Hello all. Long time lurker, I think I've posted only once on this site, but I am wondering if anyone can help me with this quandary:
My family has always been Lexus fans, from our very first 1994 LS400, to my mom's 99 RX300 and my dad's current 2003 LS430. I have since inherited the LS400, and it has had no major mechanical problems except for a suspension and coil which apparently had broken in half. (I'm not a mechanic so I don't know how much that happens, but I live in Michigan and the potholes here perhaps had more than a little to do with it.) With about 106,000 miles there is only the normal problems listed elsewhere on this site (A/C display, flickering dash, etc.) Recently there has been feedback through the steering wheel, and a low groaning coming from the front end when I turn at low speeds. The dealer said that this was due to a leak in the power steering pump, and in the meantime I have held off on fixing it.
So anyways...my question is, a friend who is a private dealer has a 1998 Audi A8 4.2 quattro which he is selling for about $15,000, and I have no idea about Audi reliability. $15k is less than KBB/Edmunds prices for private party/dealer, but I am concerned 1) about long term reliability for Audi's and 2) resale value compared to my LS400. The car itself looks solid, and 4-wheel drive would help in the winter. This may be better answered through an Audi owner's website but I was interested to see what Lexus owners may say. I would like to stick with my current car, but if the power steering becomes a bigger problem (needs replacement) I think selling it may be smarter.
Anyways, thanks for reading this post. Big fan of this site.