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There’s just something about Audi that impresses me. My last three cars have all been from this wonderful German manufacturer and I cannot see the time where I think that I will change to a different supplier. Not only are the cars themselves of the upmost quality but I always find that the customer service provided is second to none. At first I thought that this just my local dealer but having travelled to various different ones throughout the country, they are German-like at each branch. Also, they have one of the widest ranges of used cars that I have ever seen and that can be attributed to the fact that they are constantly releasing new models of cars and because of the quality that they bring, people want to buy. This is not only providing constant new stock in a competitive marketplace but also making Audi an awful lot of money as the people trading in their second hand cars are also Audi models. This is why whenever I look around the used cars section of the dealership, many of the cars on show are as good as new and look as though they have never even been driven. Take yesterday for example, I visited my local Audi dealership to find many 2008 vehicle registrations for sale even though the first batch of these was only released in March 2008. Therefore, the maximum age they could be is 8 months old yet the sale price was much lower than if bought brand new. It is now wonder then as to why there were so many people lurking around the used car section and why the salesmen were all busy upon my request for more information about a particular vehicle. It just goes to show then that with a decent product and an excellent service how far companies can go. Add to that an aggressive advertising campaign and the possibilities are endless.

I must admit that this is probably my all time favourite mid-range automobiles – not just from Audi – but from any of the car manufacturers. I think that it is absolutely outstanding. I always liked the A5 but due to it being such a big car, the minimum 3.7 litre engine was required in order for it to be a force on the motorway. Now, like the previous whirlwind the R8, Audi have released an ‘S’ version of the model. So, my dilemma is this; I was never going to afford to buy a brand new A5 model and so was waiting to be a used one when they became available. However, having looked at the S5, I am debating whether or not to wait for a used version of this instead? Obviously a second hand S5 would be more to my liking but I do have to think about price, car taxes and insurance premiums etc. Whilst a brand new purchase is probably a little bit out of my league, buying a nearly new isn’t. The only thing that I have against used cars of this type is that you never know how the previous owner treated the vehicle. I mean even though it is an ultra fast car, I very much doubt that I would over rev or push its speed to the absolute limit. In fact I would take great care to ensure that it was well looked after both for me and the next owner. We all know that Audi make exceptional cars that are built to withstand a lot of pressure and speed but knowing that it has been used by someone else just makes me want to buy new instead. But, again the problem of finance kicks in and so I get brought right back down to reality! So in answer to the question of which type of car to buy; a used A5 or new A5, unfortunately it all depends on what you can afford. This time, for me – it looks like I am going second hand.

Let me start by saying that, in my opinion, Saab makes the comfiest cars on the planet. I remember being in the Republic of Ireland some time and making the journey from Dublin right up to the north of the country. Now I am not much of a traveller and so wasn’t particularly looking forward to the trip. However, unbeknown to me at the time, the hire car was a Saab (I forget the model) and so we set about our journey. Within the first moment of sitting in the passenger seat (I was driving the return part of the journey) I remember commenting on just how comfy the big, grey leather seats were. I kind if just sunk into it as though it was sponge and someone had wrapped me up. Before long both the driver and I were commenting on just how smooth the ride was; there was virtually no bumps and humps normally associated with country lanes as the suspension and tyre control was excellent. It really felt so smooth and we were both might impressed. To make things even more impressive, this was not a new car – it was a used car and by the looks of things (if my mind serves me correct) had been around the block a bit having accumulated over 70,000 miles. The gadgets it boasted in abundance were also impressive and I remember thinking that I was in some kind of spaceship! All in all it was a pleasant journey and really gave me a very good initial perception into Saab. I have since had the pleasure of sitting and driving in many other used cars from Saab and am yet to find one that doesn’t have everything you could possibly want in a car. Ten out of ten – definitely!