Why Are Used Audis So Cheap? We Investigated the Prices

Buying a used car is always a risky thing to do. Sometimes, you may just buy a faulty vehicle that will demand a lot of money and time for maintenance. Unfortunately, you can only know a little about a car before you actually own it and have some experience driving it. And buying a new vehicle is always cool, but not always affordable.

We've been asked many times why some cars are so cheap when used. For example, people compare prices for new and used Audi cars and they are surprised with the results. We mean, they really want to buy a used car because they think it's much cheaper and much more budget-friendly. But let's get some more understanding of what a used Audi car actually is.

So, today, we'll be talking about the following:

1. Used Audi vehicles - how fast do they get cheaper?
2. What problems can you get when buying a used Audi car?
3. What age and mileage are acceptable for Audi vehicles?
4. How to get a cheap Audi with fewer problems?

Let's get started!

Used Audi - depreciation standards

Well, we wouldn't say that depreciation of Audi vehicles is actually different from any other vehicles up until the cars are 5 or 6 years old. But after that, the depreciation starts rushing. For example, a used Audi that is 5 years old will approximately cost half of what it cost when new. But when it's 10 years old, the same Audi will cost about 18-20% of what it cost new.

You may think that buying a 10-year-old Audi is a good idea because you save up a lot of money. But here we should warn you that it's not always a brilliant decision. You will have to spend some time to find a decent option of a 10-year-old Audi, and we don't even speak about older vehicles.

So, the depreciation goes faster because of these factors:

• old Audis are not so popular among buyers, they still want newer options;
• people know that Audis are really expensive to repair;
• buyers don't want to risk with high-mileage cars that are hard to maintain;
• we also know that the lifespan of Audi is not that good, on average;
• buying a new vehicle is always a better idea and sometimes it's even easier to do.

Thanks to different loans and leasing programs, getting a brand-new vehicle in the US right from the dealer is not a big problem. And you will have one important advantage - the warranty. Even if your car breaks somehow, the dealer will repair it free of charge thanks to the warranty.

So, buying a used car is not always a good idea, especially when we are talking about an old Audi that is expensive to maintain and repair. But still, you can think of this because the price of an old Audi may be as low as the down payment for the new car. But in the case of the old Audi, you will not have to pay monthly to support your loan or leasing program. So, maybe it's worth it?

Used Audi vehicle - what can be your problems?

Before we give our opinion about cheap used Audi cars, we want to tell you what kind of problems you may get when you buy such a car. First of all, it's a problem with repair. When we are talking about old used Audi cars, we are mainly talking about 10-15-year-old cars that cost just a little and are still on the go.

These vehicles usually have over 150,000 miles on the clock. It means that some parts and units of the vehicle are already worn out and need replacement. It's not a big problem for a buyer of a used car - when you buy something used, you already know that you will have to service it somehow.

But here are the problems with used Audi cars:

1. Transmissions. Unfortunately, a lot of Audi vehicles have dual-clutch transmissions that are known for great shifting but extremely poor quality. These transmissions need repair every 100,000 miles or even more often, and the repair is very expensive, of course.
2. Turbochargers. Nearly all engines in Audi vehicles are now turbocharged. And here you get another problem. Audi turbos are efficient and the engines are quite powerful, but they aren't very durable. At 150,000 miles you are guaranteed to have some problems with your turbo.
3. Body problems. Although Audi is thought to be one of the manufacturers that care about the body protection of the vehicle, we've seen a lot of rusty Audis that weren't even 10 years old. This makes us think that the body protection is very bad and you will need to pay attention to rust.
4. Engine problems. If you are getting one of those base trims with just a simple naturally aspirated engine, it can be very durable. But all those TFSI engines are not durable at all. They are driven like sports cars, but they actually aren't made for sports.
5. Service quality. Not all Audi owners go to official Audi dealers when they need to have the oil and filter changed in their cars. Just because official dealers are extremely expensive. So, they try to save up some money and buy bad oil, cheap filters, and bad parts killing their vehicles faster.
6. Overall longevity. If you just search through Audi forums online, you will find out that starting at 150,000 miles, nearly all Audis have a lot of technical issues. They may cost you a fortune to deal with, so this is the limit where longevity ends.

Audi vehicles have an average longevity of 150,000 to 200,000 miles. It's not a lot at all. And this is one of the reasons why they are so cheap when they come to the 150,000-mile mark or to 15 years of age. This makes them old and shabby cars that need maintenance and repair every other month.

If you count up all the money you'll spend on repair, you will not be so sure that you want to buy such a car. But you may be lucky and you may buy a vehicle that was used and serviced properly. In this case, your Audi may go up to 250,000 miles. But these Audis are so rare that we wouldn't even hope to find something like that on the market.

How much are those "cheap" Audis?

We tried to find some Audi vehicles on the market that are offered for sale and we weren't very glad about the prices.

Here are just some examples:

• A 2009 Audi A3 will probably cost around $7000. It's not that much, but you are getting a 13-year-old vehicle with a massive history and some certain problems.
• A 2014 Audi Q5 in a good condition will probably cost around $16,000. Yes, this car is younger and it cost a lot when it was new, but anyway, it will have around 100,000 miles and only a little left for you.
• A 2015 Audi A8 will probably cost up to $35,000 but it depends on the trim, of course. We don't know if it's worth buying this car because you can actually buy some new vehicle with this money.
• A 2012 Audi A7 is worth around $20,000. Why so expensive? Because when new it cost a fortune. And now it may still be in a good condition because these vehicles were usually bought by people who have some money.
• A 2015 Audi Q7 in a good condition and with 50,000 miles on the clock will cost over $25,000. It's a lot, but at least you get a vehicle that is fun to drive.

We don't see any reason to pay that much for an Audi that is used and has a lot of miles on the clock. Better use this money to get a good loan for your new car.

How to get your used Audi much cheaper?

You can try some alternative methods than just buying your Audi from a used-car dealer. These companies are the most expensive place where you can buy a car. If you actually want to get a 10-year-old Audi for the 20% of the price of the new one, you should find some other ways.

For example, try salvage auctions. There you can buy vehicles that have minor damages or are just repossessed. After some repair, these vehicles will be cheaper than the same car from a dealer.

You may also try to find some vehicles from private sellers. Use eBay or some other services like this. One good thing is that you can bargain and get a better price. Sometimes, the price will be twice lower than from a dealer.

Find alternative ways and get your Audi much cheaper than you expect. This way, it will be a good purchase because you will have much lower risks.

Final words

Unfortunately, buying a used Audi vehicle is not always a good idea. Very often, you will get not only a vehicle but also a big set of problems with it. A lot of high-mileage Audis are awful in terms of quality. We don't recommend getting an Audi car that is over 12 years old and that has over 120,000 miles on the clock.

Also, we don't recommend buying a very expensive used Audi car. Better check whether you have any alternative ways to purchase the vehicle of your dreams.