I've been shopping cars for a while now, and finally made a decision. I've been looking at $50K cars like the Audi A6 and the Infiniti M35x. And I've been all over the map, thinking about an Acura MDX and even the upcoming 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera 4. At $80K, the Porsche was getting a little silly. But I've wanted one since I was about 14 years old. Maybe the next car.
Well, I went and drove the 2008 Audi A6 on Thursday, then drove the 2008 Honda Accord on Friday. I couldn't figure out why I should pay more than double the payment to get a car that really seems about the same as the Honda.
I ended up with the 4-cylinder Accord EX-L. It's about as loaded as you can get it, except I didn't get the Navigation system. I'm a man. I know where I'm going. :-) Okay, seriously, my iPhone has Google Maps built in with fake GPS (which works pretty good), and I'll soon have the new iPhone with real GPS. I don't need Navigation.
So I was comparing my new car with my old car, a 2002 Audi A4 Avant (wagon). My old car listed around $30K and I got it for $27.5K. I got my new Honda for a price around $25K (leasing makes that complicated, but that's a good ballpark). So 6 years later and I still paid less. So much for inflation, as you'll see in my comparison.
My Audi is rated for 170 horsepower. The Honda is rated for 190 hp. The Audi has a manual transmission. Automatic would have added another $1200. The Accord came with a 5-speed automatic. I tried the stick but didn't like it as much. The stick is much better in the Audi. I can't see why anyone would need the V6 in either one.
Audi was rated for 21 mpg city, 29 highway. The EPA standards are tougher now, so it would be a little worse. Honda is rated 21/31.
My A4 came with pleather - a fake leather that is one of the best fake leathers I've ever seen or felt. Everyone thinks it's real leather. The Honda has real leather.
Both have 6-disc in-dash CD changers. Honda came with XM satellite radio included, with three free months. I like that. Both have power windows, locks, seats, and heated seats and a moonroof. I think the Honda has a better quality stereo too.
There are really two big differences. First, the Audi has all-wheel-drive - excellent in the winter. The Honda is only Front drive. The other big difference is size. The Honda has a huge interior. It's bigger outside too, but there's just so much more room in the back seat. It's not even close. The Honda has a big trunk, though as a wagon my A4 Avant definitely holds more in the back. The small back seat in my Audi was the big motivator. With the car seat in place, there's just not enough room for our 3-year-old. Tight for our older daughter too.
On the whole, I am paying less money for more car. So much for inflation. I'm really impressed by what Honda has put together. We'll see how I feel over time.
Showing posts with label Audi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Audi. Show all posts
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Certified Pre-Owned and Leasing
I'm getting ready to replace my car. I've had it for 6 years and nearly 110K miles. The backseat is getting too small - something about how the special car seats for kids force their legs forward at an angle - yet another reason why Americans want larger cars.
I've been told leasing is a lot better because of the tax benefits. I don't completely understand, but I want to work with that. It hasn't worked out how I expected.
A lot of car companies have certified pre-owned (CPO) programs. This is a special approach to used cars, where they do a "rigorous" inspection. More important, getting a CPO vehicle means a substantial warranty.
So I had an idea. How about leasing a certified pre-owned vehicle? The logic is fairly simple. When you lease a car, you are paying for the amount that the car depreciates in the time you have it, plus some interest. So if you lease a $36K car for 3 years and it's worth $18K when you give it back, you used $18K of value in the car. That'd be $6K/year or $500/month, plus a bit for interest.
So I was thinking of leasing a CPO vehicle, maybe 3 years old. In many cases the car will have lost about half its value already, and so the depreciation over the next three years would have to be less. And in my experience a car with 50K miles on it usually feels and drives like brand-new.
So here's my rough math. Figure a 3-year-old $50K car (hey, I think big) is now worth $30K, and if I lease it for 3 years it'll be worth $15K when I'm done with it. So the lease payment should be lower than a new version of the same car, somewhere between 2/3 and 3/4 of the new car payment, right?
