Audi vs BMW vs Volvo

I'd go with a midrange Japanese car if pillowy handling and mundane styling aren't a problem. They're cheaper, more comfortable, and usually very easy to maintain.

Based on my personal experience, I'd stay clear of the Honda hybrids.

There's no reason why the turbo engines won't be long-lived and reliable if they're maintained properly. However a NA engine has one less thing to go wrong so I'd expect it to be more reliable.

I'd have thought that you'd be able to get a 3.2 A4 for similar price to the

325i if you'd rather have a NA engine. The Volvo is a step down in terms of quality

Audi has been "doing" turbos for many years. I've had three and none of them gave me any problems. Audi is noted for its trouble free turbos. I have put more than 100k miles on two (1990 200T wagon and

1994 S4) and currently drive an RS6 with twin turbos.

Dave

Perhaps your friend was not aware of how to let the turbo cool down correctly? Or maybe he just got a bad 'un.

"G-man uk" wrote>

There was a time in the US when Volvo dealers would put mineral oil in turbocharged Volvo engines (like the T5) and suggested keeping it there for the duration of the oil change interval which was something like

7.5k miles. I could see where the turbos wouldn't fancy it.

Pete

Why wouldn't you consider something like the Mazda6 wagon? It's got a nice V6 and being Japanese, should give you many years of trouble-free motoring. It's a great-looking car as well, and certainly less expensive than the ones you list.

Dan D '04 A4 1.8Tq MT-6 Central NJ USA

"Dano58" wrote> Why wouldn't you consider something like the Mazda6 wagon? It's got a

Doesn't it use Ford engines (not that they're bad or anything)? Or is it only the 4 cylinder ones that come from Ford?

Pete

I think it was co-developed by them, since Ford owns a chunk of Mazda, I believe. But I think it's primarily a 'Mazda' engine.

Dan D '04 A4 1.8Tq MT-6 Central NJ USA

Thanks for the suggestion. The Mazda6's are a bit long. Unfortunately, I live in Hawaii, where the garages are absurdly small (most people park on the street and use their tiny garages for storage). I can barely shoe-horn in my two cars.

My TT's turbo cools itself when you shutdown the motor. At least I think that's what the manual says.

I had a 2001 1.8T Jetta for 5 years and I didn't have any turbo problems (other than the speeding tickets).