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My 2012 BMW has the notorious N63 V-8. My Z06 Corvette had the LS-7 which tended to drop valves. My three earlier C-5 Vettes had a steering lock issue which resulted in an unrepairable CEL and my Jag XJ-R had the Nikasil engine block issues. The common thread was that in spite of the relative expense of these vehicles their manufacturers were unwilling to address those problems unless the engine grenades during the warranty period. The vehicles themselves didn't exactly fall apart but I spent many thousands on extended warranty's to protect against a catastrophic engine failure.

The only one I have left is the 5 Series and the warranty is gone so its time. I prefer to buy used with some of the factory warranty left and my budget fits with a 16-17 vintage RS7 with 30kish miles on it. I obviously recognize that repair costs are driven by the purchase price, but had I done better research on my Jag or my 550 I would probably not have purchased either and would have put the warranty bucks into a higher purchase budget, maybe on a newer vehicle.

Does the RS have a particular soft spot that I need to be aware of? Is there a recognized weakness that makes the car less? Now that the M5 is AWD it appeals to me more than in the past but I have always felt Audi's had more build quality and not sure I would want to pony up the extra $ for a 2018M.anyways. I work from home so only put maybe 5-6k a year on the car. What are your thoughts on the RS as it ages? Thanks for any responses.

Pabla

The turbo oil filter is probably the biggest Achilles heel for the RS7, there are many many threads on this. The PCV often needs replacement same with the driveshafts as well. In my experience the low pressure fuel pump is problematic too (I'm on my second one). If the cars are maintained well ie oil changes every 5k miles about you'll be fine on the turbo oil filter but if the cars oil isn't changed as often I would definitely be worried about the oil filters. Other than that these cars are pretty damn reliable