AudiWorld Forums - First Car Help!

Hi everyone. I'm new here.

I've just turned 18 and my father and I have been discussing buying me a car for college. A car enthusiast since before I can remember, I've been thinking about this moment since I was about two years old, so to say I'm excited would be a vast understatement.

Currently, my mother has a 2011 BMW X3 xDrive35i and my father has a 2005 A6 4.2 (the first year of the C6 body style). At this point, the X3, my mother's third and most despised BMW, is riddled with problems and squeaks and rattles and chintzy-cheap materials and need I remind you of god-forsaken run-flat tires. It also happens to be the second X3 we've had since it came out; the first one was declared a lemon for the very same problems this one has, but I'll spare you the details. The point is, as much fun as this X3 is to drive, it is absolutely, mind-bogglingly upsetting to own. My father's A6, despite being a first model year run, has seen almost zero problems since he bought it. It is lovely to drive and is built to a standard I'd expect only in a car at least three times the price. The car is virtually rattle-free pushing past seven years.

Naturally, I've decided to stay far away from the abhorrent BMWs. But I swear our 535xi wagon (a car I loved dearly) and X5 4.4i were much better cars, so I'm disappointed that this "entry-level-premium-compact niche-filling SAV" has to be the reason why I say goodbye to the brand. I'm sure there are other offerings that disappoint less, but my luck isn't worth even a nudge.

So I've come here to ask all of you to help me find my first car (obviously used), as BMW is a nightmare, Jeep is American (to a fault), Mercedes is too gaudy, Lexus too feminine, Volvo too boring, Volkswagen (the only new car I've considered) with its new and annoying cost cutting, Infiniti drivers annoy me, Acura can't design an attractive car by any scale, and any Land Rover or Range Rover within my price range isn't really what you could call a good value.

I've narrowed it down to four offerings from Audi. The A3, A4/Avant (B8), and Q5. If I had it my way, we'd special order a fully loaded A4 Avant or Q5 Prestige, but as the sun don't shine everyday, my budget is capped at an already-pushing-it $35,000 (I'm making an effort to keep it under $30,000 bearing in mind taxes, warranty extensions, and winter tires). But I'm hardly complaining.

In my few months of tentative research, I've found nary a well equipped A3 (it is, incidentally, my last choice). I've found many very well equipped A4s between $30k and $35k, but as I don't NEED the car until the first week of August, I want to make sure I'm not jumping on anything too early. The reason I'm considering the Avant is that I'm studying film and photography in college and I'd like the extra cargo capacity a wagon offers for all of my equipment (lights, tripods, props, etc.). The same goes for the Q5, and as I'm going to college in upstate New York, the added ground clearance is a plus in the winter months.

Still, the Avant seems like the best choice. InsideLine's long-term reviews of the Avant, which read like a glowing adoption recommendation, have me utterly convinced. It is undoubtedly more fun to drive than the Q5 and I can't imagine I'd struggle with deep snow as long as I have a set of winter tires. My only reservation about the Avant and the Q5 is that I've known cars with tailgates to be insufferably rattly while their sedan counterparts are much more solid. You guys will have to tell me if you've had this experience.

Things that are absolutely necessary:
1. Navigation (Bluetooth included)
2. Xenons
3. Cold weather
4. PDC
6. Basically, a Premium Plus because you can't get Navigation with the Premium (and a Garmin/my iPhone is not something I'm interested in using)

While I'd love a 2010 or newer because of the 8-speed tranny with the 2.0T and the LED taillight cluster, I absolutely DO NOT need either of these things so if you find something that fits or is close to the above criteria, please share it with me. As well, I will not drive a red car, I could consider a white or blue one, but I'd prefer any of the silvers, greys, or blacks. As per the interior, Cardamom Beige is not something I can deal with; I could deal with Light Gray, but from a cleaning/wear standpoint, Black is preferable. So no Red and no Beige, but everything else is up in the air.

As much as I love the Avant, I can't seem to find any that fit my budget in my area. All of the cars I find are either fully loaded Prestige trims just off lease that are too expensive or bare-bones Premium trims that I don't want. I'm willing to travel as far as 250 miles from Chicago for the right car at the right price. I've already been scanning Audiusa.com's CPO database religiously for months, but I know that dealers tend to take their merry time listing new arrivals, so I'm crossing my fingers that there's something out there for me.

Sorry this post is so long. I needed to cover all of the bases. If I posted this in the wrong forum, someone please point me in the right direction.

THANK YOU!