Buying used A5 / A6 / Q50S

[rx7boi]

Things have settled and I'm finally ready to get into a new (used) vehicle. I'm looking to spend around $20k - $26k and I've narrowed my list down to several vehicles that I've had my eye on for a while now.

Audi A5 coupe, A6 sedan and Infiniti Q50 Sport. I like each of these for different reasons, but I have no experience owning euro or luxury brands. I've only ever owned Honda Civics and a 2012 Genesis Coupe which I sold at 85,000km.

I found several S-line A5's in my price range:
2012 with 62,000km - $22k
2013 with 73,000km - $22k
2014 with 35,000km - $26k but has a $9500 claim from a rear collision.

I found that S-line A6's and Q50 Sport in this price range are less common, or perhaps I need to extend my search beyond Kijiji and Autotrader.

I just want to be able to get at least 5 years out of these vehicles with minimal repair bills so I'm not sure if I should make it a priority to buy something with low mileage and discard any prospects with over 60,000 kms.

I'll be doing my due diligence and trying to get service histories on any prospective vehicles but I'm under the impression that beyond that, it's basically rolling the dice and if something breaks, I'll have to fix it either way. I'm just worried that owning any of these vehicles is essentially a death sentence where I'm continually spending thousands that I don't have. I also see alot of A4's with 120,000 km being advertised as "low mileage," maybe relative to the model year but I have no idea what that's all about.

I'm also considering getting an extended warranty which would give me peace of mind, and there are certainly some A4's on the market with transferable warranties until 2021 which would give me a couple years stress-free.

Any other insights you guys have? Since it's pay to play, should I just give up the Euro dream? Haha

[flipstah]

What's your end goal? The badge, the roominess, comfort?

Those cars are different. Don't get a 2.0L A5 as it'll be a slug IMO. 3.2 ftw

[Asian_defender]

Make sure you do your homework on the A5. Oil burning issues with the 2.0L turbo, about a quart/tank

[rx7boi]

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What's your end goal? The badge, the roominess, comfort?

Those cars are different. Don't get a 2.0L A5 as it'll be a slug IMO. 3.2 ftw

I actually haven't test driven the A6 3.0T yet but I've driven the S4 V6T. As for the end goal, the badge means nothing to me so I'm not partial to Audi or Infiniti. The vehicles are appealing to me in terms of appearance and performance-wise, I'm not a huge gear head and these are all way nicer than any vehicle I've ever owned. The 3.7L V6 is definitely more powerful than the 2.0T but I think I'd be happy with either one. The A5 3.2 is a little bit older than I prefer.

As for comfort, I didn't really find a difference between the A5 and the Q50S to my unrefined butt palate.

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Make sure you do your homework on the A5. Oil burning issues with the 2.0L turbo, about a quart/tank

Noted! I knew the 2.0 had an oil consumption issue but I actually never looked into how much it cost to fix as alot of forum members had theirs fixed under warranty.

[NissanFanBoy]

A5 just seems like a really slow giant boat... if you're after a fun drive you're not going to find it in that garbage car.

Of those 3, I'd pick the Q50 and not because I like Nissans, it's a great combo of fun, looks AND reliability which you're not going to find in a well used Audi. You say you're not a huge car guy, then trust me you don't want to be paying out your ass for repairs and maintenance.

Performance wise you should be comparing to the S4 and S5, the Sline is just cosmetics and lower/stiffer suspension. Still slow compared to the Q50.

[rx7boi]

The Q50 is an appealing choice and I feel like it would last longer than the Audi A5, plus it's a 4 door which is will future proof once we start a family (wife will buy an SUV).

The only thing is that I might have to open up the wallet a bit more to get a lower mileage Q50S as most of them are around $28k-$30k.

I think part of the reason I took out S4/S5 of the lineup entirely is because they would be even more expensive to maintain/repair, especially with the DSG. I found a 2009 S5 with 41,500km for $28k.

I'm contemplating the 2014 A5 with 35,000km since it's extremely low mileage but I'm not sure if that $9k claim is going to cause problems for me down the road. That, and it's all the way in Regina

[flipstah]

The A5 is a boat with the wrong engine and it'll feel sluggish. The A6 is huge, so if you want comfort with room to spare go for this.

I cannot speak for Infiniti.

[relyt92]

If you're looking for an easy 5 years I'd also say go Q50 of those choices.

[GTS Jeff]

Audi A5 - The lines are unbeatable. Muscle car aggression with German sophistication and the typical Audi understated classiness you just don't get from Gundam-Wing-Jap-Crap. One of the best looking mass production cars made IMO. Even better in S or RS trim. Downsides, slow, boat-like, unreliable, and yes, definitely need extended warranty.

