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With the recent move to the west coast, the itch to explore the back country has gone into overdrive (to say the least) but of course, back country + a slammed RL/lowered 700whp CTS-V (hopefully ) don't really go well together.
The best course of action would be a truck or some sort of SUV with a respectable amount of ground clearance for suspect FSR's (Forest Service Roads). Right off the bat, a truck is no bueno cuz well... meh. Naturally, a SUV would be the only route left and something I've been low key eyeing for the last few years.
if anyone remembers my past thread on the SUV hunt, I was pretty sold on a 957 Cayenne GTS/Turbo & alllmmooossttt pulled the trigger on a 10' Turbo S earlier this year but unfortunately cooler heads prevailed. Something about a second gas guzzling V8 (read: CTS-V gets 10mpg ) in the stable didn't really make sense but yes, it would of been totally worth it..
After the Cayenne hype faded a bit, research kicked up again for a more logical option that was still fun to drive, decent on gas, ability to tow a decent amount & of course, able to absorb some logging roads with ease. With the Cayenne being such a "perfect" example of what I was looking for, naturally I explored into the VW/VAG family. That's where I came across the Q7, more specifically the Q7 TDI. Fun to drive.. check, decent on gas.. check, towing ability (7700lbs).. check, ability to absorb FSR's.. check & the cherry on the cake was the whole dieselgate fiasco which of course includes a 4 year/48k mile extended warranty which covers essentially the entire long block.
Now with the Q7 in my sights, the hunt was on with the following criteria..
- S-line
- Air suspension
- Of course TDI
- 4 zone climate
- As close to the full extended warranty as possible
- Lower mileage always a plus
After kicking tires on more than a few examples that always fell through, one caught my eye about 8 hours away in Edmonton. Long story short, a deposit was sent & after a mini road trip to Alberta the Q7 was officially ready for its maiden voyage home with the V.
Ended up with a 12' Q7 TDI Prestige S-Line 8AT with..
- 160,000km (101k miles)
- Air suspension
- 4 zone climate
- Full 4 year/76,00KM (48k mile)
- Teak brown/black interior
- 19K CDN (14K USD)
Right off the bat, the mileage was a bit higher than I was hoping for but it checked literally every other box & the extended warranty really put the mind at ease. With being my first time dipping my toes into the euro world, there was some skepticism naturally but I made sure to pick up a VCDS to stay ahead of any issues that may arise is the future without having to depend on the dealer. Piece of mind for the low price of $300 seems like a no brainer.
With all that said, we're officially closing in on 5 months of ownership & after 15,000km (10k miles), it's been the definition of a tank. One minor glow plug CEL which was $0 thanks to the extended warranty but that was a non issue considering it had no effect on driveability.
Here's a few pics of the first summer of exploring..
Aside from needing a TCM tune (thanks dieselgate), the transition to the euro world has been as perfect as anyone can expect. Of course I can't leave well enough alone & the mods list has begun..
The lift with the added height of the tires 2.5-3" will add to the body roll of course so the Cayenne sway bars will help tighten up the suspension for some back road fun.
That seems like a great price for a nicely loaded SUV. My '15 C300 at 60k miles had a book value around 16-18k & wasn't nearly as higher-end as the Q7.
Awesome, congrats! I was expecting another Jeep thread lol.
Did this one come straight from a dealer after dieselgate in order to get the warranty or how does that work?
Thanks man.
Not about that Jeep life at all, I want the ground clearance but I still want to be able to enjoy some spirited driving. The faces of the Jeep bros are priceless when the Q comes rolling down a trail..
This was purchased from a used car dealer (my favorite... ) but from my understanding, the original owners get the option to keep the car, have it "fixed" + a lump sum or Audi takes it off their hands for an even larger sum of money. If the owner chooses to move on from the car, Audi "fixes" the car & then dumps then into local auctions where the used dealers scope them up to resell.
There's no doubt in my mind that all the used VW/Audi TDI's that have flooded the market are easily the best value in the used car market... with the full extended warranty of course.
Originally Posted by 00TL-P3.2
That seems like a great price for a nicely loaded SUV. My '15 C300 at 60k miles had a book value around 16-18k & wasn't nearly as higher-end as the Q7.
Pricing was pretty well in line with the rest of the market. There are dozens of diesel Q7/Touareg's available which of course helped the cause but finding air suspension on a TDI was the biggest challenge. Still think the price was a tad high considering the mileage but overall I think we did well. Needs some TLC in a couple of spots but overall I'd give it a 7.9/10 in overall condition.
Originally Posted by KaMLuNg
another cuck to the fold
Guess it is round and brown..
Originally Posted by SuperTrooper169
Congrats! For a 2012 it sure looks like it could have come out in 2020, so for the price you've done very, very good.
The facelift Q7's (10'+) have aged very well & before we pulled the trigger they have always caught my eye. Few guys at work thought I was dealing drugs rolling with a Caddy & a "brand new" Audi.. Surprises more than a few folks that it's pushing 10 years old.
Originally Posted by imj0257
Nice ride. I know you will really enjoy it.
Thanks. Planning to enjoy it for many years to come..
Wow, congrats on the purchase, man.
My girl's ex husband has a TDI air Q7 and swears by them...
He's actually on his way back from a road trip to Chicago to
pick a TDI A7.
I might have to ask him to let me try driving them to see how the diesel
feels. The gas mileage and torque are a no brainer though.
Kick ass, I'm super jealous of the price you paid and what you got for that price.
That's a hell of a bargain for something that is a tank and looks good.
