Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

QUESTION - my A6 is starting to have age related issues. 2007, 125000 miles. I never liked the car - various small annoying issues with it from day one. MOT due soon and I expect to pay £600+ for service and a few repairs. Car may be worth £1500 ish.

Money is a bit tight at the mo and I don’t think I can stretch to a newer A6 Avant SLine - which I would like.

What are my options? I would not sell this car privately due to the issues with it.

I would like a few options to give me something to think about. My mechanic is VW / Audi and I would try and stay with those makes but anything would be considered.

Why would you get another A6 if you don't like the current one? Most Audis don't change much through the generations.

I had an A6 before my current one. I really loved it. My mechanic bought it from me and it’s still going. The current one seems to be a Friday car - broke down the first week I had it. £1000 to repair but thankfully the garage footed the bill.

I do think a lot of quality control has gone from German Marques.

Moved over to Asia.

Mind u. Not really helping themselves aesthetically either.

Looks like a Kia, abysmal...

If you cover up the whole front, and everything below (but including) the wheel arches it looks ok...

Those arches, wtf?

Designer been looking at Royal Oak n Nautilus too much.

Suddenly Bangle’s ‘flame surfacing’ doesn’t look so bad.

BMW has lost the plot

It is Easter...

I think it depends on what the age related issues are. If they are things that you would expect to wear out (suspension etc) rather than the fundamentals of the car (engine, gearbox etc) then I would be inclined to regard the £600 as a cheap years motoring. I ditched my last Volvo after the replacement steering rack went phut after two years, suggesting to me that something was properly wrong underneath.

I ran complete shitters for years and didn't grudge spending a few quid to get through the MOT if they were fundamentally reliable.

Are the electrics OK?

BMW has lost the plot

This.

Long term BMW fan / owner but they've completely lost it.

Ah, si. I have had a 2011 A3 and currently an A4 Avant. I never loved the A3 but it was good for long drives and felt very solid. Interior was very well made and didn't show its age. No issues apart from a major engine rebuild at 60,000 kilometres. Paid for by Audi. My current A4 actually seems slightly less well built but so far zero issues after 2 years... It's a 2015 model with 70,000 kays. They do a lot of stuff well, just don't engage much as drivers cars. They're a bit dull.

How BMW expect to compete with the Model Y is beyond me. The I3 and I8 were clearly the work of the A team at BMW. The car above is an abomination, both in terms of the engineering and the styling. Looks like that rather than create a new platform they've just stuck the gubbins in an x3.

Agreed. It really feels like they're not taking it seriously.

I can easily see them fading away in the next 5-10 years if they don't transform massively.

Electrics are ok. New drivers door lock is the only electrical issue.

Faults - front OS suspension joint required
Leak in boot - likely rear window
Vibration when accelerating- mechanic can’t work this one out so waiting until some thing breaks
Rust - drivers door and sill - small ish patch but deep rust. Also rust to door near hinges
There is two issues when driving - a sorta looseness when turning at very slow speed and a worrying lack of grip from the rear on occasion.

I should mention I have had a few of these things looked at but nothing was found faulty. New tyre. Alignment. Suspension checked by mechanic.

More pondering - some good points above and thanks for that.
If the car was fundamentally sound, I’d likely not have asked the initial question. The faults which can’t be located are a worry and the issue with cornering is a huge worry.
If I was happy that the car was sound, I’d pay the money to get the repairs done without much of a thought. The expression ‘putting good money after bad’ keeps springing to mind at the moment.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/x/114726660953

I wonder if we'll be kicking ourselves one day for not buying these while they're cheap

Unlikely

I said the same about 205 GTis when I sold one for £300

I've thought for a number of years that VW, Ford, BMW etc were waiting until electrics were viable, then they'd reel out normally styled electrics accross their existing range (including GTI / RS / M versions) and then no-one would buy a Tesla. It's likely a no-brainer that most people would buy a 3-series instead of the Tesla equivalent, whereas I don't think many would buy that BMW above.

It doesn't seem to be happening, and that tipping point for the older manufacturers seems to be here / now more or less.

It doesn't seem to be happening, and that tipping point for the older manufacturers seems to be here / now more or less.

This is one of the main reasons behind the rise of Tesla stock over the last 12 months. Legacy auto manufacturers continue to release sub-par electric cars using their old production methods and outsourced battery tech.

VW seems to be getting there with the ID3 / ID4 but they're still short on range, power and interior design.

The new integrated battery design from Tesla as well as the stamp forming manufacturing process might add another kick in terms of range (25-40%) in the next 18 months which would smoke the competition again.

China are also taking electric vehicles really seriously and I wouldn't be surprised if a few 'go global' in the next 2 years either.

Just perusing liek...

Suddenly...