not to rag on you, but i work 6 days a week. The only reason that I want to convince them is because I have the money to back my whole plan up. I can go out right now and buy one, but it would be much more worthwile to sell our jeep and put that money towards a lower miles audi. Until recently I worked 7 days a week. I also do any side job that I can get so I can pick up a little bit more money. I live, dream, sweat, and breath cars: so it wouldn't be something taht goes to waste. I work for everything that I have right now, so asking for a little bit shouldn't be such a big deal.

 

I respect that. It's different if your working hard for things. Your young and wanna drive a nice car. Nothing wrong with that. I felt the same way when I was your age. Besides, your parents knew what they were getting into when they had you. ;-)

 

bailz, thanks that means a lot. It is good that someone understands my theory on why i work hard. I guess I am a rare breed, most of the kids I know don't work, and those that do, don't try nearly as hard as me. I live in an area where about 25%+ of the kid's parents will buy them anything they want, so it would be nice to say i worked for it.

 

I'll throw you my two cents... I read this post when you first posted... but now I can kind of throw in a little knowledge...

First drop the high mileage jeep problematic crap. #1 the older you get the sooner you realize all cars have problems from the day you buy it (new). Moving parts are designed to fail. Your parents know this I am sure. All parents do. And, maintaining a high mileage car with no car payment is cheaper than maintaining a low mileage car with payments. #2 A4's are expensive to maintain. Parts cost more, service costs more, and there is a lot more going on in a newer Audi. #3 Parents do not understand a coolness factor or a speedy factor. Usually because they realize that the faster moving parts turn the quicker they breakdown.

Now if you are willing to give up on that trip, maybe your parents will listen to you.

My Audi A6 has 180000 miles on it. How is that for durability? Well be careful because most modern cars should go to 200K. But properly maintained, my car has cost me about 500 dollars in parts for repair. That would be timing kit, timing kit, CV boots. I know a few mechanical systems were replaced (sunroof motor and all) before I bought it.

That aint bad. Maintenance, I usually put about 50-100 a month into a fund for oil changes, tires, tune up service etc.

Probably the best route to take (although I do not know your parents and I know mine would not care a lick) is to take an interest in the jeep. Maintain it. Self maintain it. You know stuff like washing, vacuuming, checking the oil, if your parents are mechanically inclined, show an interest in when the brakes were last done, what kind of things have been done on it and how to do it. A little responsibility goes a long way. And if that plan is unsuccessful, buy your own car. (This is the point where I state that when I was 16 I bought my own car, maintained it and repaired it by myself, had to install a new engine in it when I was 17, and have continued to buy and upgrade based solely on my own money to the point where when I was 22 I traded my Montero for an F150 (3 months and the coolness factor later) for an Audi.) (And might I say I still have my first car and it still runs better than my Audi to this day.) (It is about 40 years older than the Audi, cost 200$, and has about the same miles.) (The new engine cost me 600 dollars and a few hours rebuilding, so all and all, I would say that my first car cost me about 13000 dollars less than my Audi.)

 

Thanks Dan... You are true, but the thing is that to a point we are both right. You are right with the common sense stuff about the maintence cost differnce and such. A big factor here is gas mileage. The A4 by being more efficient could pay for the difference within a few years. My parents I would think care about this aspect considering they just paid $3000 more for a hybrid highlander over the v6 to save money on gas in the long run. The route that you considered (showing interest in the jeep) is already being covered. I have been taking care of it for a long time, I started full time when I was 14. Washes, waxes, maintence trips (not money), put in a new cd player (i paid for), etc. The thing is that I am one of the few kids that I know that actually take care of their vehicles. Most of the cars at my school just turn into beaters because people don't care, and my parents say "You should be lucky you aren't driving a beater." When it is not a beater because I have kept it from becoming one.


The main reason that I personally want the audi is: "I am bored, and I can put up the money for it."

Secondary reason: I would feel safer in it than in my jeep, and my life is worth more to me than saving a few grand by keeping the old vehicle until it dies.

I am sure that most people who have read this thread think that I am the steriotype, selfish, suburban, teenager, but I am really one of the hardest working, good, kids that I know. I am a car guy just like all of the rest of the people on this forum, and have been since day one.

Thank you to everyone that has posted. All of the help and thoughfulness has really been well taken into consideration. I am going to continue this quest of mine.

 

i just read your response.

good on you for workin hard.

if you can afford it, go buy it. i really can't see your parents changing their minds, so it's down to you.

 

Well then your parents are like mine.

My parents, when I turned 16, gave me a van that had been in such a horrific accident that we chopped the back 10 feet off and mounted a truck bed in its place. It was diesel. Truck beds are only 8 feet so you can guess there were two extra feet lying around. I told them I would find my own car... 200 dollars on a 66 mustang.

So you just kind of have to bear it until you are 18 (when I bought my montero) and then slowly (or quickly depending on your income) start breaking away. It is probably better that way, you don't grow up to be one of these needy kids who drive the 50000 dollar cars and when they get cut off go into debt up to their eyeballs.

When you say you can afford a high mileage a4 right now, you mean like 120K or so? That is what I bought mine at (129) And I will tell you by this point almost everything has broken and been replaced and that is why it is for sale (cause someone got fed up with 600 dollar repair bills every month). So maybe it is not so bad. If you can find one that has its records in order, maybe your parents will realize you are serious if you start talking about getting it. Then just visit here often for repair advice and you can keep costs under 200 if something breaks.

I am guessing there is no convincing you that jeeps are cool? Is it 4 wheel drive? Man when I was your age, all I wanted was a sports car (so I bought a mustang) then I was like "man, all I want is a 4X4" (that gets old when you break crap on the weekend). Then I decided man I am old, all I want is leather seats and a comfortable steering wheel. But you gotta wait til you are old... like 22 atleast.

But don't worry midlife crisis is coming (25)... I want either an A8 or a TT (depending on whether I still need comfort or not)

 

We'll I have sports car covered, my dad has a 98GT mustang that replaced our 1964 1/2 mustang. It is fast and fun, great for summer, but it goes in storage in early november and doesn't come out until april 1. So for those months the audi would become my main source of enjoyment.

The problem with the jeep, it is only fun when it snows around here because there isn't really anywhere to go off-roading. Plus I wouldn't want to break it, my new front u-joints cost $600, and those would go fast if I was doing some crazy off road stuff. I have a lift on it and 31.5" all-terrain bf goodriches, but it really never gets put to use do to suburbia...

I know what you mean about the kids that drive $50,000 cars now, that is about 25% of the kids I know, they are all gonna be screwed when they go in debt. That is also how I fell in love w/ german cars... cruisin w/ kids in their audi's, mercedes, bmws, porsches... We used to have a mercecedes back in the day when I was an infant. I guess it just stuck with me?

 

Maybe you should use the jeep as a tool to learn more about fixing cars that way when you do get your audi you will konw how to fix all kinds of stuff cuz the sudi will need lots of maintainance to keep her going strong.... and I dont exactly know who you took your jeep to for the u joints but the parts are litterally $35 I have done them many times, that way next time you do need something fixed you can pay like $40 and save the rest of that $600+ for mods or something