and now i have a production number for my car!

[bigdog1218]

One of my good friends works for a guy who has owned two Audi A4's. His first one was an early 2000's model, maybe an 1999, with the turbo engine (not sure what year exactly). This guy drives about 100 miles a day in commuting and he put almost 200k on his first Audi but he had major problems with that car and it was constantly in the shop for pretty major repairs. And he was the original owner and took great care of the car. I swear, there wasn't a single part on that car that hadn't been replaced due to a failure. He even had the entire dash replaced at some point. That car cost him something like $5-6k a year in repairs at least. I worked with this guy for years too and it was like every other week he would roll up in a loaner car or a rental and sometimes he would have it for weeks at a time.

So, a few years ago he bought a brand new A4 to replace his aging money pit. Well, he's had it in the shop about a dozen times for various things, the latest of which was to have the transmission replaced. I guess Audi couldn't fix the issue he had with the transmission in his car so they are going to put in a used transmission out of another car. Car has about 60k miles on it and he is thinking about getting rid of it. He is a die hard Audi fan and even he's saying he's never buying another Audi. Can't say I blame him, and I can't say I would EVER consider buying an Audi either.

Reliable they are not.

I LOVE my Nissan for that. I've had it almost 10 years and 120,000 miles and it starts up every time, everything works, it doesn't leak a single drop of anything (never has), and it has never even had so much as a single light bulb burn out on it. It has been out of warranty for many years and I feel very confident in keeping it for a couple more years.

May have to scroll down a little to find Nissan http://www.jdpower.com/content/press-release-auto/Q5wPftR/2012-u-s-vehicle-dependability-study.htm.

Guess what, my 110,000 mile 10 year old A6 starts up, everything works blah blah. Just because Nissans are Japanese doesn't make them reliable, and the fact is they really aren't any better than the European brands.

 

[Phanuel]

Sorry, we had horrible luck with our Nissan and the local dealership treated us like shit. So I'm not particularly affectionate towards them.

My A4 has been pretty trouble free, but I'm only 60K into it.

My old Accord had the starter motor burn out and decide to stay on with the key out one day when I got to work. Clutch master cylinder also started leaking and gave me a mushy clutch. All of this around 95K miles.

No car is bulletproof. And no anecdotal evidence is 100% true. I like my cars to be a little more than A to B boxes. Nissans, outside of the GTR and the hideous looking (to me) Zs, are A to B boxes. Infiniti's styling makes me puke. Honda hasn't made a real enthusiast sedan since.. well, ever.

Where am I to go to get a decent sedan that doesn't have a completely shit interior and awful build quality/handling? Unreliable Germans.

 

[jagec]

Well, answer this: would you rather have a free transmission replacement at 99,000 miles, or would you rather pay for it (plus labor)?

If I ever had a transmission fail that young, I would be PISSED.

And it doesn't take too many days of having to get a rental and take time off work to swing by the dealership and play the "it's covered/it's not covered/this part of it is covered/it's all covered" game before that "free" replacement costs more than doing it yourself.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Sorry, we had horrible luck with our Nissan and the local dealership treated us like shit. So I'm not particularly affectionate towards them.

My A4 has been pretty trouble free, but I'm only 60K into it.

My old Accord had the starter motor burn out and decide to stay on with the key out one day when I got to work. Clutch master cylinder also started leaking and gave me a mushy clutch. All of this around 95K miles.

No car is bulletproof. And no anecdotal evidence is 100% true. I like my cars to be a little more than A to B boxes. Nissans, outside of the GTR and the hideous looking (to me) Zs, are A to B boxes. Infiniti's styling makes me puke. Honda hasn't made a real enthusiast sedan since.. well, ever.

Where am I to go to get a decent sedan that doesn't have a completely shit interior and awful build quality/handling? Unreliable Germans.

I don't give a rat's ass about "enthusiast" sedans. Doesn't matter if they're German, Japanese, or Korean, they are all boring and just aren't worth the money. None of them will touch my Ducati in performance or fun. If I wanted a fun driver's car I'd buy a Lotus Elise.

I bought the Maxima because I got $5k off msrp and 1.9% financing and out of the competition the Maxima was more fun to drive and more powerful than the Camry or the Accord. It is comfortable, quiet, reasonably well equipped and bulletproof reliable.

Like I said earilier, I haven't even had so much as a light bulb burn out in almost 10 years and 120,000 miles. It had a cracked motor mount replaced recently and needed new tie rod ends (normal wear and tear items) but that's pretty much it other than routine maintenance.

