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#1
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Buying a new car -- looking for your learned opinions on my 3 finalists
Hi all,
I thought you might be a good group to pick your brains. I am looking to buy a new car. I am keeping my current car (96 Corolla) as a commuter car, but am looking for something a little more luxurious for leisurely/fun driving and for my bimonthly 500-mile round-trip visits to my nieces/nephews. Here's what I looked at today and would like your opinions on: 1. 2004 Audi A6 Quattro twin turbo 2.7 (or something like that!) -- had a couple of hundred miles on it; the only 2004 A6 in the dealer stock, so they were willing to knock off a few thousand from the price. I liked it a lot, but the price was high (low 40s). Free maintenance up to 50K miles. 2. 2005 Honda Accord EX V6 -- nice car and amenities, best sticker price of the day (in the high 20s), but not very "luxurious" (though certainly waaaay nicer than my Corolla). 3. 2005 Toyota Avalon Limited -- nice car and amenities, bigger than the accord, felt more luxurious than the Accord, but nearly $10K more in price ($35K). Do any of you have any opinions on any of the above? It's been about 10 years since I went new-car shopping, so I am assuming that Hondas and Toyotas still top the list of reliable cars, but don't know that for sure. Also, how are the Audis reputation-wise and reliability-wise? Thanks in advance for whatever wisdom you can throw my way! Ursula. |
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#2
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Ursula wrote: > Hi all, > > I thought you might be a good group to pick your brains. I am looking > to buy a new car. I am keeping my current car (96 Corolla) as a > commuter car, but am looking for something a little more luxurious for > leisurely/fun driving and for my bimonthly 500-mile round-trip visits > to my nieces/nephews. > > Here's what I looked at today and would like your opinions on: > > 1. 2004 Audi A6 Quattro twin turbo 2.7 (or something like that!) -- > had a couple of hundred miles on it; the only 2004 A6 in the dealer > stock, so they were willing to knock off a few thousand from the price. > I liked it a lot, but the price was high (low 40s). Free maintenance > up to 50K miles. > > 2. 2005 Honda Accord EX V6 -- nice car and amenities, best sticker > price of the day (in the high 20s), but not very "luxurious" (though > certainly waaaay nicer than my Corolla). > > 3. 2005 Toyota Avalon Limited -- nice car and amenities, bigger than > the accord, felt more luxurious than the Accord, but nearly $10K more > in price ($35K). > > Do any of you have any opinions on any of the above? It's been about > 10 years since I went new-car shopping, so I am assuming that Hondas > and Toyotas still top the list of reliable cars, but don't know that > for sure. Also, how are the Audis reputation-wise and > reliability-wise? > > Thanks in advance for whatever wisdom you can throw my way! > > Ursula. Audis are great cars but if you are considering reliability to be one of your criteria they still are not up there with the Japanese mfgrs. - the car itself will last longer than a japanese car but it will require a lot more repairs and maintenance over its lifespan. Personally I'd be leaning toward the Toyota as they tend to have a better reputation than Honda for durability, but I'm not sure if the Avalon is one of those models with the engines with the sludging problem. (well, I'm lying - I'd probably just buy the Audi, but I would do it knowing that it was going to cost me more $$ to run) good luck, nate |
#3
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"Ursula" > wrote
> 1. 2004 Audi A6 Quattro twin turbo 2.7 (or something like that!) -- > had a couple of hundred miles on it; the only 2004 A6 in the dealer > stock, so they were willing to knock off a few thousand from the price. > I liked it a lot, but the price was high (low 40s). Free maintenance > up to 50K miles. Well, this would be my personal choice, but I'm not you. You may find it a little harsher (I would call it firmer) riding than you like. The '04 is cheap because '05 is a new model. > 2. 2005 Honda Accord EX V6 -- nice car and amenities, best sticker > price of the day (in the high 20s), but not very "luxurious" (though > certainly waaaay nicer than my Corolla). I like Hondas. You might try an Acura TL or TLX - they're similar and would be more luxurious. > 3. 2005 Toyota Avalon Limited -- nice car and amenities, bigger than > the accord, felt more luxurious than the Accord, but nearly $10K more > in price ($35K). The Avalon is a larger car than the Accord - you should check out the Camry V6 LE or XLE (competes with the Accord) and Lexus ES330. I hear the new VW Jetta (or the larger Passat) is a nice car. Audi and VW share a lot of mechanicals; however it's hard for me to believe (especially since I bought my mom's V6 '99 V6 Camry and I own a Toyota pickup and my wife drives a new Highlander) that anything is more reliable than Toyota. Floyd |
