I had a 96 a4 for about a year, and during that year, i had to replace. The 2 rear springs, oil pan, oil cooler, rack and pinion, power steering pump and front cv joints. Needless to say, i sold it asap to get rid of it. I loved the quattro and the audi, but it was a pain. Im moving out to colorado and im from maine, im heading out there in a fall and have been looking at the Allroads. Ive seen the turbos and the v8's as options. ive read that the v8's are better reliablity but you'll lose mpg. At this point im looking for somethign that wont break down on me bc ill be at college all year, and we'lll yeah college student salary. Any idea's or words of advice, i liked my a4 but the money killed me, and yes i know, all audis cost money. Thanks in advance.

 

i would think the V8's are cheaper the the v6's in the long run. no turbo's to go and no timing belt's to worry about. with a turbo engine you must use expensive synthetic oil. the normal aspirated v8's do fine with conventional oil. the v8's were only made in 2004 and 2005, so selections are less, but the v8's also came with more standard options.

 

IMO the Allroad will not be a cost effective solution. It probably is not cheaper to maintain nor more reliable than an A4.

 

I wouldn't run conventional oil in a V8 especially in cold climate.I've had both in mine and it does make a difference.The difference in mpg between the two is only 1 or 2 mpg.

 

I'd buy a subaru until after college, then buy the nicest allroad you can get. Any unexpected maintenance cost is just to prohibative on a college students cashflow. Then you use a credit card to pay for the repair, then you pay more for it due to interest.... Just wait until your solvency improves.

My two cents.

 

yea sorry to say go buy a civic or corola something

I went from a 97 A4 1.8TQM to a 05 AR 2.7TQM because I love Audi and now have 2 kids so I need the room
I went with the V6 because of the turbos and the tuning (chipped to 307hp)

Audi's you have to keep maintaned

but its a labor of love

 

yeah ive been looking alot at wrx and possible even sti's, but then again, its all cashflow, and i knw audis are a beast to maintain, but so are any nice car, ill figure it out i hope, thanks for all the help.

 

get yourself a Honda gas 4 cylinder. We have two Audis A4 1.8Turbo CVT and a A6 4.2 quattro. They are both expense to run. High maintence and lots of $$$$. The when your done with college get what ever you can afford !!! sorry Audi, your expensive to own. joev

 

ill pay the money before i go cheap honda. Im looking at older diesel mercedes. My first car was a 84 190d and it had over 275k on it. Ran like a clock until it hit -30 one day and alot of **** broke..

 

I'm always intrigued by the comments that Audis are expensive to maintain. More expensive than what? I've had Audis (currently a 04 Allroad and 03 RS6, past included an S4 and RS4), Mercedes, Porsches, Volvos, Toyotas, Fords, and Chevrolets. The only car cheaper to maintain than my Audis was the Ford. The Chevy's cost lots of money immediately after warranty ended. The other cars have been flawless and cost little beyond expected maintenance costs. The key is to pay to maintain the car. If you do that the cars are bulletproof to very high mileages, in my experience.

That being said, buy an old Volvo or Subaru wagon for college. Definitely not an Allroad or WRX. You need the cash for school and beer. Why have anything nicer than a $2500 car? College girls don't care what you drive. Especially in Boulder (if that's where you are going). Buy one of the wagons, help everyone move and go to the party store, and you'll have friends for life. Cool cars can wait.