Audi's.. Why Unpopular

[LivinLOS]

Looking around at the Thai market, of course to my eyes used to Germany and mainland Euro cars things here seem very high but once you get over that and start looking at prices relatively between brands.

Why do Audi's not hold value well ??

This very clean low mileage A6 (its sold BTW)

http://www.one2car.com/CarInfor/cardetails...65005&row=2

leather, electric everything, looks immaculate for 288 asking.. presume 250 - 275 after a hard barter.

Theres lots of 80's 100's even the odd A6 all at the kind of prices that only gets a beaten up very rough BMW.. some of the 80's are on par price wise with old low quality jap cars yet have leather and Audi build quality is likely to last into their later years much better.

Is it just no 'status' or face in having an Audi (doesn't bother me at all) or are they really expensive to get parts or what ?? I know Audi's run for years (I ran an Audi 100 into the ground when I was young and it just wouldn't die on me despite really bad care).. They are big and comfy, soft suspension enough for bad roads. Its a bit of an older guys car in the saloon range, maybe but I really dont give a hoot about image. I showed pics of 80's and 100's and the above A6 to GF and she positively sniffed at the 80 (look old, her response) yet show her a rough, well worn boy raced BMW big nose 5 series and she loves it.

Just wondering why the Audi brand which is one that to me says quality seems not liked here.

[LivinLOS]

Also, why are 99% of the Autos..

Guessing that it was a cheap option add on but unless its in a huge limo style car (730 beemer, big merc) I am not a fan.

[Skyline]

Livin,

To be honest,I think most Euro cars are unsuitable for Thailand.The only cars you ever see broken down at the side of the road are Mercs,BMWs and Audis.They are unreliable compared to the Jap cars and maintenance and spare parts are costly.

My boss has a Mercedes thats less than a year old,he has had nothing but probs with the ###### thing.2 water pumps,3 fuel filters and a new auto transmission have all been replaced,but it continues to be a pile of <deleted>:)

[LivinLOS]

Shocked..

Mercs are the original Beruit taxi.. I myself have driven a couple of older E classes almost into the dust (5k miles a week, nearly 1/2 mil miles over a couple of years) no maintenance, flat out across building sites, I put Audi and VW as almost up there in that bullet proof kind of build also (would love a manual VR6 golf, quiet unnoticed, small for the little roads, and yet powerful, shame its FWD).. Old mercs are trucking on all around Africa with poor maintenance.. Wonder if they are a 'made in Thailand' merc ? Surely not !!!

Beemers being a drivers car do tend to get the crap kicked out of them and they are that bit lighter designed, can get 'wobbly' earlier in life.. A lot of the beemers here seem really poor condition for the money (very old ones get very high money IMO) and I am putting that down to status toys..

I just think you put a Mazda / Nissan / etc up next to an Audi and the Audi wins on every front.. So surprised to see clean leather, luxury Audi's at Jap style prices..

I do have a soft spot for some Hondas though.. Had a great CRX years ago and the engines in those are fun little things. Honda seems to have some passion in their design.

[HDRIDER]

would love a manual VR6 golf, quiet unnoticed, small for the little roads, and yet powerful, shame its FWD

I had one, and it was not FWD

[LivinLOS]

You had a rear wheel drive golf ?? What market was that sold in ??

Cant remember if they made a 4WD in any market.. Didnt think so.. I would have sworn on a pile of money they were FWD only. I never saw one but I heard of an R32 golf, think that included AWD / 4WD..

Edited December 29, 2006 by LivinLOS

[endure]

There was the Golf VR6 4Motion 4 wheel drive available in the UK.

[LivinLOS]

Ok sure will buy that as I had thought there were some 4WD options.. Never seen any VR6's here tho.

Seen a cheap golf that would do OK but its auto.. No way to have a golf set up !!

[HDRIDER]

You had a rear wheel drive golf ?? What market was that sold in ??

Cant remember if they made a 4WD in any market.. Didnt think so.. I would have sworn on a pile of money they were FWD only. I never saw one but I heard of an R32 golf, think that included AWD / 4WD..

Hi, i made a mistake, i thought it was Avd, mine was FWD, sorry

[Thug]

I don't know why Audi's are unpopular here, but I personally like them. The Audi RS4 is a nice car with great design. Also very powerful engine.

