Team-BHP - I traded in my Audi A6...

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsxei (Post 386356)

Wow that was lightning fast. Didn't you just get the A6 like a year or so back? Couldn't tell if it is a step up. What do you feel?

Yes, I got the Audi late '05. And I swear I'll never get another Audi again. It was an 18 month long love-hate relationship with the car. Something or the other was always broken on it.
Nothing major, but annoying and expensive nonetheless. Soon as I got it, the right headlight blew out. It was the Igniter and cost me around 550 USD to get the light working again. The O2 sensor went next followed by a whole array of little troubles here and there.
And surprisingly I wasn't alone with this. Every Audi owner I know had something or the other going wrong with their machines.
The Engine was a different story though. Strong, smooth and responsive. Pure heaven when the Turbos kicked in. But finally, the repair bills got to me and I had to part ways.

Thankfully, this Beemer is everything I wanted the Audi to be, and more. It's 230 HP compared to the Audi's 250, but weighs less and I like the handling better. Even though the Audi was a Quattro, the beemer is more confidence-inspiring.
So not sure if it was a step up, but definitely a step in the right direction ;)

Plus all the in-cabin tech is now pretty state of the art (Bluetooth, Auxillary Audio in, Satelite radio etc..), considering the 7 year age difference between the cars :)

@Anguchisan: Umm.. the wheels are still standard issue Beemer gunmetal. But the way these babies shed brake dust, they'll be black soon enough

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedzak (Post 386364)

BTW, Audi should read this I think. Atleast it should make some heads turn!!!

it won't make a big difference.
this is a normal issue with almost any high-end German car (Audi / BMW / Mercedes) which is out of warranty. it's one of the reasons why they depreciate substantially compared to their Japanese rivals.

they usually have a great warranty coverage for the first 4-5 years / 40,000-50,000 miles. BMW now even covers wipers and consumables.

once you're out of warranty though you're on your own :).

the problem is that even though the specific part to be repaired / replaced may not be all that expensive, check out the labour rate for repairs and you'll see what i mean. one ends up paying around $100/hour just for labour.

Vivek's A6 (from his profile) was a 2000 model....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vivek (Post 386362)

That is one hell of a horror story. Congratulations on your new car cheers: Post up pics when you get a chance.

Awesome... I have always liked the beemer's better than the Audi's.... not owned any but speaking from the appeal point of view at least... :p

BMW's look more elgant and simple... something like the shy woman at a party stealing a glance at you.... and the audi with its ugly grill is like a woman with a bad set of nicotine charred teeth in a wide mouth. :Frustrati

P.S. No offence meant to anyone...this is my honest opinion.

Wow didnt knew you exist here as well :)

Congrats for the Beemer. But like someone said the germans are good to have till they are undera warranty. One of my friend's boss in US had everything in his Beemer replaced under warranty & that included a steering wheel & some engine componants but then that was a couple of years back..

Enjoy your ride & keep us updated :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by aah78 (Post 386378)

Agreed. Vivek's horror stories after 4-5 years on the Beemer will not be any different.

Dont buy German cars 2nd hand, or dont retain them beyond warranty period.