Hey guys. First-timer. I've been researching the B5 Audi A4, and though I know I'll enjoy the car,
I can't help but wonder if I'll be able to afford the vehicle if say something breaks, among other things.

I currently make ~28k a year, and I intend to make this car my all-time daily driver / part-time fun machine.

I've noticed a number of posts / comments about how expensive the repairs can be, but then again do you think
a mechanically-inclined person will easily avoid these expenses? I assume the average Audi driver may not repair his/ her
own vehicle because of demographics --- so I don't know whether the car is really is troublesome or if the majority of Audi owners
just take their cars to be fixed.

I'm debating between the B5 because of the refinement / quattro or a Lexus SC300.

Can anyone set me straight?

Thanks, and may I add that the A4 is a wonderful piece of machinery, flawed or not.

 

man this question is starting to get asked as much as the chip question is lol
ya if ur slightly mechanically inclined you can most liekly do a lot of the work yourself. as long as u got patience if you really want reliability go with a 2.8, but there are like no mods for it unless you wana drop a couple grand on a supercharger. the 1.8T has plenty of mods but is a little less reliable. im a poor college kid but i can maintain my audi just fine

 

once you're here....there no turning back....

 

I'm aiming for the v6 anyway, so thats no problem.

 

then ya i would say start searchin

 

if your guna get the 6 then be sure to at lease get a 99.5 or newer

 

if you are mechanically inclined and have tools, you can do pretty much anything to audi's as you can to any other car, i think the only specialty tool you need for our cars is a vag com to read and clear trouble codes, you can easily find a place to diagnose for you then fix it therby cutting tons of costs from dealer gauging, but you do your repairs at your own risk...there are a few jobs that i wouldnt feel comfortable doing, and would take somewhere

 

Thanks, I'm just hoping that I don't actually get a project car that needs to be fixed every other day
as some horror stories make it seem. I'm guessing that came from "hands-off" consumers who took their audis
to a dealer at any sign of trouble.

 

ya most people who write those kind of article are the people who have gotten lemons and were pissed. u hardly hear about the people who get an audi and love it. they usually dont have the motivation that the people who are pissed do. just make sure it was well maintained and if u can take it to a respectable euro shop to do a full inspection on it b4 u buy it

 

Yea, and parts arent too ridiculously expensive either. I really wanted the Lexus SC300, however 5spd ones
are extremely rare and you'd have to swap the motor to make any decent performance. With a v6 or a 1.8t
B5 I figure I'll have a decent 5spd car that I can work on without having to worry about an engine swap.

Yay Audi!