Well, after a month of shopping around it looks like it's coming down to the A4. I'm probably going into Houston on Saturday to make the purchase. I really liked the Infiniti G35 coupe after driving it. The acceleration was awesome, and the car hugged corners very nicely. It was definitely my first choice. However, dealers won't budge from the $34K MSRP, which is a bit out of my price range. They suggested the 4-door, but I don't really like the way it looks. Also, loved the Tahoe. GM's offering $3500 cash back or 0% for 60 mos. That brings the final price down to like $24K for a base model. The car was damn comfortable to drive, and the seats felt like a sofa. However, the gas mileage is like 13.5 mpg in the city. Considering I drive ~30-35 miles per day, this isn't really feasible. Maybe when I'm like 35 the Tahoe would be a good purchase. But I don't recommend it for a single, 23 year old. Acura 3.2TL-S - yawn. The car is almost a clone of my mom's Accord EX. Sure the engine's more powerful, but nothing about this car stood out. Cheap fake wood interior, and leather was nothing special. AC knobs and other parts were identical to the Accord. Don't care too much for the BMW 3-series. Vastly overrated, and they're all over the parking lot in my office. Which brings me to the A4 1.8T. It's got serious character. Very balanced car with awesome exterior and interior styling. It's got a nice multitronic transmission which allows you to change gears without a clutch. The car wasn't by any means fast, but has excellent fuel economy (24mpg city) and handles very nicely. Seats four comfortably, and has an exotic look to it. I liked the one in light silver. Audi is offering 1.9% financing right now. Edmunds list the invoice for around $27K which includes premium package and 17" wheels. I figure, with the bad economy, I can buy it for like $27,500. What do ya'll think? Any advice?
Make sure you qualify for the low financing rate before you commit to something. Someone who is 23 most likely does not have a great credit score, simply because they have not successfully paid off large loans before. This may or may not be the case for you.
If you go for the Quattro - yes. If not, you might as well go for the Passat. Lemme ask you this - you would go for the 4 door A4, but not the 4 door G35? Why? The G35 4 door now comes w/ a 6 speed too, and has been rated the closes thing (rated better by many) to a BMW 3 series, which has been the standard bearer of this class of cars. The G35 is a superior car in every way to the A4. Also, bad economy or not, Audi dealers are known for being pricks when it coems to price. If you can get it for 27.5k you've damn well...
King Cheetah - True, but the VW is build and assembled in Mexico while the A4 is made in Ingolstadt. Besides, the A4 has a much nicer interior, and more refined suspension. TJ - I'll probably have to bring my mom with me to cosign with me to get the 1.9%. Burrito - The Quattro drops the fuel economy to 20 mpg, while raising the sticker ~$1500. As for the G35 sedan, I don't really like the way it looks. Sure it's fast as hell, but just not an impressive car to look at IMHO. Haven't heard anything about bargaining with Audi, but the guy at the dealership said that their sales figures were looking damn bleak. 2004 models come out in a week, so hopefully they'll want to unload an '04 on me. Finally, I'm trying to buy on the last day of the month. I already have a nice truck, so I don't HAVE to buy that day - so the salesman loses that pitch altogether. If I have to I'll shop around at Momentum or the Dallas dealers.
Im not usually the person to get something that everyone else already has, but i love the 3 series. I think when I get one I will keep it forever, and try to always keep it in good shape. To me the way they look right now they will always be a classic.
One problem I ran into as an Audi owner was the sheer understaffing, etc. of their service departments. If something goes wrong (and something often did go wrong on my Audi), it can take a significant amount of time to even get in to the shop and a long time to get parts (it took two months to get an air conditioner hose once). So even if the repair is covered under the warranty, the costs can be high (for example, I had a broken bushing. It was covered under warranty, but after calling to try and get an appointment for service, it was three weeks before I could get in to get it fixed. While I had a loaner car - a Toyota Camry - during the week or so my car was actually in the shop, no loaner car was offered during that time it took to get my car into the shop. So, if you have an issue where the car cannot be driven, you might be forced to rent a car for a long time while waiting to get your car into service. The last year I owned my A4 (which was a 1998 model, rather than the new design), I honestly spent more time in a rented Saturn than I did in my A4. So even though the factory picked up the bill on what would've been very expensive work, I spent thousands of dollars renting a crummy car.
Dude don't get suckered into buying one of those pretty boy piles of sh!te. I bought a Volvo s80 T6 and it has been the worst car on planet f4cking earth. All of the buzzers ands whistles don't mean squat. Get an Impala. Some generic American car. Spend the extra 10 ger on a badass stereo and some corona.
A4 has been a great lineup in its segment since its introduction. I almost bought an S4 3 years ago and did some research. From a design standpont, I like the current generation of A4 better than IS300, G35 or 325i. However, you need to be prepared to own an Audi car with a turbo. A4 1.8T is very popular among the sports car fans, because you can chip it to be a poor-man's M3. But the reliability of the turbo may be an issue. So, if you are prepared to deal with occasional reliability issue in the turbi, A4 1.8T is about as good as it gets in that price range. Just my 2c.
The A4 1.8 might not have enough power for your liking. Compared to many of the newer autos in it's price range, the A4 has 170hp while the new Maxima has ~250hp. If you get the A4 3.0, then the price jumps up significantly. Also the A4 is a bit small and the back seats are cramped. I'd recommend getting a SUV. Once you go up, you'll never go back down.
its a really nice looking car, but one thing that kept me away from the a4 was the poor reliability. you dont like the g35, is300, tl, so i dont know what else to recommend. the 325 will take you into the $35k price range you were looking to avoid
If you get that A4 and decide to maybe port and polish the intake/exhaust, do NOT go to this guy!!! Audi mods That is all...carry on.
peleincubus, BMW is grostesquely overpriced, especially with options. mrpaige, I rememeber you having many problems with your '98 A4. There is an Austin dealership, that is hopefully less crowded. I've heard that these cars have poor electrical systems, as well. I guess it's hit or miss. Chance, that's strange. I always thought Volvo's were good cars. I'd rather keep my Ranger than buy a new Impala though. jxu777, I'm kind of weary of adding a chip to this car to boost acceleration. It voids the warranty, which could probably bite me in the ass in the future. mleahy, you're right. The 1.8T's only downside is the lack of speed. The Maxima's nice, but too much of a family car. I hear they can get quite pricey as well. mulletman, good take.
Baqui99 if I were in your shoes, the Maxima would be on the top of my list an awesome car with great looks and power to spare. The Audi 1.8T (thats the same 1.8 turbo they share with the Volks Bug, GTI, and Jetta) just isn't worth the price when you can get the VR6 powered Passat (I would head over to Nissan and get the Maxima anyway). Good luck you've got some great cars on your list.
I drive a 99 A4 Quattro 2.8 has 50000 miles and is the best car I have every had besides the A/C sounding like a jet engine.Handles great, good aceleration I still love it after almost 4 years.
Buy a Nissan Altima 2002...I have one, it runs well and looks pretty cool....If you want a truck...I also have a 2003 Dodge Ram Quad Cab.....One of the best trucks I have purchase so far....I would buy a Maxima next if I needed to trade one of the vehicles
