VeeshanVault

I am looking at purchasing an awd sedan. It seems that I will likely decide between the 325xi or an A4. I had an A4 in the past and though the reviews are getting better, I had nothing but problems. The A4 was great when it was not in the shop.... Spent way too many hours in the shop and WAY too much on repairs. Does anyone have an experience with the newer model lines of these two cars? The advice I am getting is pretty much the A4 is really close to the 325 and much better reliability wise then it used to be but that if you are chosing between the two, the 325 is really the first choice. My mechanic who works only on Saab, Audi and BMW favors the BMW. Any comments from real world owners would be great.

Are you talking new or used BMW? I got a 2003 BMW 330xi about 2 months ago (and absolutely love it), but it's an e46 and you might be talking about e90s. I don't know much about the A4, but I can give you a review on an e46 325xi.

Also, as far as BMW goes (and the following might be true of audi's or other cars), I have never seen such a strong community of enthusiasts. I had DIY picture guides for almost anything I could ever want to do/repair/maintain to the car before I had even bought it. The amount of information readily searchable, as well as the number of people willing to help was like nothing I had ever seen in an internet community.

I have an 01 A4 and it is still garbage, newer than that I have also heard that things have gotten better but I'd be cautious.. My mechanic likes BMW's more, and here is the one main reason why I would say BMW:

The timing belt on my A4 is about to go. Now I could replace it now ($2k + for the repair, which I cannot afford), I could let it break, at which point it will most likely drive the pistons down hard and wreck my engine, costing me somewhere around 5-7k for the repair, or I can try and find a way to save $ for a down payment for a new car (which is the plan).

However, my mechanic said that MOST (not all) newer BMW's use a larger, two section timing chain instead of a belt. He also said that in the A4 he generally recommends the repair around 60-70k miles and doesn't see them make it longer than 100k-110k miles - while the BMW's he said he recommends the timing belt be replaced around 100-110k miles and he see's them last to 150k+ miles before breaking fairly often.

I see this as a pretty big deal if you plan on keeping the car and putting a lot of miles on it, but if you don't then I guess it won't matter as much to you. Either way repairs are going to be just as expensive on both, it's more a matter of which is more reliable.

Good info guys. When I pull the trigger on this it is going to be a 2005 or newer model and I do plan on keeping it a long time. That mechanics are leaning towards the BMW speaks volumes. I did figure on repair costs being about the same but that the BMW would be a bit more reliable. Like I said earlier, I did enjoy my A4 when it was running and did learn the value of a AWD in my part of the world but I am a little gun shy on the newer A4's as I had so many problems with my old one (99)

'99 and '01 are both the older A4s. In fact there are two generations after that. Both Audis and BMWs will have expensive maintenance with the BMW being the most expensive of the two. Personally, I think the Audi interior is about as good as it gets in <$100K car. Your taste will vary of course.

If you're looking to buy new, go BMW, you get more with the price in the after sale area. The xi is a nice car, haven't driven the A4, but have ridden in it, and not sure if its just me, but the BMW feels like a larger car on the inside.


Community of enthusiasts surprised you? You never owned a Jeep. I think BMW and Jeep easily have the greatest community of owners in the world. Any problem you can accurately describe to some of these guys, you will have an answer on what is wrong in a few hours, and how to fix it. it helps deciding what work is worth doing yourself, and what to take it into the shop for. This is obviously more for the used market part.

A good friend of mine had an S4 2k4, then sold it for an s4 2k5, both cars were extreme nightmares for him... he is a mod'er and he spent $20k+ in repairs on both cars between transmissions and random stupid crap... I personally like the fit and feel of audi, but I will never, in my life own one.

I have been a BMW person for the past 8 years of my life, 4 different cars, all used, some ragged out before I got them (I ragged them out more)... and they have been the best cars Ive ever owned. Now I am a bit of a nostalgic BMW owner, my first was an E36 325i in 1996, then I sold that to go to Europe, when I got back I bought a 1992 525 E34, and I fell in love with that BMW design.... I took that car to the track 3 times, and the 3rd time I hit a wall out of a turn at 120mph.... I had slowed down and turned the wheel, but the car survived, and I repaired it.

About a year later I was driving too fast on a wet curvy road (that I had driven every day for 9 years) and I spun out... the BMW hit the guardrail backwards... then I hit the brakes, turned the car around and pulled it over to the side of the road(I was doing over 90 when I hit the guardrail). I drove the car home, but I knew it was time to stop tossing money into a car I loved. So I bought an 89 535i, which has a bigger engine, and the person I purchased it from was the original owner. This car is in better condition than any car Ive ever owned, including the 93 Acura integra I purchased in 94......

Needless to say, BMW owners, even if buying used, if your buying from a true bimmer(cars are bimmers, motorcycles are beamers) owner your going to get a car that will last your lifetime, even if you sell it before that.

Ransure wrote:A good friend of mine had an S4 2k4, then sold it for an s4 2k5, both cars were extreme nightmares for him... he is a mod'er and he spent $20k+ in repairs on both cars between transmissions and random stupid crap... I personally like the fit and feel of audi, but I will never, in my life own one.

I have been a BMW person for the past 8 years of my life, 4 different cars, all used, some ragged out before I got them (I ragged them out more)... and they have been the best cars Ive ever owned. Now I am a bit of a nostalgic BMW owner, my first was an E36 325i in 1996, then I sold that to go to Europe, when I got back I bought a 1992 525 E34, and I fell in love with that BMW design.... I took that car to the track 3 times, and the 3rd time I hit a wall out of a turn at 120mph.... I had slowed down and turned the wheel, but the car survived, and I repaired it.

About a year later I was driving too fast on a wet curvy road (that I had driven every day for 9 years) and I spun out... the BMW hit the guardrail backwards... then I hit the brakes, turned the car around and pulled it over to the side of the road(I was doing over 90 when I hit the guardrail). I drove the car home, but I knew it was time to stop tossing money into a car I loved. So I bought an 89 535i, which has a bigger engine, and the person I purchased it from was the original owner. This car is in better condition than any car Ive ever owned, including the 93 Acura integra I purchased in 94......

Needless to say, BMW owners, even if buying used, if your buying from a true bimmer(cars are bimmers, motorcycles are beamers) owner your going to get a car that will last your lifetime, even if you sell it before that.

So what you're telling him is if he gets a BMW, don't let you drive it, LOL.