[carve]

Hi guys. I have a 335i I bought a few months back. My wife is drivnig a reliable 1998 Accord LX, and we have a 95 Cherokee for skiing, biking, home depot, etc.

I was looking at informedforlife and their safety ratings. The advances in the past few years are just steller, and the Audi A4 is at the top of the heap. They're offering $2500 cash back, and I can get $4500 for clunkering the Jeep, and probably $3k for the Honda. That's $10k reduction before I even start to negotiate.

It'd have to have some utility to replace the Jeep, so we're looking at wagon only, and safety is our primary motivation for upgrading. The 3-wagon trails, and the X3 trails WAY behind.

Reviews of this car are awesome, and newer Audi's are the best looking cars out there, inside and out, bar none.

My biggest apprehension is the reliability of Audi from the mid 90's to mid 2000's. Terrible problems. Consumer reports shows them all black until a couple of years ago, and then all of a sudden the ratings are quite good. So either...
1) They're perfectly reliable for the first few years, then fall apart or
2) Audi finally has it's act together

I'm also considering a new Outback, which would be ~7 or 8 k cheaper, but the safety ratings aren't out for them yet and it's clearly not nearly as intersting of a car (and the wife is jealous of the bimmer . If I wait too long, the clunker money would be used up.

Soo...what say you on the reliability of late-model Audis.

[stickypaws]

I'm in the same boat. I'm getting rid of my Toy 4x4 pickup (rough ride, crappy mpg) as my 'outdoor activity' vehicle.

Went on Audizine and AudiWorld forums and got lots of good info.

In the end, I just don't like the way the car is packaged for USA sale. And the looks aren't good enough for me to buy it on that premise alone. It's a bit overdone inside, imho. And too 'VW-ish' for my personal tastes. And that Billy the Big Mouth Bass front nose is hideous with USA license plates on it (not as bad with Euro plates, which is what it's designed for...) And the performance (esp the ride) is nothing to write home about. Feels heavy.

Thought of the Outlback (safety ratings are quite good, btw) but it's too funky and kinda ugly all over and isn't a 4x4 anyway. Just a Japanese wagon with AWD. There's nothing attractive about it, expect price and supposed reliability. In the end, it's just sort of 'there'. Eh.

Probably getting a 328i wagon later this fall. It's a decent wagon with a nice suspension. Feels more nimble, imho.

That's what my wagon choice came down to for me. Not much to choose from in the USA......

[carri0n m3]

I'd get the audi, awesome looks and have heard reliability is solid;

[EmPower]

Originally Posted by carve

Hi guys. I have a 335i I bought a few months back. My wife is drivnig a reliable 1998 Accord LX, and we have a 95 Cherokee for skiing, biking, home depot, etc.

I was looking at informedforlife and their safety ratings. The advances in the past few years are just steller, and the Audi A4 is at the top of the heap. They're offering $2500 cash back, and I can get $4500 for clunkering the Jeep, and probably $3k for the Honda. That's $10k reduction before I even start to negotiate.

It'd have to have some utility to replace the Jeep, so we're looking at wagon only, and safety is our primary motivation for upgrading. The 3-wagon trails, and the X3 trails WAY behind.

Reviews of this car are awesome, and newer Audi's are the best looking cars out there, inside and out, bar none.

My biggest apprehension is the reliability of Audi from the mid 90's to mid 2000's. Terrible problems. Consumer reports shows them all black until a couple of years ago, and then all of a sudden the ratings are quite good. So either...
1) They're perfectly reliable for the first few years, then fall apart or
2) Audi finally has it's act together

I'm also considering a new Outback, which would be ~7 or 8 k cheaper, but the safety ratings aren't out for them yet and it's clearly not nearly as intersting of a car (and the wife is jealous of the bimmer . If I wait too long, the clunker money would be used up.

Soo...what say you on the reliability of late-model Audis.

Why not the Q5? Its great looking and possibly more utility than the A4 Avant

[shipill]

I'd get the Audi Q5 , nice looking little SUV

[carve]

Originally Posted by EmPower

Why not the Q5? Its great looking and possibly more utility than the A4 Avant

It's more expensive, gets worse mileage so I'd get $1000 less for my "clunker" & have increased operating cost, has more demand at the moment, decreasing my negotiating power, has a lower safety rating, & only offers an extra 6 cubic feet more cargo capacity.

