YACT: Audi

[ultimatebob]

Which model was he looking at? A4? A6? TT?

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

This is with every car. If you don't maintain it, it'll crap on you. VW, Audi, Toyota, Honda, whatever. And Mugs, just because it's a Fanboy site doesn't mean you can't get an unbiased opinion. Ask an honest question you'll get an honest answer. Ask the people who have more experience with the cars rather than a bunch of computer geeks on a computer forum pretending to know what they're talking about. Typical ATOT.

OP, I would not recommend an Audi in general unless they have the time and money to maintain it. VW, Audi, BMW, etc are not "Set it and Forget it" vehicles. They require a lot of attention.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: Playmaker

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2

Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad
asking atot for car advice is like asking a blind retard with touretts for advice on which painting to get.

Ummmm, why? Most everyone here drives cars...

Yes, but most people on this board have blind adoration for Jap cars and place very little value on an automobile past its ability to get an individual from point A to B, leading to a definite bias against cars like Audis.

I dunno, I see blind adoration that goes every which way. I personally don't like Audis because most of my friends who own them (well....VWs) lament the $$$ they've had to put into them for repairs. *shrug*

 

[Strk]

They're known to have gremlins and great interiors.

 

[mdXtreme3d]

I have a highly modded 2002 A4 1.8T with almost 100k on it. Like any German luxury car, they are generally very reliable if maintained well, but tend to be slightly more work than a comparable import/domestic. Audis in general set the industry standard for interior design and quality of materials. Their Quattro AWD system is second to none, and being fully mechanical, isn't subject to expensive repairs like mitsu/subauru's. The 1.8T engine is highly moddable. Stock is 170HP, a small turbo upgrade will get you 250HP, and a larger GT turbo will get you 300+HP. There's a very active user community, with lots of information available. I hadn't even done an oil change prior to getting my A4, but with the knowledge I found on the forums, I've managed to upgrade nearly every part of my car. It has been very reliable - out of warranty expeneses, not counting regular/reventative maintenance, have been <$500 for the last 50k miles.

pic of car
pic 2
pic 3

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: Cdubneeddeal
This is with every car. If you don't maintain it, it'll crap on you. VW, Audi, Toyota, Honda, whatever. And Mugs, just because it's a Fanboy site doesn't mean you can't get an unbiased opinion. Ask an honest question you'll get an honest answer. Ask the people who have more experience with the cars rather than a bunch of computer geeks on a computer forum pretending to know what they're talking about. Typical ATOT.

OP, I would not recommend an Audi in general unless they have the time and money to maintain it. VW, Audi, BMW, etc are not "Set it and Forget it" vehicles. They require a lot of attention.

Believe it or not, Audi's are pretty much "set it and forget it" for the first few years you own them. All of the scheduled maintenience items like oil changes are free, even things that are expected to wear out like wiper blades.

Once the warranty runs out, it's a different story because the parts and labor are insanely expensive. For an example, I hit a deer in my '03 A4 and needed a new hood, grille, front bumper assembly, both Xenon headlights, and a radiator. All those parts together were $3,500, $1,500 of which was just for those fancy headlights.

 

[DAGTA]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919

Originally posted by: DAGTA
I have some friends considering buying a slightly used Audi, somewhere between a 2002 and 2004. I know very little about Audi and their cars so I'd appreciate any information and tips people will more knowledge would be willing to give.

Thanks!

"and tips people WITH more knowledge would be willing to give."

Sorry. brain going faster than the fingers on that one.

 

[DAGTA]

Thanks everyone for the replies and links!

A bit more info: I won't be buying the car, but I might help my friends try to find and/or haggle a good deal. They live in New Zealand, so the car choices over there are different. They have worked very hard to save up money and have a tendency to drive cars for 10 years and not buy them new to start. Their old car is getting to the point of breaking down too much so they're ready for something new and perhaps nicer than they've had in the past, now that they can afford it. They would buy one is that is a few years old to save the initial depreciation loss. I don't think either of them knows much about Audi's, so I figured I would poke around and ask around. Last night they were looking at the A4 and A6 models.

Nothing is set in stone, they're looking around and getting ideas.

