry to resurrect/hijack this a bit but as someone who's looking to buy a 2017 Camry altise I was wondering if anyone could tell me what the sat nav system is like and how reliable it is. I was initially thinking of going an aftermarket installation but if it's good enough to get the job done then I'd rather not spend that money. I'm not too familiar with cars by the way hence the question and I couldn't find a dedicated car era topic.

 

[DevilNeverCry]

.

 

[Deleted member 17092]

Sorry to resurrect/hijack this a bit but as someone who's looking to buy a 2017 Camry altise I was wondering if anyone could tell me what the sat nav system is like and how reliable it is. I was initially thinking of going an aftermarket installation but if it's good enough to get the job done then I'd rather not spend that money. I'm not too familiar with cars by the way hence the question and I couldn't find a dedicated car era topic.

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Your best bet is posting this in the automotive era community sub.

 

[Avitus]

Sorry to resurrect/hijack this a bit but as someone who's looking to buy a 2017 Camry altise I was wondering if anyone could tell me what the sat nav system is like and how reliable it is. I was initially thinking of going an aftermarket installation but if it's good enough to get the job done then I'd rather not spend that money. I'm not too familiar with cars by the way hence the question and I couldn't find a dedicated car era topic.

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Your phone will have better nav than any factory unit 9 times out of 10.

 

[ugoo18]

Your best bet is posting this in the automotive era community sub.

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There's an automotive era community?

EDIT: Found it

Your phone will have better nav than any factory unit 9 times out of 10.

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I thought it might but i just wanted to have an idea of what i'd potentially be working with in that factory unit.