snmhanson

My son is searching for his first car and he's got his eye on a 2008 A3 2.0T with 135,000 miles on it. My only experience with European cars is my current car which is a 2014 BMW X3. It has been very reliable so far and is still under warranty and the service contract. That said, I have heard stories about how much owning a used Audi/BMW/Mercedes/etc... costs for routine maintenance and can potentially cost in repairs. Of course my son is relying on his emotions to guide him in the decision, while I am more analytical and think about the dollars and cents of it - though I don't discount the idea of having a nice car. My wife and I are paying for 1/2 of whatever car he end up buying and will probably pay for his insurance, but it is going to be up to him to pay for service and repairs. Should I steer him away from the Audi - and any other used European car for that matter? Is there a decent chance he will be able to keep the car running with his limited income or will the maintenance and repairs bankrupt him? FWIW, he is a typical high school student and works part time making a few hundred dollars a month. I'm pretty sure I know the answer but if I get some third-party opinions maybe he'll listen to me (or maybe I'll stand corrected).

Thanks!

Matt

knowtion

A lot of the parts are not expensive if you source them online. I have a 2nd gen A3 and so far it has been good.

If he is an enthsiast and cares about performanc a3 is a nice starter car. If he doesn't care about performance and mild euro prestige then Honda/or Acura!

snmhanson

Thanks for the reply. We ended up taking a look at the car and of course it was all over at that point. Got it for $8,700 which I think was a decent price. I'll admit that it's a fun car and it is pretty nice on the inside for a 2008. Hopefully we don't run into any issues for at least a while. The only problem it currently has is some sort of ground fault when we have the radio on Sirius (which is also the input he has to use for the aux input). The clutch seems to have a lot of travel before it catches so I will be keeping an eye on that - but I have read that Audis clutches can be like that. However, him learning to drive a manual on it probably won't help the matter.

Thanks again for the reply!

Matt

rockstar143

I recently picked up an 06 manual A3 2.0t and I personally think it's a great starter car...I actually bought it to have something I can put a car seat in that gets decent gas mileage as a 3rd car (one not practical, one terrible on gas) and so far, I drive it almost all the time. The 2.0 is actually very fun and rewarding to drive!

Congrats and good luck!

tarifas123

good luck with your Audi recently bought one like yours it's look a clean car (clean CARFAX never in accident) but I have a problem with the hood (won't open) the problem I think is under the hood,I have been already to many mechanics or body shop no one can't do anything