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I leased a Mercedes for 3 years. Other than oil changes, all I did to the car was keep it shiny and clean. Didn't do much other than that just because I knew I was handing it back.
ON the other hand, I purchased a CPO infiniti with 20K miles. I currently have 165K on it now and it's been probably the most reliable car I've owned. Other than routine maintenance, not much in terms of repairs and parts were CHEAP.
Also you said your CPO was the most reliable car you've ever owned - so isn't that a +1 for CPO?
What other kind of maintenance other than tire rotation and oil changes are needed in the first 3 years? The thing I'm worried about with the CPO is that I'd be getting the car right around the time some of the more expensive maintenance is required.
I recently drove an S4, and may buy one. Trust me when I say you want the S version of the 5.
Ok, I'm going to have to drive all of these and see. If I go with the "4", I would most likely get manual, with the S-Line package, which I guess is like the S4 but without the beefier engine? Sort of like a fake sports car? I'm sure that would still be fun to drive, and I don't even know if I'd be able to notice the difference to the S4 anyway? I need to test drive and find out. Bottom line, if I do S4 or S5, I would have to go pre-owned. I can't really pay $800-$900/mo for a lease right now.
What other kind of maintenance other than tire rotation and oil changes are needed in the first 3 years? The thing I'm worried about with the CPO is that I'd be getting the car right around the time some of the more expensive maintenance is required.
What expensive "maintenance?" A CPO car will have new (or newer) tires, good brakes, etc. Anything else would come under CPO warranty repairs and not cost you anything for the next 5+ years.
Anything like the 50k inspection would be offset by the amount of savings you'd be enjoying over buying new (and even that should not cost you much at a good independent shop)
Ok, I'm going to have to drive all of these and see. If I go with the "4", I would most likely get manual, with the S-Line package, which I guess is like the S4 but without the beefier engine? Sort of like a fake sports car? I'm sure that would still be fun to drive, and I don't even know if I'd be able to notice the difference to the S4 anyway? I need to test drive and find out. Bottom line, if I do S4 or S5, I would have to go pre-owned. I can't really pay $800-$900/mo for a lease right now.
The S4 is a huge step up from the A4, even with the sports package. No comparison at all. You'll definitely notice the difference.
Have you looked at a BMW 340i? That's the other car I am looking at, and the lease programs are much better than Audi's programs.
What expensive "maintenance?" A CPO car will have new (or newer) tires, good brakes, etc. Anything else would come under CPO warranty repairs and not cost you anything for the next 5+ years.
Anything like the 50k inspection would be offset by the amount of savings you'd be enjoying over buying new (and even that should not cost you much at a good independent shop)
I don't know to be honest. I guess it's worth looking at the maintenance schedules to see what is typically recommended for whatever car I go with? I've just heard a lot of stories about things starting to go wrong with some of these cars around 5 years in or so.I suppose that would be covered under the warranty.
The strange thing, is that the Audi dealership closest to me, doesn't have a CPO program. They sell pre-owned vehicles, but don't certify them. I didn't really get into detail about it yet, but they were telling me it's not worth it for their customers to spend the extra $$ for the certification, and without it, they can offer the cars at a better price. This is a wealthy area, and a lot of the trade-ins are 2 years old or less. I guess they expect people to trust that the car is in good shape, has a warranty, etc and not need a certification? Is this common practice?
If you get VW/Audi's with DSG it requires a $400 flush every 40k. Other than that they're pretty standard, just the dealers charge a lot for service. Better off finding a reputable independent.
Why would you agree with him? Nowhere in your description did you say you abused it or didn't observe proper break in. In fact, I completely DISAGREE with him as the owners of the sportier models tend to be enthusiasts who take better care of their cars than the average yuppie lease owner.
What do you consider abuse?
I took my leased Mercedes to the drag strip and did a couple quarter mile passes with it. It was a pretty quick car and I used that HP on the street.. It was a great handling and braking car and there were a few times I had the tires squealing in protest around a sharp turn. Is that abuse? depends on who you ask.
Did I do donuts and power brake it and drive 80MPH down rough roads? No way. I used proper grade quality synthetic oil and OEM filters (for the oil changes I did myself) always ran the proper octane fuel and did overall care for the car....but I sure as hell didn't drive it like a little old lady.
I don't know to be honest. I guess it's worth looking at the maintenance schedules to see what is typically recommended for whatever car I go with? I've just heard a lot of stories about things starting to go wrong with some of these cars around 5 years in or so.I suppose that would be covered under the warranty.