Wrongo Mary Lou!
This has been a frustrating experience. First I was looking at Audi. Right now they have a Audi Certified Pre-Owned special. It says there are "Excellent leasing rates on 2004-2005 A6, allroad, A8 and 2007 Audi Q7 models."
Following the instructions I called my local Audi dealer for details. They didn't know what I was talking about. They quoted me a lease rate on a 2005 Audi A6, around $800/month. It was a lot more expensive than leasing a brand new one, which is around $630/month. I called a few other dealers and got similar results - not just in Albany, but even in NJ and CT. I tried to follow up with Audi through their website, but they just gave me a run-around.
The problem is not limited to Audi. I had similar problems with Acura. They have a current lease deal for $499/month for a new Acura RL (which seems like a pretty good deal by the way), and the quotes I was getting for a 2005 model were up in the $650 range.
Right now it looks like I'll be leasing a new car in the fall, maybe a 2008/2009 Acura RL or perhaps the 2009 Audi A4 Avant - it's supposed to be getting bigger. And even though I'm annoyed by their false advertising about lease rates, they still make good cars.
I've been told leasing is a lot better because of the tax benefits. I don't completely understand, but I want to work with that. It hasn't worked out how I expected.
A lot of car companies have certified pre-owned (CPO) programs. This is a special approach to used cars, where they do a "rigorous" inspection. More important, getting a CPO vehicle means a substantial warranty.
So I had an idea. How about leasing a certified pre-owned vehicle? The logic is fairly simple. When you lease a car, you are paying for the amount that the car depreciates in the time you have it, plus some interest. So if you lease a $36K car for 3 years and it's worth $18K when you give it back, you used $18K of value in the car. That'd be $6K/year or $500/month, plus a bit for interest.
So I was thinking of leasing a CPO vehicle, maybe 3 years old. In many cases the car will have lost about half its value already, and so the depreciation over the next three years would have to be less. And in my experience a car with 50K miles on it usually feels and drives like brand-new.
So here's my rough math. Figure a 3-year-old $50K car (hey, I think big) is now worth $30K, and if I lease it for 3 years it'll be worth $15K when I'm done with it. So the lease payment should be lower than a new version of the same car, somewhere between 2/3 and 3/4 of the new car payment, right?
Wrongo Mary Lou!
This has been a frustrating experience. First I was looking at Audi. Right now they have a Audi Certified Pre-Owned special. It says there are "Excellent leasing rates on 2004-2005 A6, allroad, A8 and 2007 Audi Q7 models."
Following the instructions I called my local Audi dealer for details. They didn't know what I was talking about. They quoted me a lease rate on a 2005 Audi A6, around $800/month. It was a lot more expensive than leasing a brand new one, which is around $630/month. I called a few other dealers and got similar results - not just in Albany, but even in NJ and CT. I tried to follow up with Audi through their website, but they just gave me a run-around.
The problem is not limited to Audi. I had similar problems with Acura. They have a current lease deal for $499/month for a new Acura RL (which seems like a pretty good deal by the way), and the quotes I was getting for a 2005 model were up in the $650 range.
Right now it looks like I'll be leasing a new car in the fall, maybe a 2008/2009 Acura RL or perhaps the 2009 Audi A4 Avant - it's supposed to be getting bigger. And even though I'm annoyed by their false advertising about lease rates, they still make good cars.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Auto Mechanic in Albany - Broadway Auto Clinic
I drive a 2002 Audi wagon (an A4 Avant, 1.8t with a 5-speed stick, for those who care about such details). After 5 years it's approaching 100,000 miles, and I thought it was time to get some things done.
I bought it at Langan West, a Porsche/Audi/VW dealership on Route 5 on the way to Schenectady. For most of the life of the car I took it to the dealership. I wasn't completely satisfied, but most of the time things seemed to be okay.
