Ginalyn

More great info in the last two posts, thank you very much. And so that settles it, I'm off the 2010, not worth saving around 4K for the additional risk and wear.

I'll look for a '13 or possibly a '14 if I get lucky. If I had more time, I would be able to find a '14 within my budget but I'm car-less at the moment.

BTW, if I'm unable to find either within my short timeframe, is a Tiguan a decent third option (I've done zero research on them)? I said upthread that a Taureg was my backup plan but I meant Tiguan, sorry.

MP4.2+6.0

Tiguan is sort of a slightly smaller Q5 physically. It also has a mid term facelift/revision. I suppose, but not same popularity or cachet. Might be cheaper, but probably likewise will continue lose value more. It is also a 6 speed automatic instead of an 8 speed, which hurts both acceleration and fuel economy. It was also sold as FWD--which a lot of the seemingly "cheaper" ones likely will be--while a US spec Q5 is always AWD quattro. A Tiguan in AWD is pretty much just VW branded quattro for what is really underneath, but it will be six speed like the older V6 Q5's.

I expect there are more Q5's out there, especially with the facelift push and the popularity of Q5 by then. It eclipsed the A4 as Audi's largest unit seller about 2013. Look at local Craigslist, Autotrader, CarGurus and various other sites. Check any dealers around you by checking their used inventory online.

Ginalyn

Yes I can look from San Diego to LA so there should be a lot of inventory -- the problem of course is my constrained budget but I won't change that. Typical, that the 13/14's lie just beyond my reach. Good points on resale and performance however.

I've been on CL, Autotrader, TrueCar and Cargurus (but mostly the first three) more than I care to admit. I did not want to go through a dealership and their markup but admittedly I've been looking there as well.

I even looked at swapalease.com but I just don't see how even a discounted lease makes better financial sense in the long run. But some swear by it. Anybody here try this? Is there a thread about it?

MP4.2+6.0

More thoughts: take your time. Buyer's market for most anything Audi typically, not seller's. Q5 is in more demand given SUV sweet spot. Still, it is the LAST generation model where invariably owners and others often want the newer shinier object. Last generation of almost any vehicle made--and definitely Audi's--always takes a further pricing hit with the new one out. That has already happened probably, but the inventory from people now trading up still keeps coming in. Also, your spec is now right in the sweet spot of lease returns--three or four years old. Those pour into market constantly, some via Audi dealers, some via wholesale auctions to other used car lots. Again, buyers market, so it is often 10% less than even a fairly priced one. It really shouldn't be the starting asking price. And be prepared to walk at least a time or two. I have. The seller may be unrealistic or just stuck on his/her cost, or...they blink. With good sense of pricing and confidence, I can get the blink, usually after the typical "sales manager" third rate theater stuff that gets old by my age. Run the pricing models on Edmunds, KBB and NADA so you know what makes sense. One of the ways cargurus site helps more than the others, even if an autotrader has more listings nominally. Private party sales can be simpler and fewer games, but for your years spec, the biggest volumes will come from the trade ins and lease returns on the dealer lots.

Ginalyn

You weren't kidding about it being a buyer's market. But not for all Audi's. Out of curiosity, I went searching for Q3's and you know what? There are very few out there. And they are high-priced! Whereas there is an absolute gluttony of Q5's on the market; they're coming out of Dealer's ears. It's astounding the difference. Why the disparity???

ex-quattro PETE

A lot more new Q5s were sold, so naturally there are a lot more used ones available now.

Plus, the Q3 has only been available in the US since 2015.

Bad Andy

I am a happy 2010 3.2L owner here. I bought mine new in November 2009. I also live in Southern California. My car has 213,000 miles on it. I have never had the "carbon problem". It still runs strong and shifts smooth. Overall, it has been the best car I have owned. I am starting to look at other cars, not because there is anything wrong with mine. I do take good care of it, all service done as recommended. Simple services are done at an independent shop, and a few times a year it goes to the dealer for bigger services. Surprisingly I still have the original battery, which the dealer checked out, and still is good and they didn't recommend replacing it. I have never heard of a battery lasting that long. Good German engineering I guess.

