It’s Time To Upgrade My Old Audi Wagon! What Car Should I Buy?

Troy lives in Boston and drives a twenty-year-old Audi wagon. He is in a position where he can spend some serious money on something nicer, but needs more direction. He wants something somewhat unique, and AWD for New England winters. With a budget up to $70,000, what car should he buy?

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Here is the scenario:

I have just recently graduated from a certain military college in Vermont and landed a fantastic job in the industry that I was studying in. My college beater/current car is a fantastic 2006 Audi A4 3.2 Avant. As much as I adore it, it has some very noticeable dents and scrapes along with the occasional oil leakage.

While these issues personally don’t bother me, I am sharing a parking lot packed full of the nicest cars you can purchase (Cadillacs, Mercedes-AMG, Porsche, Tesla, Bentley, even a Lamborghini Urus to name a few…). I’ve been very fortunate and lucky to be in this position. Coming from a very non-wealthy history, the transition from being a completely broke college student to working and befriending with the industry and world’s elite has been quite a jarring process.

Now that I’ve saved up some money, I’m ready to move on from my faithful Avant and onto something else. I have created a budget of $70,000, but I’m willing to stretch it to $80,000 if necessary. Ideally this would be my daily driver, so i would love for it to have a nice interior to be in. Having AWD in the Boston winters is nice, but I don’t really need it. Due to always having to be a phone call away and our state’s hands-free law, a good infotainment system that I can connect my phone to would be nice to have. Since I lived through a military lifestyle, I don’t mind looking like everything else, although I wouldn’t mind a hint of uniqueness compared to other cars (think a RS3 in a sea of A3s).

Also, The people in the department I work with are also huge car nuts, and like to frequent track days as group bonding activities. I’ve partaken in some with my Avant to some mild success! We’ve also taken some of our investors and higher-ups on these. In a rather bizarre way, I see this as a great networking opportunity for myself (and would love to try to catch my boss in his 911 GT3 one day).

Quick Facts:

Budget: Ideally $70,000 could push to $80,000

Location: Boston, MA

Daily Driver: Yes

Wants: Something high-end, somewhat unique, AWD

Doesn’t want: The same old luxury car

Troy, you have clearly positioned yourself well, and kudos for keeping that Audi Avant running as long as it has. Since you are an Audi wagon fan there is really only one answer here, and it may require you to spend just a bit more than you want to…but it will be worth it. For something luxurious, fast, and unique, you need an Audi RS6 Avant.

I bet I don’t even need to tell you the specs on this car as I’m sure you already know. After all, who would not want to have an almost 600-hp European super-wagon? In the office parking lot full of high-end hardware, you will certainly get some attention. There are only a handful of these under $85,000, and several have branded titles, so you will want to avoid those. This 2021 model with almost 60,000 miles is on the pricer side at $84,000 but it has a good service history and is Audi Certified. Spend a little more now, and you will get better resale later.

Well, Troy, if there’s one thing I know, it’s being the one Poor in a room full of people whose watches cost more than I’ve ever spent on a car. The good news is, those people are often boring and easy to fool. The bad news is, finding a capable track car that’s also a comfortable daily driver that can handle Boston winters is a tall order, even before we start trying to impress Old Money. You also left out a lot of other important details, such as how much you drive on a daily basis, what your parking options look like, where you live (since it’s probably not Boston proper), etc. For now, though, I say go for a nice, pre-owned Porsche Taycan.

The Porsche badge on the front is important, but the real advantage of the Taycan is that it’s still in its first generation. No one other than your car-enthusiast coworkers will know it isn’t brand new unless you tell them. It “plays by their rules,” but it’s also just different enough to be interesting. And thanks to the magic of EV depreciation, you could easily buy this 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S with just under 30,000 miles on the odometer. A Taycan 4S would be more practical, but you and I both know you want the Turbo S. The biggest issue would, of course, be the range, but distances are shorter in New England, you make “can probably charge at home” money, and five minutes on PlugShare should tell you whether a 195-mile Taycan EV with a 2.4-second 0-60 time will work for you.

Whether the Taycan works or not, a depreciated luxury car that’s overdue for a redesign is probably the way to go. Just keep in mind, no amount of blending in will ever make you one of them. You’ll always be an outsider, and no Rolex allocation, vacation home, or fine pair of leather shoes will ever change that. Coming from a military college, your willingness to follow orders and avoid standing out makes you useful, but a useful tool is still a tool. And no amount of hard work will protect you from getting thrown under the bus the moment they need a fall guy. Don’t stretch your budget for this car, and definitely don’t bend your morals for this job. One day, your kids and grandkids are going to have questions about your life, and I want you to be able to tell those stories proudly, not couch them in shame.

Troy, I’ve got just the car for you. You live in Boston, like wagons, want something interesting and high-performance, and want to impress people who have flashy cars? You need a Mercedes-AMG E63. I’ve chosen this particular one simply because it’s within your budget and it’s the facelifted model, which is definitely what you want for the upgraded MBUX infotainment system, but I would recommend doing your own hunting to find a spec that isn’t grey on black.

Still, in any spec an E63 wagon is badass. This thing’s got 603 horsepower, all-wheel drive for traction but a rear-wheel-drive mode for when you don’t want traction, a truly cavernous amount of cargo space, and a chassis and performance features that would absolutely hold up to track-day abuse. Plus, the E63 wagon is one of the most “if you know, you know” cars out there. E-Class wagon owners have long been Mercedes’ wealthiest customers, and there’s something just so awesome about a fast stealthy wagon with a roaring V8.