I heard about Broadway Auto Clinic a couple years ago. The owner, Rick, is known and respected within the small community of Audi fans in the area. One time my car stopped working and the dealership said they wouldn't be able to fit me in for 2 weeks. So I took it to Broadway Auto Clinic then and they did a great job. The price was fair and the problem was solved.
I hadn't yet broken my addiction to the dealership, and I also got a lot of routine stuff done at a Monro Muffler across from my old office -- that way I could leave the car in the morning and it was very easy. I was very happy with Monro, by the way, but the heavier duty stuff was beyond them and they were open about that.
So recently I got new wheels and tires for my car. When I got them put on, the local mechanic I went to said that I needed an alignment, and that he didn't have the right equipment. He recommended Broadway Auto Clinic so I made the call.
I had been thinking about replacing and upgrading the shocks and also installing a chip that gets more boost out of the turbocharger. Rick knew about all of these things and gave me solid advice about what to do. The cost of parts was reasonable (I had priced some of them myself before talking to him), and in the end my car came out better than it was. Better, stronger, faster. Must be some bionics. :-)
They also did the work in a timely manner. And one thing I noticed while I was there was the number of people who came in, dropped off their cars and appeared to be perfectly happy and trusting of what would happen. This was very hard for me, having seen too many Seinfeld episodes about car mechanics and having been burned once or twice over the years myself.
In the end I did leave my car in their hands and did not get burned. With the caveat that I'm not an expert in judging car repair shops, I am happy to recommend Broadway Auto Clinic, especially for Audi and VW owners, and really for most cars. Their website is at: Broadway Auto Clinic.
Oh, one other caveat. Their e-mail didn't work right for me and I had some other, minor communication difficulties when I was first getting ready to set things up with them. That had increased my anxiety. Once the ball was rolling, however, communication improved and I'm completely satisfied.
I bought it at Langan West, a Porsche/Audi/VW dealership on Route 5 on the way to Schenectady. For most of the life of the car I took it to the dealership. I wasn't completely satisfied, but most of the time things seemed to be okay.
I heard about Broadway Auto Clinic a couple years ago. The owner, Rick, is known and respected within the small community of Audi fans in the area. One time my car stopped working and the dealership said they wouldn't be able to fit me in for 2 weeks. So I took it to Broadway Auto Clinic then and they did a great job. The price was fair and the problem was solved.
I hadn't yet broken my addiction to the dealership, and I also got a lot of routine stuff done at a Monro Muffler across from my old office -- that way I could leave the car in the morning and it was very easy. I was very happy with Monro, by the way, but the heavier duty stuff was beyond them and they were open about that.
So recently I got new wheels and tires for my car. When I got them put on, the local mechanic I went to said that I needed an alignment, and that he didn't have the right equipment. He recommended Broadway Auto Clinic so I made the call.
I had been thinking about replacing and upgrading the shocks and also installing a chip that gets more boost out of the turbocharger. Rick knew about all of these things and gave me solid advice about what to do. The cost of parts was reasonable (I had priced some of them myself before talking to him), and in the end my car came out better than it was. Better, stronger, faster. Must be some bionics. :-)
They also did the work in a timely manner. And one thing I noticed while I was there was the number of people who came in, dropped off their cars and appeared to be perfectly happy and trusting of what would happen. This was very hard for me, having seen too many Seinfeld episodes about car mechanics and having been burned once or twice over the years myself.
In the end I did leave my car in their hands and did not get burned. With the caveat that I'm not an expert in judging car repair shops, I am happy to recommend Broadway Auto Clinic, especially for Audi and VW owners, and really for most cars. Their website is at: Broadway Auto Clinic.
Oh, one other caveat. Their e-mail didn't work right for me and I had some other, minor communication difficulties when I was first getting ready to set things up with them. That had increased my anxiety. Once the ball was rolling, however, communication improved and I'm completely satisfied.
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