I'm short and retired. I polish my cars frequently. So, when
looking for a low (I can polish it without having to get up on a
ladder), short, functional car, I've narrowed my shopping to three
wagons - the Audi A4 2.0T, the BMW 325i and the Volvo V50 2.4i or T5.
I don't have the reactions any more for sporty driving. And I
lean away from harsh suspensions. Alhough I like the Audi and Volvo
turbos, But I doubt they're low maintenance nor long lived. I had a
regularly aspirated Volvo before for 8 years, but a friend who bought
a Volvo turbo at the same time only got three trouble free years out
of his car.
Any insights about the suspensions or the turbos would be welcome
in helping me decide.

BOB

In article <1179209754.423132.249620 (AT) k79g2000hse (DOT) googlegroups.com>,
koumer (AT) yahoo (DOT) com wrote:

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

"Dave" <dave (AT) nobody (DOT) com> wrote


Can't speak for BMW or Volvo but there isn't much difference between the
maintenance programs of Audi NA and turbo engines.

The Volvo is a step down in terms of quality but maybe that doesn't bother
you too much

HTH

On 14 May 2007 23:15:54 -0700, koumer (AT) yahoo (DOT) com wrote:

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

koumer (AT) yahoo (DOT) com wrote:
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

On May 15, 2:15 am, kou... (AT) yahoo (DOT) com wrote:
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

On May 16, 9:37 am, "Pete" <nou... (AT) nodomain (DOT) com> wrote:
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