May Be Purchasing New Daily Driver - Need Advice

[Steel2686]

Thought I would get the opinions of you fine folks who have never steered me wrong in the past.

My '91 Bravada has been a solid DD over the past year and a half I've owned it, especially considering it's mileage (118K) and how much I paid for it ($800). However, the tranny is starting to show signs it's on it's way out. It shifts very hard... Stays in 1st gear waaaay too long... Slips once in a great while. Basically, a transmission rebuild is not an investment I'm willing to make on a vehicle I paid under a grand for.

So, I have started searching for a new daily driver. My basic needs are four-wheel or all-wheel drive for our New England winters. Something better on gas than the tired 4.3 in my Bravada, and a nicer, all-around vehicle.

I would like leather because of how easy it is to keep clean. I have it in my Bravada. It's a must-have for a daily driver (especially with 3 kids). Having at least the same amount of room that's in my Bravada is a plus, but not a complete necessity.

Yesterday, I went and looked at a pair of Audi's. Both are 98's. One is an A4, the other an A6. Also, both are 2.8 V6's. The A4 has 87K on the clock, while the A6 has 90K. The asking prices are $7,800 for the A4, and $8,300 for the A6.

I guess my first and biggest question is, how reliable are these cars? I haven't heard much either way. I know the A4 can come with the 1.8 turbo, but I wanted to stay away from a turbo car with higher mileage. Is that what I should be doing? Does it really matter?

I drove both cars. The A4 was a lot more fun to drive. It felt more agile, and was a real zippy little car. The A6, however, has much more room, and it rode a lot better. It was a bit quieter as well. Both have the "auto-stick" transmissions. The interiors on both were in great shape, and were very comfortable.

Other options I'm going to look at are a '99 Jimmy w/ leather (72K, $8,000), and a fully-loaded 2000 Legacy (88K, $8,200).

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated as always.

[FroSSty]

Well, the only one I can comment on would be the Legacy. My father-in-law had a 1998 Subaru Legacy that he bought brand new. He put a lot of miles on it in a short time. IIRC he had around 200K on it in 2001. Then we started noticing the clutch started slipping a little so he took it to the dealer to have it serviced. They told him that his engine/tranny clutch was bad and so were his differential clutches, both front and rear. In the neighborhood of $3500 to repair. He traded it for a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder. IMO he kept up on his Subaru, mechanically speaking, better than his Eclipse and it has well over 200K on it (basically untouched). Of course, I may have had a hand in the Subaru's demise. Whereas I have hardly driven the eclipse comparatively.
So if you don't beat on it too badly it will probably hold up better than his. All around it was a nice car. For some reason the box 4 engine had a nice exhaust tone(nothing like an american V-8 though )Good luck.

[Christopherrr]

I'd for the A4...it's smaller and more fun to drive.

[Trash man]

id stay away from audi, esp higher mileage ones. u dont wanna see the repair bill, if it were me id go with the legacy as they are very safe car(a customer just tolded one last night, and it took a hard hit and she is fine) plus the subaru is alot more reliable then a audi. they are nice cars 2, and stay away from the jimmy, whatever the state/towns used last winter for the salt/sand mixture, its eating away at the brake/fuel lines and the backin plates on them SUVs


Greg if u want, give my boss a call on monday he can prob get u a nice reliable daily driver, cuz he wont buy junk. his name is Frank and the number is 860-354-4461, just tell him kyle sent ya

[Trans Am]

I would get the a6, they are great for long trips, huge trunk, a lot of space and very good build quality (never compare it with an f body, it will put gm to shame) It also has lots of smart storage compartments that are very handy. it feels great on the road, nice and solid car.
I just love mine and i am glad i bought it, its an 1.8 turbo but it is still decent to drive, the 2.8 should be a lot better. i have no complaints about it, engine pulls strong, i only had to replace the rear rotors and pads and rear shocks and they were cheap (around $250 for parts) . I am looking to get another one, this time bigger engine, would love an 4.2 v8, and quattro, although it seems that the drivetrain parts for the quattro are expensive. they are very reliable and if you compare the performance quattros deliver and the price of parts it is worth it.

If you find the parts are significantly more epensive in the US i can send parts , the dealer is only 10 mins away, and we can make an arrangement cause i always need parts for my f-bodies and what i get here is low quality and expensive

The thing to look after are worn front suspension arms, they are around $1000 for the kit to replace all front ones, or 200 each, there are 3 on each side i think but the lower ones are more likely to go.

[Joe 1320]

and now a dissenting opinion.

Get an american semi-tired pos and drive it into the ground. The Audi and such will eat you alive on repairs, that's why owners trade them once the warranty runs out. At least with a common american semi-pos, repair parts will be much cheaper and more readily available (read: less down time).

[Steel2686]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the feedback.

Kyle - I just may do that. I'm to hear back from a guy who may buy my Bravada from me.

T/A Europe - If I end up with an Audi, we'll certainly make a deal. Thanks!

Joe - That's what I've been hearing. A co-worker has an A4 with 95K on the clock. He's had excellent luck with it. Very minor repairs done. However, that's what I'm afraid of... He's been lucky.

The problem is, I'm trying to steer away from having a crappy car. Obviously, for under $10K, I'll get what I can get. I just don't want a stripped-down, mediocre DD. I drive the DD way more than the T/A. About 10K a year compared to under 2K on the T/A. I spend a lot more time in the DD.

The Subaru sold the night I posted this thread. I looked for more, but in that mileage to price ratio as of now. I'll update when I sell the Bravada (hopefully this week).

Thanks again, everyone.

[Joe 1320]

The best deals are on retiree luxo-barges that are unabused and low miles. Check the prices on used Cadillac, Mercury Grand Marquis, Ford Crown Victoria cars. They make awesome daily drivers and because they are a dime a dozen, very reasonable. I do miss my Deville, I'm going to start looking for another. I got rid of mine with 210K miles and it still didn't burn any oil.

[fastTa]

My Grandmother had a few Audi's, my Mom has an A6 4.2 right now, and I have owned an older Audi previously as a daily driver. They all were rock solid cars and we never had a single problem with them. They are extremely quiet on the road, handle well, and have excellent fit and finish. That 4.2 ain't no slouch either! My ex-girlfriend works at the Volvo/Porsche/Audi stealership in San Antonio and I got to know the service and parts guys fairly well. They tell me that the Audi's rarely if ever have any major mechanical problems. The Porsche's on the other hand live in the Service Dept according to them.

The majority of the Audi repairs done are normal wear and tear items such as belts, filters, brakes, hoses, etc., and yes it may cost a little more to service them but that's because Audi owners are usually very loyal to the stealerships in which orginally bought the car from. Higher end stealerships like Audi/Porsche are most always much more pleasant to deal with and provide much better service than most other stealerships.

It's always kind of hit or miss to decide on buying a turbo with kind of mileage. I would say in most cases you would probably be OK. But just inspect the turbo seals thoroughly for any oil leaks. Don't expect much from either of those 98's in the way of performance though.

I'm sure you already know this, but no matter what the make/model of car, it is always a risk buying an 8+ year old car, but those German's build a pretty damn reliable car.

[Steel2686]

Thanks, Kevin. Good to know. I'm definitely not expecting anything performance-wise from the 98's. However, anything is better than the tired 4.3L in my Bravada.

Joe - I looked into a few of the luxury barges. Problem is, I need all-wheel drive. Our New England winters are tough. If my wife had 4 wheel drive, I would get a car w/ traction control and be done with it.