Unless I spent more time in deep snow, or REALLY needed that extra 6 cubes, there's really no reason to consider the Q5. It looks good though.

[ohaywood]

The new A4 Avants are gorgeous, I wouldn't hesitate at all to buy one. I'd also agree that the Q5 would be a great choice.. all the new Audis look great, IMO. My '03 A4, to be honest, was a huge POS and my 335i is leaps and bounds better, but from what I hear, the new cars are solid.

If I were you, I would find a B7 S4 Avant, since I'm a performance nut. Just my .02, good luck man.

[flyinb501]

The older Audi's are hit or miss I guess... I have an '02, highly modified since 50k miles. It has 95k now, and the only problem I've had is a coolant leak. It's been a great car.

[onkloud9]

I had a B7 A4 before my 1, I miss that car. Very comfortable and easy to mod.

Get the 2.0 prestige + sline and chip it, 234hp, 333lb on 93 oct (APR). Opt for manual.

[footie]

carve,

Is the A4 Avant to replace your 335i or a second car along side the 335i. If it's the first option then I would wait for the B8 S4 Avant, it's probably the best S model Audi have ever built and is very tunable. If it's option 2 then the 2.0TFSI is the best bet as the 3.2FSI is little quick in stock form and is way harder on juice.

[carve]

I'm keeping my 335i as my daily driver. This would be my wife's car, and our biking/skiing car. It'd replace a 95 Cherokee (clunker) AND a 98 Accord. (Cherokee was my DD for the last 10 years).

[Hula-Hula]

What about A5 sportback? You guys getting them?
It's almost as roomy as the A4 avant I've heard...
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[pokerface]

A5 sportback is not headed over here unfortunately

[immiketoo]

I had a 2001 S4 with 100K miles on it. Best car I ever had, so far...the S5 was great too, but short lived due to the M3

[1speedbike]

You might know this already, but Edmunds.com's Inside Line currently has an A4 Avant in their long-term lineup, meaning a whole year of day-to-day living and comments about it. You really get to know the pro's and con's of a vehicle over the long term, check it out:

http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/V...audi-a4-avant/

The A4 is beautiful, especially in avant form. Almost picked up an A5 before I felt the power of the N54 haha. It's a great car, nicely built, and you'd enjoy it, but check out the Edmund's editors' comments and you'll get a feel for it!

[TWiTCHY]

New A4s depending on how well-equipped they are can be VERY expensive, and I can speak from experience...

Things I don't like about it...

1. No DSG option for the A4 like there is on the A3.
2. Power-folding mirrors are gone for the US.
3. Compared to the 325i, it's sluggish and makes a horrible noise on the 2.0T (turbo lag?). Sounds like a Honda!
4. Manual gearboxes are hard to find, low availability.
5. Excessive brake-dust build-up, but this is common for any European car and easily fixed with ceramic pads.

I can't comment on its reliability since I've only driven 250 or so miles on it, but so far so good. There have been some complaints of steering wheel vibration at 40mph+, and some have even had their dealers buy back their vehicles because the problem couldn't be corrected. It's not something that would put me off from buying the A4, but rather something to be aware of and keep a close eye on.

But at least if you go with the 2.0T, you have many options for modifications. As far as I know, APR has a ECU tune out that will bump the TQ from 258lb-ft. to 323lb-ft. on 91 octane.

And whatever you do, don't get the Audi Drive Select. Expensive option for something so pointless.

If I were you, I'd go with a B7 S4...would be a lot more fun than this thing, but not as luxurious

[footie]

It's funny but I looked at the A4 Avant as a second car for the wife as a family runner, two other cars were in the running, first being a Tiguan and the other a Mk6 GTI Golf as she currently runs a Mk5. In the end she chose the GTI but the 2.0TFSI Avant was my choice.

The real surprise was the Tiguan, it appeared to have as much interior space as the A4 Avant (both of which were ahead of the Golf) but not the same boot space (little better than the Golf), but it drive surprisingly well for it's high CoG and the ride was remarkably good. I don't know if you get them over there but if you do it's worth checking out.

[ching]

A4 avants are decent cars and it seems to fit your needs. They are very popular in Toronto - in fact my neighbour upsized from an A3 to a A4 avant and is happy with the move.

When we swap out of our Touareg in a couple of years, it'll probably be to a A4/6 avant or a 3x/5x wagon.