(moved from general chat) = stick or trade 2017 A4 Avant Allroad with 213k km's?

[PWR]

Hello All,
I have an A4 Avant Allroad, 213K km on the clock and full Audi service history since I bought it at 175K at the start of the pandemic! It's worth near what I paid for it (25K Euro) on trade in, and has approx. E13K in finance still outstanding.

My question is whether to keep it and run it into the ground or trade it now for something with lower mileage and lower service cost. What is the hive mind view on servicing high mileage Audis please?

I do love the car but don't want to saddle myself with a high cost for a long time, if that is what it is going to be.

 

[NHN]

You've answered your own question tbh, same value as when bought.

 

[spartacus 68]

132k miles is just bedding in. Over 100k miles, then if you're planning on keeping it, then treat the rear diff and transmission to a gear oil change. If the suspension feels sloppy or starts to clunk, you're looking at a full arms rebuild up-front. Potentially £500 if you can do yourself using Meyle HD kit.

Timing belt is every 5 years or 60-80k miles, again get the water-pump changed at the same time. Potentially £500-700.

If you have one of the newer diesel Allroads, with the AdBlue system on B9 models - then there are numerous threads on failed pumps with £1k replacement bills.

Rear suspension - then rear bump-stops corrode, allow £300 to get a garage to do it, or £30 if you can do it yourself!

Coil springs. The A4 Allroad is a soft-roader. It's no match to the A6 Allroad with air suspension (some may say that's a good thing), but if you tow, then prepare for broken springs up front at some point. Its no lightweight with quattro running gear, and the dreaded pinch-bolt will deter even the most enthusiastic DIY mechanic.

Oil changes every 1 year or 10-12k miles with decent synthetic oil such as Castrol Edge or similar. Fuel filter ever 20k miles - allow £100 if you can do it yourself.

Brakes - I just rebuilt my calipers last year with piston rebuild kits. My Allroad is 2012, but I was facing sticky pistons and still under 70k miles. Zimmerman discs and pads all round, granted, not cheap. The rebuild kits were pretty inexpensive. Granted I had VCDS software too.

That's just outlining the servicing costs for you. Not convinced a lower mileage car is cheaper. in long run Just look at costs just now, especially on VED rates, etc.

 

[Garrett 69]

You've answered your own question tbh, same value as when bought.

If you think about it, he's actually going to be worse off is he sells it because his newer car with lower mileage will have gone up in price at a greater rate than his current car.

I remember a guy I used to work with boasting that he bought his first house for £47k and sold it for £80k a few years later. He then bought a house that cost nearly £200k. What he couldn't get into his skull was the fact that the £200k house was under £100k at the time he bought his £47k house. He convinced himself he'd made £33k whereas he'd actually lost about £70k by not buying the more expensive house in the first place.

 

[SiPie]

If you think about it, he's actually going to be worse off is he sells it because his newer car with lower mileage will have gone up in price at a greater rate than his current car.

I remember a guy I used to work with boasting that he bought his first house for £47k and sold it for £80k a few years later. He then bought a house that cost nearly £200k. What he couldn't get into his skull was the fact that the £200k house was under £100k at the time he bought his £47k house. He convinced himself he'd made £33k whereas he'd actually lost about £70k by not buying the more expensive house in the first place.

Assume he could only get a mortgage for the £47k house at the time… so, guy did best he could,,got on ladder and made a bit of cash. Kind of how the property ladder works . Otherwise we’d all be buying mansions as our starter homes.