A4 or 508 or 3 series

Chris100

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Chris100
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Dave123 said:
What variant is the one to go for then - SE? Is it just the S-Line or also the Black, S & RS?
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What roads are on your commute?

I had an A5 sline black edition with 19” wheels on it.

It had the DSG box, my commute was around 22 miles each way on a mix of A roads and dual carriageway and honestly I found it a very comfortable car.

I also drove it from Scotland to the Cotswolds a far few times, and it never felt like I had just driven for 5 hours
 

Dave123

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Are the auto boxes any good in the A4 or A5? I've only driven manual, but for commuting into Belfast an auto might result in less fatigue.
Speaking of auto boxes how do they behave in snow and when towing?

Any thoughts on this? If I opt for an 4door A5 I'd be inclined to try an auto box. Never drove an auto in my life so I know nothing about them. Might be nice crawling in traffic during the boring commute rather than up and down between 1st and 2nd in a manual.
 

Dave123

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Chris100 said:
What roads are on your commute?

I had an A5 sline black edition with 19” wheels on it.

It had the DSG box, my commute was around 22 miles each way on a mix of A roads and dual carriageway and honestly I found it a very comfortable car.

I also drove it from Scotland to the Cotswolds a far few times, and it never felt like I had just driven for 5 hours
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Would be 100 mile round trip. About 10 miles of B Roads, another 10 of A roads, then dual and motorway, plus a bit of city traffic to get from west link to office.
Social would be a mixture of A roads and a small bit of B roads
 

Lyons

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Lyons
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Texarkana
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I think I’d be going for a 3L A4 or A5.

Skoda Superb Sportline and Passat R Line would be worth a look too, good value for money. Passat seems to be even cheaper actually!
 

Nicky Glanza

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Nicky Glanza
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Chris100 said:
What roads are on your commute?

I had an A5 sline black edition with 19” wheels on it.

It had the DSG box, my commute was around 22 miles each way on a mix of A roads and dual carriageway and honestly I found it a very comfortable car.

I also drove it from Scotland to the Cotswolds a far few times, and it never felt like I had just driven for 5 hours
Click to expand...
The a5 is a far comfier ride than the a4 for sure
 

kharma45

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kharma45
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Belfast
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981 S / 530d
Dave123 said:
Are the auto boxes any good in the A4 or A5? I've only driven manual, but for commuting into Belfast an auto might result in less fatigue.
Speaking of auto boxes how do they behave in snow and when towing?

Any thoughts on this? If I opt for an 4door A5 I'd be inclined to try an auto box. Never drove an auto in my life so I know nothing about them. Might be nice crawling in traffic during the boring commute rather than up and down between 1st and 2nd in a manual.
Click to expand...
Auto + adaptive cruise control = dream
 

Dave123

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Lyons said:
I think I’d be going for a 3L A4 or A5.

Skoda Superb Sportline and Passat R Line would be worth a look too, good value for money. Passat seems to be even cheaper actually!
Click to expand...
Insurance on a 3L would be crippling!

What sort of A5 could I get or aim for around the £12k - £13k mark? Does quattro require expensive tyres? Is the 6 spd Tiptronic, 7 spd tronic or 8 spd Tiptronic the better option - or manual?

Seen 508 online for £15k, 2019, 33k miles. Although I'm put off by it having 3 owners and only covered 33k. If I could get one with a few more miles might come better to me.
kharma45 said:
Auto + adaptive cruise control = dream
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Show ACC slow you down when you enter restricted speed zones and speed you up yon exit?
 

kharma45

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kharma45
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Belfast
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Dave123 said:
Show ACC slow you down when you enter restricted speed zones and speed you up yon exit?
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I would assume more modern cars can. My 5 Series is fairly old at this point so it just goes at whatever speed you set the cruise, and will brake and accelerate when traffic comes into range to maintain distance.
 

Dave123

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I've not bought from a dealer in over 10yrs now. What realistically can you expect to get knocked off the ticket price these days?
 

Coog

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Coog
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It really depends on the dealer. Some will move very little unless you're taking finance, or might give a bit more warranty. Others are easier worked with. Last car I bought he dropped it over 10% but that's mainly because I was heading back to NI with it and so wouldn't be torturing him for warranty work.
 

Rigger

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Rigger
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XJR 575, A4
I'm looking to swap my A4 Avant SE Technik. Test driving two S-Line A4 Avants on Tuesday. One a petrol manual the other a diesel auto. Also looking at an Octavia VRs estate. Love the idea of a Beemer 3 series, but last one I drove with offset pedals wasn't kind on my knees.

Not looked at a 508 tbh.
 

Dave123

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Coog said:
It really depends on the dealer. Some will move very little unless you're taking finance, or might give a bit more warranty. Others are easier worked with. Last car I bought he dropped it over 10% but that's mainly because I was heading back to NI with it and so wouldn't be torturing him for warranty work.
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I was hoping to avoid finance.

Rigger said:
I'm looking to swap my A4 Avant SE Technik. Test driving two S-Line A4 Avants on Tuesday. One a petrol manual the other a diesel auto. Also looking at an Octavia VRs estate. Love the idea of a Beemer 3 series, but last one I drove with offset pedals wasn't kind on my knees.

Not looked at a 508 tbh.
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What was the auto box like in the diesel?

I've my eye on a 508, so I might go and at least sit in it to see if i like the i-cockpit. Anyone know if thw 2019 model would have HUD?
 

gcon45

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gcon45
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South Derry
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and rides
Dave123 said:
I've not bought from a dealer in over 10yrs now. What realistically can you expect to get knocked off the ticket price these days?
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I got laughed at by a dealer over in GB for asking if there was any movement on the price of a car on a cash sale a while back.

He said not only was there no discount to be had he then proceeded to tell me there was a £99 “administration” fee on top of the asking price.

It’s just a different culture over here.
We’re all guilty of treating anything for sale like it’s trying to buy a heifer.
 
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