The strange thing, is that the Audi dealership closest to me, doesn't have a CPO program. They sell pre-owned vehicles, but don't certify them. I didn't really get into detail about it yet, but they were telling me it's not worth it for their customers to spend the extra $$ for the certification, and without it, they can offer the cars at a better price. This is a wealthy area, and a lot of the trade-ins are 2 years old or less. I guess they expect people to trust that the car is in good shape, has a warranty, etc and not need a certification? Is this common practice?
Any vehicle can start to have problems the older it gets.
I've purchased 2 CPO's, one a BMW 650i Convertible the other a Porsche Cayenne Turbo.
Both came with very low miles and the warranty.
We also have a 10 year old 2006 BMW 325i with the sports package that we purchased brand new.
We have spent more on that than we have the 2 CPO's. However, still less on that car than the 02 Suburban that we purchased brand new. I'd hate to know what we would have spent on that Suburban if we did not have a rotation going with the cars so they do not get driven every single day. That Suburban only has 150k miles on it. The most expensive "repair" we have had on any of our BMW's, the Porsche and the Audi has been in tires. Tires on these cars are not cheap and they do not always have them in stock.
If the Audi dealer will not do CPO, find another or go with another line. There are plenty out there that do CPO. Look online. Do not be afraid to purchase outside of your area. If you are in a cold weather area, look at dealers in mild climates. The Cayenne was purchased outside of our area. My most recent BMW was purchased out of state. Same exact vehicle was sitting on a lot here in Dallas for $15K more than I paid out of state.
In order for the vehicle to be CPO they are required to replace some items even if they do not need to be replaced, like the tires. We just turned in our Audi Q5 we had leased, want to go back to a Cayenne. Tires on it were fairly new, dealer even said they looked great but they were going to have to replace them.
As far as going for the 2 door sports option, go for it! If you have a family vehicle and you can all still fit in the 2 door coupe if need be, go for it. We are a family of 4 and many times we all went places in my 650.
Go for the beefier engine, if you like to drive and looking at this level of cars, don't skimp out. My kids know we like our sports cars. They don't mind as they get them passed down to them, spoiled brats. It can also make a difference on resell. Certain levels do command more, are less available as used, more desirable.
Thanks dude. I have two small kids, but 90% of the time its just me in the car, commuting to work. So I figured now is as good a time as any to own a car like that.
Last night I was building out some A4s for the hell of it. I could get a new A4, with the S-Line package (sports seats, etc etc) for the same price as a CPO S5. Hard choices!
No problem. Audi really makes 3 cars worth buying IMO.
S5 ( benchmark in the 2 door luxury coupe/cabriolet category ).
S8 ( IMO , one of the best cars currently on the market , period ). Would take this over a Maserati Quattroporte/ Mercedes S63 amg and even a Porsche Panamera turbo in a heart beat.
R8 ( Benchmark in mid engine 2 seater sports cars ).
The rest are not bad but you can get better ones from BMW/Mercedes and others for either lesser money or more features. Even the S5 is more expensive than a BMW 435i but worth it. It's a notch above.
I would not be cross shopping between an A4 and an S5. Two very different cars. I mean I understand they are both Audis and upscale and all that but that's where the similarities end.
I took my leased Mercedes to the drag strip and did a couple quarter mile passes with it. It was a pretty quick car and I used that HP on the street.. It was a great handling and braking car and there were a few times I had the tires squealing in protest around a sharp turn. Is that abuse? depends on who you ask.
Did I do donuts and power brake it and drive 80MPH down rough roads? No way. I used proper grade quality synthetic oil and OEM filters (for the oil changes I did myself) always ran the proper octane fuel and did overall care for the car....but I sure as hell didn't drive it like a little old lady.
IMHO, severe abuse is not taking care of the maintenance. Oil levels, fluids, proper tire pressure, rotation, proper octane for max performance, not being a two footed driver (IRKS ME), making sure to park correctly as to avoid door dings (yes, I am anal about that, just ask my husband ), etc. If all of these things are taken care of, the car is fine. I have a 2015 MB sitting in the garage (daily driver for one person in the household), first scheduled maintenance is this month just to get the once over to see if all is good. They are not like the cars of yesteryear where they oil had to be changed every 3000k miles. Which, brag time, I am very proud of my college daughter that knows how to care for these cars and knows how to add oil when needed all on her own Being that she is 600 miles away, glad she was taught about cars and how to care for them.
Taking it out on the track once or twice for a car that was built to handle such, not abuse.
They are made to be quick and nimble. Driving defensively in order to avoid an accident due to the sheer number of "old lady" drivers that drive with blinders on creeping, not abuse.
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They don't mind as they get them passed down to them, spoiled brats. It can also make a difference on resell. Certain levels do command more, are less available as used, more desirable.
