I am thinking about buying a used one, its a 5 speed manual 1.8 Turbo.
Any stories I should hear?
Dad drives: A4, shiftless tranny (CVT), 6 cyl
Even though it has the continuous variable tranny, it has a manual shift option which imitates actual shifting.
Anyway, he loves the car, and I was impressed driving it. I’m a car guy, and it is a nice car. Most new Audi designs are getting wide based praise for all key categories.
Audi, BMW, etc, do tend to be a bit expensive for maintenance, and they are not Hondas…not simple long lasting designs…well long lasting with $$$.
My dads a4 tranny gets shipped back to Germany if any problems arise and he gets a new one. Nice for now, but how about post-warranty?
Maintenance/parts would be my only concern.
Hmm you want something bad about the A-4?
hmmm…
hmmmmm…
Nope. Can’t think of anything. It’s a very nice car. The A-8 is a nice ride as well. My brother drives a brand new fully loaded A-4 and loves it. Says it drives better than his olf Boxter.
Here’s who great I think an A4 is…I’m taking a break from posting, but thought I’d sign on just to tell you how wonderful it is.
I drive an Audi A4 2.8 Quattro. It is fantastic.
Questions you should ask yourself and info I need:
What year is it? I think they first came out in 1998 with a newer body style and then again in 2001 with a slightly different car, but very similar to the 1998’s and up. The original 1998’s have some glitches…
Are you buying it certified? Certified Audi’s come with a one year warranty in addition to what may be left on the original warranty. They go through an inspection process, too.
Are you buying a Quattro? These tend to have higher maintenance fees since they are wheel drive. For some reason my brake pads wear out fairly quickly and I rarely use my brakes. These are not covered under the warranty.
Do you have a local shop to take your car for maintenance. The Audi dealership WILL screw you if you need maintenance. I’d recommend a local foreign mechanic…check rates to be sure. My car has needed very little maintenance, but what little it has needed was VERY expensive!
Also regarding the standard shift…do you live in a big city or drive in traffic regulary? A standard sucks for that! I’m assuming that you don’t know how awful that is to be on the safe side. Assuming you are buying a standard cause of the sportier feel, I’d recommend one of the Audi’s with the techtronic transmission. That means you have an automatic, but can make it like a stick shift if you want it that way… If the car you want just happens to come with that, than never mind…
A4’s are awesome rides and come with nice little luxuries, too…
GOD I LOVE MY HEATED SEATS…gotta have a toasty bottom!
BBJ
Brother drives one… loves it to death, although he’s trading it for a BMW 330 Touring now that the baby’s arrived…
Sweet handling, decent poke, repair costs are high, and I’m assuming the balance of the warranty won’t be transferring, so make sure you can afford the relevant bits and pieces.
IMHO, avoid the quattro… higher maintenance, more brake wear, and the handling and traction benefit isn’t really offset much by the weight gain and fuel consumption.
IIRC, my former housemate had a 98 A4 (it was an A4, it’s the year I’m not sure about). His was a lemon. It drove well, was comfortable, good gas mileage, etc, but stuff was CONSTANTLY breaking down (radiator, A/C, power windows, etc). He did say, however, that his parents had a newer one that hadn’t given them any problems, and so it might have been his individual car, rather than the A4 in general.
It’s a '97. It only has 60K on it, and the current owner is a good friend of mine and I know he took very good care of it.
Now, for BBJ’s questions:
Questions you should ask yourself and info I need:
What year is it? I mentioned above, it’s a 1997. All the information I came across said that the engine has had some problems and some people reported suspension problems. A few others with transmission problems but that seems to be limited to the automatic. But while the A4 does not get glowing reviews from consumer reports, it is a step up reliably from what I am in now.
Are you buying it certified? Nope, its a private sale. But, I know the owner and have known him for as long as he has owned the car.
Are you buying a Quattro? Nope.
“Do you have a local shop to take your car for maintenance. The Audi dealership WILL screw you if you need maintenance.” – I’ve heard the same about the Audi dealership. I have a German motor specialist about 2 miles from my house…I’m going to have him check it out before the sale.
Also regarding the standard shift…do you live in a big city or drive in traffic regulary? I’ve had a stick before, it’s not an issue. I have been in an automatic for about 2 years now and I miss the stick.
My buddy let me take it this afternoon and keep it for 24 hours. Pardon my french, but I fucking LOVE this car. As soon as I can sell my current one I am going to buy.
I was considering buying a used A4; but a few things put meoff:
-repair costs are enormous (it costs $1100 to replace the heater core!)
-the engine bay is so cramped that any job (like changing the serpentine belt) takes HOURS to do
-Audis have a nasty reputation for electrical problems…can anybody confirm this?