New York City’s stop and go traffic can wear cars out quickly, which is why we have compiled a list of the top 5 reasons why you should purchase an out of state Audi. When looking for a deal there are many German luxury and performance cars that can be had for a fraction of their original price when new. We find many customers tend to buy cars locally for the sake of convenience. Most of us are at work 9-5 and have a limited amount of time to go car shopping, so looking local tends to be the most convenient option. Unfortunately, due to city driving conditions used Audi models found in New York tend to have more issues for the following reasons.
1. Audi Suspension Wear
City Driven car see much more abuse to the vehicles suspension system. The Audi might drive fine for the test drive, but might be one pot hole away from a component failing. As you will test drive the car in the city you will be limited to city speeds so you will not get a full feel for how the car handles at 70 to 85 miles per hour. It might have some noticeable wheel vibration or might not drive straight at speed. You might be buying a car that suffers from bent rims or major suspension wear that can cost you thousands to repair. Out of state cars that log most of their miles on the highway don’t experience suspension wear at the same rate as city cars.
2. Auto Body Damage
Cars that spend time in New York City quickly get their bumpers covered in dings and scrapes caused by people that don’t know how to drive and parallel park by braille. Other common damage we see if from door dings caused by people who double park and swing their doors open denting any other car in their path. Outside of New York City parking lots are plentiful and much wider. This reduces the chances of cars getting dinged up or needing auto body work and paint.
3. Engine Wear
Stop and go traffic causes a lot more engine wear than highway driving. Accelerating out of red lights and constant idling causes engine components to wear faster and cause leaks. Engines were designed to be mostly be cruising at a constant speed with air rushing through the radiator and other components keeping them cool. An Audi with high highway miles is more desirable than a car with lower stop and go city miles and will be cheaper to buy due to the mileage.
4. Auto Body Rust
New York has some brutal snowy winters. Whenever snow is expected the City responds by coating all roads in salt. When the salt combines with slush from the snow it lodges itself between the sheet metal in your car. This causes serve rust which can use suspension and other components to fail prematurely. Also causes the frame to rot. On older cars like Audi B5 series A4 models we have seen substancial rust caused by winters in New York. Rust tends to remain hidden during a test drives and is mostly found through pre-purchase inspections. It is better to consider cars that have spent more time down south where snow is rare and roads don’t get salted every time it snows.
5. Transmission Wear
Similar to engine wear, transmission like to sit in one gear at a low constant RPM. Every time the car is at a red light the transmission has to go through gears to shortly hit another red light and start all over again. This causes more wear and tear on transmission components leading to transmission failure sooner rather than later.
When looking to purchase a used Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Land Rover, Volkswagen, or Mini we always recommend that you look at a car that hasn’t seen much city driving. Regardless of where you find the car you are looking for we always recommend a pre-purchase inspection by us at S-line Autoworks to avoid buying a lemon.
