Good buy or stay away?
 

I have been looking at a 2011 3.2 V6 Q5 Prestige with 93,000 miles. It is in very good condition on the interior and exterior and is a one owner. The asking price is $21,905 (it was a lot more but the dealer has been dropping the price every week on their website).

Is this Q5 a bad idea because of the miles, and should I anticipate lots of expensive repairs if I buy it or would this be a great way to get into my first Audi?

I tend to get more worried about age than outright miles. Cars that get used a lot tend to be well maintained. If it was neglected, it would be obvious. If the price is truly good, I see no reason to skip it on miles alone. If everything works, no leaks, etc..

If it was well maintained (Audi records?), the dealer service department can put in writing that nothing is wrong with it, and it drives nice, you might have a gem there.

Do you get any warranty from the dealer?

The Q5 is being sold by a non-Audi dealer (an auto group that sells several luxury brands, just not Audi, not some random used car place) that is offering a multi-point inspection, and a 30 Day / 2,000 mile 50/50 warranty. They also say that it could qualify for an extended service contract but I'm assuming that is just for services like oil changes and such and not a warranty.

Might be a steal or a money pit, hard to say. It is a really good price, but keep in mind that the 3.2 is an outdated and discontinued engine and if you search, you'd might be able to get a similar deal on the same model year 2.0, which has better fuel economy and great tuning potential.

Kris, I think it's really tough to generalize on age vs. miles. For example, my wife's 12 year old 2002 allroad 2.7T has only 48K miles. She only drives it locally but frequently. We have religiously maintained it over the years, including a full timing belt/water pump service 3 years ago and it still looks and runs like brand new (our Audi dealer keeps trying to buy it). Now, in my case, I have the age AND the miles - my wife is considering selling me but if I were looking for a used, low priced spouse, I'd pass on me. :)

Hi, I have owned German cars now for over 20 years.

They run great and look great for many years...They are fun to drive and seem to look brand new well past their prime.

BUT---They are expensive to keep that way. IMO---If I were going to buy a used German car I would only buy a certified Used car from a Audi Dealer.

Most certified cars have a better warranty then a New car.

Now if something goes wrong you won't have the big bucks to pay out of pocket.

Yes they may cost a little more but the peace of mind knowing they
have your back if something goes wrong is again IMO WELL WORTH IT!

ENJOY!

You may be able to find out if this vehicle has had the carbon build-up issue that is "somewhat" common in this engine. If you have full service records, you'll be able to find out if the vehicle ever needed the service (as well as if it needs it now). I think there's now a less labor-intensive process than dropping the engine but it's still a few hundred dollars I think. Worth considering but not a reason to walk away necessarily. There are lots of threads on the issue here.

That's the main issue that I would be concerned about with the 3.2L engine.

The 3.0T engine has the same design (and possible concern) as the 3.2TFSI re the potential carbon buildup on the FSI secondary air ports located in the cylinders. Audi has extended the warranty to 100K miles for SAP carbon removal on most models with either engine (but only if the SAPs cause a CEL).