Hello,

I have a 98 Audi A4 1.8t, Manual transmission. For me, this car is really a great car and I always had fun with it.
The reason why I'm posting this is; I need to get an advise from you guys whether to keep the car or sell it. So please help..

It has 212,500K miles on it and was running fine till it reached 200K mark.The turbo went bad when it reached this mark. The wastegate valve came out of the turbo and was throwing oil into exhaust. So I went and replaced the turbo(brand new borg warner) and related things for $1600 at 212k miles.


But now the mechanic(authorized audi mechanic- years of service) says that all 4 struts are really bad and need to be replaced asap.(I knew this was going to happen in the near future since the car handling is poor). Also it needs a new front axle, catalaytic converter, spark plugs, and tensioner pulley. To replace all these, it costs around another $2500. ( So 1600 + 2500= $4100)

For your information: I replaced the following main components;

1. Timing Belt, Water pump, and all Engine seals/gaskets - at 180K miles

2. Master Cylinder, Slave cylinder, Pressure Plate, Clutch disc, Flywheel- at 160K miles

3. Brake rotors, Wheel Bearing, Drive Belt - at 180K miles.

4. Turbo, Oil line, Motor+ Transmission mount, Tires- at 212k miles.


The car runs absolutely fine and has one check engine light which is actually the code for catalytic converter efficiency. The bad turbo destroyed the CAT converter and light will go away after putting new CAT.

So here my concern is, "IS IT WORTH TO PUT ANOTHER $2500 FOR FIXING STRUTS, CAT AND AXLE, ON THIS CAR ?"

Even if I replace, how long will this car run with the above maintenance? (Engine runs smooth and gears shifts nicely,no vacuum or oil leak.)

Or shall I just sell it? ( But I really don't want to sell it since I put a new turbo last week. And moreover I just love my car.)

So friends, please advise me on this so that I can come to a decision. I hope to get some replies soon.

Thanks
Sam

 

It depends on how much you like your car. Don't let what you spent on a turbo make your decision for you. That is what you call a sunk cost and it shouldn't be considered in your decision to invest further. If you're sick of having little problems here or there then buy a new car, but if you can put up with it your car will probably last quite a bit longer after these repairs.

 

I keep debating the same thing. I've dropped in more money than the car is worth already. It would be nice to have a different car that's low maintenance, but it would be a waste to let it go after all the work that's been done to it. That's what a co-worker of mine even told me.

 

I say keep her,the fact that you did so much maintenance on the car,you know what it's worth,someone coming in to purchase it won't,they'll low ball you on the high mileage and year of the car.

I say you are in too deep to turn back on her now,you might as well just run her into the ground and enjoy what little life she has left and at the end you can say....yeah,she had a good run!

I replaced my tranny about 6 months ago for $1,588.00 and just 2 weeks ago,had my rear main seal and oil filter housing seal replaced for $630.00 and 2 days prior to the seals,had a brake hose replaced for $284.00 not even close to the amount you put into your B5 and mine has about 168k 2001 A4 AWM.

I was told by many,to junk it,when the tranny would not shift into 4th or 5th gear,only would shift from 1st to 3rd but i paid 5,300.00 for her with 147k and wasn't about to eat it!

I was rewarded for my dedication,Audina has been reliable ever since for the most part,never left me stranded and has a very good engine,sounds quiet for a 1.8T, For being a high mileage girl she is a trooper and i will keep her as long as i can afford to pay for her doctor bills.

I don't know about you but i am also in love with My B5's curves,she's a smexy lil thang ^_^

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

Yeah, I think the same after reading your comments. After putting this much money, it is better to keep the car rather than selling it to someone for cheap $$$$.

@morpheous

Yeah dude. B5 A4's are really nice looking small cars and that's one of the reason why i want to keep her. I never had any transmission problems and hope it goes fine till the end of her life. The same thing happened to me also; when the turbo went bad nobody was willing to put a new turbo on the car. Two mechanics said they wont stand behind their work( i mean no warranty) if they put the turbo. But then I found a good mechanic who gave me a one year warranty and a decent price. The car runs like a champ now with turbo boost and all.

Seeing the maintenance record, can you tell how many more miles it gonna last without any big repairs? 280K?

 

I'll be the lone dissenting voice here. If it were me, I think it would be time to look into upgrading to a nice, low mileage B6. She made it 200k miles already, so she's led a good long life and has been good to you.

You can get into a nice 2003 or 2004 B6 for between $8500-12000 depending upon mileage, condition, etc.

There comes a point where where you have to say that a stable monthly car payment is better than unexpected repairs. Everyone's tolerance is different, of course. My B5 has 124k miles on it now, and my current plan is to go a maximum of another two years before upgrading. So when I decide to say goodbye, she's going to have less than $140k miles on her.

 

Let me just throw in here that you can replace your plugs in the unlit parking lot of a Bangladesh whorehouse with a ratchet, plug socket, extension, and Allen bit in 15 minutes, for $16, using the reflection of the moon off your sunglasses for light. Don't pay someone to do it. The axle requires an 8mm triple-square bit and an assortment of sockets and wrenches, and a 17mm Allen bit. It's a little annoying but not hard. Buy an axle for less than $100 and DIY. get a buddy who has car experience to help. It's very straightforward. You can buy a cat from a parts car pretty cheap and possibly bolt it in yourself. Struts are a long job and require special tools as well as the knowledge to do it safely. Compress the springs wrong and you can have a lethal projectile. Pay to have it done if you're unfamiliar with that work.

Now take that $2500 and subtract at least $1600-1800 from it and ask yourself again if it's worth it