Thanks!

 

[JoPh]

Originally posted by: mdXtreme3d
I have a highly modded 2002 A4 1.8T with almost 100k on it. Like any German luxury car, they are generally very reliable if maintained well, but tend to be slightly more work than a comparable import/domestic. Audis in general set the industry standard for interior design and quality of materials. Their Quattro AWD system is second to none, and being fully mechanical, isn't subject to expensive repairs like mitsu/subauru's. The 1.8T engine is highly moddable. Stock is 170HP, a small turbo upgrade will get you 250HP, and a larger GT turbo will get you 300+HP. There's a very active user community, with lots of information available. I hadn't even done an oil change prior to getting my A4, but with the knowledge I found on the forums, I've managed to upgrade nearly every part of my car. It has been very reliable - out of warranty expeneses, not counting regular/reventative maintenance, have been <$500 for the last 50k miles.

pic of car
pic 2
pic 3

nice car

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: mdXtreme3d
I have a highly modded 2002 A4 1.8T with almost 100k on it. Like any German luxury car, they are generally very reliable if maintained well, but tend to be slightly more work than a comparable import/domestic. Audis in general set the industry standard for interior design and quality of materials. Their Quattro AWD system is second to none, and being fully mechanical, isn't subject to expensive repairs like mitsu/subauru's. The 1.8T engine is highly moddable. Stock is 170HP, a small turbo upgrade will get you 250HP, and a larger GT turbo will get you 300+HP. There's a very active user community, with lots of information available. I hadn't even done an oil change prior to getting my A4, but with the knowledge I found on the forums, I've managed to upgrade nearly every part of my car. It has been very reliable - out of warranty expeneses, not counting regular/reventative maintenance, have been <$500 for the last 50k miles.

pic of car
pic 2
pic 3

Wow, nice color! Is that the "Denim Blue Pearl Effect" paint job? I couldn't find that color in stock anywhere, so I settled for "Dolphin Grey Metallic" instead.

 

[Kirby]

a water pump and timing belt on my vw was nearly $900, so expect even more for audi.

 

[Toastedlightly]

Originally posted by: nkgreen
a water pump and timing belt on my vw was nearly $900, so expect even more for audi.

I always find it is easeir to do the replacingf yourself, but if you can't, find a friend and offer him beer/food. Tis always good.

 

[DaTT]

I had an Audi as my first car, it never broke down on me....ever! I miss that car.

 

[mdXtreme3d]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
Wow, nice color! Is that the "Denim Blue Pearl Effect" paint job? I couldn't find that color in stock anywhere, so I settled for "Dolphin Grey Metallic" instead.

it is. I actually have a 2003 Dolphin Gray A4 1.8T CVT also, for the wife. Much easier to maintain two of the same car, esp since I do all the work =) She likes it b/c she doesn't have to do anything or ever take it to the dealer.

as for the timing belt, it's about $250-300 in parts, and takes about 4-5hrs the first time. I had some friends help who had done it on a previous generation A4 1.8T, and it was very similar. I also purchased the factory service manual on DVD, which has saved me lots of money on repairs the dealer or indy shop would charge $80-110/hour labor for.

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: DaTT
I had an Audi as my first car, it never broke down on me....ever! I miss that car.

My Audi only broke down once, but it was a doozy. The accelerator position sensor malfunctioned, and the throttle got stuck wide open while I was on some back road in the boonies. I ended up having to throw the poor car in neutral and redline it for a few seconds while I was trying to get it stopped on the side of the road. I was able to CAREFULLY drive to the dealer the next day for a $300 repair.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2

Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad
asking atot for car advice is like asking a blind retard with touretts for advice on which painting to get.

Ummmm, why? Most everyone here drives cars...

most everyone here has money, but I would'nt ask just anyone for financial advice. Get it?

 

[loic2003]

Driven a couple and know several people who own them. Typically very sturdy and reliable. Smooth operation, and good performance.

Having said that, cars for the american market often vary hugely from the european market, in everythign from looks to build quality, so what I say might not count.

