Another A4 fan yay!

You may find an S line overly hard compared to any B5 shape A4, but have a test drive. If you want a petrol one, the strongest was still the original 1.8T for as long as they made it, in any flavour better than the 2.0FSi etc. You will face bigger bills from a later one in my experience, although not wildly and I would much rather have one than a 3 series but that is just my opinion.

Diesel wise they all have their individual issues so I suggest a Google about PD injectors, oil pumps, Multitronic, DSG etc (get a cast iron warranty for a diesel/auto one).

I would hunt out a low mileage 1.8T Quattro in whatever spec level you fancy.

Other cars are very nice too, but I live in Audi land !

Good hunting!

Edited by countryroads on 31/12/2012 at 13:39

I don't often post these days, but this thread is very interesting with excellent contributions throughout.

My last two cars have been BMW and Audi so I echo the general advice that it is difficult to choose between the two - it comes down to personal taste. Some musings though, FWIW.

* Audi manual gearboxes are much nicer to use than BMW, but BMW automatic boxes are much better than Audi. DSG ("S-tronic") has some reliability issues. Multitronic is either just rubbish, or brilliant depending on your view. (A marmite thing!).
* Audi petrol engines are very good, but the 2.0 litre can sometimes be a heavy consumer of oil. Someone up-thread who obviously knows his stuff recommended the 1.8T. Excellent choice! Great all rounder.
* BMW 6 cylinder petrols are great, but 4-pots are fairly "ho-hum". Not what you expect in the Ultimate Driving Machine.
* Audi diesels are very good. BMW diesels are brilliant. Better accelleration, better flexibility and better fuel economy.
* Audis are much more handsome than BMW's both inside and out, in my opinion. (This is VERY personal, I know)
* Audis give you slightly better secondary kit than BMW (e.g. radio, cruise control, split-fold rear seats as standard)
* To my shock, I have found routine running costs much more expensive on Audis than BMW. A lot of Audi engines have a timing belt - that's an expensive bit of maintenance. BMW's use chains "sealed for life".
* Audis are more spacious, but they are more difficult to park at the supermarket, especially when every other car these days seems to be an off-roader or MPV!
* In day-to-day driving I agree that most people cannot tell the difference in handling betwen BMW and Audi, but A BMW does drive better. I notice it, even though I don't claim to be an enthusiast.
* Ride quality is a personal thing, but I prefer BMW. Some people are happy with S-line suspension, but I think it is too hard for our rubbish roads.

If the only two cars in the world were an A4 saloon and a 3-series saloon, then I would go for the Audi.

But.....there are more than two cars in the world.

Audi's biggest problem is that a cooking model with a 1.8 petrol or 2.0 Diesel engine can be compared directly to an equivalent offering from Seat/Skoda/VW. Yes, the plastics are a bit nicer in the Audi and the dealers more comfortable to wait in while your pride and joy is being repaired, but the premium for all this is a large one. You may think it worth it, and I make no bones about being blunt that for some getting the badge is all-important.

However for my money, I'd go for the Skoda equivalent. All the important bits are the same, and Skoda dealers are considered by motoring surveys to be amongst the best that there is.

Edited by LikedDrivingOnce on 03/01/2013 at 23:06

List prices of Hyundais and Kias will be less, but see what sort of PCP deal you might be offered: it may not be all that much better than on an Audi as Korean cars - perhaps undeservedly - lose their value faster.

I've always been impressed by the PCP deals we get on SWMBO's successive Minis - they appear expensive to buy but a low-mileage 2-year-old Mini can still be worth 80 % of original cost.