IntelliChoice: $2,400 in routine maint. in yrs 4 & 5???

I was not aware that BMW covered 4 yrs, but I think you are correct that most people (me included) would pass 50k miles in 3 years. This makes the BMW maintenance advantage quite a bit smaller.

However, from one of the responses I gather that the oil change interval on the 1.8T is 1500 miles (is this right? I do not expect to be an A4 owner until later this year and do not have a manual to consult). At $70 a pop from the dealer that would be $700 in oil changes (!) for 15,000 miles a year in driving. Tack on something like $400-$500 for a 60,000 mile service and you're right at that $1,200 mark. I think I'll need to find a good VW mechanic for oil changes in a few years.

Thanks for the responses.

OK, so the oil change interval seems to be 5,000 miles (according to an exhaustive forum search). So that would eat up $210 a year for oil changes, leaving $1,000 for routine maintenance. I'm back to thinking that's at least several hundred high. Go figure.

unless you're leasing, in which case you miss the big services, you need to look past just the monthly loan payment and add in: higher reg fee (or property tax, depending where you live); higher insurance; higher maintenance costs. Price a set of Dunlop SP8000Es for example; you can't just bop down to Pep Boys and buy parts and tires off the rack for cars like Audi and BMW, you are always going to pay a premium. Ask a service dept for their prices on things like tranny service, starter replacement, new exhaust system, etc. -- it may cause a minor heart attack. But this the price you need to be willing to pay if you want to drive these cars. For me it's worth it; for you, maybe not.