Here in the UK, Audi are quite desirable cars and rank up there with BMW and Mercedes. Some high end Audis will make you cream your y-fronts.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Playmaker
Good cars. Great interiors. Reliable if maintained well, but if you're a poor and worried about reliability you shouldn't be looking at Audis anyway. Buy some Toyota/Honda sh!tbox.

What does poor have to do with it? You don't become wealthy by sinking money into a car. Wealthy people usually make good financial decisions, which includes considering the total cost of ownership of a car.

Yes, but if I'm not wealthy the next best thing is to pretend that I am by buying an expensive car that I cannot afford.

Jeeze man, where have you been? Thats the way it works!

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Playmaker

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2

Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad
asking atot for car advice is like asking a blind retard with touretts for advice on which painting to get.

Ummmm, why? Most everyone here drives cars...

Yes, but most people on this board have blind adoration for Jap cars and place very little value on an automobile past its ability to get an individual from point A to B, leading to a definite bias against cars like Audis.

What are you talking about? Have you not noticed the hard-ons most people here have for the G35? Not exactly point A to point B. People are biased against Audis for reasons other than that they are luxury cars. I personally wouldn't buy one because of my previous experience with a VW (my wife's). And if the OP's friend is looking at an older Audi, I'm guessing an A4 maybe? With the same POS 1.8T engine that was in the Passat and Jetta. Fortunately my wife drives an Acura now (not exactly point A to point B either).

 

[ultimatebob]

Umm... The G35 would fall under the "blind adoration for Jap cars" statement. It's basically the American version of the Nissan Skyline, considered to be the Holy Grail by the ricer crowd.

That doesn't mean that it's a bad car, though. If I was looking for newer sport sedan right now, it would be on my test drive list.

 

[geckojohn]

Originally posted by: mdXtreme3d
I have a highly modded 2002 A4 1.8T with almost 100k on it. Like any German luxury car, they are generally very reliable if maintained well, but tend to be slightly more work than a comparable import/domestic. Audis in general set the industry standard for interior design and quality of materials. Their Quattro AWD system is second to none, and being fully mechanical, isn't subject to expensive repairs like mitsu/subauru's. The 1.8T engine is highly moddable. Stock is 170HP, a small turbo upgrade will get you 250HP, and a larger GT turbo will get you 300+HP. There's a very active user community, with lots of information available. I hadn't even done an oil change prior to getting my A4, but with the knowledge I found on the forums, I've managed to upgrade nearly every part of my car. It has been very reliable - out of warranty expeneses, not counting regular/reventative maintenance, have been <$500 for the last 50k miles.

pic of car
pic 2
pic 3

Wow, nice car! I really like it!

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: nkgreen
a water pump and timing belt on my vw was nearly $900, so expect even more for audi.

If you paid $900 for that then I feel sorry for you...yes, that repair is spendy, but should never be more than $500, parts included.

 

[torpid]

Unless "generally reliable if well maintained" is a euphemism for cracked or collapsed hoses, stuck fuel gauges, and ignition coil problems, then no, Audis are not reliable. I just traded in my 2002 A4 1.8 becuase after coming out of warranty, I had 4 problems in 4 months. I did fall victim to oil sludge, but that is partly my fault for not knowing the dealer's oil change intervals were inadequate. I also had a hose collapse early in its life, causing majorly dangerous stalling.

Those are just the problems that were actually noticeable. I also had to have certain other parts replaced. The headlight washer had a part that began leaking after a while, as did several other engine-related parts.

There is a reason that consumer reports listed 2002 as a problem year for the A4. It is a full black circle for reliability, in other words the worst possible reliability.

 

[dds14u]

I'm just indifferent to Audis...don't know whether to like them or hate them.

What I do know is that (non-exotic) manufacturers haven't been making their cars much prettier. This is purely my opinion...Back on the topic of Audis...they just don't stand out to me.

 

[Estrella]

I own a 2005 A4 3.0L Cabriolet. Do it. I love my car and so does my neighbor who has an older s4. I would say more but, you just have to test drive one. And they take care of everything under warranty for x amount of miles. Try to get extended coverage if it is available; I do not remember. They cover just about everything as long as it is not caused by your own stupidity.