[lingnoi34]

Golf Vr6 is NOT a reliable car: elec. problems and timing chain. Latter very expensive to service as engine has to be pulled. If not done chain tensioner gets loose and chain comes off....

I also noticed the A6 (older model) in Bangkok used car lots and thought they were great value...wife said looks too old.

L

Edited December 29, 2006 by lingnoi34

[LivinLOS]

I also noticed the A6 (older model) in Bangkok used car lots and thought they were great value...wife said looks too old.

Funny thats exactly the words my missus used on both the 80 and less so but still unimpressed by the A6..

I dont give 2 hoots about status or perception, just trying to find the best value from what I spend my money on, so much so I can decide if I should spend a bit and go good or low and get a simple runabout (I hardly drive)..

But the A6 I link above, apart from being a little bit of an older man image than something sporty.. I would put that against anything with a 400+ value I have seen, yet its high 200's..

Still not sure I buy the unreliable Audi bit..

Edited December 29, 2006 by LivinLOS

[Meerkat]

Shocked..

Mercs are the original Beruit taxi.. I myself have driven a couple of older E classes almost into the dust (5k miles a week, nearly 1/2 mil miles over a couple of years) no maintenance, flat out

Mercs went downhill a few years ago when the new boss at the time (I forget his name) started a shift in policy away from the old over-engineered models to building to a specific price.

Old Mercs were a joy; new ones just seem to be getting a bad press more and more. There was a JD Powers survey in the UK a couple of years back. Mercs were littered all over the bottom ten out of over a hundred models surveyed.

[CHdiver]

Now the Quality of German Cars went downhill in the late 80's. First Opel (GM), because of Senior Lopez , who pressed out the last drop of the Suppliers to that Make. Than he changed to VW, resulting in a high loss of Quality there too. The Golf I and II (Rabbit for USA) where good reliable Cars, but the later Modells just mediocre. As Audi is part of VW; sharing a lot of Parts incl. sometimes engines, they have the same Problems.

Audi changed there Image in the last 15 years. From a car for the elderly Gentlemen with Hat; to a Carmaker with sporty Image. Hence the Suspensions got harder and harder. I remember my Audi 80 (1995) was a real pain in the ass. The first TT Coupe was uncontrollably at higher speeds when you changed line suddenly. Break problems with A4 and A6 after longer drives in cold wet and salty conditions. Whyle the inside of the VW/Audis is very well done, they still have some technical Problems. But they slowly improve.

Mercedes cut cost in the same time. Modells of the E Class after 1996 even had Rust Problems. The S Class was just a shadow of the earlyer Modells. AFAIK they (E Class) had problems with the Clutch too (Bonanza effect), leading in a Protestdrive from German Taxi Drivers, because the car started like a wild horse. A Class was in need of Wheels on the Roof, so did the Smart (both failed the Elk Test). Mercedes implemented a lot of Computer Technology in the cars. Resulting in Problems, like the drive by wires brakes (who didn't work all the time. That brought them back to reality.

In short; there quality is comparable with my english

Now, better you buy a Japanese Car. While I have had a lot of Problems with my German Cars, I never had with my Japanese Cars.

[endure]

I had an Audi 80 as a company car for 3 years. It was sold with 134,000 miles on the clock and it looked and felt as good as the day it was delivered.

[LivinLOS]

Now the Quality of German Cars went downhill in the late 80's. First Opel (GM), because of Senior Lopez , who pressed out the last drop of the Suppliers to that Make. Than he changed to VW, resulting in a high loss of Quality there too. The Golf I and II (Rabbit for USA) where good reliable Cars, but the later Modells just mediocre. As Audi is part of VW; sharing a lot of Parts incl. sometimes engines, they have the same Problems.

Audi changed there Image in the last 15 years. From a car for the elderly Gentlemen with Hat; to a Carmaker with sporty Image. Hence the Suspensions got harder and harder. I remember my Audi 80 (1995) was a real pain in the ass. The first TT Coupe was uncontrollably at higher speeds when you changed line suddenly. Break problems with A4 and A6 after longer drives in cold wet and salty conditions. Whyle the inside of the VW/Audis is very well done, they still have some technical Problems. But they slowly improve.