 

[ViviTheMage]

The replacement parts were recalls, no? Or did yours actually fail?

My B7 A4 2.0T was ROCK solid, wish I didn't sell it sometimes, but I did do the replacements under recall.

I put 50k on mine and only had it in for recalls/oil changes and maybe a trunk latch issue if I recall ... some cars just have bad luck, it goes for any model, not just Audi/german.

Oh and on Nissans ... we purchased a used xterra (2006 with 100k) used from a dealer, and a week later brought it in for an odd noise coming from the rear, and they ended up replacing the entire rear end on it...our extended warranty wouldn't cover it, and the dealer only paid half, so we had to out of pocket 1k a week after purchasing it, I am pretty pissed about that. I sold our grand cherokee after having to replace THAT rear end too, and axles, ugh. Yet my German cars, rock solid +- scary recalls that effected someone else and I got a free part out of.

 

[hans007]

My parts were not recalls. All actual failures.

 

[Zivic]

None of them will touch my Ducati in performance or fun...or ability to kill its rider

fixed.

I like bikes, but far too dangerous. I trust myself, but not everyother @sshole on the road. I like the fact that in a car, the car takes the hit before I do.

in terms of fun; take an evo/sti out on a snowy day. Pretty sure that will at least match your ducati, and a little more boost, some e85, and the performance gap is severely narrowed

 

[Zivic]

Oh and on Nissans ... we purchased a used xterra (2006 with 100k) used from a dealer, and a week later brought it in for an odd noise coming from the rear, and they ended up replacing the entire rear end on it...our extended warranty wouldn't cover it, and the dealer only paid half, so we had to out of pocket 1k a week after purchasing it, I am pretty pissed about that. I sold our grand cherokee after having to replace THAT rear end too, and axles, ugh. Yet my German cars, rock solid +- scary recalls that effected someone else and I got a free part out of.

those xterras are good vehicles. maybe something you could have seen pre-purchase.

again, all cars have their faults and are mechanical machines that will eventually require repair

 

[JoeyP]

my brother in law drives an older a4 1.8t, we had the passat around that I previously posted about. my brother drove an a4 avant with a 3.0 in it. They all needed some repair and as far as I know, they didn't really cost much more than any other cars I have had to repair. sure they weren't cheap, but nothing that would keep me from owning one.

your second comment isn't necessarily justified. my brother works in the autobody industry for the last 10 yrs and he sees a lot of cars come through their shop. Lexus mercs and audis are generally the ones are making it 200+ and still retain some of that better quality feel.

All cars need repair. My point is that I expect a car that costs much more to be much more reliable and have much higher quality. For example, I want the wiring harnesses to have better than average connectors so they don't corrode. I expect the bushings to be made of better materials that allow them to hold up better. I expect the window regulators to have a very low rate of failure. I expect the dashboard to be assembled tightly so it doesn't rattle. I expect the seats to hold up better.

I'm willing to pay a little more if these (and others) can be assured. If a car costs more simply because of badging, or more horsepower, or sporty looks, or better "handling" then I'm not interested.

Yeah, I'm probably in the minority here, but when I see people buy expensive cars over and over, and hear about the costly and/or frequent repairs, I take notes and am glad it is not me.

 

[ViviTheMage]

those xterras are good vehicles. maybe something you could have seen pre-purchase.

again, all cars have their faults and are mechanical machines that will eventually require repair

Had another shop look at it, even though the shop already confirmed she was good to go. Like I said, I was pissed. I still like it, I was just trying to point out that any car can have 'major repairs' compared to German counter parts...also pointing out that my jeep had his rear end + a shitload more stuff replaced, yet never touched my german cars (Audi/BMW)...my VW's on the other hand, LOL.

 

[JulesMaximus]

fixed.

I like bikes, but far too dangerous. I trust myself, but not everyother @sshole on the road. I like the fact that in a car, the car takes the hit before I do.

in terms of fun; take an evo/sti out on a snowy day. Pretty sure that will at least match your ducati, and a little more boost, some e85, and the performance gap is severely narrowed

Nope, still not as much fun. Bikes are very visceral, cars don't even compare.

If I worried about danger I wouldn't ride at all. You do what you can to minimize the risk, the rest is up to fate I guess.

 

[Vdubchaos]

If you don't work on your own cars (fix/maintain) and are not willing to learn things......or spend some money towards it.......general rule of thumb is "never EVER own a German car out of warranty".

Your wallet will eventually hate you.

 

[Zivic]

Nope, still not as much fun. Bikes are very visceral, cars don't even compare.