Audi A6 - Looks ok. Great for either limo drivers or seniors. Not much else to say here. Not sure why it's on your list when a 4 door version of the A5 is an A4.

Q50 - The best performing car of the bunch. I don't appreciate the idea of it being a future NE-baller-mobile the way G37s are nowadays. More reliable than an Audi, but it's no Toyota either. Probably the main deal killer for me here is the shit resale value of Infinitis. And the whole Northeast drug dilla vibe.

Give up and buy the nicest white 328 you can afford is my shitty advice to you.

[rx7boi]

Shitttttt, that's what I was afraid of haha. Was really hoping that the stories about A5 unreliability were overstated. The A6 is the least-favoured option but I added it after I ran into an A6 build thread and the car looked so damned good in Meteor Grey with an RS bumper lowered on Niche wheels (you guys can rib me about the RS bumper later ). I liked it more since there are enough A4's on the road but it's a big vehicle for sure.

I don't know anything about BMW's but isn't the 328i an even worse choice with abysmal resale value or is that just a tongue in cheek comment?

Even though the A5 only has 208hp, it still felt pretty good but as I said before, I haven't owned many vehicles so all of the choices are an upgrade for me. The Q50S is a completely different vehicle with the 3.7L (328hp).

So what I'm hearing is that even though the Q50S costs way more, I'll get more longevity and power out of it and that the aesthetics of the A5 is its only saving grace given its underpowered 2.0T engine and unreliability/expensive repair bill outside of warranty.

I can get on board with the 2.0T engine as I enjoyed test driving the car and each of them have their own appeal. I'd gladly live with less power because I love the A5 appearance. I was just more wondering if going with the A5 is as bad of a choice as I thought.

[bjstare]

Not a lot that I have to add, except +1 for the Q50 being the NE budget baller car. If you keep it for 5 years, you'll be lucky to get 10k for it. Pretty much the only car that will depreciate faster than those Audis.

[mzdspd]

Doesn't the facelift A5 (2013+) use the same 2.0T as the MK7 GTI? If that is the case, it has been a pretty reliable engine in the GTI's.

What other issues have you been hearing about for the A5?

[rx7boi]

I'm aiming for a 2013+ A5 as I've read the oil consumption issues seem to have been fixed for these models. The control arm seems to be something that pops up from time to time as well.

Overall, I really like the A5 and as aforementioned, there's a couple in the low to mid 20's that I've found. While the ponies don't stack up to the Q50S, it makes 258 ft-lb torque and I do alot of city driving so it seems like a good candidate for daily driving.

I haven't really heard of any other issues with the 2013+ A5's.

[C4S]

A6 is sweet, good family car, good size, nice looking, not as common as E-Class or 5 series, and better value A7 ..

[rx7boi]

So my next question is: if I decide to get an Audi, it seems like an extended warranty is definitely worthwhile.

Where's a good 3rd party warranty to purchase from or should I be paying the markup at the Audi dealership?

[mzdspd]

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So my next question is: if I decide to get an Audi, it seems like an extended warranty is definitely worthwhile.

Where's a good 3rd party warranty to purchase from or should I be paying the markup at the Audi dealership?

So if you haven't heard of too many issues.. Why would you buy a extended warranty?

[rx7boi]

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So if you haven't heard of too many issues.. Why would you buy a extended warranty?

It would just be for the peace of mind assuming the warranty plan isn't going to be outrageously expensive.

I think you and I both know the answer as to why having a warranty is better than not having a warranty.

Would you advise foregoing the warranty if I pick up something lower mileage like the 2014 with 35,000km?

[mzdspd]

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It would just be for the peace of mind assuming the warranty plan isn't going to be outrageously expensive.

I think you and I both know the answer as to why having a warranty is better than not having a warranty.

Would you advise foregoing the warranty if I pick up something lower mileage like the 2014 with 35,000km?

I guess it depends on how much the warranty costs and what the deductible is etc.. I personally never buy extended warranties.

[Xtrema]

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Doesn't the facelift A5 (2013+) use the same 2.0T as the MK7 GTI? If that is the case, it has been a pretty reliable engine in the GTI's.

What other issues have you been hearing about for the A5?

All the major issue are fixed around 2012/13 for the 2.0T.

Also, don't buy any of the 3.0T that's older than 2012/13 as well.

[RX_EVOLV]

Having owned a 2013 Q50S for a few years (from new), I think they are such a bargain for what they cost today. You get so much car and they depreciated HARD (so glad I sold it when I did).