[aadya]

Originally Posted by shankarbn

Every independent garage I have been to in Bangalore told me audis are notoriously expensive to maintain and aren't easy to work on either. My bmw 320i was way cheaper to maintain than my current hyundai SUV btw.
I would not buy an audi a4 if I owned a rapid - not much of an upgrade.

Thanks for the inputs. I would check with few garages to confirm the same. And A4 seems certainly much of an upgrade from Rapid. I think you own a luxury vehicle and not travelled/driven a C segment Sedan.

Originally Posted by vjbox

why not a Superb from the Skoda stable itself? The previous gen A4 isn't a slouch but having driven the new generation A4, I didn't get that special feeling while Superb's drive and comfort spoilt me and its still a strong contender for my next car. I am not highly sure what the right price would be for 4 year old A4 but if at all you could be shelling out 30- 35+ lac on a car, it would be a wise idea to consider the Superb. Good luck with the upgrade!

Superb is one of the cars I can afford when bought newly. Superbs find it difficult to park, and move around in my community and workplace and my budget for A4 at present is much lower.

Originally Posted by giri1.8

My humble suggestion would be to keep the Rapid for two more years and get a brand new Audi A4 if it suits your requirements. 40L for a new one (after discounts) sounds more tempting than a pre-owned one.

Well taken. That was the original idea but the A4 in consideration is for about 25L to 28L maximum, so the sudden romance otherwise I do not have an idea to let go the rapid for next couple of years. And new A4(2.0L Petrol) costs north of 50L even with the 5.5L discounts available for August 21', there is no TDI available at present and would cost 2L more if at all it is available.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by aadya

Thanks for the inputs. I would check with few garages to confirm the same. And A4 seems certainly much of an upgrade from Rapid. I think you own a luxury vehicle and not travelled/driven a C segment Sedan.

Well taken. That was the original idea but the A4 in consideration is for about 25L to 28L maximum, so the sudden romance otherwise I do not have an idea to let go the rapid for next couple of years. And new A4(2.0L Petrol) costs north of 50L even with the 5.5L discounts available for August 21', there is no TDI available at present and would cost 2L more if at all it is available.

Honestly, it's a good deal.

At Rs. 25-28L in the pre-owned market, you would be looking at the earlier generation 320D LCI, 2015-2016 C Classes, etc.
Both of these have either been replaced by an all new model, or a new model is around the corner.
The BMW is definitely more reliable, but it is beginning to show it's age; and the Mercedes will be heavier to maintain though the classy design inside out is a big draw.

The A4, when compared to the Rapid, may be similar in legroom - but the suspension, safety, interior quality, engine, etc. is far superior! In fact, even compared to it's peers in a similar price bracket : the A4 comes across as a jack of all trades.

Yes, Audi's have been known to be high maintenance. I was frustrated with the issues our A6 developed over the years. But I realized picking the right trim and equipment is key : The A4 TSi with the DSG is to be avoided because of DSG woes, the previous gen A6 had it's air suspension issues, etc.
But with this A4 : the engine is tried and tested, the DSG is reliable, no fancy air suspension, etc. You could face issues with electronics & sensors - but let's face it, the Mercedes and BMW aren't angels in this regard either.

Since you have the budget for a new Superb, the A4 - if it's been reliable and well maintained as you say, could be a good bet.
Maintenance will be a little more expensive, but you also have a good cushion for maintaining the car since it's considerably cheaper than the Superb.

Another option : the new A3 / current X1 in 2022.
By then there should be some heavy discounts - the X1 due for replacement, and A3 unfortunately plagued by the Audi brand name. Should be yours for around Superb pricing +/- a few lakhs going by recent trends with full warranty and new car smell.

[giri1.8]

Originally Posted by aadya

And new A4(2.0L Petrol) costs north of 50L even with the 5.5L discounts available for August 21', there is no TDI available at present and would cost 2L more if at all it is available.

Saw that Audi is running upto 10L discounts on the A4 and A6 in our New car discounts thread, hence my suggestion Sadly we won't have the TDi anymore since VW group is on damage control from their emissions scandal. Good luck for your hunt.

[aadya]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Honestly, it's a good deal.
At Rs. 25-28L in the pre-owned market, you would be looking at the earlier generation 320D LCI, 2015-2016 C Classes, etc.
Both of these have either been replaced by an all new model, or a new model is around the corner.
The BMW is definitely more reliable, but it is beginning to show it's age; and the Mercedes will be heavier to maintain though the classy design inside out is a big draw. The A4, when compared to the Rapid, may be similar in legroom - but the suspension, safety, interior quality, engine, etc. is far superior!

