Should I buy a 2006 Audi A4 with 99k miles or a 2004 Acura TL with 117k miles, both in pretty good condition?
There are many variables in making a decision like this - are they appropriately priced, general condition and appearance, service history, and quite frankly part of it is emotional: the latter is why cars come in thousands of models and dozens of colours and impractical configurations. The biggest single factor I would use is maintenance history - has it been done on time and documented? This is not just a guide to maintenance itself, but also a good service history is a sign of a careful owner.If you want best value transportation, buy neither: get a 3-4 year old Hyundai-Kia with it's famous warranty.The "older German cars are unreliable" thing is largely a myth - my Audi A6 2.7T is 15 years old and has 170k on it, and has performance modified and driven hard for over a decade, yet it has never had a major repair. OTOH, in my experience parts for Japanese cars can be wickedly expensive, and are less commonly available OEM / aftermarket. The way the car has been maintained is a much bigger factor in its reliability than make and model, but be aware that all models have their particular weak points and you will be spending some money on repairs no matter what you buy.For myself, as a car enthusiast, it's always partly an emotional purchase ... one of my cars is Japanese, and I've had cars of multiple Japanese marques, so I'm not biased against their makers. However, with all other factors such as maintenance history and price being equal, to me Acura is a bland marketing brand used to sell Hondas to Americans, whereas Audi traces its motor sport and engineering history back nearly a century. You wont't see a car with an Acura badge winning le 24h du Mans. I love the things with four rings, and personally I'd take the Audi hands down. Vorsprung durch technik :)
I'm 19 years old, and I want an Audi A4 2017 to be my first car. Is that a reliable car I should invest in?
The Audi A4 is a nice car. If you can afford it, the upkeep and the insurance and you want it, then buy it. New cars have a warranty, your Audi looks to have a 4 year/50,000 mile basic and powertrain warranty. You shouldn’t have to pay for any repairs, other than basic maintenance and wear part (tires, brakes, timing belts, oil changes, etc) for that period of time. Know that once out of warranty, repairs to your Audi will be more expensive than most Japanese and American cars.Cars that people use for transportation are not an investment. They are a liability. Your Audi A4 will NOT increase in value - the definition (or at least the hope) of an investment. All cars like your A4 cost you money. They depreciate the second you drive them off the new car lot - that’s the moment your new car becomes a used car. They cost money to operate and maintain. They continue to depreciate the longer you own them. Your Audi A4 will be worth around 1/2 what you paid for it new in about 3 to 4 years.A 2013 Audi A4 standard vehicle has an msrp of $33,000 new in 2013. Today, with 50,000 miles, that car is worth about $16,000 on trade in if it is in good-better condition. That’s not an investment.Buy a car because it meets your needs and your budget. Treat it as a tool to get you and your things where you need to be. Know that it is a liability, not an investment.
Is it a good idea to buy an audi a4 for my first car?
Who is paying for insurance, gas, taxes? Is it you? If its you then don't think of Audis yet. The reason is why is because Audi is a luxury brand which requires money to run and to own. Since your 19, your insurance will still be high, the rates of teenager insurance will still apply (depending upon what state you live in, most is 21 some is 25 (after these ages your insurance rates go down)). Are they reliable? You have to learn to maintain these vehicles, if its a turbo with high miles then I would worry a bit. These require synthetic oil which are $50+ and they always require premium gas to run. You could hit up various problems, a typical turbo replacement will be $1500 or the alternator, I think will be around $250 to $300. Of course its a lot cheaper if you maintain one yourself. Be smart and get something reliable like Honda, you abuse them and they run you good without problems. You need to save more so in the future you don't hit up financial problems. Buying an Audi with a $200 a week income is a bad decision. Good Luck!
Should I buy my leased Audi Q5, after a 1 year lease or not?
The numbers you’ve laid out don’t make sense. Here’s what it should cost to buy a car off a lease:A. If the lease is over, it should cost the residual amount + sales tax.B. If the lease is not over, it should cost the sum of the remaining payments, minus an adjustment for unearned rent (i.e., interest you will no longer owe) + sales tax.Adjusted capital cost is the price of the car minus your down payment (you should not ever make a down payment on a lease, for future reference). Since your down payment was $6,000 that means the agreed-upon price of the car plus whatever fees like “documentation fee” they tacked on was $45,671.09.Based on the amount of the residual this must have been a 3 year lease, not a 1 year lease.Anyway, so you made a year of payments or $6,900 worth. The remaining value of the car is therefore roughly $32,800, and you’ve paid a total of $12,900. I don’t see how… whoever you’re talking to… is arriving at a price of $42K+ even with a high sales tax rate. It should be $32,800, minus an amount I can’t calculate without knowing the money factor of the lease, plus sales tax.In any case: Buying a car at lease end is not a bad idea; doing it early serves no purpose at all that I can think of. If you have $42K lying around, use it to keep making your payments and come talk to us when your lease is really coming to an end.No, don’t buy the car, stay in the lease and keep making payments. And if you still want to buy it at lease end make sure you understand exactly why you are being charged every penny that you’re being charged. The cost should be the residual + sales tax and that’s it. If they want to sell you an extended warranty you can think about it but those are almost never a good deal (a subject for another answer).
Is it worth to fix a car at 185,000 miles that has cylinder problems?
That depends on a lot of other things. How old is the car/ how much is it worth? Is the car paid for? I wouldn’t want to make payments on car that had to be scrapped. Having the cylinders honed will mean pulling the engine and tearing it down so you might as well go ahead with a full engine rebuild. You can buy a rebuilt engine from chine parts stores (AutoZone, Advance) or online, or pay a shop to remove yours and rebuild it. Figure $2,000 and up for a “crate engine” depending on what you drive plus the cost of the swap if it’s not work you can do yourself. You have to decide if your car is worth $3,000–4,000 worth of engine work. If you did $4,000 worth of work and could turn around and sell the car for 10,000 heck yeah. I wouldn’t that work on a 20 year old car that’s only worth $1,000.