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Anyone got an opinion on Audis? I have owned precisely two vehicles (counting my current one) the preceding 22 years, so I expect a car to last well in excess of 200k with no major problems.

The lease on my BMW expires in two weeks so I'm looking again. I'm talking to the BMW dealership but I've been considering an Audi. They've had problems in the past with electrical systems but quality has improved and they've been moving up on BMW in total sales.

One thing about BMW, they give you free scheduled maintenance for 3 or 4 years. Of course, "scheduled maintenance" means oil changes at 15,000 miles. For a lease, that's fine. But if I purchased I would pay for more frequent oil changes.

If Audi will deal, I might go that way this time. I've made good deals on my last two BMW leases.

As for 200,000 miles, I guess it depends on how you drive and take care of the car. The problem is: I wouldn't own a German car, especially BMW, out of warranty. They are very expensive to repair and BMW has gone crazy with elctronics and "lifetime" fluids. And, they don't have a dipstick.

For the price you'd do better with a BMW or Lexus, especially from a reliability standpoint. Of course being European means higher maintenance costs.

Audis are good cars though, especially if you're looking for something high performance that is a nice alternative to BMW, and the handling rivals BMW.

Are Volvo's expensive to maintain? I am in the market for a car also.

From what I read, Volvo is on the expensive side when it comes to maintenance and repair. Not the worst but Cars.com gave it a below average value rating. On the other hand, people who own them really like them.

It's not the cheapest, but not the highest, either.  The problem is finding a good independent mechanic who will work on them. Not everybody will. 

I bought my daughter a used Volvo about 3 years ago.  Fortunately I have a good friend who is a mechanic and worked at a Volvo dealership at one time, so he does our work (which hasn't been a lot, by the way) for us and saves us a good bit of money. 

Of course, finding a mechanic you trust is a key no matter what type of vehicle you own. 

Thanks a ton for the feedback. An inordinate amount of stuff on-line seemed to indicate the were a bit more finicky than I desire, but I figured I'd check with people I "know."

Brother-in-law is ER doctor and drives an inordinate miles per year to and from his assignments. He had an Audi (AWD) and put close to 200K miles in ~3 yrs before he traded. After he got remarried, he has bought new car for wife (Lexus) and her son (Mazda). So he could not afford an Audi this replacement. He got a Mazda6 to put a ton of miles on. I drove the Audi when he borrowed our SUV and I liked it. Pricey. Anyway, taste in cars is finicky and cannot be explained.

I have been a Nissan driver since my 280Z back in 1978. After my 350Z got too small for vacations and shopping at beach, I bought a Maxima SV Sport. It has been reliable, comfortable, and low maintenance.

Like I said, it depends on your taste.

Just buy an Acura!  :). Cant beat em!


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