The following parts have been replaced outside of warranty (outside of normal wear and tear items like brakes, oil, filters, spark plugs, etc):

3 of the 4 electric door lock/unlock motors. Replaced at independent shop about 200 each if I remember correctly. About 2-3 years ago is when they seamed to go bad.
Electric sunshade came undone last year and was replaced at the Audi dealer.
1 nylon coolant hose was leaking and replaced
suspension control arms (bushings had worn out, cheaper to replace control arms than press out and press in new bushings)
- done at same time were shocks

A few items went bad under warranty and were replaced under warranty. But this was during the first 2 years, and have not had any problems since

Daytime Running Lap Modules
Water pump
Squeaky Rear seat frame

Also paid to have a strong fuel in cabin smell fixed. Just after that, they announced the recall and I applied and got the total amount of the repair (parts and labor) refunded.

The airbag inflator has been replaced under recall. Audi is still waiting for the full airbags to become available to permanently fix the issue, but the new style inflators are not available.

I always use synthetic oil (mobile 1). I also always use premium gas from a top tier station. A few times a year I will add an extra bottle of fuel injector cleaner to the tank. Most all of my miles are highway miles, so the engine does get up to temperature and I suspect that may help with the clogged carbon fouling issue. I don't see any leaks of oil in the garage, nor do I see any smoke, but I do use about 1 quart of oil per each oil change.

Otherwise, the car is still great to drive. Plenty of power, and comfortable; great for trips to Vegas, San Diego, or Mammoth. I average about 20 miles per gallon, but I tend to drive more "sporty" than other people I know, so maybe if I drove more economically, I could get a little better gas mileage. Car still looks great, and people are surprised that it is 8 years old with 213,000 miles. Feel free to comment or message me with any questions.

MP4.2+6.0

Yep,
1. a lot more Q5's sold. Again, Q5 is Audi's # 1 seller after it eclipsed A4 after decades on top.
2. As mentioned about leases in my prior reply, fewer new Q3's originally sold also mean fewer coming off lease now where the biggest supply comes from at 3 or 4 years. As mentioned below Q3 was also intoduced in USA quite late, so a lot of the leases aren't even old enough yet to hit used market. Very different than Q5 lease supply.
3. Q3 has not gone to second design cycle yet so it doesn't have the "I want newer, shinier bauble" owner trade up subset that Q5 or any other superseded model does.
4. Q3 is a bit of an odd case because it was in Europe a long time, but only got here in recent years. A lot later arrival than Q5, yet a now old design. Will be replaced by new model in 1-2 years.

Q3 is also a different design fundamentally. It is a transverse (sideways) engine set up, and much more related to A3, VW Golf and others. It has more efficient packaging in some ways, but smaller. Again, six speed transmission only, FWD versions and so on. My wife wants to go smaller on next one than current Q5 (empty nesters), but not the current Q3. We are waiting a few more years for next one. Older design now, mileage mediocre for size--basically Q5 fuel economy in 2.0T and quattro yet not as roomy. And, if you ever try to get in back seat, while it has some room (tighter than Q5 though), I literally bang my head on the upper back part of window jamb. Not good. If you seriously want to look at Q3's, but don't need the SUV capabilities (my sense of a SoCal location), you could also look at the prior gen. A3's. Those were still hatchbacks for practicality. Sort of a big Golf depending on whether that is a plus or a minus for you. Again, original A3 is prior gen now so prices will have been haircut more.

Ginalyn

Okay, I'll go look at the A3's now. What a great time to buy a Q5 on the cheap, though!

Ginalyn

The A3 is not for me. It's going to be the Q5, either '13 or '14. I could manage the '14 but I would have to sacrifice more miles, given my budget. What should be my mileage parameters, roughly? I just don't feel great about buying a car with say, over 80-90K on it. However when I read Bad Andy's Good Post, maybe I shouldn't worry too much about it.