Well I'm in the market for another sedan, I've narrowed it down an A4 Quattro 1.8T either 5 speed or auto between 99-02, haven't figured it out yet. I haven't read much about the Audi but from what I've heard from a few owners that they are pretty nice and reliable cars. Are the parts expensive to repair? Is the car a pain in the ass to work on? Anything I should look out for?

Pressh

 

For the most part the A4 is a pretty reasonable car however there are a few things that will get expensive. Normal maint. stuff is mid range as far as price goes. And yes working on them is a PITA if youve never owned one before and gets pretty expensive when taken to shops.

 

be prepared for the CEL, coil packs, and lots of recalls.

i work in the service dept at an Audi dealership....of course all i really hear are the horror stories, but it's kinda swayed me away from audi. dont get me wrong, great looking cars but a little iffy on the reliability i would say...esp in the earlier years you mentioned. if you have your heart set on the A4, lean towards a '00 or newer. just my .02!

 

thanks guys, yea I heard they revised some things on 99.5's and up so I am looking for those also. My heart isn't really set on an A4 but it's the car that looks the most appealing to me. I want a nice german car, I've looked a few BMW's, but none have caught my eye except for the 5 series which is out of my price range. All the maintnance will be done by me so I'm not worried about shop fee's. I am perpared for the PITA ass work when it happens. BTW what are CEL's? I've heard A4's have problems with tie rods, control arms, and sunroofs. I've also heard the 1.8's require a little more maintnance then the 2.8's.

 

my bro had an audi a4, i believe it was a 98.
I will tell you right now, keep up with maintenance. I mean his trans went out at 70k and it was about 4k job. There nice cars, some might say beautiful, but they are expensive to repair. If you can, try to get a cheaper version of a german car like a vw. Even though vw and audi is the same company, prices for parts are cheaper. Not trying to hate on them, in fact i love em, just be prepared to pay a little more.

 

CEL = check engine light

 

was it an automatic? I figured the prices were going to be more. Not really a fan VW's either, the only one I would even consider is a Golf and that's not even me. I guess I will just test drive one and go from there. Anyone else?

 

VW's are really good cars. They have come a long way. If you like the A4 check out a passat sedan. I test drove one and ended up buyng a passat wagon just for the extra room

 

yea it was an auto, but go and take a test drive.
also get a second opinion, check epinions its always helpful you get to see personal exp. gl also you might wanna try like an 05 jetta gli, same audi 1.8 motor(i think). I think there beautiful and not as expensive, also consider a gti those are nice too. man maybe i shoulda bought a vw lol

 

I have an 01.5 Audi S4.. You can get one for around $11K now and with just a chip you are in the high 12's low 13's....

I have a few more mods and I am in the high 11's in the 1/4....

the A4 1.8T with the manual is a good highly modable car.. Has normal bugs but most are fixed by now...