Mercedes cut cost in the same time. Modells of the E Class after 1996 even had Rust Problems. The S Class was just a shadow of the earlyer Modells. AFAIK they (E Class) had problems with the Clutch too (Bonanza effect), leading in a Protestdrive from German Taxi Drivers, because the car started like a wild horse. A Class was in need of Wheels on the Roof, so did the Smart (both failed the Elk Test). Mercedes implemented a lot of Computer Technology in the cars. Resulting in Problems, like the drive by wires brakes (who didn't work all the time. That brought them back to reality.

In short; there quality is comparable with my english

Now, better you buy a Japanese Car. While I have had a lot of Problems with my German Cars, I never had with my Japanese Cars.

A post that makes sense.. I wouldnt be thinking of buying any recent mercs, if fact I actually prefer mercs up to the big square Teutonic style or early 90's ones.. I have heard the last square S class to be described as the last over engineered merc.. Like the SEC's from this period also.

Also love the 'bonanza effect' for a term for a jumpy clutch !!

[LivinLOS]

I had an Audi 80 as a company car for 3 years. It was sold with 134,000 miles on the clock and it looked and felt as good as the day it was delivered.

134k miles.. I have taken some cars up over the 400k !!! I ran a business where my car was my office and I did insane hours and miles.. The heavier German cars always were very good for that kind of work.

Despite what many are telling me.. I still think Audis are great cars based on my own experiences, and also think that the price of them seems unusually low compared to the others in the market at this 'low end' price segment.

[tigerbeer]

we drive an audi A6 2.4V6. dad in law bought it brand new about 10 years back. still drives and looks great. had an incident where the compressor broke down but was replaced with a Volvo compressor at a cheaper price. then the power streering pump started leaking but was fixed at about 10,000 baht. 200k on the mileage but still looks good. very high on fuel consumption though but was fixed with a LPG kit. now pay about 600 baht a week.

value is low on the second hand market cause you never know what problems you gonna get on the car when you buy it. Merc hold superb second hand value though. Audi's not as much maintenance as people think. parts pricey yes but lasts a whole long time. 10 years is a long time not to replace any expensive parts. maintenance approx 20,000 a year on average id say.

i'd say buy it only from someone you trust. (if thats possible).

[Digger]

The problem with Audi and VW in Thailand is that while the cars are considered as good and premium vehicles - the importer and distributor is not highly regarded. Lots of history on this if you ask a well to do Thai about it - just think why BMW switched everything to their own, owned sales operation. They used to use the same importer/distributor. Plus of course, not having any spare parts in stock does not exactly go down well with owners as the said importers seem reluctant to hold a sizeable and expensive inventory. VW/Audi have pretty much stated they see no growth in the brand in Thailand until they take control of the whole thing. Read into that what you want but it seems pretty clear to me at least what is their strategy.

[raybkk]

I have been looking to Buy an A6, 2001-2002. They are on sale everywhere for about 800k. What I found out was that the Audi warranty of 5 years or 100000 km has run out so Thai people dont wanna keep driving them as the replacement parts are very very expensive.

Looked at 5 dealers and all 5 dealers refused to have the car tested by:

TestCar Co., Ltd

641/2 Srinakarin Road, Kwaeng Suan Luang,

Khet Suan Luang, Bangkok 10250

The first dealer who tells me I can have the car tested in full with them will be a sale. Ofcourse only if the car is in a good condition.

Must note that they did welcome the tester to come to the dealer, however they cant bring their equipment.

To find a trustworthy dealer is very hard indeed as it seems a bit of a gamble. Not just for Audi.

Edited December 31, 2006 by raybkk

[mbkudu]

Audis and VWs suck bad. Always have electrical problems. If a car is really necessary here,

do yourselves a favor and buy Japanese (especially Toyota).

Oh, I almost forgot; the only worse car is a Saab. That's a pisspoor excuse for an automobile.

Edited December 31, 2006 by mbkudu

[lingnoi34]

I would buy a Honda or a Toyota if I needed a car in LOS unless my company sponsored me with a company car. Then I wouldn't mind a BMW or Merc...

L

[stingray]

Just wondering why the Audi brand which is one that to me says quality seems not liked here.