Perfectly articulated my thought process. Most probably if the mentioned price range is met I have a strong reason to consider this car. Otherwise,unless I hit some treasure, I do not have an appetite to sink 50+ Lakhs on a car.

Originally Posted by giri1.8

Saw that Audi is running upto 10L discounts on the A4 and A6 in our New car discounts thread, hence my suggestion Sadly we won't have the TDi anymore since VW group is on damage control from their emissions scandal. Good luck for your hunt.

That is a good thread. Some models like A6 has about 9 Lakhs discount and A4 2.0 TFSI has about 5.5 Lakhs which brings the Premium variant to just above 50L mark. Another 5 Lakhs discount would bring it to 45Lakhs which would be 20L above the current deal.

[IREV]

Originally Posted by aadya

Perfectly articulated my thought process. Most probably if the mentioned price range is met I have a strong reason to consider this car. Otherwise,unless I hit some treasure, I do not have an appetite to sink 50+ Lakhs on a car.



That is a good thread. Some models like A6 has about 9 Lakhs discount and A4 2.0 TFSI has about 5.5 Lakhs which brings the Premium variant to just above 50L mark. Another 5 Lakhs discount would bring it to 45Lakhs which would be 20L above the current deal.

Aadya, if the used A4 diesel is in a good condition then you should go right ahead and buy it. The A4 diesel is definitely the best diesel luxury sedan for comfort oriented people in the segment back in 2017. Super smooth, reliable TDI engine, great performance, decently reliable DSG, excellent ride quality and crazy tech. It's very lovely too. But stay away from the 1.4 TSI, not only because it has the DQ200, the 1.4 TSI is itself a garbage in terms of reliability. So many 1.4 TSI owners have faced too many issues with it globally. Also check out Audi's service center in Bengaluru once before going for the A4. Audi's after sales in India isn't the best as mentioned by Lamborghini and many other bhpians but it depends on city and dealer to dealer. If the Bangalore Audi service is good, then go ahead and buy the used A4. Update us when you made a decision.

[xavierk]

my 2 cents -- Ive never had much luck buying secondhand and if a driver drove it to and from the airport there is no way to say how carefully it was treated.

That said Audi discounts are quite significant at this point I'm in the process of closing on a BMW 330i and the Audi folks were Persistant and quite aggressive on discounts on an A4 (its significantly cheaper than the 330i). I wanted RWD and A4 want never a serious player.

They were in fact pushing to loan out 100% @3.5% (I assume they were subventing it) ie. I pay the required/listed amount and they then refund the discount amount to me after registration. (so even an invoice of purchase may not be indicative of what the car was actually purchased for)

The VW TDI engine are excellent that 2.0 engine is the same one on a friends Jetta in which I've done a run from BLR to kerala and back, the engine has 1.2L KM clocked on it and it purrs

Audi DSG as well are good to drive

While I have owned Deisel's, I've been partial to how a petrol behaves on a highway run. Do a longer test drive on a newer Audi petrol it may just change your mind.

[aadya]

Originally Posted by xavierk

my 2 cents -- Ive never had much luck buying secondhand and if a driver drove it to and from the airport there is no way to say how carefully it was treated.

Thank You. I am very sure about the treatment given to the vehicle as I have periodically been in contact. No hard acceleration. Prompt servicing. Diesel from the same pump. The scanidavian executives don't accept sporty driving and bling. Actually BMW and Mercedes has to be avoided and Audi and volvo are preferred by them. Certainly would consider your advice.

Originally Posted by IREV

Aadya, if the used A4 diesel is in a good condition then you should go right ahead and buy it. The A4 diesel is definitely the best diesel luxury sedan for comfort oriented people in the segment back in 2017. Super smooth, reliable TDI engine, great performance, decently reliable DSG, excellent ride quality and crazy tech.

Thanks for the advice. Will update when I decide.

[shankarbn]

Originally Posted by aadya

Thanks for the inputs. I would check with few garages to confirm the same. And A4 seems certainly much of an upgrade from Rapid. I think you own a luxury vehicle and not travelled/driven a C segment Sedan.

I've moved from a few maruti and ford cars to hyundai accent 1.6 to a BMW 320 to a Tata Nano and now own a Hyundai Tucson. I've driven and known friends' cars ranging from skoda octavia first version all the way to Audi RS5. While I was buying the 3 series (used), I researched on the A4 as well since the interiors are an amazing place to be. However, the crazy bills even at good honest independent garages scared me off Audi A series altogether.

That said, it is a HUGE upgrade from Rapid for sure. You will discover aha moments for a fair few months once you switch. Good luck with the search!

PS : All things said and done, the tata nano is the only car I miss So much of fun and great memories in that tiny little car that none of the other cars could ever match!

[zaks]

Hi, it has been more than a year, I'm curious, did you buy the Audi or not?