Hello
Found a 2006 Audi A3 for a price within my budget. While I don't need anything pretentious, it has nice features and is priced comparably with other small cars. Actually, cheaper than a Honda or Toyota. I don't mind paying a little more for repairs unless it is a total money pit. Does anyone have any experience with Audi reliability? Thank you.
The repair costs will be astronomical. At 14 years old, the gaskets will fail. A $6 gasket will cost $2000 to replace because it is inaccessible. The air shocks will leak, and there's another $1000. Get a Toyota or Lexus or Honda or Subaru and save yourself a ton of grief.
All the computer modules cost $300 to $400 each, and there are modules for EVERYTHING. They fail from moisture corrosion and vibration. Brake light modules, suspension modules, tire pressure modules.
It is a money pit unless you know a really good independent repair shop for imports that is affordable. Highline vehicles like Audi, BMW, etc. are over designed and over engineered. The result is that they can really fall apart on you in a hurry when they get old. The other problem is that every dollar you put into a 10+ year old vehicle is a dollar you will never see if you decide to sell. Dealers do not care that the brakes are new or there is a new AC.
Dont do it there is a reason its cheaper than a Toyota or a Honda. As noted by others the business model for Audi is to make big money on parts, unlike most American and Japanese cars there isn't availability of parts from 3rd party manufactures . That means buying genuine Audi parts. Which are mega expensive
Thank you. Let’srun doesn’t fail when a reality check is required.
"There's nothing more expensive than a cheap European car."
Apparently there are still people out there that don't know this.
Don't do it!
Audi's are expensive to fix and if it's that old there will probably be problems.
You should get it. You would look like a stud in it.
merica wrote:
The repair costs will be astronomical. At 14 years old, the gaskets will fail. A $6 gasket will cost $2000 to replace because it is inaccessible. The air shocks will leak, and there's another $1000. Get a Toyota or Lexus or Honda or Subaru and save yourself a ton of grief.
It might not be as bad as that guy is saying, but I would always try to go for newer model year than lesser mileage. Wear from a lot of miles is one thing, but certain parts will go bad with age no matter what.
I would buy a 2016 car with 150,000 miles on it over a 2006 car with 50,000 miles any day.
Yep why not. The car is great for the price. The only unexpected issue you may face is firmware updating. You'll spend hours figuring out what's going on without this guide https://update-navi.today/
Get a Toyota.
Not having to worry about car ? troubles frees up your life for more important things.
jayp wrote:
Hello
Found a 2006 Audi A3 for a price within my budget. While I don't need anything pretentious, it has nice features and is priced comparably with other small cars. Actually, cheaper than a Honda or Toyota. I don't mind paying a little more for repairs unless it is a total money pit. Does anyone have any experience with Audi reliability? Thank you.
you'll be very sad putting out the $$$ for repairs and maintenance... the costs are ludicrous and parts availability very bad... not to mention the shitty dealers ;-)
Nutsack McGee wrote:
merica wrote:
The repair costs will be astronomical. At 14 years old, the gaskets will fail. A $6 gasket will cost $2000 to replace because it is inaccessible. The air shocks will leak, and there's another $1000. Get a Toyota or Lexus or Honda or Subaru and save yourself a ton of grief.
It might not be as bad as that guy is saying, but I would always try to go for newer model year than lesser mileage. Wear from a lot of miles is one thing, but certain parts will go bad with age no matter what.
I would buy a 2016 car with 150,000 miles on it over a 2006 car with 50,000 miles any day.
Don't go with your gut - listen to the Nut !!!
I’d imagine a 2006 A3 is pretty cheap. If your budget is that tight, I’d skip it. If you said 2006 M3, the cool factor might be worth the headaches.
I’m not saying you will definitely have expensive problems, but there will be maintenance. If you happen to get a big ticket item, it can cost nearly as much as the car.
Buy a Japanese brand unless there is no offering to suit your needs, such as a long range electric vehicle or heavy duty pickup.
snarkatine sid wrote:
Nutsack McGee wrote:
It might not be as bad as that guy is saying, but I would always try to go for newer model year than lesser mileage. Wear from a lot of miles is one thing, but certain parts will go bad with age no matter what.
I would buy a 2016 car with 150,000 miles on it over a 2006 car with 50,000 miles any day.
Don't go with your gut - listen to the Nut !!!
Wow, I wonder what made this 2 month old thread pop back up?
I listened to the let’s run experts and skipped that idea.
Only German car I would ever buy is a Benz. VW, Audi, BMW all have horrible reliability and cost a lot to repair.