Hello all,

For most of my 30-year automotive marketing career, I've driven Japanese marques (Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Lexus), with the notable exception of an SVT Focus, which was a lot of fun, and only broke once (shift cable).

When I say "break," I mean anything outside routine maintenance (belts, hoses, fluids, brakes, tires). I've heard story after story that have steered me away from Audi (oil usage, water pump recall, ignition system recall). The only people I know who have good experiences with Audi are people who lease them for 3 years and turn them in for a new one.

Now I've found a 2009 A4 2.0T quattro with 32,000 miles on it, favorite color combo (red/tan) and all the equipment I want at a price I can afford. But i'm having a very hard time persuading myself it's a good purchase.

My ownership style is to buy a car, maintain it impeccably and drive it for at least five years. In this case, I'd keep the Audi at least until it had 80 or 90K on the clock.

I know you guys are fans. But can anybody be upfront and tell me what I'm really in for? I know that any joy I got out of driving this car would be completely destroyed if I had to waste time and money on repairs.

Many thanks for yr help, PW

 

I bought my 2008 with 60k on the clock and now have over 130k. In that time frame I replaced the timingbelt/water pump/etc... at 105k for $900. Other than that I have spent less than $500 on repairs during the three years I have driven my car. My car recently started to burn a little oil (half a quart every 3 to four weeks). I do drive 2k+ miles in that time frame so I don't think the oil comsumption is that bad.

If the car has been taken care of I don't think you would regret the purchase at all.

 

I bought an 09 with around 20k and am still hanging in there but have had some issues. If I were you, I would make sure there aren't oil consumption issues. Or at least make sure it will be covered if you do. Mine had them and it took over a year for them to do anything but tell me to add more oil. They rebuilt the pistons among other things earlier this year and I haven't had an issue since (knocking very hard on wood) so hopefully that is the end of my troubles. I have been told to dump it before something else happens, but I like the car and am hoping I am good from here.