...ok, so I do like the car, but I don't LOVE the car.I think I just want someone to make me feel better about it.
I recently bought an '04 A4 1.8T FWD with 43,000 miles on it. It's not the exact car I wanted but due to the situation I was in I could not afford (time-wise) to shop around for the exact car I wanted. I would have really liked to find a quattro model, and would have preferred to get away from the automatic transmission. But at least I found a black one (which is something that I really wanted) in my price range.
So anyway, every time I drive the car I am thinking "I wish I would have found a quattro" or "I wish I would have held out for a black one with a manual transmission"...stuff like that. Every time I see another Audi I am looking for that quattro badge like it's some kind of Audi status symbol, I dunno. The whole thing is just keeping me from being really happy with the car.
I know there are posts about FWD vs. Quattro on this forum, but what am I really missing out on without the quattro? And since this car is 100% stock, what would you recommend as the first (relatively inexpensive) mods I could make to get some better performance out of the car and make myself a little more happy with it. I think the auto trans is obviously not the best, but there has to be something to make it a little faster and make up for some of the...turdiness? I am going to be paying for the next4 years on a car that is already almost 5 years old and I really want to make the most out of what I bought.
Any sub-prime Audi love out there?
Peace,
Funk-D
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The best bang for your buck is to chip the car. Keep in mind that you will have to run premium in it if that is the route you choose. Other than that there really are not a lot of performance mods for the automatic cars. Is your car a Tiptronic or a CVT transimission equipped vehicle? Do you know the difference?
The best place to spend your money is in suspension upgrades. You can do shocks, and springs to give it a lower stance and improved cornering. I'm not sure if upgraded sway bars are available for the FWD cars. The front bar should be the same between the FWD and Quattro cars so you could do the front bar, but I cannot speak for the rear bar.
Anyway... search the forums for answers. The search function will turn up a lot of answers to your questions. Welcome and good luck with your car.
So how does that help this guy? There's no way he is going to be able to run a BT kit through a CVT if that is what is in his car. That transmission is not capable of handling that kind of power.
Thanks for your thoughts beefyosito. I really did noteven know there were different automatic transmissions, can you tell I am new to this? I had to dig out the original window sticker for the car, and it lists Audi Multitronic Continuously Variable Transmission with Dynamic Regulation Program. I do not know the difference or have any idea whichof the ones you asked aboutarebetter; it does have the autostick feature which I rarely even use.
I have looked for some information about chips, but I am wondering if that will void the warranty. I assume it would. There seem to be a lot to choose from too, hopefully I can find some good info on here about where to start and what to look for.
I don't know why I am so hung up on the quattro deal. Aside from possibly handling better, and the added stability in rain/snow, am I missing much performance-wise?
Now don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the car at all. I already like it more than any car I've had. I just want to do what I can to make it even better so I can stop worrying that I didn't get the exact car I wanted. But, I am saving a FORTUNE in gas over my last guzzler with the way prices are now...and that is pretty sweet.
Hey FunkD. I can understand your pain. Although I'm very happy with my car. I had been looking for a while and was in a position to jump on the one that I had been lusting for. As beefyosito said, the CVT tranny won't take the BT upgrade but I think that you should concentrate on being happy with what you could get at the time.
Like I said, I LOVE my car, but I got exactly what I was looking for. If I were you, I'd concentrate on more of the asthetics of the car. Get the springs, get a nice tint. Pick up some new rims and tires. Put a body kit on it.
If you can't be with the one you love then love the one you're with. - Luther Vandross
So how does that help this guy? There's no way he is going to be able to run a BT kit through a CVT if that is what is in his car. That transmission is not capable of handling that kind of power.
His question was awd vs fwd. CVT transmission can run ok with GTRS elim, it just depends a lot on all the supporting mods and a driver.
But yeah, if u go for a lot of power, manual is what u need to have.
most people dont need quattro but i wouldnt buy an audi without it, its very confidence inspiring in the rain and makes corners a blast.,. plus with coilovers now, the car can do things many people only dream of...
i almost bought a new a3 FWD instead of my a4 ultrasport but then i realized i was just buying a fancy Golf.. so i didnt get it, continued searching and finally found the car i wanted... there is a guy on audizine that looked for 5 months for a certain a4 ultrasport red avant with six speed/quattro!
an audi without quattro is just a VW
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I just bought an '03 A4 3.0 Quattro w/ stick. It's a blast to drive. The AWD is really great in snow, but other than that it's kind of a gas hog. It's getting abt 20 mpg in city traffic and abt 26 on the highway. This car replaced my '98 Passat 1.8T/stick that did about 23 city / 36 highway.
I'm in the Chicago area and the Quattro is nice for the 5 or 6 days when the snow is bad, but I don't think I would get it again unless it was switchable on or off. Especially at $4.29 / gal
Although this is a fairly obvious thing to say - using the multitronic really gives the car a more "powerful" feel. I have a CVT and I've learned to enjoy the shiftless feel the car has - it's a really cool transmission when you do some research on it.
Although, the Quattro will probably be my next buy, I'm satisified with my current car. Try using the multitronic every once in awhile!
Second guessing my Audi purchase...help?
