Selling my 2018 S5 (B9) after an early water pump death — replacing it with an SQ8, RS3, or new S5? ~$65k, needs to handle snow
Selling my 2018 S5 (B9). Loved it, but under 65k miles the water pump died and now there's a slow oil leak. Looking for honest input from people who've owned these.
Use case: not a daily. Road trips, often in heavy mountain snow, with the odd fire road every couple years. Just me and my partner, but I want four doors this time — some friends have mobility issues and my old coupe was rough on them.
Priorities: at least as quick as the B9 S5, more reliable, ideally $50–65k (can stretch to $70k). I love Audi's design and speed.
Weighing: 2023 SQ8, RS3, new S5. I know they're totally different segments — that's my dilemma.
- If you've owned any of these, what would you pick for this use and why?
- Given my coolant/water pump luck, am I crazy to stay with Audi — or is that just the cost of entry in this class?
u/java81 — 3 days ago