bigworm000

Need some advice from a specific people group about buying a new car. Im almost 30, about to have children and need to consider that as I venture into another car. Have had a '01 B5 A4 QMS since 2001 so I keep cars for quite a while. I have about $22k to spend.

With the above options, and realizing the obvious audi bias here, I wanted to poll the audience to see what you guys think. Im particularly interested in those people who have children and use the backseat with baby seats. Im not buying the car as the primary baby carrier though, as thats my wife's car. But, i will obviously have to occasionally put them in there. I rarely put full adults back there as well so im not TOO worried about rear space. The baby seat issue is something that I would need people on here to sound off on.

But, aside from all that, do you guys have opinions about the cars? The TL would be the most reliable/cheapest to own and the BMW would probably be the opposite. But, the bimmer is probably more pure fun. The Audi is beautiful, especially in white/black combo.

Ok. Thoughts?

nickstock

Audi Avant if you can...hard to come by in manual, but worth it (I've owned two so far). I have a 19 month old son who occasionally travels in the car seat in the back, no problem. The extra trunk space is handy for oversized strollers etc...

Best of luck.

Nick

whooosh_s4

Yes, you'll find Audi bias here? Well the TL is probably the cheapest, enough said.

Do you ever drive in questionable weather? The Audi is best in that. As for fun, I wouldn't say the Bimmer has the corner on that. The 328i is rated 230-240hp if I'm correct, the Audi is easy that with a flash, more with exhaust and intake, and you can go nuts from there. I guess you can go to Dinan for the Bimmer, but I think it's way more expensive than APR or Revo (or similar Audi tuner). The B7 cars have great suspension and brakes compared to the older cars, but of course you can do things there too if you're not satisfied. Sure the Bimmer can be tuned too (I always think tuning down the road as a possibility). Personally I've always felt a bit cramped in friend's Bimmer cockpits? I like the slightly more room we have in the Audi.

TL, Nah, stay German. If you're doing only dry weather driving, you could do the Bimmer, but if you're asking folks on an Audi list.....

bigworm000

Yeah, I hear all of that and mostly agree. The TL is the smart choice (the little angel on my shoulder is telling me to get that one). I mean, its probably the fastest as well, but, I am thinking about fun right now. I have no kids and this first car needs to satisfy the fun quotient and simply be able to accommodate a car seat. All 3 can do that, with the TL winning again in that category.

But, the fun quotient I think has to go to bimmer. I love the sound of the inline 6 and am someone who really appreciates sound (love high end speakers too, so maybe there's a correlation). I have had a b5 A4 1.8T for 10 years and as much as i love that car, it does nothing for me audibly. Especially when one puts a nice exhaust on the bimmer (ive heard them mostly on youtube) that engine comes alive. I know one can put exhaust on the 2.0T A4 but I think the consensus on the boards here is that the engine doesnt exactly sound great.

However, I think the B7 titanium edition is one amazingly sexy car that looks better than both of them combined. I know that the Audi is awesome, but im struggling with the rawness of the bimmer and the practicality of the TL.

Anyways, thanks for the opinion. I do love the Audi, or I obviously wouldnt have committed 10 years of my life to one. I need to find one and drive it around here (DC area).

AnewMadrid

this is what i chose.

audi40

Since you're planning to start a family, then you're talking about a rear facing infant seat which is a tighter fit than a forward-facing booster, especially if you're on the tall side and have the driver's seat slid back. From that perspective, I think the TL will be a better "fit" (more practical) than B7.