Kugs11

A friend of mine is selling a 2004 Allroad 4.2, fully loaded with almost every conceivable option. 21000 miles. He bought it Certified with 1200 miles on it in 2005, so the warranty is still valid until 2011 or 100000 miles. He's asking bluebook value, which looks to be around $34-$35k.

I love Audis (former A4 owner) and have lots of kids, so the wagon is appealing. The other car I'm considering is a new Acura TL Type S, which is about the same price new as this 3 year old Audi. It doesn't have the wagon storage capacity, but it is a very nice car with a decent back seat, a powerful engine, reasonable fuel economy, and a nice package of luxury features, combined with excellent resale value.

My concerns about the Allroad:
1. fuel economy. How bad is it really with the 4.2?
2. reliability. I know it has a warranty, but I still don't want to be without it more than I have to be. Are these Audi certified warranties as good as they appear, or are there hidden costs?
3. routine maintenance costs. How much does it cost to maintain this vehicle (brakes, timing belts, etc)?
4. depreciation. It has already depreciated $20k in 3 years/20k miles. What will happen in the next 3 years?

I have no need to go off-roading. I live in the midwest. We average 3-4 significant snowfalls each year with a few smaller ones throughout the winter. AWD is nice, but not a necessity.

Any perspective you can provide is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

allroad'Ed now

The 4.2 is more reliable than the 2.7
The mileage is OK, depending on what you're expecting. It's still a V8, AWD, 4300 lb vehicle.
Maintenance is about the same as any competive product but very easy to do yourself. Though this car still covers all maintenance until 4yrs/ 50k miles.

To me the price seems a bit high. I've seen the same car at Audi dealers for similar money or less.

Acure- value, reliablity, resale, but no soul.

happy allroader

Our family situation is my wife and I are empty nesters and we use the allroad as our main, do-everything car. There's nothing it can't do.

If your wife has a van or SUV then I'd go for the TL. If not, think allroad and yes, it will cost more than other cars to run and maintain.

I have a 2.7T so I don't know about the 4.2 cost/reliability. If I had to replace mine I'd look for a 4.2 allroad mainly due to the brake/throttle lag problem of 2.7T. Forum comments seem to say the gas mileage is not that much different, and there is no turbo worry with the V8.

Kugs11

I don't "need" a wagon because our other vehicle is a Honda Odyssey. It would be nice to have the convenience of extra cargo room, but it's not an absolute necessity.

viny

i used to drive an A6 2.8q and there is not much difference in fuel consumption perhaps slightly more in town, as for warranty it's very good, mine had 32k and I got it for $29K, it has all the bells and wisthles and more, NAV, Telemetrie, Brilliant Red, cold weather package........indulge in the ar 4.2 you won't regret it...enjoy

girlroad

bad weather to make the quattro (and there is a huge difference) the only way to go when it is bad out and you really have to be somewhere and safely. I would also add that you would need to have access to a good realiable German indy if you are not planning to do routine stuff yourself and/or a great dealership that you trust for the warranty period at least. Good luck with your decision.

epfrisco

No one is getting bluebook these days, but I might pay a premium for a car when I knew the owner and was 100% certain of the maintenance history. Where is the car located and are you near a dealer? You may have to decide how badly you want to stay with the brand and how long you plan to keep it. My Acuras required less service than either of my Audis, it was less expensive, and the Allroad's depreciate hard because they are niche. Like many here, I'll drive the wheels off my 2.7t and likely do the same when I get an Allroad.

Kugs11

It seemed high to me too. The seller is looking to buy a Honda Odyssey for his expanding family, and the Honda dealer offered him $32k on a trade-in. I thought that was an amazing deal. The car is in Minnesota, so perhaps there is more demand for an AWD Audi there. The Honda dealer in my town wouldn't even take my A4 as a trade on our Odyssey because he didn't think he'd be able to sell it.

Doesn't the fact that the Allroad is a Niche car make it hold value better? There don't seem to be many out there.

myroad

first -- the ar is so much more car than the TL, and so much better built that it is not really a fair comparison. The ar is an over-engineered rock. Built like a brick house and behaves in many respects like one. Accident-wise I would always choose the ar. If that matters then just get the ar. You are fortunate to have one in your sites that is a known entity -- not a mysterious trade in from someone who abused it or possibly accident-weary.

I get 15.9mpg avg -- 1/2 NYC and 1/2 suburbia. I averaged 21-22 on a recent all highway trip up to New Hampshire.

The engine is magnificent and in sport mode is a blast -- especially if you upgrade to APR 93 flash. It becomes very hard to justify trading it in in my mind -- it will simply go everywhere, play race car, family hauler, and coddle you in luxury.

I have had no unexpected issues (2005 model which was near the end of the run). 36k miles.

Good luck

Scot W

I am a former Honda, then Acura, then A4 then allroad 4.2 owner (plus some others before the Honda). The Honda products are indeed the most maintenance free vehicle around. My wife drove her Legend for over 200K and would not trade it in because she could not find anything comparable. She simply hated the new Acuras. Her quote, "It feels like it's dead. You cannot feel the road and the boy racer exhaust sound does not match what the car is doing."

Mileage is better than a similar size SUV, handling is so much better and I can haul or pull whatever I need. The Acura will be more tossable, probably a bridge between and A4 and an A6 so a comparison is difficult.

In this part of the Midwest we get Lake Effect so the Quattro is a huge bonus (as are Blizzaks).

The allroad is incredible solid. We were rear-ended in December and I thought the back of the car would have been where the back sets were since we were hit so hard. The reality, barely scratched less than $2000 (replacement exhaust being the most expensive part). If you read the reviews on the Acuras they are expensive to repair if you bend them.

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2007/08/bumper-test.html