Audis are much stronger and better quality than japanese cars, but there are two problems. 1. Parts are so expensive. 2. To much electronic. Almost all Europe cars, have a Electronic Engine Management System, full of electronic and nobody, exept a genuine Dealership can repair those cars. Specially when some of this cars was under water, in a flouted area in BKK. They have troubles forever. Japanese cars can fix easy and every Garage can repair them. But i myself prefere Europe cars (a nice BMW or Audy) because the styling of the Japanese cars looks to me very boring. If you buy a Europe Car you have to make sure that everything is in original and good condition. Don't buy some young Boys racingcar with lowered suspension, noisy exhoust, etc. I had BMW for many years wothout troubles. Don't buy one if the engine was overheated in the past. You can see if anyone replaced the cylinderhead gasket in the past. Some Local mechanics not work properly and maybe the "overheat" comes again.

Some of Ford models hat troubles with wiring isolations. They always come of and so we got shorts. Mosthly the Ford Mondeo had this problem.

[pop3]

Why does somebody living here want to buy an imported car with all the imported prices and hassle of finding spare parts ? Im not going to fall for the one there better made.

[solo siam]

VW's, Audis and Mercs all started to go a little downhill in the mid 90's - previous to that they where the most reliable cars in the world, I owned 3 VW Golfs and never had too much trouble but after my first Japanese car I never went back to European. My favourite has to be Toyotas currently, The last 3 cars I have owned have been Toyotas and I've never had a bit of trouble with any of them.

I'd buy a new car if it was me, a Vios, Corrolla or similar - The depreciation here for new cars is negligible, I see cars selling for 250,000 Baht that I could pick up in the UK for less than 50,000 Baht.

[LivinLOS]

Why does somebody living here want to buy an imported car with all the imported prices and hassle of finding spare parts ? Im not going to fall for the one there better made.

I hate to break it to you but theres not too many Thai made cars and parts.. Even if thier were I am not sure I would want anything Thai designed or fabricated.

[LivinLOS]

I'd buy a new car if it was me, a Vios, Corrolla or similar - The depreciation here for new cars is negligible, I see cars selling for 250,000 Baht that I could pick up in the UK for less than 50,000 Baht.

Aint that the truth..

Really I am looking at things in the 150 - 300k range.. And its so hard to commit to buying a 12 year old jap type runabout for that kind of month when your used to paying 40 - 80k for them. Theres a nice sportage but at 250k for a cloth interior Kia.. I mean really !!!

I have seen a clean mazda at just over 100k, its not cool, but its cheap and I can let the missus learn to drive in it. I am thinking just go cheap and not worry about the cool factor.

[steveromagnino]

Audis and VWs have poor resale due to the monopoly distribution rights going to Yontrakit who are renowned to be expensive for repair, with few dealers outside of Bangkok and a shortage of parts. At least Mercs have the grey market parts, as they are the most popular of the Euro cars.

Almost every Thai will tell you that owning a european car is for sure going to require more repairs and visits to repair than a Japanese car; Japanese cars are renowned for reliability and cheap maintenance, but not so much driver experience (whatever that is) and prestige. My family have a Merc and had a BMW and the cost of servicing per visit is around 3X a Japanese car, and the electrics, clutch and various other things suffer here; from uneven roads and the heat; Mercs and BMWs almost always have problems with electrics and aircon at some point; also BMWs tend to have problems with the flooded roads as they are often sitting quite low.

All this applies mostly to C and s series; presumably Audi 4 series are similar; higher up models tend to get more reliable.

BMWs are particularly bad in the 318/316 boxy series that was the last time that Yontrakit built BMWs AFAIK back up until about 1997.

Toyotas and lexus have great relability records in Thailand and everywhere else; I love Audis but their ability to be serviced here leaves something to be desired. Interestingly, Mitsi has the same reputation as it is poorly serviced here by a distributor rather than Mitsi themselves. Hence they have worse resale than Honda or Toyota.

[solo siam]

I'd forget the Kia, heard nothing but bad things about the reliability and ineptitude of the local garage. I'd probably go for the Mazda, I quite like the old Mazda Lantis which can be had in that price range.

[Meerkat]

Why does somebody living here want to buy an imported car with all the imported prices and hassle of finding spare parts ? Im not going to fall for the one there better made.

I hate to break it to you but theres not too many Thai made cars and parts.. Even if thier were I am not sure I would want anything Thai designed or fabricated.

Er...the vast majority of cars on the road in Thailand today are locally made. Indeed Thai-made vehicles and parts are one of the country's largest exports.