<p>Never had an Audi I’ve had a BMW 3 and 5 series, and Mercedes 3. Both BMWs were completely free of mechanical issues. Mercedes was most fun to drive, easy to handle. And had a ton of issues with low profile tires and the DFW potholes in streets. 5 flat tires in 3 months and I was done with my middle aged crazy sports car urge.</p>
<p>But it was fun when it lasted.</p>
<p>If it’s a company car, the company will look after the maintenance so the OP won’t have to worry about that aspect. My H is a car nut as I’ve mentioned here before. In his opinion, nothing beats German engineering. We’ve had all three brands, although the Mercedes have been mine not his. He loves BMWs, has had a 6 series, two X3s, a couple of 5 series, and his favorite an M3. The car he currently drives the most is an Audi S4, which he enjoys a lot. It’s great to drive, handles well, and hasn’t had any issues. Years ago he had an Audi All-Road which was a great, great car. I loved driving that one. Again, no issues. There’s one Mercedes that is really a great car but I don’t think it’s sold in the U.S., which I’ve never understood. It’s the B-200. One of my Ds has one and it’s a very cool car. Lots of space, easy to drive, comfortable, very peppy if you get the turbo.</p>
<p>Lexus?</p>
<p>I drove Audis for 18 years. Loved the ride, hated the maintenance.</p>
<p>If you hurry up you can still buy a Saab (and another for spare parts :-)).</p>
<p>“Audi A4, too boring. There’s 1000000 of them on the road.” - DH would like to make that 1000001. Darn, not liking all the negatives regarding maintenance.</p>
<p>You will get many many data points, but I’ve had an MB (again–very expensive repairs), a BMW (most fun to drive, although it was a stick), but have gone all Japanese the last decade or so. I’ve had two Lexi and nary a problem with either. (I can tell you about DH’s 4Runner still going strong at 240,000 miles.) The word I’ve heard on Audis is they’re great cars–for the first 60,000 miles. Good friend recently had to just plain return a new X5 because it was such a lemon.</p>
<p>However, keep in mind it’s kinda like the Accord/Camry debate. The guy is choosing among three very good cars, and chances are he’ll have a fine experience with any of them, particularly if they’re new. I’d recommend he go with the one he’s most comfortable driving in.</p>
<p>I have a co-worker with an A6 and and X5 and he told me about the various problems that he had with both vehicles and that was within the first 60,000 miles. Stuff like the brakes being flaky on the A6 and he had to have the major brake parts replaced at his expense.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the comments.</p>
<p>He is a senior partner in medical practice. The practice will pay upto certain amount for lease & fuel expense. The maint. comes from our pocket .
My husband is ( was ?? ) a mild mannered nerdy guy- suddenly he is looking at fast cars, wants to do white water rafting, paragliding.I think getting AARP invit inthe mail has lot to do with it.</p>
<p>I told him that he can choose a fast car & but he is stuck with old Indian model for wife.</p>
<p>We are going this weekend to test drive all three & compare.</p>
<p>How is the driving expereince with Lexus?</p>
<p>My issue with maintenance is the time to bring it in and setup alternate transportation, along with the worry over potential problems. I don’t mind paying for maintenance though for me it got excessive on Audis and BMWs.</p>
<p>DH describes my ES350’s ride as “soft”, but that’s from a guy who’s been driving 4Runners for 20 years. FWIW, the Lexus LS 460L got the highest rating I’ve ever seen on Consumer Reports. </p>
<p>And I agree with BCEagle. Doesn’t matter who’s paying for repairs, it’s a hassle to deal with them. I just want a car that’s going to start every time I get in it.</p>
<p>My uncle in Sheridan, Wyoming bought a new Mercedes once. He would only let the Mercedes dealer do his oil changes. The dealership he went to was in Denver! By the time he got down there and back to Sheridan it was time for another oil change.</p>