#4
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"fbloogyudsr" > wrote in message ... > "Ursula" > wrote > > 1. 2004 Audi A6 Quattro twin turbo 2.7 (or something like that!) -- > > had a couple of hundred miles on it; the only 2004 A6 in the dealer > > stock, so they were willing to knock off a few thousand from the price. > > I liked it a lot, but the price was high (low 40s). Free maintenance > > up to 50K miles. > I was thrilled when my mother bought a 2002 A6, she was 84 at the time and I knew I would be doing most or all of the driving. I always liked Audi's. She got the plain vanilla 2.8. Nice car, does everything well. Sure can't fault the interior in any way, and has a trunk big enough to house a family of four. My only complaint is the fuel capacity. It's fine for highway driving but seems a little small to me because the car is used mainly around town and the A6 doesn't get great mileage in city driving. I really wanted something a little more sporty, but that wouldn't be appropriate for her. I wanted an A4 turbo, which is a little more tightly wound than the regular A6. She (under 5' tall) claimed the A4 was "too small." Generational thing I guess. I'm thinking the twin turbo is a more sport oriented car. Tighter suspension, etc. Not to fault the regular A6, I'm sure it will be fun if I ever get it on the twisties. Haven't had any problems with the Audi at all, though there have been several minor recalls. I do suppose the rice burners will be more reliable in the long run. Watch out for the Toyota's though. I remember hearing of serious engine problems that Toyota was not willing to take care of. Not sure which model or engine, I think it was related to a specific engine. I'd take extended drives in all the models you list and decide by how they feel to you. They are surely all good cars. |
#5
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Thanks for all your opinions everybody! Well, here's what I ended up
doing ... I bought the Audi! Just drove it home and have a ton of manuals to read, but I think I'm gonna really love this car. It looks great sitting in my garage! Hope my poor little Corolla doesn't get an inferiority complex being parked next to it Ursula. |
#6
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Ursula wrote: > Thanks for all your opinions everybody! Well, here's what I ended up > doing ... I bought the Audi! Just drove it home and have a ton of > manuals to read, but I think I'm gonna really love this car. It looks > great sitting in my garage! Hope my poor little Corolla doesn't get an > inferiority complex being parked next to it > > Ursula. Any reason there were no American cars on your list? I spent a few hours at dealerships over the weekend trying to figure out what I liked, and I'm sold on the new Dodge Charger. It would be awhile before I could get one, but I really like the way it looks, and its American, which is an added bonus. |
#7
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Hi Office Jet,
I was going for reliability and biggest bang for my buck. Hondas and Toyotas are always at the top of any list of well-built cars. I've always been intrigued by the Audis (think they look beautiful) and was pleasantly surprised to find they were ranked as very reliable. I settled on the A6 AWD quattro because it was drop-dead gorgeous, and I have family in snow country so it will behave well in that environment. No American cars rang my bell ... what can I say? I've owned American in the past and none of them have come close to my Corolla in reliability. I work hard for my money and want the best bang for my buck. If that means it goes to Japan or Germany, then so be it! Ursula. |
#8
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Ursula wrote: > Hi Office Jet, > > I was going for reliability and biggest bang for my buck. Hondas and > Toyotas are always at the top of any list of well-built cars. I've > always been intrigued by the Audis (think they look beautiful) and was > pleasantly surprised to find they were ranked as very reliable. I > settled on the A6 AWD quattro because it was drop-dead gorgeous, and I > have family in snow country so it will behave well in that environment. > > > No American cars rang my bell ... what can I say? I've owned American > in the past and none of them have come close to my Corolla in > reliability. I work hard for my money and want the best bang for my > buck. If that means it goes to Japan or Germany, then so be it! > > Ursula. That's entirely understandable. I'm glad you found a car that you feel comfortable with and enjoy. I'm trying to buy American right now, and I really like the Charger. For some reason, I can't get it out of my head. The power and practicality of it really have me hooked. |
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