I've asked this question on a couple of forums but I thought I would ask some Audi specific people!

I'm looking at two different A4's - one is about 3 hours from me, listed by a used dealer for $12,900 and has 41,000 miles. It's FWD and is a 1-owner carfax - looks like the guy drove very sparingly and lived in DC, about 6,000 miles per year. This one is tempting because 41k is very low mileage wise.

The other one is local - it was posted on craigslist but I haven't seen it on autotrader or cars.com. I emailed the owner and she said it has a 'clean title, carfax, 1 owner' but I haven't seen the carfax yet and she only posted on picture of the front. It's the quattro S-line trim - 80,000 miles and listed at $9,000 but 'willing to negotiate'.

I know that timing belts are an issue with A4's around 75-100k miles...would the S-line still be a steal, especially if I can knock the price down to about $8500?

I drive a 1992 Jeep Wrangler right now as my Daily Driver - either of these will be a huge leap for me in terms of technology, drivetrain, etc, and this probbaly sounds awful to you guys, but I don't think I will be able to notice the FWD versus Quattro...at least not for a while. Right now I'm focused on making sure I'm bundled up enough in winter because of the Jeep's soft top.

IS the S-line a worthy gamble? I probably drive 8-10k miles per year and longest one way trip is about 6.5 hours to Charleston South Carolina. I basically just want a reliable and fun car that will last me a few years with relatively minimal maint.

Any tips and advice are much appreciated!

 

You didn't say what year the cars are? That will make a difference in value. Couple of points:

1. FWD will get better MPG.
2. FWD is a CVT trans that has been known to have issues
3. Most on here will tell you to go Quatro if you can
4. If the S-Line is a 2008 make sure it is a "true" S-Line. In 2008 all A4s got the same front and rear ends and people call them all S-Lines. You can tell a real one a couple of ways. Shocks will be a reddish brown color, steering wheel will be three spoke with s-line badge, door sills say s-line.
5. The s-line is going to need the timing belt done sooner than the FWD. Some on here will say change it around 60 to 80k. I think 100 to 105k is fine (Audi says 115k).
6. Oil changes will cost you more ( alot more) than the Jeep.

If the cars were taken care of 200k+ miles can be achived. I have sunk less than $500 in repairs in my 130k mile 2008 A4 in the three years I have owned it. That does not include oil changes, a set of tires, and the timing belt replaced (that was $900).

 

Sorry - both are 2007. It also looks like the S-line literally sold one hour after I emailed the owner to buy...a bummer.

Is the CVT trans someting to avoid altogether? This car is listed a lot cheaper than most other A4s in same year (2006-2008) range that i've been looking for, by about 1-2k.

 

All I know about the CVT I read on this forum. I think most do not like it. Not sure if it should be avoided as I am sure there are some owners that love it.

 

Hi -
With only 41K miles on the car, and yourself only driving 8K miles you should be OK.
With respect to maintenance - these do burn oil. I have a 2007, and I add about 1 quart every 1 -1.2K miles, so basically an added expense of $9 a month for a quart of oil in my trunk. You'll have to keep checking this as this is a known issue.
Great car to drive...

 

I would avoid the CVT completely.

 

I own the quattro, and drove the fwd as a loaner. The fwd was horrible in bad weather. It might as well been a larger version of my terrible in the snow 2000 Jetta GLX. The whole point of Audi is the quattro, if you don't get the quattro, just get a nicely equipped Jetta and save yourself some money. Please don't take this as snobbish, as I know I will probably catch hell from some board members, but if I see a fwd Audi, I think "wannabee" without wanting to pay the premium. After driving both in bad weather, I know there is no way I would pay the extra for an Audi, over a VW unless it included quattro. The quattro makes that much difference. Even on dry, the fwd easily spun its front wheels, and a quattro wouldn't.

 

If your getting an audi, make it Quattro like B7 said!!

 

I completely agree with this. Factor in the CVT issues (especially when approaching the 100k miles mark) and I see no reason to get an Audi if it's not quattro. In addition, if you have the ability, get the 6-spd manual. Mine is auto and it's the only thing I wish were different that I can't do anything about.

That being said, these cars are not really going to be minimal maintenance. Lots of German "over-engineering" and parts that will go bad. Everything from oil changes to parts cost more and if you plan on using the dealership, you need to really prepare to be bent over. I've literally had them quote me double what my indy mechanic charged for the same repair at times. They're insane.

I'm not trying to scare you--they're great cars and fun to drive--I just want you to understand what you're getting into. Don't expect this to be a Honda or Toyota that you can just pay $40 to get the oil changed every 3-4 months and go forever. In 50k miles and 4 years, my 2006 Audi has cost me close to what our 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee cost me in 10 years and 150k miles! Once I get the timing belt done in a couple months, I think they'll be about even. Worth it? To me, yes. To others, not so much.

 

To the OP - IMO, buying a used Audi or any of the German brands without any time left on the original warranty or with certified coverage is extremely risky.
I have had two A4's a 1999 1.8T under certified Warranty and I now have a 2007 2.0, which was under the manufacturers then added Certified warranty.
It still has cost me a lot of money to maintain (deductibles under the certified program)... and continues to do so.
Great car to drive, obviously , as I am on my 2nd ). Love the ride and the look. Really a great car all around.
Having said that it is my last Audi, I just cannot justify the cost of maintaining it after years of constant repairs.
If you decide to purchase one with 75K and more miles, beware.
The worst thing to have is car payments while forking out money to repair it.
1 month out of warranty at 90K miles, my 2007 cost me 2K in repairs for AC module and two blower fan failure, 4 months later 1K on two more issues. 6 months later it was 1.6K for the needed timing/serpentine belt apparatus.
This is not including the brake repairs (normal) and oil changes.
Do the math on the cost - and if that seems excessive to you then this is not the car for you - Quattro or FWD? Does not matter if your new (used) car is in the shop every 3-4 months.