Hawkeye83

Hi All,
Just wanted to say that I've really enjoyed reading through these forums. The Allroad really appeals to me...the only thing scaring me away right now are the pricey repairs/maintenance.

Currently considering:
1) 2001 Allroad - $5000, 160k
2) 2003 Acura MDX - $7500, 160k
3) 2004 Cadillac SRX - $7500, 140k

The Allroad looks like a good deal, minus the repair/maintenance! Hopefully a test drive of all three will make the decision easy

all(over)road

The Acura 'may' be the better car of the 3 in the long run of it...but the allroad is the most fun.

The allroad is prolly the most expensive to keep running though. Not that a caddy with miles is any better but its simpler to repair I'll bet.

01' is a good year too for the allroad. Set aside a few thousand bucks 'just in case !! I'm at 178K now on my 01' and just spent about 2 grand on it in the past few months.

Teutonix

Since you're obviously willing to spend up to $7500, and you're concerned about maintenance and repair costs, I'd recommend that you buy a newer, lower-mileage car. (not necessarily a luxury marque) Cars with mileage in the 150k range can be money pits, regardless of make. Although it is possible to find an extremely well-maintained example with everything recently repaired, most cars will be due for their third timing belt, have worn suspension components, and need lots of miscellaneous repairs that may not be obvious until you're driving them every day.

I have to say that, unless you much of your own work on your vehicles (and even then), the allroad can empty your pockets very quickly.....

Concentric190

I have my allroad up for sale. needs a few little things but the big jobs have been done (timing belt, water pump, clutch, brakes)

http://classifieds.audiworld.com/sho...ct/8494/cat/10

Hawkeye83

Nice car man! Unfortunately I can only afford about $7500.

Hawkeye83

That would be the smart way to go, but I'd really like something a bit luxurious. For example, my current car is a 1998 Lincoln Continental. Not super-fancy, but a really nice car. Found it with 110k, paid $4200 for it, back in 2004. I did have to replace the tranny once (I remember it being less than I thought...around $1300 maybe?0. Other than that, it's been great, except lately it's going through rotors. It looked brand new when I bought it. It was owned by an older couple and had seen almost all highway miles. I got lucky. I'd like to find something like that again, except something with a hatchback so I can haul things (and my dog). I also really want AWD or 4x4. Good gas mileage is a plus.

Models I've looked at (I realize they're not all hatchbacks):
Acura MDX
Audi Allroad
Cadillac SRX
Subaru Forester
Subaru WRX
Mitsubishi Lancer
Lexus RX300
Chevy Equinox
Kia Sorento
VW Passat

I've also checked out this list, of "most reliable" cars:
Acura MDX
Honda CR-V
Infiniti QX4
Lexus RX300
Lexus RX330
Nissan Pathfinder
Subaru Forester
Toyota 4Runner
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota RAV4
Toyota Sequoia
Toyota Tundra

So far, I'm leaning towards the MDX for its supposed reliability, although I have heard of some transmission issues. For fun factor, I'd love the Allroad, though. My buddy has a VW Tiguan (2011), and I love it.

I CAN work on cars a bit, but really prefer not to...always other things keeping me busy. I have a 1969 Firebird that I should be putting all my extra money into, so a reliable car would be the most reasonable way to go...why is being reasonable no fun?!

The other thought is that the Allroad is $2500 less than the other vehicles I'm looking at, so that extra $2500 could be set aside for repairs.

My other line of thinking is to go with the MDX and hold out until (hopefully) the Allroad V8 cars become more affordable and/or I'm making more money (going to school for my MBA, have a BS in Chemistry).

Thanks for the input everyone.

Werecar

Not to be negative, but I would guess you'll need more than $2500 for repairs. These are expensive cars to keep running, and depending what you buy there are a lot of problem areas to look out for. Good luck with your search. I've heard good things about the MDX, but from your list I would want the forester.

Hawkeye83

Thanks, Werecar. From what I've been reading, you're right: the Allroad will probably be too expensive for me to maintain right now. I'll probably go with plan B...look at an MDX or Forester and hold off for a few years on the Allroad. Hopefully I can snag a V8 model some day. Not that I don't like a good turbo...but I've never owned one and they kinda scare me from a maintenance perspective. I did ride in a 4 cyl Saturn with a big turbo on it, and it was waaaay faster than what I would have imagined!

Hawkeye83

What would ya'll say has been your "average" yearly maintenance cost on your Allroad? If I could get by for 2 years with only changing the oil/fluids, I may still consider the car. If something is almost certainly going to go wrong in 2 years, forget about it.

Mike B

I've only owned mine for 1 year. Total repair and maintenance cost $9529.
Good luck!