OF COURSE they are facepunchworthy. I have heard all the horror stories of how expensive German cars are to maintain and repair. If you really need a car (me unfortunately), of course you should consider a used hybrid or electric, or something similarly frugal. I have been driving the same Volvo brick (740 SE/Turbo) for thirty years (bought NEW in 1991). It has been a great car--very reliable, cheap to own, and still looks great. I still enjoy driving it--so simple, RWD, with a great feel for the road and enough power when I need it. However, it has needed a bunch of expensive repairs this year, still needs cosmetic work, and I am wondering about safety compared to newer cars. We also always rent cars for road trips/vacations because I worry about things going wrong with such an old car on a long trip. It might be time to sell it given that I will likely need to be back on campus (college prof here) starting in 2022. Fortunately, I have a fairly short commute and don't have to be there every day. I have had a few people recently asking whether I want to sell it...
I am toying with the idea of replacing it, but likely not for at least a few months given how crazy the car market is right now.
Anyway...
My wife and I had a great two week roadtrip vacation through the SF Bay Area. We got upgraded to an Audi Q7--my first time driving an Audi. It was a very nice vehicle for this trip--partly because we bring a lot of stuff with us and buy a lot of stuff along the way--mostly gourmet goodies, but also some books and records (records, as in LPs!)
On the upside, the Q7 was very roomy, very comfortable and a very capable vehicle. I thought it had great build quality and I appreciated the navigation system and parking assist, etc. On the downside, I was expecting that it would have a sportier feel. In any of the driving modes, it was quite soft. I also did not like getting 21mpg on the highway or that fact that it uses 91 octane. I would never want anything so large or wasteful.
However, I met a few Audiphiles along the way. One guy told me that he got his 2017 S6 as a CPO from Audi for 37K a couple years ago. He couldn't say enough for it. He said his son owns one as well and absolutely loves his too... I am looking for a sporty, fairly simple car (four door sports sedan) to replace my Volvo. My mechanic, who I have used for years, told me he loves the way they drive, but...expensive to fix! He recommended I get a Lexus instead. Other mechanics I have used have echoed this in even stronger terms...
This is an irrational thing to be sure, but I am 50, we are doing well financially (no debt, plenty of emergency fund, well-funded retirement accounts, pension, etc). This year has been a total POS. I want something NICE...
Will an Audi drive me to the poorhouse? If I could get one for 35K that would give me a good 15+ years of service, I might consider it, but not if I am going to be hating it after five!
Any thoughts? How do they rate against BMWs? Mercedes? Lexus?