Help me decide, BMW or Audi

[Josh2002cc]

Hey guys, haven't been very active on here since being deployed back in December of 2012 but I am getting ready to come home and decided to buy a new to me car. I was kicking around the idea of getting rid of my 03 LB7 for a 08 or newer but decided I rather have a car to drive around when a truck isn't needed. I really only use the truck for work and pulling the boat so it would be nice to take a young lady or 3 out in something that isn't covered in dust 99% of the time. :thumb:

I have been looking at 06 or newer BMW 328i's and the 325i's but also have my eye on 07 or newer Audi A4 2.0T's. I know absolutely nothing about these kinds of cars so your input would be great. My price range to pay cash is under $15K so I would like to stay around here if possible, not sure if I want to finance something like this but would for the right car.

So, what say you?

 

[DetailsUnlimited]

The BMW drive and handle very well. Interior are also nicer than the Audi.

 

[OregonDMAX]

Either one prepare for expensive parts when anything breaks :thumb:

The dealer I work for doesn't take in Audi on trade anymore because they cost more then they are worth to fix.

They are absolutely fantastic cars to drive I would own either one but only as long as it was still under factory warranty and I would ditch it before it ran out.

 

[kirkland]

My wife and I had a 06 325i and it spent its life in the shop, we put more miles on their loaner cars than we did it.. Thank goodness for certified pre owned and they ate the bill every time.. So my initial pick would be keep the truck.... Audi .. Only way I would get another BMW is if its brand new cause they ain't cheap to fix neither is the Audi

If the girls don't like riding in the truck you might be goin after the wrong girls lol (just kiddin with ya)

 

[02greysixer]

If you want high end luxury why not a Lexus or Acura? They share a lot of parts with Toyota and Honda. There's a lot more of those dealerships and I bet parts are cheaper too

sent from a galaxy far far away

 

[OregonDMAX]

If you want high end luxury why not a Lexus or Acura? They share a lot of parts with Toyota and Honda. There's a lot more of those dealerships and I bet parts are cheaper too

sent from a galaxy far far away

i agree

 

[duratothemax]

Audi.

the reason everyone whines that they are "expensive to fix" is because Audi people only take their cars to Audi dealer to be fixed...obviously the Audi dealer is going to rip people off. And most independent shops wont touch them "because oooo omg its a german car, it must be soooo complicated".

Buy the parts yourself, and fix the thing yourself, and Audi's really arent anymore expensive to repair than any other foreign car.

ben

 

[OregonDMAX]

Audi.

the reason everyone whines that they are "expensive to fix" is because Audi people only take their cars to Audi dealer to be fixed...obviously the Audi dealer is going to rip people off. And most independent shops wont touch them "because oooo omg its a german car, it must be soooo complicated".

Buy the parts yourself, and fix the thing yourself, and Audi's really arent anymore expensive to repair than any other foreign car.

ben

the only problem i have with them is how often they have to be repaired not how hard they are to repair. and the parts are always more expensive then anything American or Asian.

 

[SteveLBZ06]

Personally I would rather drive a loaded accord or maxima, TL or G35/37 than a base model BMW or Audi. The only bmws I would bother with would be 335s or Ms and I probably wouldn't own an Audi at all..unless it was an RS 4 and even then Id rather spend the money on something else

 

[duratothemax]

the only problem i have with them is how often they have to be repaired not how hard they are to repair. and the parts are always more expensive then anything American or Asian.

I had a 2004 S4 for a little over a year and put a little over 15,000 miles on it. It had about 115k when I got rid of it.

The only $ I put into it was oil changes, and performance mods.

Different years and generations of Audi's were/are more problem prone than others. B5 A4's and C5 A6's, yeah, most shit falls apart on them.

B6 and newer A4's, the glove box door hinges crack, the center arm rest hinges break, and every once in a while you'll have to replace a window regulator, but other than that they are pretty reliable IMO. The normal suspension stuff (control arms, wheel bearings, etc) doesnt wear out any faster than any other car. Wheel bearings and control arms are kind of a PITA to do on them, but nothing a competent DIY guy can do in his garage on a sunday.

FWIW

ben

 

[OregonDMAX]

all the ones i worked on were early 2000's a4's and a6's and yes they were falling apart left and right, and every one that came in had a broken center console armrests :roflmao:

good to know the newer ones are much better, they really are a blast to drive if all you have to do is drive them. :thumb:

 

[Mike L.]

German cars are parts eaters. I spent 30 years as a mercedes/bmw/audi/jag/Rolls trans specialist. They are nice till they break and then you WILL cry.

