Hey folks. Just joined up moments ago. I currently own an 03 A4 wagon (wife's) and I drive a 01 Jetta Wolfsburg. Hope to be ditching the Jetta for an Allroad. It has got to be my favorite car of all time. I never thought I'd say that about a station wagon. I know the allroad failed here in the US, but judging from my area you wouldn't think it. You can't toss a stick without hitting an Allroad. It's a great car for Vermont roads.

Anyhow, I'm looking at two used models right now. Looking to spend around 15k+/-.

01 with 60k miles for 14,500.
03 with 55k for 16,000.

Are there any notable changes made from those model years? I'm actually leaning towards the 01 at the moment, just because I feel that I know more about it's history. (private sale.. owners seem to take care of their cars) Carfax report showed nothing odd in service history.

The 03 is more of a mystery, and the carfax report shows a strange history. Like 1 wheel being replaced... then all 4 wheels being replaced... tires being replaced every 10k miles... excessive brake repairs. (could be a lemon.. or could be some poor sap who didn't know better) I haven't seen or test driven the 03 yet.

I'm a little worried buying a car as complex as the Allroad. Coming here doesn't exactly settle my fears much... since it's a forum, and that's where people come to post about their car problems. But I may just have to throw caution to the wind and jump in anyhow.

Also, if anyone has any input or opinions regarding the reliability of Carfax reports... I'm all ears. How reliable are they? Sorry, I do realize I've jumped to 3-4 different topics.

... and here's one more. Standard vs Auto? I've sworn up and down that I'd never own an automatic. But... I've also never owned a 2.7T. I wouldn't mind the auto so much if the engine actually had some *****. But damn... that just makes me imagine that the standard must be even more fun to drive. Have I mentioned that I'm horrible with decisions?

 

The 03 sold... I'm going to try to get the 01 to the shop for a checkup.

 

I don't think there were any notable changes between 01 and 04. Some minor equipment changes, such as satellite radio prep became available in the later years. I'm sure there were tweaks to the lineup over the years, but I think the drivetrain for the 2.7T was pretty much untouched.

Carfax is only as reliable as what's reported. I've had some major damage done to a car in a parking lot, but it won't show up on carfax as there wasn't any police reporting or anything like that.I simply called my insurance co and they sent an adjuster over and ultimately had 2k worth of repair work done.

As for standard vs. auto, I'm driving an auto and like it a lot. Granted, I live just outside of Boston and don't want to bother with a standard when stuck on 93 in the morning commute. However, I'd be down for a standard if I lived up in VT!

 

Thanks incrementalg. I wasn't aware of any big changes... but thought I'd check.

Ok so Carfax doesn't catch everything and some garages just volunteer their info? (but aren't required) Well I'm passing it by a Audi mechanic later in the week hopefully for a checkup. (I just got a call from the seller as I was writting that)

I'll be fine with the auto I guess... the wife prefers auto, but that's part of the reason I wanted the stick.

Just outside Boston? I was actually looking to buy an allroad from a guy down your way. He had been getting many off-lease Allroads and selling them at decent prices. audiforyou.com He's all out now though.

 

Well... the asking price on the 01 with 60k miles is $14,500. (personal sale) It hasn't had the timing belt done and that's $1,375 at the dealership. (though I'd take it elsewhere) So I'm thinking about knocking 1k off asking price. Am I crazy? I've already had the dealership check it over and aside from a weak battery, it got a clean bill of health. Interior is spotless and in good working order. Exterior has many small scuffs and scrapes... but nothing major.

 

I think asking for 1k drop in price is reasonable. I looked on cars.com and between 13k and 14k seems to be the range for an '01 or '02 with between 50k and 60k miles. Of course no way to know how those rides check out, but I'd assume they're in pretty good condition.

 

Well I took a second test drive today. (so I could take it on interstate) Car seems flawless. I still plan on offering her 1k less for it. I must have it though. I'm smitten.

Is it just allroads that have the black roof? Or is it all A6 Avants? Any reason for this?

Also... roughly how long does it take to 'pump' the car up from say, the lowest setting to highest? I did this during my test drive and it seemed to take 3-4 minutes? My mother-in-law has the Q7 and it doesn't take nearly that long. Just curious.

 

And since it's my own thread I don't feel so bad babbling on forever... pardon my obsessiveness.

I'm guessing an online PDF owners manual for an allroad is too good to hope for. Looked all over with no luck. Owners manuals and spare keys... where do they all go???? [:@]

For the air-ride controls... I'm sure "man" stands for "manual". And by manual, I would assume this means "I'm manually setting the ride height myself". While adjusting the ride height this light never came on durning my test drive. What exactly is this light for? Is there a way to "lock down" your ride height? I can understand the car lowering down when speed builds, but really, would it be any worse than any SUV on the road? The only mention I could find of this "man" light was a review, in which the reviewers were just as baffled as myself.

 

Dumb question, but where did you see "man"? When I adjust the height in my car, the only thing I see is the blinking green led light that indicates the height is adjusting to that selection. I'm looking at my manual and don't see any other controls or indicators related to the suspension. There are only two buttons and a series of green leds and thats it for my height adjustment controls.

 

Yo, Ungawa;

The flat black roof is only on ARs, because we are all supposed to be real outdoorsy types (oo, ooh, ooooh, RAH). The roof is supposed to hide minor scratches or anything else inflicted by moving outdoorsy equipment (kayaks, bikes) onto and off of the roof. My guess is that it also raises our sperm counts a coupla points.

Buy the car. I love mine.

john