If I worried about danger I wouldn't ride at all. You do what you can to minimize the risk, the rest is up to fate I guess.

I guess fun is subjective. But check some youtubes with evos in the snow. and I don't have to fear taking it on the highway and being run over by an escalade or tractor/trailer.

a bike is hard to match in a straight line, but even so, it doesn't take an absolute ton to get a car into a mid range bikes territory like a 600. and around corners, plenty of cars can match their performance

 

[Zivic]

Had another shop look at it, even though the shop already confirmed she was good to go. Like I said, I was pissed. I still like it, I was just trying to point out that any car can have 'major repairs' compared to German counter parts...also pointing out that my jeep had his rear end + a shitload more stuff replaced, yet never touched my german cars (Audi/BMW)...my VW's on the other hand, LOL.

VW is an audi so if you had trouble with a VW, you had trouble with audi.

your situation with the xterra sucks. I bet the seller knew something was up when selling. just a bad deal. overall that generation are quality vehicles. I owned one for a while and still have some regrets about selling it. Only issues I had was with a gate in the HVAC system and front u-joints over about 60k miles of ownership

 

[JulesMaximus]

I guess fun is subjective. But check some youtubes with evos in the snow. and I don't have to fear taking it on the highway and being run over by an escalade or tractor/trailer.

a bike is hard to match in a straight line, but even so, it doesn't take an absolute ton to get a car into a mid range bikes territory like a 600. and around corners, plenty of cars can match their performance

I don't fear taking it on the highway. I take in on the freeways in San Diego 2-3 days a week commuting 60 miles a day in rush hour traffic. Like I said, if I feared it I probably wouldn't do it.

I guess if you're too scared to ride you should probably just stick to cars though...

 

[ViviTheMage]

VW is an audi so if you had trouble with a VW, you had trouble with audi.

your situation with the xterra sucks. I bet the seller knew something was up when selling. just a bad deal. overall that generation are quality vehicles. I owned one for a while and still have some regrets about selling it. Only issues I had was with a gate in the HVAC system and front u-joints over about 60k miles of ownership

I had already read that the rear ends go on them eventualy, even the Nissan guys told me they had theirs replaced on their X ... I just didn't expect it to be a week in .

I never had trouble with my Audi's, but I did my VW's. The BMW has been rock solid so far as well.

I just want to point out that it's not a matter of manuf. imo, cars break down how they want when they want...even if properly upkept. I am a believer of the, if it's built on a friday or monday the car is going to suck school of thought haha.

 

[hans007]

well it wasn't exactly the most fiscally prudent move ever, but i dont have kids or a mortgage or any debt so i think i just figured screw it why not. the audi is actually burning through oil faster than when i first bought it (maybe every 2k / quart now) which is terrible.

so i put in my order to have a 2013 BMW 328i m-sport built and shipped to me in 10-12 weeks.

got it for $200 over invoice, built to order, base car, m-sport package, xenon package, sport automatic transmission and estoriil blue and aluminum interior with estoril blue paint outside. no other options other than sirius radio.

will look exactly like this

http://www.bimmerpost.com/storyimages/45d71ac1-4df2-ee3c.jpg

the wait begins starting this week when my order gets put in. christmas is gonna be fun.

 

[hans007]

I don't fear taking it on the highway. I take in on the freeways in San Diego 2-3 days a week commuting 60 miles a day in rush hour traffic. Like I said, if I feared it I probably wouldn't do it.

I guess if you're too scared to ride you should probably just stick to cars though...

i do fear riding , and i admit it. i'd probably never do a motorcycle.

lots of guys at my work ride, and i guess i just dont like the risk of say losing a leg.

my VP who is like my boss' boss' boss. just totalled his ducati when a car just barely got into his lane on the freeway in LA and he ran into the side mirror. he managed to walk away from it other than taking a few days off with some back pain and got a brand new ducati. still i'd call that pretty lucky, as i've had other friends do things like dislocate their shoulders and fracture knee caps just falling off their bikes when it was misty out

 

[satyajitmenon]

well it wasn't exactly the most fiscally prudent mood ever, but i dont have kids or a mortgage or any debt so i think i just figured screw it why not. the audi is actually burning through oil faster than when i first bought it (maybe every 2k / quart now) which is terrible.

so i put in my order to have a 2013 BMW 328i m-sport built and shipped to me in 10-12 weeks.

got it for $200 over invoice, built to order, base car, m-sport package, xenon package, sport automatic transmission and estoriil blue and aluminum interior with estoril blue paint outside. no other options other than sirius radio.

will look exactly like this

http://www.bimmerpost.com/storyimages/45d71ac1-4df2-ee3c.jpg

the wait begins starting this week when my order gets put in. christmas is gonna be fun.