I would be curious how you feel driving a tuned Audi vs how you feel about the beast
that is the V. I miss the V at times but there's no arguing that the Audi is just a better put
together car overall. I'd be curious if you feel the same way about it.
I've recently done a crash course on direct injection and injector service
and valve cleaning...on BOTH Audi I have now.
About the Cuck life...you're only a cuck if you have 1 Audi. If you have 2 you're the guy doing
the fuckin
Not about that Jeep life at all, I want the ground clearance but I still want to be able to enjoy some spirited driving. The faces of the Jeep bros are priceless when the Q comes rolling down a trail..
This was purchased from a used car dealer (my favorite... ) but from my understanding, the original owners get the option to keep the car, have it "fixed" + a lump sum or Audi takes it off their hands for an even larger sum of money. If the owner chooses to move on from the car, Audi "fixes" the car & then dumps then into local auctions where the used dealers scope them up to resell.
There's no doubt in my mind that all the used VW/Audi TDI's that have flooded the market are easily the best value in the used car market... with the full extended warranty of course.
I guess it may be different in terms of laws and such in Canada but does that warranty start from initial point of sale post fix? Meaning if someone else bought it 2 years ago after the repair, that's two years off the warranty right?
Wow, congrats on the purchase, man.
My girl's ex husband has a TDI air Q7 and swears by them...
He's actually on his way back from a road trip to Chicago to
pick a TDI A7.
I might have to ask him to let me try driving them to see how the diesel
feels. The gas mileage and torque are a no brainer though.
Kick ass, I'm super jealous of the price you paid and what you got for that price.
That's a hell of a bargain for something that is a tank and looks good.
I would be curious how you feel driving a tuned Audi vs how you feel about the beast
that is the V. I miss the V at times but there's no arguing that the Audi is just a better put
together car overall. I'd be curious if you feel the same way about it.
I've recently done a crash course on direct injection and injector service
and valve cleaning...on BOTH Audi I have now.
About the Cuck life...you're only a cuck if you have 1 Audi. If you have 2 you're the guy doing
the fuckin
You can definitely feel that the Audi has another level of refinement vs the V but with that said, the V does exactly what it's meant to do well & I still love the interior even though it a bit dated by today's standards.
After picking up the Q, I could definitely see myself in a fast Audi. What that Audi would be is the real question, think an R8 would fit the bill, of course with 3 pedals..
Originally Posted by SamDoe1
I guess it may be different in terms of laws and such in Canada but does that warranty start from initial point of sale post fix? Meaning if someone else bought it 2 years ago after the repair, that's two years off the warranty right?
It starts from the date of the repair by Audi which was early this year literally right before I bought it. If I sell it in a year then the next owner would have 3 years left/whatever mileage is remaining.
Originally Posted by TylerT
Congrats! Q7 TDIs are badass.
So .... how's that torque?!
Thanks man.
Torque is definitely there, something like 400ft/lbs at 1800rpm. Biggest issue is that they neutered the TCM tune with the fix that it's nowhere as responsive as it should be. Very common in the TDI world that VW/Audi ruined the driving characteristics on all the post fix vehicles. There's a guy in PA that is able to flash the TCM back to the pre fix tune without voiding the warranty & that is 100% on the list of things to do. Just need to pull the TCM to send it off so probably a week of downtime + wife's daily (which she loves) is a touchy issue..
It is still enjoyable to drive & gets moving decently considering its north of 5k lbs but as I've said many times before, the V makes everything so pedestrian..
Beautiful pickup. Always thought that generation Q7 was one of the best styling wise. Right before they made it look like a minivan. The color is unique and looks good on it.
Congrats! That mileage is not bad at all for the year and the fact that it's a diesel. These cars are aging well, I think.
Thanks man. Planning to hit 500k if everything works out.
Originally Posted by 00TL-P3.2
Looks like, due to the higher cost of diesel, I'd about equal on annual fuel cost as 87 in the Flex, in a TDI A7.
Diesel is expensive down there? Up here im paying $0.97/L vs regular 87 at 1.12/L
Originally Posted by kurtatx
Audi just get it. Congrats on the acquisition
They definitely do. The newer Audi's always have me turning my head..
Originally Posted by CCColtsicehockey
Beautiful pickup. Always thought that generation Q7 was one of the best styling wise. Right before they made it look like a minivan. The color is unique and looks good on it.
Thanks man. She is definitely easy on the eyes.
Was never a fan of the newer styling but they're slloowwwly growing on me.
Originally Posted by Marcelechka
Fially! Congrats dude
Finally is an understatement but well worth the wait. Not a perfect SUV but except for a few things I really can't complain.
Thanks for the tip, we'll check that out for sure.
I love some good eats & Kelowna has been hit or miss (usually miss). Makes me appreciate what we had at our finger tips in the Toronto area..
We've gone to Kelowna a few times over the last couple of years and Mabui is always a must-go for the First Lady and I. Given it is an izakaya, try their NON-sushi/sashimi and so, please consider their specialty menu and grilled options. Last I checked, the ownership and staff is wholly Japanese which is important.
09-30-2020 | 10:44 PM
) don't really go well together.
) in the stable didn't really make sense but yes, it would of been totally worth it.. 
) but from my understanding, the original owners get the option to keep the car, have it "fixed" + a lump sum or Audi takes it off their hands for an even larger sum of money. If the owner chooses to move on from the car, Audi "fixes" the car & then dumps then into local auctions where the used dealers scope them up to resell.
Maybe 
