Audi A5, buy or lease?

[HAL9000]

That's probably because your benchmark for reliability is Jaguar

Swing back up to earlier on this page, you'll see I don't think that.

What do you consider Honda Civics? Horse and carriage?

No, I consider them standard cars, and you?

 

[Arkaign]

I don't know if there is something wrong with me, but I have never been excited about Porsche. They make great vehicles, but they lack in styling. I find them to be extremely boring to look at (save the Carrera GT of course).

Yeah they are definitely pretty muted in styling, though the 911 turbo / GT2 are pretty impressive in person. The real magic is driving them, even a base Boxster with a manual is a really engaging fun drive, much like a Miata can be loads of fun even with less than 150hp.

 

[JulesMaximus]

For me a luxury car is:

Ridiculously out of my league.

Fixed that for you.

 

[Hammyton]

After buying new German car, I would buy new the same as I did before (in cash). My philosophy (and it has held true so far) about cars is that as long as you maintain it and don't drive like you hate the car, it will last longer than your desire to keep it.

Edit: And if you're considering a car greater than $40k range, you SHOULD be well prepared for maintenance costs else you should reconsider your purchase to something cheaper. This is not elitist, this is simply practicality. Why purchase something you can barely afford to keep?

But isn't it true of these luxury cars that even if you treat them well lots of little things that you may not have control will invariably start breaking down?

And for cars greater than 40k isn't the potential maintenance costs a good reason NOT to buy but rather to lease instead? Regardless of whether you can afford it then you wont be responsible for repairs and will be either getting rid of the car or buying it out and selling it after 3 years (which is when lots of problems tend to crop up with luxury cars).

 

[The-Noid]

But isn't it true of these luxury cars that even if you treat them well lots of little things that you may not have control will invariably start breaking down?

And for cars greater than 40k isn't the potential maintenance costs a good reason NOT to buy but rather to lease instead? Regardless of whether you can afford it then you wont be responsible for repairs and will be either getting rid of the car or buying it out and selling it after 3 years (which is when lots of problems tend to crop up with luxury cars).

Cars are expensive, coincidentally the more a car cost and the more stuff it is has the more there is to break.

If you have a stripper Chevy Aveo, there isn't a lot to go wrong. When you have a luxury car with 1000's of gizmos and do dads (there are some 117 sensors in the engine of an S4 according to the head mechanic at the dealership I go to) there are a lot of things to go wrong.

Yes, overall an executive saloon (which isn't even a class in the US as I already wrote) is going to cost more to fix than an Aveo.

 

[HAL9000]

Fixed that for you.

Evidentally not if you guys think a 1 series is a luxury car.

 

[Hammyton]

Cars are expensive, coincidentally the more a car cost and the more stuff it is has the more there is to break.

If you have a stripper Chevy Aveo, there isn't a lot to go wrong. When you have a luxury car with 1000's of gizmos and do dads (there are some 117 sensors in the engine of an S4 according to the head mechanic at the dealership I go to) there are a lot of things to go wrong.

Yes, overall an executive saloon (which isn't even a class in the US as I already wrote) is going to cost more to fix than an Aveo.

With that being said is that why it seems like a more popular choice to lease rather than buy luxury cars? What if you had the cash sitting around to buy outright and were only planning on driving the car for ~3 years and then selling it. Would it still make more sense to lease?

 

[The-Noid]

Evidentally not if you guys think a 1 series is a luxury car.

You also have to take into account Europe sells a lot more stripped down models of their cars than you can buy in the US. There are many cars in Europe that do not make it to US markets.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Evidentally not if you guys think a 1 series is a luxury car.

No way I think a 1 series is a luxury car. Neither is a 3 series for that matter. 5 series and Mercedes E350 on the other hand is getting into luxury territory.

I find it amusing that you spout off about all these cars and you've never even driven any of them. Do you even have a car?

 

[HAL9000]

No way I think a 1 series is a luxury car. Neither is a 3 series for that matter. 5 series and Mercedes E350 on the other hand is getting into luxury territory.

I agree! You seem to be in the same mind as me on these subjects, I said 7 series Li is a luxury car, 5 series is on route.

I find it amusing that you spout off about all these cars and you've never even driven any of them. Do you even have a car?

I don't. I sold my car a little while ago, don't have the money for one at the moment, and in all honesty I don't need one. When I get some more money together I'll get something fun.

 

[KIAman]

But isn't it true of these luxury cars that even if you treat them well lots of little things that you may not have control will invariably start breaking down?

And for cars greater than 40k isn't the potential maintenance costs a good reason NOT to buy but rather to lease instead? Regardless of whether you can afford it then you wont be responsible for repairs and will be either getting rid of the car or buying it out and selling it after 3 years (which is when lots of problems tend to crop up with luxury cars).

Your first paragraph is true for any car and is not exclusive to "luxury" cars.

Your second paragraph's first statement assumes you only want to keep the car for 3 years, in which case, you are losing out overall buying OR leasing considering most car manufacturer warranty lasts 3 or more years anyways so the initial cost of the car doesn't matter.

Your second paragraph's second statement is where my philosophy comes in that a well maintained car will last longer than your desire to keep it instead of the generalized "3 years" of ownership. I can't think of one problem that tend to crop up that is exclusive to a "luxury" car after 3 years compared to any other car.

