[fendertweed]

I'm probably 2-4 years away from letting go of my '09 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited - it has "only" 67k miles in 6.5 years and while it's had more repairs than I would expect a Subie to have, the factory extended service contract has paid for them all (~ $3k worth). It's due for a timing belt at 105k miles or ~July 2017, so I may think of moving on then, or I may do the belt &c and go another couple of years.

Top replacement contenders are a newer Outback (maybe the H6 this time) or an Audi Q5. I miss my old '01 Audi A6 but it was a repair nightmare once it got past 50k miles so it went to pasture at ~110k miles.

Looking at Edmunds.com I see a boatload of 2015 and 2016 Q5s with very low mileage (under 10k) for sale: 8 at Rockville Audi, 12+ at Audi of Arlington, etc.. A one or 2-yr old lower mileage CPO may be my next target.

Does anyone have thoughts on why so many low mileage newer Q5s are for sale? That seems like a lot to choose from, and an unusual number with low mileage.

The Q5 appears to have slightly less room than Outbacks (57.3 cu. ft. vs. 65.4 for the '09 OB, 73.3 for the '15 OB) so perhaps people are finding it's a bit too small? That's an issue since I fill the current OB to the brim going to Cape Cod for 2 weeks each year, so whatever's next has to have at least as much room as the '09 OB, preferably a little more.

Thanks & Happy New Year,
Jon

[JmuRiz]

Lease ended is the only thing I can think of, but who knows.

I think a Q5 would cost more to repair/service. When looking at cargo space, consider the bay length more than total volume. Most of the time they have volume for spec shopping, but are less usable for hauling lumber, bikes etc. (that's a reason I like wagons, more length, among other reasons to like them)

[Trak Ratt]

Do a search on the inter webs. Could be they have issues

[Eric S]

In my case I wanted a vehicle that did many things well, and the Q5 was the best I found. I really, really like my 2011 Q5, and I have had zero issues with it. I also assume that the surplus is likely more related with lease timing than in indication of issues, and agree that service /repairs on an Audi would exceed that of a Subaru. Stories of Audi repair expense moved me to get an extended warranty when the factory warranty expired, but I haven't had to use it; even so, it will be a positive selling feature and provide either increased sale price or cash back.

I had planned to replace it with another Q5 in a couple of years, but then I learned that like many manufacturers starting in 2016 Q5 assembly was moving from Ingolstadt to Mexico. Lots of attention, effort and expense towards ensuring quality control, and it will be the most modern Audi plant, but I will still wait a couple of years for them to progress up the learning curve before buying.

[JmuRiz]

Eric S, good move, last time VW/Audi made USA cars in Mexico they had issues. Hopefully they won't let it happen again...but best to give a few years to prove it.

[Hunter]

Add in that they are very popular these days so a large supply.

[Vicegrip]

Some auto makers have loaner programs that let the dealers use brand new same brand cars as loaners for a prescribed period of time / miles then sell the car at a reasonable profit. This lets the dealer use new brand name cars as loaners and not take a hit. When managed right the dealer breaks even or makes money and consumers get near new cars at a discount. This keeps the showroom new car price in good shape and puts cars in the hands of folks that might not want to pay full boat.

With the high line brands the sweet spot tends to fall in the bottom 1/3 of the brand.