Roamin' Elder

I have attempted to post as a new member (twice). I am obviously doing something wrong. Nevertheless, I would like to know if, having parked an Audi Q-something, I could open the panoramic sunroof and poke my head out. It is of interest because I am a photographer. I could easily manufacture a device with threaded tripod screws.... Note that I have not yet bought my first Audi; I am on the verge pending an unexpected inheritance and am debating a new Q3, a Q5 (new or used), or maybe even a late model Q7.

uberwgn

Roamin', all the vehicles you mention will have the option for open top motoring. How much are you looking to spend?

Welcome aboard !!

Roamin' Elder

Thanks for the welcome, uberwgn. As I noted on the still-absent first post, I'm a 70+-year-old retiree who has recovered successfully from a hemiplegic motor stroke and serious heart issues to regain ambulation. I renewed my love for photography when my daughter bought me a small Kodak 14-pixel. I've moved up and am still buying and learning. I was notified recently that I would inherit some money but the wheels of the legal system move slowly so I don't know how much ka-ching I will have, so I've investigated options. Best option thus far (because I can scale the amount) is a used Q5.

I think the best for me would be a maxed-out new Q3 but I'll have to get in line, huh?

The Q7 is, I think, too much car for my situation (kids are gone, have three 'tweengrandkids, wife will accompany, insists on bringing 70-lb. "rescue" Lab/foxhound mix). Any of the Q's can probably handle the dog. I've watched all the videos (at least twice). The Q7 is am impressive beast; there's a cherry late-model leased example nearby.

I originally looked at a Boxster but quickly decided I needed the trunk space it doesn't have. Looked at an A3 or A5 Cabriolet but then the Q3 came out.

I am a former ambulance driver (Cadillac V-8's before the US DOT insisted on boxes), then a '70 Mustang Mach One, then a Fiat X1/9. Then babies arrived.

Now I can hopefully afford to have something with quattro and Matrix. The MMI and virtual tech simply comes with the rest of the car.

But the question is whether I can STAND (or kneel) and look out the roof. I know I can sit down below and have the roof open, but since I am a street/travel/landscape photographer, being able to construct a custom-fitted platform with tripod mounts that I can put in place once I have parked the car and secured its stability will be a huge boon. Any of those Q's can be driven places most people won't even think of going.

I have completed (but not submitted) the "build your own" sheets for all three. I have looked around for dealers (used and new) and decided which one(s) I am likely to do business with once the lawyer send the check.

My acquisition of an Audi Q-something in which I can travel up and down the Eastern Seaboard and Appalachian chain from Cape Breton to Tallahassee to build a portfolio and possible income stream is a gift to myself for having survived sudden death, open heart surgery, a five-day coma and an 8-week rehab. If I can stand up in the back seat (probably kneeling with the seats down), then I will be in heaven.

uberwgn

Well, with that said, I think you'd give consideration to a Q3 or a Q5. The Q3 is certainly more compact and might be just what you're looking for.

I think you will have to have a visit with each vehicle to see what fits you in terms of popping thru the pano roof.

Don't overlook the CPO option that could save you many thou$$ands of dollars.

Roamin' Elder

Yes, precisely. I hesitate to drool on the showroom floor at any dealer's without the wherewithal, and I certainly have looked at CPO's at three dealers (I are right in the middle of three located an hour away). The videos I have seen suggest that the Q7 has the quality/durability corner but I agree the Q3 looks best. Won't see any CPO's on them for a while, though. I feel like it will be as if I am a lynx waiting to pounce. I'll have to pay off and retire this piece of unnamed crap I'm driving now and I will look at a lease option.

texasDFWS4

At 70 I think it's great your able to hit the bucket list. I think the Q5 is a good mix for you. If I read it right you want to stand up in the car and take picture, and that would be hard to do in the Q3 (too small of a back seat). I like the fact that Audi has the large panoramic roof but standing is the issue. I have owned Audi's for years and the Q5 has been part of our stable from the start. My wife drives the 17 last year of the gen 1, and I drive the 18 gen 2. The gen 2 has 1 inch more back seat area then the gen 1 and offers air suspension that will lift the car 2 plus inches for your hard to find picture taking places. I think you have to get the SQ5 to get the air lift but the pricing of the used 18's are far.

ronsal

When you say ".....Any of those Q's can be driven places most people won't even think of going," I'd be a bit concerned. While the SQ is a true all wheel drive, the Q is basically a front wheel drive with AWD capabilities in appropriate conditions. But even more than that, while I absolutely luuuv my SQ, I would not recommend any off roading. There is a big difference between the occasional old mining or logging trail and rough terrain. These cars are expensive to repair.
On another note, I have a big ole Golden and there is plenty of room for him in the car.
Also, the back seats, when folded down, do not lay perfectly flat to form a flat surface with the rear floor. You might want to fold the seats to make sure the angle is acceptable.

Other than that, good luck.......

Roamin' Elder

Thanks, texasDFWS4. That's good genetic data to be handing in my search. I think the Q5 makes sense too and apparently so does the market. The back seat could be configured such that I could kneel and I could jury-rig the necessary pillows, braces and even a harness tied into the seatbelt anchors, but all of that is speculative and probably not necessary. I do a lot of what I do now just shooting out the driver's window and anything really important means that I get out and walk. The elevation. of suspension is likely not necessary for photograph as tripods come with elevation cranks.

And, ronsal, I understand what you are saying. I am not going to take my first Audi. my only Audi, and maybe my last Audi into places better reserved for a Jeep. [I have looked into a Jeep; my son drives a delightfully-polished Grand Cherokee] but it doesn't hold a candle to what I perceive about Audi's. The kind of "off-roading" I perceive doing is the kind you indicate. Most reserves and refuges have rutted dirt access which an Audi AWD would scoff at but which would not damage its engineering. I don't have a big repair budget, nor would I want to do any harm.

The reason I want an Audi is to sample the Kancamangus highway, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Great Smoky park, Acadia, Pemaquid in winter, etc., and two be able to pull off the side of the road and poke my camera lens out onto unique vistas. [I got my first lawyers' letter today.]

Roamin' Elder

By the way, I discovered two more dealers within an hour or so. And there's a pretty good network for used and certified sales in New England.

West End Pub, Bridge of Flowers, Shelburne, MA

notmac1

@Roamin' Elder Personally I know this is an Audi forum but looking for a SUV to stand up in to take pictures to me is questionable. The easiest vehicle to stand in would be some van. One of my old work vehicles was a Chrysler van. Access to the rear was very easy from the front seat. If I would have had a pano roof I would have be able to stand on a flat floor. All the vehicles you mention the Q3orQ5 you would need to stand on the front seats. The roof will not open far enough to stand in the back as the rear glass panel is fixed.

Look for an an all wheel drive van you can haul all the equipment you need and have a flat platform to shoot pictures from IMO.