And if you are talking about maintainance costs, then I already stated that a higher cost on the car equates to higher maintenance cost which one should be prepared for.

 

[Hammyton]

All fair points... to be honest I think leasing is probably the best way for me to go since I'm not sure at this point if I'll want to keep the car more than the lease term. This would be my first luxury car ever so it's just kinda something I want to try out.

The more research I do the more it looks like Audi is doing really well so there's no incentive for dealers to give any special breaks or deals right now. Also their leasing prices usually suck; they set their residuals low to make your payments high. Ugh if only the A5 didn't look so pretty...

Your first paragraph is true for any car and is not exclusive to "luxury" cars.

Your second paragraph's first statement assumes you only want to keep the car for 3 years, in which case, you are losing out overall buying OR leasing considering most car manufacturer warranty lasts 3 or more years anyways so the initial cost of the car doesn't matter.

Your second paragraph's second statement is where my philosophy comes in that a well maintained car will last longer than your desire to keep it instead of the generalized "3 years" of ownership. I can't think of one problem that tend to crop up that is exclusive to a "luxury" car after 3 years compared to any other car.

And if you are talking about maintainance costs, then I already stated that a higher cost on the car equates to higher maintenance cost which one should be prepared for.

 

[rh71]

BMW's are the cheapest luxury car to lease in the US.

hence the name ultimate leasing machine.

They are leased because it makes perfect sense with the 4-year full warranty and maintenance included + their reliability concerns. Plus they put some new technology in it every damn year. I missed so many things after just 2-3 years of ownership that I wish I had leased so I can get the latest and greatest, and of course 4 more years of no cost fixes/maintenance.

 

[Imdmn04]

I've purchased a 335i when it first came out back in 07, and now leases an A5.

Audis are much more expense to lease. Residuals is around 54% vs 60% for the Bimmer on 36month leases. Also stocks on the A5 is more limited than 3 series coupe, and most dealers will not give too much discounts. A5 is a low-volume car, 3 series coupe is not.

Driving-wise, it is way down on power compared to the 335i, but handling is actually great with AWD and 19 inch summer 255 tires, it pulls more Gs in the slaloms than the heavier S5 and the 335i. With the 335i, traction control always kicked in whenever the ground was wet due to having too much power and RWD. Looks-wise, it is much more of head turner than 3 series, my guess is due to a combination of low volume and the sculptured styling. Interior is also more modern/sleek than the 3 series.

A 3 series will be better "value" to lease, but if you want to lease the A5, lease the Premium Plus trim instead of the Prestige, because the Premium Plus will have 2% more residuals over the lease period. Order an A5 Premium Plus then add any additional options individually.

If you want to get an S5, then I suggest you wait for the newer supercharged V6 (currently in the S4) instead of the outdated V8 that weighs down the car. The only thing the V8 is good for is the exhaust note, everything else is better with the supercharged V6 including fuel economy.

 

[Hammyton]

I've purchased a 335i when it first came out back in 07, and now leases an A5.

Audis are much more expense to lease. Residuals is around 54% vs 60% for the Bimmer on 36month leases. Also stocks on the A5 is more limited than 3 series coupe, and most dealers will not give too much discounts. A5 is a low-volume car, 3 series coupe is not.

Driving-wise, it is way down on power compared to the 335i, but handling is actually great with AWD and 19 inch summer 255 tires, it pulls more Gs in the slaloms than the heavier S5 and the 335i. With the 335i, traction control always kicked in whenever the ground was wet due to having too much power and RWD. Looks-wise, it is much more of head turner than 3 series, my guess is due to a combination of low volume and the sculptured styling. Interior is also more modern/sleek than the 3 series.

A 3 series will be better "value" to lease, but if you want to lease the A5, lease the Premium Plus trim instead of the Prestige, because the Premium Plus will have 2% more residuals over the lease period. Order an A5 Premium Plus then add any additional options individually.

If you want to get an S5, then I suggest you wait for the newer supercharged V6 (currently in the S4) instead of the outdated V8 that weighs down the car. The only thing the V8 is good for is the exhaust note, everything else is better with the supercharged V6 including fuel economy.

Thanks for the reply... good to read the comments of an A5 leaser! I've also noticed from my research that Audi leases are pretty bad compared to the rest of the industry. I suppose they're not having problems moving cars so there's no real incentive for them to give deals. Did you look at the C250 at all before deciding on the A5? If you don't mind me asking what kinds of terms did you get on your lease?

 

[The-Noid]

Thanks for the reply... good to read the comments of an A5 leaser! I've also noticed from my research that Audi leases are pretty bad compared to the rest of the industry. I suppose they're not having problems moving cars so there's no real incentive for them to give deals. Did you look at the C250 at all before deciding on the A5? If you don't mind me asking what kinds of terms did you get on your lease?

There are edmunds forums discussing leasing and generally show the money factor and residual for each car. Otherwise pm a guy named Car_Man there.

We lease cars for staff, so I always try to get the data before I even walk in. It's amazing the responses you hear, "that is the wholesale financing rate," "we don't offer that deal," etc. As soon as you hear that go to the other dealer selling the cars in your city. Each dealership gets the amount they mark up the lease by for financing.

The money factor can be converted to an interest rate by multiplying by 2400.