quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
I think the cost of ownership on the Lexus will be lower over time. I love me some German engineering but they are spendy to keep on the road as they age.

+10000

Former old German car owner here.

BTDT, got the t-shirt.

Fun while they're young, high / expensive MX as they age.

Won't be doing it again, but I don't regret doing it once.

don't buy a used car running out of warranty if you think you can't afford to repair it

Lexus

You can take that Lexus to the Toyota dealer for any service, or order parts and do a lot of it yourself.
Lexus owner here, it gets my vote.

I have 2 lexus and 1 toyota - love those vehicles. One has 260,000, one at 185,000, and the newest is 105,000. They have some serious quality control (I've toured a plant that makes engine parts for them).

That Lexus will be still happily tooling down the road long after the Audi is ready for the salvage yard.

Before you pull the trigger, check around for an independent German car specialist shop in the area. Go talk to the owner(s) of one or two shops about the A6 and what they would project ownership costs to be. You KNEW the Forum would say “Lexus,” but you want the Audi. Maybe it’s doable.

BTW, is the Lexus beige?

I'd tread carefully with a used Audi not covered by warranty. No personal experience, just have a few friends that have owned them. One buddy loved his A6 wagon and drove it pretty hard, but when it went it was essentially time to buy a new car. I think in his case the engine was shot around 100k. He did not buy another Audi.

I'm partial to Lexus/Toyota, not because the Audio is not a fine automobile (it is), but I just hate paying ridiculous costs for maintenance.

You might try looking for a GS350 with the Luxury package. They only offered this through the 2017 model year - no longer offered in 2018. The Luxury package, in my opinion, is better than the 'F' Sport, but it is very difficult to find.

It comes with most of the F Sport upgrades (minus the upgraded brakes, which you don't want anyway if you're aiming for low cost of ownership), plus, upgraded interior seating, rear-seat climate/audio controls, and upgraded wheels/tires.

I have owned two Lexus GS autos, a 2003, and a 2017. The 2017 replaced the 2003. The only reason I got rid of the 2003 was simply because I was tired of it - and it lacked many now common features like Bluetooth. Both of my GS vehicles were/have been flawless.

I've owned both the A6 (a 2012) and the GS350 (a 2008) and, for me, I'd buy another GS350 in a heartbeat but would not own another Audi if someone gave it to me for free.

Another factor (outside of buying Japanese for reliability's sake) is to play with their infotainment interfaces.

Audi's MMI is said to be much more intuitive and user friendly vs Lexus' solution which has been often described as clunky.

I do like the features of such systems, it just sucks that there are so many different interfaces and they all have their own detractors and letdowns.

Everybody I know that's owned an Audi loved it the first 2 years, hated it after that due to repair costs.

This once again proves why I enjoy this for him so much there is so much knowledge I appreciate your replies and I will post pics of the new Lexus when I get it LOL

Great to hear. Lexus service always went overboard to make us happy. They treated us like royalty, which felt good, but wasn't necessary.

Also, the Lexus 3.5 liter is PERFECTED! We had it in 3 of our Lexus over the years.

You are making the right decision.
Former Audi owner here. Still one of my favorite cars that I have owned but I won’t own another out of warranty.
Everything is expensive I had an 01 A4 it even had proprietary coolant only able to be purchased from the dealer at the time.

We have 2 Toyotas now. Wife’s next will be Lexus most likely but hoping to get at least another 5 plus years out of her 2012 Highlander.

quote:

Originally posted by ftttu:
Lexus service always went overboard to make us happy. They treated us like royalty, which felt good, but wasn't necessary.

My favorite part of their service: They would bring a loaner to my office and pick up my car. When the service was done, they would return my car to the office and pick up their loaner. All I had to do was meet their driver in the lobby of my building to exchange keys.

Audi by a long shot. This talk about how horrible a 2013 A6 must be (because it's an Audi) is quite entertaining.

I'm of the life-is-too-short-to-drive-boring-cars camp, so I'd pick the Audi. Not that recent Lexi are anything to sneeze at.

Seriously, like every other instance of these discussions people bemoan the repair costs. Sure, things can be expensive but far less than the incredible early-hit depreciation, down payments and purchase price or payments more folks than not don't even blink an eye at. Of course if you can't plan for those or afford them when they occur, I completely agree the most reliable option should trump fun and desire.

I'll even admit to a recent example that some will say exemplifies the reasons not to ever own a German car out of warranty but I think shows it's just money, spend it how you desire. The DSC computer/pump mechanism that controls the stability control on my 2008 M3 bit the dust last year. Very few options other than dealer for repair unless you live in CA. The cost? An eye-watering $3200 all in.

While that was hard to choke down, we love the car and that is the first repair we have EVER had to make. That amount is nothing compared to the first day depreciation on a new M4, or even a Honda Accord for that matter. So, I still submit, that if you're going to be spending money on a car one way or the other it might as well be something you really like and enjoy.

If you're a cars-are-just-tools guy this is all meaningless, which is of course fine.

YMMV

I had a 2008 a6 no issues's until Aug. of last year (2017). It was the wife's car and only had 56000 miles. I went fill it up one night and got to the corner by the house and it died! Got it started and drove it about 50 yards then died again. Pushed it home and called mechanic shop to check it out. Only one local shop had Audi computer to check it. Come to find out it had a broken valve spring (yep only 1) cost $1395 to replace and three weeks waiting on the part???

Your choice but my Audi is gone, I think if I had gone to the dealership it would have been double that price and it was 70 miles away so tow truck cost on top of repairs???

Lexus. The GS platform has been great platform through many versions.