I found a 2000 A4 Quattro at local Chevy dealer. It is the 2.8 liter V6 with 6-Speed manual Tranny and almost 78,000 miles on it. Looks like it is in good condition from the pictures and real clean. I am going to go look at it tomarrow or Friday. My question is what is a fair price for the car and are there any major problems (or gremlins)with that year? What work will I need to have done soon, ect.... (price was't listed on this one.)

Also I found a 2003 A4 1.8 with 55,000 miles on it. Listed at 18k for that one. I don't really want to spend that much but which one would be the better buy?

I am looking to get rid of my gas guzzler of a truck.

 

Well, either would be better on gas than your truck, but neither car will sip gas, just so you know. The 2.8L will be about due for its timing belt service which can run anywhere from $600-$1200 if you pay to have it done. Find out if it's been done already though because it's possible. Otherwise, anything under $8000 would be a good price, but I bet they'll be asking closer to $10,000.

As for which should you buy...I'm sure you can imagine what a well-exhausted topic that is. There's a lot of info on 1.8 vs 2.8 and you can find it by searching. But I'll summarize the important points...if you want to modify your car extensively for performance, get the 1.8T. If you want to do a few cosmetic things and maybe an exhaust, but no more (more gets VERY expensive on this engine), get the 2.8, which will probably be a little more reliable. And, of course, drive both and figure out which one you like better.