Motoring Discussion > Audi - Goodbye old car, hello new ? Buying / Selling
Thread Author: legacylad Replies: 13

 Audi - Goodbye old car, hello new ? - legacylad
A retired pal of mine keeps his cars forever. His current is an A4 1.9 Tdi estate, 1996 on a P plate. Bought new. He spends more time repairing it than driving it. Almost. Think repairing headlining when it fell apart. Re covering fabric on drivers seat. Reconditioned engine 2 years ago that cost more than it was worth.
Finally he’s thinking of replacing it with another estate. Price isn’t really a serious consideration, he’s not keen on an SUV and he prefers 2 wheel FWD as where he lives can get slippery in winter and he religiously fits a set of winter wheels & tyres every November.
His biggest concern will be ensuring that his old car goes to a good home where someone will cherish it...like his previous decades old Pug 309.
Annual mileage circa 5k. Mostly around town with the occasional long run. He’s seriously considering a Passat Estate GTE.
Anything else you can think of....the idea of a hybrid seems ok, but with such low annual mileage is it worth paying the premium initial cost, and this car too is likely to be kept 20+ years.
Answers on a postcard.
 Audi - Goodbye old car, hello new ? - martin aston
If he likes VAG and doesn’t need the space of a Passat how about a Golf estate? Although not a very common car it will be easier to find a petrol Golf than a Passat. I don’t see the benefit of a hybrid for such a low mileage. As long as he gets a 1.4 he will get a well proven engine.

Whether any current car will last 20 years is another matter given pollution legislation.
 Audi - Goodbye old car, hello new ? - Runfer D'Hills
Octavia estate. Like cockroaches those.

Or, if he could "put up" with RWD, a petrol C class estate.
 Audi - Goodbye old car, hello new ? - legacylad
Runfer.....Lord knows I’ve tried. With his brass he really should treat himself...he is aware how effective a full set of all season tyres can be as per my old 330. And I’m not really convinced about a hybrid with such low annual mileage ....I’d rather spend the money on a petrol.
Last edited by: legacylad on Mon 6 Apr 20 at 13:34
 Audi - Goodbye old car, hello new ? - PeterS
A plug in hybrid is probably perfectly suited to such a low mileage, assuming that it’s just from running around locally rather than a small number of long trips. However it’s almost certainly not suited to ultra long term ownership...there’s just too much expensive stuff to go wrong. I agree that petrol is the way to go. Keep it simple, get a Dacia Duster of some sort :)
 Audi - Goodbye old car, hello new ? - legacylad
He could comfortably afford a Panamera ST but that won’t happen. If he could put up with the lower quality trim of a Focus that would fit the bill perfectly. Or an A4 1.5 in the latest spec.
I’ve had three Focus estate rentals recently and been massively impressed by the driving dynamics and kit on the ST line.
 Audi - Goodbye old car, hello new ? - Avant
You could suggest a Toyota Corolla estate (Touring Sports I think they call it) with the 2.0 hybrid engine.

Toyota really do seem to have designed complex electronics whch last, judging by all those ageing Priuses still around, many of them taxis. I haven't tried one yet, but the 2.0 Corolla is apparently good to drive.
 Audi - Goodbye old car, hello new ? - Duncan
Stick to the 1.8 enjine.

Apparently with the 2 litre one loses some space in the boot.

Which?:-

We’ve not yet tested the 1.8-litre version of the Touring Sports, but it’s worth noting that the 2-litre hybrid hatchback model had a slightly smaller boot than the 1.8-litre version because of where the battery is.
Last edited by: Duncan on Tue 7 Apr 20 at 15:33
 Audi - Goodbye old car, hello new ? - Avant
Yes, that's true of the hatchback: not sure about the estate. It would need looking into to see whether the luggage space is enough.
 Audi - Goodbye old car, hello new ? - PeterS
I had a hatch version of that as a hire car from Hertz in Geneva at New Year. Not sure if it was a 1.8 or a 2.0 though. Had all the kit, and the interior was better than I expected quality wise. Felt solid enough. It’s quite garish though...I suspect if you like a German interior you’re unlikely to be happy with it. Not the colour...that was black, but the pattern on the seat upholstery, the dials and the clunky infotainment screen were more Citroen C3 than VW Golf. Comfortable drivers seat though, and refined on the autoroute. The ride and handling were good too...only one moment of understeer, though that was driver error in misjudging the available grip on an uphill slightly icier than expected hairpin ;) I struggled to see the economy benefits of the hybrid though...now admittedly ‘mine’ was brand new, but it only managed 400kms on a tank. Score the fuel warning light came on. Admittedly that was driving hire-car style up to Bourg St Maurice, but then the downhill on the way back should have balanced that out...?
 Audi - Goodbye old car, hello new ? - legacylad
My memories of Bourg St M are mixed. Back in the 80s I took a gf skiing to Val D with my ski club. She was a good skier but half way through our 2 week holiday she broke her leg badly and ended up in Bourg hospital. Result was I skied in the AM then hitched down the mountain every lunchtime to spend the afternoon hospital visiting before hitching back early evening. Day 2 I got picked up by a local at La Daille and he agreed to pick me up every day at the same time. Drove like an utter loony in his Golf.
GF flew home alone after 12 days in hospital. Eventually I married her. I’ve never stayed in Val D since as that experience emotionally scarred me, although I’ve passed through in summer walking the GR5.
 Audi - Goodbye old car, hello new ? - tyrednemotional

>> Eventually I married her. I’ve never stayed in Val D since as that experience emotionally >>scarred me


Everyone on here will either sympathise or empathise with that...... ;-)
 Audi - Goodbye old car, hello new ? - Zero
I have been emotionally scarred for something I havent done on a trip.

Refused to pay for a Gondola ride in Venice

Twice.


The scarring will never heal, as the wound gets picked regularly.


Masochist me

 Audi - Goodbye old car, hello new ? - tyrednemotional
>>
>> The scarring will never heal, as the wound gets picked regularly.
>>


...is it where the Gondolier stuck his oar......
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