 

[mackthehack]

Another one here for Lexus or Acura. If I could I'd buy myself an ISF. :thumb:

 

[Hot COCOAL]

Hey guys, haven't been very active on here since being deployed back in December of 2012 but I am getting ready to come home and decided to buy a new to me car. I was kicking around the idea of getting rid of my 03 LB7 for a 08 or newer but decided I rather have a car to drive around when a truck isn't needed. I really only use the truck for work and pulling the boat so it would be nice to take a young lady or 3 out in something that isn't covered in dust 99% of the time. :thumb:

I have been looking at 06 or newer BMW 328i's and the 325i's but also have my eye on 07 or newer Audi A4 2.0T's. I know absolutely nothing about these kinds of cars so your input would be great. My price range to pay cash is under $15K so I would like to stay around here if possible, not sure if I want to finance something like this but would for the right car.

So, what say you?

I say welcome back, and thanks for your service:thumb:
I like the BMW 3 series, but only the "35i or 35is" trim, like a 335is, the audi is cool too, not an A4, an S4. These cars are a bit more than what price point you're looking in.

Have you considered...
Forgive me now, I've had two of them and I'm quite pleased with them on a whole
A Volkswagen?
Say, GTI/R, Jetta cup edition, or even a tiguan? I've seen a couple lowered tiguan's now and they look pretty cool.

The cool thing about the vw's is they are streamlined from more expensive platforms like the Audi, so they are very similar in allot of ways, including parts and engine platforms, not just chassis platforms. They are cheaper, easy to upgrade, fun to drive, don't break the bank and IMHO, conservatively stylish and cool.

The only difference between the GTI and an S3 are a few aluminum suspension parts vs cast iron and the vw comes with the smaller K03 turbocharger vs the Audi comes with the K04. Yes the Audi is AWD, if that is what your after, look into a golf R, it has AWD and a K04 and is much less than an equivalent S3

I love my R

 

[blk smoke lb7]

We have had both and we loved our BMW 540 with a 6 speed stick we loved our A4 also but it was very expensive to repair and we did not use a shop to repair it parts are more expensive for sure and the BMW never broke down but alot of my frineds have them also and they havent had any major problems .

 

[Hot COCOAL]

We also have a BMW, my wife drives an 11' 335is, it's been an awesome car, so far

Hers is a 2dr, its got a 7sp sportauto transmission bolted to the twin turbo 3.5L I6 and it hauls ass, I also like the 1 series M, and only the 1 series M, not the 135i. The 1 series M is a truly bad ass car

 

[Max Attitude]

Spare yourself from buying an Audi! We own an 06 VW TDI (made by Audi) right now and it has been the biggest POS car ever. Besides the motor blowing and taking the turbo out with it they have electrical issues. I hear bad things about Audi from time to time as well. I will never own anything made by Audi/VW again. We owned 2 Acura TLs before this car and as soon as we get rid of it that is what we are going back to.

 

[Max Attitude]

Here's my suggestion... 2007-2008 Acura TL Type S

 

[Hot COCOAL]

Spare yourself from buying an Audi! We own an 06 VW TDI (made by Audi) right now and it has been the biggest POS car ever. Besides the motor blowing and taking the turbo out with it they have electrical issues. I hear bad things about Audi from time to time as well. I will never own anything made by Audi/VW again. We owned 2 Acura TLs before this car and as soon as we get rid of it that is what we are going back to.

Funny thing is, I'm not a big Audi fan at all, I always loved the gti from way back in the 80's, but not a car I "longed" to own, then out of sheer hatred for spending money on fuel, I traded my procharged 1500hd in on a new 11 mk6 golf tdi, and what can I say, I loved the little car, so much so that through circumstance I was lucky enough to (in a round about way) upgrade to an R

The mk5 (06-09) and the mk6 (10-14) have similarities, they really are completely different though. I bought my 11 tdi new, I drove the piss outta that car and it was a flawless functioning vehicle for almost 70k, then we traded it for the wife's car. I should have stated that the 2010 to current model year aka the mk6 platform, is the vw's I would look for, they are pretty bullet proof, electrical issues have all been worked out, transmissions were better, interior material is better, engine and head has been revised, they have a few minor issues that can be quickly addressed, as most all cars do, and there are several really good tuners out there that support the 2.0T TSI/FSI engine.

The VW mk6 golf platform has been a good and fun car for me

 

[Hot COCOAL]

Here's my suggestion... 2007-2008 Acura TL Type S

The TL is sweet, but I just don't like how Japanese cars feel behind the wheel, they just don't "fit" me, to each their own right, I really like the looks of all sorts of cars, I'm a car guy! I wish I had one for every day of the wee....month:thumb: