Might be time to sell the Audi...
 

I love my car, more so than any other...but it might be time to start shopping for a replacement. Mine is a 2016 S8 Plus that is in great condition with just over 93k miles. It's in for repair now (around $4,000) all of which have been approved and I expect to get it back on Friday. The repairs include a post-cat O2 sensor, front under-belly pan replacement (and all the associated screws/fasteners), front lower control arms/trailing arms/ball joints/etc., and a 4-wheel alignment. Yes, I'm upset about the expense but the car has been paid off for several years and been quite reliable. Other than these current repairs, I have done most of the work myself (brakes, tires, upper suspension arms, CarPlay, etc.).

My plan is to test drive a new Tesla Model S Plaid later this week. I know, I know two totally different cars and I totally expect to be disappointed with build-quality and interior. However, I am certainly looking forward to the power, technology, roominess, and potentially the ride quality. One more noteworthy item, I just turned 60 years old. Why does this matter? I want to retire when I am 65 and if I am going to make a new vehicle purchase, I want to do it long before retirement even though I will probably pay cash for the new ride. The new MSRP for the Tesla Model S Plaid is $86,000 - $89,000.

Am I crazy, lol? Save the critiques, I'm just looking for input that may help me rationalize what action to take.

Can I have your brakes when you sell lol?

I’d look at the Taycan if I were you and wanted an EV. The S just doesn’t offer anything that someone coming out of an S8 would expect to find. The Porsche would offer you the sense of occasion and rarity that you won’t find with a Tesla. I’m kinda sorta eyeing the Taycan Cross Tourismo myself. I’ve driven a Turbo S and 4S and they’re fabulous cars for simply driving around

The Tesla is legitimately more like a base model A4 than a flagship. The A4 actually has better (real) leather, seats with more adjustability, bolsters that you can adjust, head rests that move, massaging seats… I mean I could sit here and write a list a mile long about every facet of the car but you should just go test drive one and find out for yourself. There’s not much more to the S than a go pedal and a steering wheel

If I really wanted something reliable to stand the test of time that was decent to drive I’d probably buy a Volvo

I send my heavy heart out to you DallasDave, it's stinks to hear it may be time to move on. May I ask why you are considering?

Rent a Plaid on Turo for 3-4 days over a weekend, and do your lifestyle. See if it works for you. When in Rome, I only charge at superchargers, you would install a charger at home, I am guessing? That's a big piece of the convenience equation. Remember, the faster you drive, the more power it uses. No just letting off the gas at 120 and maintaining speed. The juice burn is noticeable, from 70 to 80 to 90mph cruising.. I dont wait in lines to charge and dont like to waste time so super charging is always on my mind..

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Resist :p I think you know it won't work.
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Fwiw, according to Car and Driver, the Tesla has less passenger space than your S8, and they hated the high speed handling on earlier models.
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BMW iX and i7 are offering great lease deals right now. I sadly, am thinking the same.

There isn't any ONE reason, just that whenever I see a big repair bill I cannot help but wonder "is this the beginning of the end"? I'm sure we have all faced the same dilemma, sell the car while everything is working perfectly OR keep it a little longer while taking the risk of something else breaking and be forced to cover that expense, too. Plus the car is almost eight years old and has depreciated a LOT in the last year or so. I thought for certain I could fetch $40k plus, but that doesn't seem to be the case any longer. Our depreciation rate is getting faster and faster as our cars age. Again, get rid of it now or keep it and lose another $5-8k in value over the next twelve months? For the record, I almost hope that I will be so disappointed with the Tesla (compared to my Audi) that it will make the decision very easy to keep the Audi for another couple of years.

My wife wants me to look into the Taycan too, but I have never been a Porsche fan for some reason. They seem to be pretty expensive, even for a pre-owned one. Isn't the maintenance on them rather pricey too?

Along those lines, my other thought is to take my wife's BMW X5 M and make it mine. She really wants a Defender 110 or the new Lexus GX550 (but it's not available yet). I have owned 3-4 BMW 5 series sedans and loved the way they drove/rode/performed/etc. but the dealer experience is terrible. With maybe one or two exceptions, each service scenario was a battle (while under CPO warranty) and usually it took several trips to get something 100% repaired.

If a BMW is in my near future, it will almost certainly be my wife's X5 M...which is fine with me!