£8k q7. Madness?
Discussion
Mrs wants a q7, with a budget of 8k and £1500 a year on maintenance parts. Labour is free and i have access to ramps and a very well equipped workshop anytime i need it.
Are these big money borkathons or can they be run for sensible money? Are much of the mechanicals shared with the other 3.0tdis or is it unique?
I haven't paid much attention to these as they aren't my cup of tea and i'm surprised the mrs likes them but she does. It'll do around 7000 miles a year mostly urban and a weekly 50 mile motorway run and a 1200 mile round trip a couple of times a year. Dpf wont be a problem.
Are these big money borkathons or can they be run for sensible money? Are much of the mechanicals shared with the other 3.0tdis or is it unique?
I haven't paid much attention to these as they aren't my cup of tea and i'm surprised the mrs likes them but she does. It'll do around 7000 miles a year mostly urban and a weekly 50 mile motorway run and a 1200 mile round trip a couple of times a year. Dpf wont be a problem.
It *could* be a good buy. But it might well not be...
For example, I sold a highly specced 2008 4.2tdi with 100k for not much more than that price. As far as I knew, it was 100% mechanically sound and I thought that the next owner was getting an absolute bargain and one that was likely to give them a lot of trouble free miles.
But...pick the wrong multi-owner poorly-serviced example and you could be looking at big bills. Nothing is cheap on these cars, at least at OE prices. The only non-consumables I had to replace were a drivers wing mirror (taken off by a white van...) at £900 in parts, and track control arms (again parts were £££) and a DPF sensor which was replaced under warranty...good thing too as it was gearbox out and would have cost over £2000 in labour!
Brake pads and discs are expensive, if you don't keep a careful eye on tyre pressures and tracking then you'll get through a lot of fronts due to excessive wear on the inner edges, but look after them and they'll be fine.
In conclusion, pick the right car and your budget should be fine. But if you get a bad one, it could be a money pit on parts prices even for template non-OE ones.
For example, I sold a highly specced 2008 4.2tdi with 100k for not much more than that price. As far as I knew, it was 100% mechanically sound and I thought that the next owner was getting an absolute bargain and one that was likely to give them a lot of trouble free miles.
But...pick the wrong multi-owner poorly-serviced example and you could be looking at big bills. Nothing is cheap on these cars, at least at OE prices. The only non-consumables I had to replace were a drivers wing mirror (taken off by a white van...) at £900 in parts, and track control arms (again parts were £££) and a DPF sensor which was replaced under warranty...good thing too as it was gearbox out and would have cost over £2000 in labour!
Brake pads and discs are expensive, if you don't keep a careful eye on tyre pressures and tracking then you'll get through a lot of fronts due to excessive wear on the inner edges, but look after them and they'll be fine.
In conclusion, pick the right car and your budget should be fine. But if you get a bad one, it could be a money pit on parts prices even for template non-OE ones.
Thanks, on further research i have ruled out the 4.2 diesel due the the number of simple jobs that require the engine to come out and the 4.2 petrol as its a pita to lpg, so its looking like a remapped 3.0 tdi. At my budget probably a 6 speed. Any known weak areas on these? How much £££ we talking about for the control arms? I'm guessing pattern parts aren't common.
Fixed a few faults on our current shed today and will do a few other wee fixes to it so that the boss is happy driving it for another couple of months just to save up that wee bit more and so we aren't rushing in to things, was actually quite enjoyable not done much spannering this year and it was very relaxing getting into it, was great because my daughter was taking a lot more of an interest in helping and learning.
Fixed a few faults on our current shed today and will do a few other wee fixes to it so that the boss is happy driving it for another couple of months just to save up that wee bit more and so we aren't rushing in to things, was actually quite enjoyable not done much spannering this year and it was very relaxing getting into it, was great because my daughter was taking a lot more of an interest in helping and learning.
Yes, I don't think you'll get a decent 4.2 at your budget. I was only commenting because that was the example I had first hand experience of. TBH I know a few 4.2 owners and none of them have had the engine out, but it is pretty tight in that engine bay.
The 3.0 has a pretty good rep I think, no horror stories. Same for the gearbox. It's much more the suspension system you need to look out for. Sorry I can't remember the price on the control arms, apart from being shocked! Yes not many pattern parts around I'm afraid.
The 3.0 has a pretty good rep I think, no horror stories. Same for the gearbox. It's much more the suspension system you need to look out for. Sorry I can't remember the price on the control arms, apart from being shocked! Yes not many pattern parts around I'm afraid.
Just priced up a few suspension parts and tbh, they aren't ridiculous, yes more than a mondeo or an astra but only equivalent to the parts on a facelift merc vito for example. I get good trade rates on vag parts so i'll make a few calls tomorrow and see if there are any nasty surprises lurking but i'm feeling pretty positive about this choice of car. The one that really tickles my fancy, a cayenne turbo, the boss reckons looks a bit gopping so thats out the window and my other suggestion of an a6 allroad was an old mans car apparently.
