Lexus or Audi

terrible one

American Made
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So I’m looking for my next car and I’m debating between a 2015 Lexus IS 250 or a 2015 Audi A4. It’s going to be a daily driver, and currently I put on 15-20k miles a year. So I want to be comfortable, don’t need anything fast or super good handling.
I’ve never owned a ‘luxury’ car. Curious as to the reliability of the two? Any common problems? Any other info would be great.

Thanks for the help
 

Nukem1040

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Audi all the way! We’re going to be buying our 3rd Q5. Isn’t Lexus made by Toyota?
Two completely separate classes. All you see on the Europe Autobahn are Audi’s, Mercedes, BMW, and VW’s.You won’t regret the Audi. Lexus would fall apart at 100+ cruising speed.


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Nukem1040

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After reading all your responses, Have any of you ever owned or driven in an Audi?
They are low maintenance because of the quality parts. Oil change costs just as much as my 2018 Eco with full synthetic. Sure, if a sensor goes out, it could cost $100-$500 more than the American car, but what’s the odds of that sensor going out? You guys are over exaggerating on the “boat payments”.
Audi is built to last with quality parts and an amazing luxury feeling.


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steve-099xlt

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Brother has a 14 S4, very nice, fun car, but it is not cheap to fix when things break. Luckily he has been able to do most of the work himself, parts are still not cheap though.
 

madscotsman

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Wife has a 2017 Audi A3. It's been in the shop 1x other than oil changes. It's a beast in the snow, and the Audi quality seems top notch IMO. We had a loaner prestige Q7 for a month while he car was in the shop (recall that required a new AIRBAG harness for the passenger seat that Audi hadn't made yet). Now the wife wants a Q7 when her lease is up next summer. May just buy out the lease on the A3, get an extended warranty, and give the car to my son then.
 

brigs

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I would say Lexus either way, but especially because you're buying used. New, the Audi would be fine until it's out of warranty. Had both Lexus and Audi in the family.
 

Sn95Snake

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I personally would go with the Lexus for two reasons. One Lexus has a much better reputation in the reliability department. Two Lexus holds its value much better then Audi, German cars depreciate ridiculously fast.
 

Voltwings

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I got my 2017 A4 a few months ago after browsing the "luxury" brands, and my personal opinion is Audi > Lexus. The one caveat is I would get a B9 A4 over the B8.

The lexus just had an uninspired interior to me. It wasn't poor quality, but some things were in odd places, and it somewhat felt like if you asked a person who had never been in a "luxury car" what their idea of a luxury car was. Everything was just close, but not quite.

The Audi, while "plain" is executed perfectly, everything falls to hand perfectly and all the dials and switches give amazing feedback. I'd also bet the engine is under rated, because this thing is a lot quicker than 250 hp and full time AWD would lead you to believe. I'll admit I was put off by German car's reputations initially, but after getting in here and looking at it and working on a few things, it's no different than any other car. Just nuts and bolts. I'm also getting over 30 mpg consistently (80-90% highway driving) which I'm quite happy with.

If I was going Japanese, I'd be going Acura. Still have my eye on that new RDX for the wife in a few years.

I personally would go with the Lexus for two reasons. One Lexus has a much better reputation in the reliability department. Two Lexus holds its value much better then Audi, German cars depreciate ridiculously fast.

All "Luxury" brands do, its because the prices are so inflated from the get go that people just lease them, and then leased cars hit the market at actual market value. My A4 new would have been like $48k roughly. I bought it 2 years old with 28k miles on it for $28, and I feel it's every bit of $28k... 48k, not so much.
 

02silver2v

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I have an Audi 2018 SQ5 and the wife has a 2018 IS350 FSport. Both are very quality cars. I think long term the Lexus will be the car to own if you plan to own it for a while. It is quiet and actually has plenty of power and really it is the car you get in and know it will be starting every time without issue and looks good getting you from A to B. I bought both cars brand new and the Audi has been in the shop 3 or 4 times now for very random things. The most recent, which I find really strange, is the thermostat got stuck open with 11K miles on it causing the car to get very hot and go into Limp Mode. Also had both taillights, at different times, go dead. Lexus, knock on wood, literally hasn't had a single hiccup. Besides brakes and tires on the Lexus I think it is a very low maintenance car with fantastic reliability.
 

AustinSN

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Audi is one of those brands that I like. They look extremely good, sound good, are cool, ride well, decently fast, everything inside them is comfortable.

But I'd definitely be buying the IS if I had to pick one though.

I know far too many people with significant issues with them. Actually, I'm struggling to think of a single person who owns one who hasn't had significant issues with them. I have a buddy who just picked up an A4 and hasn't had any problems with it, but the car also had quite a bit of work done before he got it. Not sure if that counts. It's also only been like 2-3 months.

I had a rental A4 last month and it was top 3 in the rental cars I've ever had.
 

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