Quote:
Originally Posted by tbomachines
If you're looking at new cars, Audi has the "style" thing down. The A/S/RS 5 is downright sexy. The A3 is a refined GTI, IMO worth it after test driving each...the A3 is incredibly comfortable, about the same par as the highest grade GTI (well over $30k). As far as reliability they've had electronics issues in the past, the 2.7T had significant turbo oiling issues, etc. I see a lot of people on here bashing them but truly they are amazing cars. Expect to pay an "amazing" price for maintenance too though. Any specific model in mind Ben?
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My brother-in-law had a '75 Audi 100. Man, he loved that car. Even after he gave up on it as a reliable means of transportation, it sat in his garage for about five years. He just couldn't part with it.
I spent a similar stretch in a love-hate relationship with an '87 4000 quattro. It had an awesome Bilstein suspension kit that rendered it nearly neutral. I tracked it a lot, autocrossed it on frozen lakes. It was at its best at the absolute edge of its capability. I remember laughing as I watched an Integra in my rear-view mirror trying to follow me through a curve.
Where it failed was as a daily driver. Something was always wrong -- a window regulator, a door handle, a vacuum leak. It had the same crappy K-Jet injection that Mercedes saddled its owners with.
That's the problem with VAG. The cars could be brilliant but the corners cut turn them into trash. The company would have been a perfect match with Chrysler rather than Daimler-Benz.
So that's the old-school take on Audi. I doubt much has changed. I remember when the A4 came out, owners had big problems with control arm bushings and coil packs. The dealers were overwhelmed, because they tend to be bottom-of-the-barrel. Don't expect much service support, even under warranty.