Does she like A6s?
It sounds as if she's already made the decision.
You will have EGR problems. You may well have injector problems. Air suspension stuff will wear out (although the parts aren't too silly these days). Handbrake strut is a consumable. They are very wide and slightly unwieldy feeling around town (car parks and width restrictions are no fun). You probably know your wife's driving anyway but urban Q7s almost inevitably suffer their share of bumps and scrapes. Throw a bit of the old & complicated car conundrum in for good measure too.
A lot of Q7s have suffered at the hands, feet, and vomit of feral children and their interiors are not the most durable of things in some areas. They tend to suffer from worn, shiny switchgear, broken and scratched plastics etc.
It sounds as if she's already made the decision.
You will have EGR problems. You may well have injector problems. Air suspension stuff will wear out (although the parts aren't too silly these days). Handbrake strut is a consumable. They are very wide and slightly unwieldy feeling around town (car parks and width restrictions are no fun). You probably know your wife's driving anyway but urban Q7s almost inevitably suffer their share of bumps and scrapes. Throw a bit of the old & complicated car conundrum in for good measure too.
A lot of Q7s have suffered at the hands, feet, and vomit of feral children and their interiors are not the most durable of things in some areas. They tend to suffer from worn, shiny switchgear, broken and scratched plastics etc.
Nope, a6 is an old mans car apparently.
She had an ffrr, x5 and a couple of 7 series so the size of it shouldn't be an issue. Egr problems should be taken care of by the remap, just wondering if around £1500 a year in parts ( at trade price) should keep one in good order or if there are other recurring issues like dodgy gearboxes or catastrophic engine failures, or rust traps specific to that model. Issues like the multchronic boxes in some audis or mistakenly buying a range rover that sort of thing.
She had an ffrr, x5 and a couple of 7 series so the size of it shouldn't be an issue. Egr problems should be taken care of by the remap, just wondering if around £1500 a year in parts ( at trade price) should keep one in good order or if there are other recurring issues like dodgy gearboxes or catastrophic engine failures, or rust traps specific to that model. Issues like the multchronic boxes in some audis or mistakenly buying a range rover that sort of thing.
Dr G would know better than me about the general condition of second hand Q7s, but my car went through 8 years and 3 kids from infant to teen and the interior remained pretty fresh. Good examples are out there, be picky and wait for the right one.
The dealers seem to have a penchant for sticking 21" rims and the side steps on these for resale.
There's no denying the Q7 is a big car but I would not say it is [i]too[i] big. We live in a market town and the mrs was fine driving it around and parking it. Biggest hazard in our area was untrimmed hedgerows (these particularly catch on the nearside rear wheel arch).
The dealers seem to have a penchant for sticking 21" rims and the side steps on these for resale.
There's no denying the Q7 is a big car but I would not say it is [i]too[i] big. We live in a market town and the mrs was fine driving it around and parking it. Biggest hazard in our area was untrimmed hedgerows (these particularly catch on the nearside rear wheel arch).
OldGermanHeaps said:
Nope, a6 is an old mans car apparently.
She had an ffrr, x5 and a couple of 7 series so the size of it shouldn't be an issue. Egr problems should be taken care of by the remap, just wondering if around £1500 a year in parts ( at trade price) should keep one in good order or if there are other recurring issues like dodgy gearboxes or catastrophic engine failures, or rust traps specific to that model. Issues like the multchronic boxes in some audis or mistakenly buying a range rover that sort of thing.
Best we don't go there with women and Chelsea tractor stereotypes then She had an ffrr, x5 and a couple of 7 series so the size of it shouldn't be an issue. Egr problems should be taken care of by the remap, just wondering if around £1500 a year in parts ( at trade price) should keep one in good order or if there are other recurring issues like dodgy gearboxes or catastrophic engine failures, or rust traps specific to that model. Issues like the multchronic boxes in some audis or mistakenly buying a range rover that sort of thing.
I think with the age and mileage your looking at it would be wise to budget for £1500 worth of work upon purchase, and same again each year. Maybe half this if your lucky, and good with the spanners. We tend to run similar age and mileage cars, and have a direct debit of £140 per month into a 'car' account which always seems to cover any maintenance, MOTs, Tyres etc.
Good luck, and as mentioned, take your time!
Good luck, and as mentioned, take your time!
A wee update to this, when she first started looking she said the a6 was an old mans car, but now she has me out hunting for an allroad for her. Q7 was just too big for parking. The allroad was the first motor i showed her and she shot me down in flames, now its her idea she thinks they are great. Quality. At least we’ll be getting something I will enjoy driving.
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