Hi everyone,

I'm thinking out buying a station wagon and I'm considering a couple cars. Currently its between an '03 BMW 540i and an '03 Audi allroad 2.7L. As a current BMW owner I'm drawn to the 540i but they don't make an AWD version, so I'm leaning more toward the Audi, plus I have a 14' boat that I tow around town and the allroad I'm interested in has a trailer hitch.

Here's my comments/concerns: I previously owned a '97 A4 2.8L quattro and it was mixed experience. It was a nice car and fun to drive when it was newer but it did develop quite a few problems as it aged and after an untimely death due to a timing belt failure I switched over to BMW.

Now for this allroad there are 3 things that I'm concerned about: turbos, shocks, and timing belts (though the timing belt is more a paranoia). I know 2 people (one with a 1.8L A4 the other a 2.0L) and they both have had turbos that failed between 100-120k miles and were very expensive fixes. I've also heard that the shocks on the allroad are pricey as well and are prone to failure.

With all that aside is there anything I should look for in these cars? I really like this specific car it's a one owner with 92k miles for $8500 but I'm nervous about it becoming a money pit. Any thoughts?

 

If it's a Tiptronic you have the possibility of torque converter failure. The pre '04s were known to have a bad seal in the TC which eventually led to failure in a high percentage. The fix can be $$. I have a later VIN '04 and haven't experienced it. I also have 141k miles and my turbos are fine, all depends on how well the maintenance was kept up and how much it was beat on, I suppose. I did have to replace my compressor for my suspension but my airbags have been fine thus far. They are great cars but have some significant issues that can turn it into a money pit. On a positive note, last winter we had one good snow storm and a bus got stuck in front of me, I turned into a driveway and found the lot blocked by a small fallen tree. I jacked up the suspension and just went over the tree, leaving the rest of traffic behind, so it is a very capable car.

 

What did you end up buying?

 

I guarantee you buying the allroad will seriously compromise any savings you have remaining. I got mine for $6700 with 157k and I regret that purchase. I easily spent the purchase price just to keep it as my daily driver. The fact I had to buy gas for it 2x a day, should have been a fair preview...but the acceleration, AWD abilities and towing capacity kept me delusional, for 4 more years. You will be lucky to get six months problem-free service, from the allroad. You have been warned...

 

jeez, all my happiness is gone