<p>I have had Mercedes for years - first their E class station wagon then their R class “minivan” (MB won’t call it a minivan but it is). I loved the R class so much that when it was totaled in an accident that I had nothing to do with I kept looking for a replacement but came back to the new diesel version. I will say that maintenance was a pain (ie - frequent brake replacement) with the first two cars but this new one (about 1 1/2 years old now) is MUCH better, other than one oil change with 22,000 miles I’ve had no problem at all. It also comes with drive on flat tire which has come in very handy twice so far.</p>
<p>My husband is an Audi person and currently has the S4 which is a souped up A4. It’s a little small in the back seat so I would have preferred the S6 but mostly he just takes it to the train station so it’s fine. The S version really does make it a tighter, faster car so if you’re husband is looking for a sporty sedan he should look into the S version of an Audi.</p>
<p>I also have a Porsche Boxster which I love but am looking to replace with either the Carerra (sp?) for the tiny back seat or maybe something even more indulgent. It’s funny but my husband can’t stand the real sporty cars and I love them so he sort of lives vicariously through my having one.</p>
<p>I recently purchased a new Audi Q5 to replace my Acura MDX. Previous to the MDX, I drove a BMW. I have to say that of all the cars I’ve owned, I am enjoying the Audi most of all.</p>
<p>I have not had any maintenance issues, but I did purchase the Audi Care program which provides maintainence for 4 years at a fixed cost.</p>
<p>I’ve owned BMWs and I’ve owned Audis. (Right now I’m driving a Ford Escape, though, because of my dogs.) The Audis had better handling: Quattro is amazing. Maintenance is not cheap on either BMW or Audi but I think BMW still has their four-year-maintenance plan in place. That’s something to check.</p>
<p>I have a BMW 335 coupe and it is great fun to drive. I originally thought I’d get the 328 but when I test drove both of them, there was no comparison. And when the salesman said that the 335 was “basically a racecar” the decision was made. I should note that my two previous cars were a minivan and a station wagon so this was quite a departure for me.</p>
<p>The one thing I don’t like about it - actually hate about it - is that it’s so low to the ground in front that I’m constantly crunching the underside of the front bumper. I’m told that some people actually tear the bumper off when it gets stuck on one of those cement blocks in a parking space. I have to avoid steep driveways too. Quite a bore. Then again, as I said, it has fantastic pickup and grips the road great. I love my sports seats that hold my back in place as I take turns. I only wish I had more opportunities to drive fast. I’m such a law abider that the car is sort of wasted on me.</p>
<p>Forgot to say that the car is still under warranty and has been pretty much trouble free. H has a 2006 5 series that hasn’t had many problems either.</p>
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<p>Especially on snow. It’s really easy to do a 180 in the snow with a Quattro. Just go into a turn, hit the gas and the rear-end kicks out and you’re facing the opposite direction!</p>
<p>I say stay with Japanese rides unless H is fantasizing about racing on the Autobahn (in which case I would recommend a BMW). I’ve had fantastic experiences with Toyota & Subaru. The family currently owns 2 Subu Foresters ('99 & '06), a '03 Toyota 4Runner, and a '11 Toyota Rav4. I will eventually trade the '03 into a new 4Runner when Toyota offers a gold or beige color again. Lexus is certainly an upgrade over Toyota but not worth the extra $$$ in this economy. Practical is chic nowadays.</p>
<p>Get a M5. It is legen…wait for it…dary. :D</p>
<p>My wife’s Lexus has been really trouble free.</p>
<p>
I found this to be a problem for pretty much all luxury cars, unless you want an SUV. Also, I found that they were all pretty hard to see out of for a tall person. What I eventually bought was a Subaru Outback station wagon (the “L.L. Bean” model). I really like it. I haven’t looked at the latest model to see if it is still good for a tall person, though.</p>
<p>This is SO analogous to Ivy searches . . .</p>
<p>those are 3 “prestige” makes that cost a lot . . . for some people whether they are good cars or not for their use is incidental to the brand names</p>
<p>others . . like Hunt . . . look for cars that “fit”</p>