She's keen on a 4WD to get to the snow. Tossing up between an Audi A4 and Subaru.Legacy or similiar.year about 2000 or 2002 I'm biased towards a quattro.she thinks Subaru parts will be cheaper. Does anyone have any comments please.!
mugenb20b,
Sep 11, 3:14pm
Depends on value for money, service history, condition of the vehicles, when cambelts are due etc. I'm biased, so I would go for a 2.0 litre non turbo Subaru Legacy, or a late model, manual, non turbo Subaru Forester. Audi will be a safer and better handling car though.
gram,
Sep 11, 3:39pm
She asked me if the Audi will handle the snowfield roads as well as the Sub. I don't have a clue but as far as I know that's where Audi got part of their reputation from.
hotrodtodd1,
Sep 11, 3:49pm
Look at the VW Passat W8. Has about 80% of the same underpinnings as the Audi & costs way less.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 11, 4:42pm
The Audi/VW product is a great choice. Getting something with the 1.8T engine (assuming that age group) in particular will offer a great balance of economy/power to get the job done.
The Audi/VW parts are exceptionally well price both world wide and in NZ thanks to several great third party importers. Places like Qualitat can ship you anything you need overnight, genuine parts for a great price.
In general the Quattro system works slightly better on snow than Subaru's setup and overall while its a bit of a generalisation the VW/Audi should easily be the cheaper car to own in terms of parts/service costs. Just don't be suckered in to using some over priced prestige garage (which is not required to service these cars) and you can't go wrong.
Also, the Volvo while a bit bigger is also a great choice and very good value although parts are a little more expensive. However they don't usually require a lot of parts as they are very reliable and basic service items are usually priced O.K. So overall also an option if she likes the look of it.
Why not come back with some more info on her budget and fuel economy/power requirements and we can guide you more specifically fromthere.
Just another thought that might help. If looking for a Passat's as well their version of "Quattro" is called "4Motion" it might help if you are keyword searching etc.
gram,
Sep 11, 10:22pm
Thank you for all the opinions.certainly gives her something to think about.
vtecintegra,
Sep 11, 10:27pm
I don't know about the safety stakes, but IMO the Legacy is better handling car, at least in the nicer trims.
mugenb20b,
Sep 11, 11:20pm
Yes, that's correct. But, Audi is a heavier car and feels more stable on the road, whereas the Legacy / Outback / Forester feel like being in a bouncy castle (which doesn't bother me). Again, I prefer Subaru, I know them better, they are easier to work on, can get parts the same day, some have a low range option and Subaru have been making AWD vehicles since early 70's. When did Quattro come out again!
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 11, 11:47pm
I think it comes down to what you are more familiar with in your case.
To insinuate you can't get Audi parts same day is odd, VW/Audi are one of the best vehicles in the country for parts availability and price. I prefer to order from Qualitat etc but if you want BNT stock a really good range of regular service parts etc.
Likewise, easier to work on! Pull the other one, the Audi/VW setup is as good as it gets for timing belts etc.
As for insunuating that Audi's Quattro system is somehow new and unproven! What on earth have you been smoking!
The Audi Quattro came out in 1980 and changed the face of rally car racing many years before Subaru did any good.
You are a funny man!
mortluby,
Sep 12, 12:05am
Having had a couple of work Subaru's I'd tend to opt for the Audi if my experiences are anything to go by. Another point to think about is insurance and how much thieves like Subbies; what is the theft rate comparison like between them and what is the difference in insurance premiums!
mugenb20b,
Sep 12, 12:16am
I never said that. Just saying Subaru have been making 4wd cars for a long time.
mugenb20b,
Sep 12, 12:19am
No, thank you. I don't want to pull the whole front of the car off to do a cambelt. Subaru's cambelts are twice as long as most VAG cars, yet they are easier to replace.along with other components. Note, I am NOT recommending turbo versions for obvious reasons.
mugenb20b,
Sep 12, 12:25am
That's a funny post Jazz ^^^^^^^^^^^^. Now.I could say that Subaru made 4wd cars long before Audi and were much more suitable for.I don't know.commercial or farm use(!). Oh, and the Quattro rally car is nothing like a Quattro road car. And, Lancia 037 was the only 2WD rally car that could outperform the Quattro.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 12, 12:26am
LOL, you are good for a mutual wind up mugen20b. BTW, Audi give you a choice, you can either easily remove the entire front for the ultimate in ease of servicing OR you can tilt it forward into "lesser Subaru mode" and do the timing belt etc that way.
mugenb20b,
Sep 12, 12:28am
I know.(shhh.!).
rscozzie,
Sep 12, 1:13am
subaru the best by far
ryanm2,
Sep 12, 1:41am
You can grab the Subaru Legacy TS-R for a lot cheaper than the equivalent highest spec Audi. We have a TS-R, its great. We were looking at VW Passats but down here in chch they are way overpriced.
franc123,
Sep 12, 1:42am
I'm not sure whats easier about having to obtain factory tools to slide a front end off a car or have to remove it completely and degas the A/C etc. When once the radiator is out of the subbie its all easy to get at, its not bad even if you just pull the fans out, no special equipment required.Having done belts on BOTH quadcam EJ Subaru engines and Passat V6's I know which of the two is the most straightforward.Oh and I haven't seen a plastic water pump pulley ever fall off a Subaru either and the thermostat is in a place you can actually get to it lol.
shelleigh,
Sep 12, 1:49am
When there are far more places in Europe than Asia that have snow. Audi would kick butt handling snowfield roads :)
trogedon,
Sep 12, 3:26am
She could get a Corolla and hitch a ride to the snow with her friends.
grangies,
Sep 12, 3:34am
Subaru and Audi export worldwide .
Their vehicles are not just built for Japan or Germany.
I reckon Audi is definitely better though. But car makers aim for the worldwide market.
noswalg,
Sep 12, 3:41am
I've got a GT30 legacy and can't fault it in the icy stuff, a great car as far as traction is concerned, my last car was also a 2.5 manual outback which was also awesome up the mountain roads (I've driven a few). I would definitely be looking at a newer generation subaru, the H6 engines have a thumbs up from me!
shelleigh,
Sep 12, 3:46am
Really Grangies! Well you learn something new every day lol Seriously though, I'm replacing my 96 Corolla wagon next year and looking at getting either a Focus, Golf or maybe even a Passat wagon. A hatch would be too small for me and I dont' want a sedan.
thejazzpianoma,
Sep 12, 4:06am
If you degassed the A/C or don't realise that you don't even have to remove the front you clearly do not know how to do the service on and Audi. *facepalm*
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