:awe: Congrats

 

[rh71]

well it wasn't exactly the most fiscally prudent move ever, but i dont have kids or a mortgage or any debt so i think i just figured screw it why not. the audi is actually burning through oil faster than when i first bought it (maybe every 2k / quart now) which is terrible.

so i put in my order to have a 2013 BMW 328i m-sport built and shipped to me in 10-12 weeks.

got it for $200 over invoice, built to order, base car, m-sport package, xenon package, sport automatic transmission and estoriil blue and aluminum interior with estoril blue paint outside. no other options other than sirius radio.

will look exactly like this

http://www.bimmerpost.com/storyimages/45d71ac1-4df2-ee3c.jpg

the wait begins starting this week when my order gets put in. christmas is gonna be fun.

nice color choice. No kids or mortgage, I'd choose to have a "nice Christmas" every 2 or 3 years.

 

[Zivic]

i do fear riding , and i admit it. i'd probably never do a motorcycle.

lots of guys at my work ride, and i guess i just dont like the risk of say losing a leg.

my VP who is like my boss' boss' boss. just totalled his ducati when a car just barely got into his lane on the freeway in LA and he ran into the side mirror. he managed to walk away from it other than taking a few days off with some back pain and got a brand new ducati. still i'd call that pretty lucky, as i've had other friends do things like dislocate their shoulders and fracture knee caps just falling off their bikes when it was misty out

only two kinds of bike riders... those that have been in an accident and those that will.

same could probably be said about drivers for the most part, but when a person crashes in a car, the car takes the first hit, not me

 

[ViviTheMage]

well it wasn't exactly the most fiscally prudent move ever, but i dont have kids or a mortgage or any debt so i think i just figured screw it why not. the audi is actually burning through oil faster than when i first bought it (maybe every 2k / quart now) which is terrible.

so i put in my order to have a 2013 BMW 328i m-sport built and shipped to me in 10-12 weeks.

got it for $200 over invoice, built to order, base car, m-sport package, xenon package, sport automatic transmission and estoriil blue and aluminum interior with estoril blue paint outside. no other options other than sirius radio.

will look exactly like this

http://www.bimmerpost.com/storyimages/45d71ac1-4df2-ee3c.jpg

the wait begins starting this week when my order gets put in. christmas is gonna be fun.

nice, I would have ponied the extra fora 335, but that's me

 

[JulesMaximus]

i do fear riding , and i admit it. i'd probably never do a motorcycle.

lots of guys at my work ride, and i guess i just dont like the risk of say losing a leg.

my VP who is like my boss' boss' boss. just totalled his ducati when a car just barely got into his lane on the freeway in LA and he ran into the side mirror. he managed to walk away from it other than taking a few days off with some back pain and got a brand new ducati. still i'd call that pretty lucky, as i've had other friends do things like dislocate their shoulders and fracture knee caps just falling off their bikes when it was misty out

Not sure why he couldn't have avoided that accident. I've had people come over into my lane many times. You kind of have to expect that and be prepared to take evasive action.

Congrats on the new ride. :thumbsup: Good call getting rid of the Audi.

 

[phucheneh]

nice, I would have ponied the extra fora 335, but that's me

I was gonna say 'it's still a great-handling car with decent power,' but I forgot BMW totally broke their naming/numbering scheme. I was surprised when I looked on their website and saw that a 328 now has a 2.0L 4cyl...a really nice one, yes, but still a damn far cry from that torque monster DI turbo six in the 335.

Or maybe not...

Small is the next big idea in engines – namely, BMW's mighty inline four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo. Displacing just 2.0 liters, this 240-hp marvel generates 260 lb-ft of torque at just 1250 rpm, for potent thrust that kicks in right from the start and continues all the way up to 4800 rpm. Light-weight and smooth-running, it incorporates BMW's award-winning High Precision direct Injection, Valvetronic and double-VANOS technologies. Its dynamic performance is equaled by spectacular fuel efficiency, taking you further on every gallon of gas.

That is pretty insane.

 

[satyajitmenon]

I was gonna say 'it's still a great-handling car with decent power,' but I forgot BMW totally broke their naming/numbering scheme. I was surprised when I looked on their website and saw that a 328 now has a 2.0L 4cyl...a really nice one, yes, but still a damn far cry from that torque monster DI turbo six in the 335.

Or maybe not...



That is pretty insane.

And with an aftermarket tune on that turbo-4, should be able to get more out of it.