Hmmm, do you really want a car used mostly for cold start short trips and which has been T-bone crashed?
@ucbalumnus we were just speculating, in jest.
That’s what we did (and a big part of the reason why). Plus, none of their friends will know how, so you don’t have to worry about someone else driving their car.
They call a stick shift the, “millennial anti-theft device.”
Honda CRV or Subaru Forester, Outback, Outback Sport.
AWD, safe, reliable and very plentiful on the resale market.
I’d pick those over any Audi (pricey) or Volvo (very safe but not so reliable imo).
I just did a quick Craigslist check. The first Accord I came across is a 2007 with 130,000 on it for $4,000. The 2007 Audi that I’m looking at was adult owned, always garaged, appears to be in significantly better cosmetic condition, both inside and out and has a comprehensive maintenance history. It has 150,000 miles on the odometer and costs $600 more than the Accord. It makes it hard to choose.
The next Craigslist Accord is a 2008 with slightly higher miles in “good” condition that costs $400 more than the Audi.
Honda owners obviously feel they need to get repaid.
It appears older luxury car owners are less dependent on funds raised from a sale so they price their cars more fairly.
I’m a little confused because 4K for an Accord with 130K sounds like a good price and the Lexus is about in the same ballpark (20K more miles for $600 more). If anything all you’re showing is that luxury cars lose their value faster. If you want the name that’s fine, but I’m not sure a Lexus is any more reliable than the Honda.
I am not sure that pricing of used cars works based on how much the owner wants/needs for the vehicle.
Disclaimer: We are a 3 honda family at the moment. I’m nothing if not brand loyal! That said, I think Hondas hold their resale value because you can expect to get a longer life out of them than some other brands. Also, parts are much cheaper - Audis are ranked as one of the more expensive cars to maintain.
What is the maintenance/repair cost of Honda versus Audi?
You might want to check with your insurance as well, as they might be rated quite differently.
Not confusing at all. The cost to repair and maintain the two are worlds apart. Thousands of dollars per year difference. Even the oil changes will be different, like $50 for the Accord vs. $200 for the Audi. Not only that, but the Accord uses regular gas vs the premium gas used by the Audi. Around here, the difference is about $7 every time you fill up the tank. Even the tires will be more expensive for an Audi vs an Accord.
My mechanic (who I trust - I’ve seen him tell people not to repair something because it will cost more than the car is worth) had the best line about Audis. I was in love with the new Q7 and was seriously thinking of buying one. I figured it couldn’t be any worse to maintain than my Mercedes SUV. He laughed at me and said “you know how we’re good friend now, right?” Of course - he’s been doing all my car repairs and maintenance for years, I was one of his first customers when he started his own shop. I nodded. He laughed and said, “if you get an Audi, we’re going to be spending so much time together we’ll be BEST friends then.”
Message received.
He helped me pick out a good car for my son - an Accord - and while it was only gently used literally the only things we’ve done to it in four years / 40,000 miles have been regularly scheduled maintenance (oil, wiper blades) and put gas in it. Can’t imagine that would have been true for a gently used Audi…
In our area Accords are a “high theft risk” with insurance companies.
They’re high theft risk because even the thieves recognize they’re a good car. 
Owners set the price, some charge more…some charge less.
For a young driver, I’d always choose the cheap to maintain vehicle, most things being equal. Our mechanic said you can’t go wrong with TOYOTA or Honda. We prefer TOYOTA ourselves over Honda. The Honda Accord we had was from brother who bought it used from Hertz and never drove quite as expected. We were happy to give it back to my brother when he wanted it
Like I said earlier, over the course of 25 years I had 2 Accords. I’ve been a Honda person though I currently drive a Toyota.
What you said above is partially what worries me about a used Honda. Everyone says Hondas, “run forever.” I’ve heard dozens of Honda owners brag that they only have to do oil changes and put gas in them. I was one of those people.
If I’m buying a high mileage used car I’d like it to have had significantly more than oil changes. I never replaced a water pump in either of my Accords. The only reason I got rid of the most recent one is because the drive belt failed in my driveway(I never replaced the belts in either Accord). I feel like Accord owners dump their high mileage cars to stay ahead of neglected maintenance. Hondas run forever…
Now, I know an Audi is significantly more expensive to fix/maintain. If, and it’s a big If because I haven’t seen the owners maintenance records, the current owner already replaced the water pump and drive belt(s) and completed other major maintenance I could make out pretty well. If the tires are decent I won’t have to replace them for years. Audi recommends a 7,500-10,000 mile interval for oil changes. That would probably amount to one oil change per year.
The other wrinkle is the young-ish guy that lives a few houses away. He’s an Audi master mechanic. I texted him the Craigslist link and he told me to jump on the car quickly. I’m not doing anything quickly. The car is over an hour away. Hopefully I’ll go check it out this weekend. I already checked, there’s an Audi dealership 15 minutes from where the car is located. They offer a comprehensive pre-purchase inspection similar to their certified pre-owned process for $140. The current owner already agreed to let me take the car in for a once over.
If it really is a car that was always garaged, babied and maintained meticulously it should show in that inspection. If it doesn’t live up to the hype then it’s $140 we’ll spent anyway.
Only half of how used car prices are set. Sellers set an offering price but buyers have to want buy at that price. No one cares how much you may need or not need the funds from the sale. So the idea that luxury car owners don’t need the funds so they sell their used cars more fairly isn’t how it works. Many luxury car owners are struggling to make payments. And many wealthy people drive Hondas.
Agree with post 111. If going the route of luxury, I’d pick a used Lexus ES over used Audi - the ES is a Camry and can be easily repaired with Toyota parts by mechanics familiar with Toyotas. Plus, the ES is unsexy enough for the young man not to be incentivized to burn rubber. 
I would avoid anything with “sport” in it.
Buying a high mileage used car isn’t fun. I’d prefer to purchase from an owner rather than a used car dealership that sells auction cars.
I’m heading up to test drive the Audi tomorrow. If it appears and operates as nicely as the photos and description indicate I’ll have a pre-purchase inspection done next week before I make a final decision.
I plan to pull a Carfax report on it tonight as well. I totally understand that a Carfax report isn’t necessarily comprehensive, but it should indicate major points of concern, or conversely, could demonstrate a history of excellent maintenance. If you’ve ever looked at a Carfax report for a used car you know they can have very few maintenance line items, but sometimes you get lucky and they have 25-30. Prior to purchasing a Carfax you can submit the VIN number and they inform you about the number of line items the report has. I was shocked to see there were 52 line items for this Audi. That’s either REALLY positive or REALLY negative.
I’m still hesitant to purchase a “luxury” car. My gut tells me this is a good deal if the maintenance record checks out.
As an aside, we just spent $1,800 on maintenance for my older son’s 2007 Toyota with 100,000 miles on it while he was home for break. That’s 40% of the purchase price of the Audi. At least I can sell the Audi if things don’t work out…