Hey everyone, im looking into buying a B5 A4, ive been browsing around the market for a few months now and ive settled on the fact that i def. want manual and i def. want quattro, i cant decide, however, on the 2.8 v6 version or the 1.8t version, one of my friends a few years ago had a 5 speed 1.8t quattro and i thoroughly enjoyed driving that so initially im leaning more toward the 1.8 but he had it chipped and replaced the exhaust along with a few other things so iver never driven the stock 1.8, and if i buy the 1.8 ill probly end up buying one stock, so im not sure if the hp difference in the two is going to be a deciding factor, any suggestions on the pros and cons of each model vs the other, which has more matinence probs, which is more reliable, which is a better platform for tuning?(i plan on chipping it, adding an intake, exhaust etc etc nothing huge but i like sporty) any info is appreciated, thanks alot.

 

You can find this stuff if you go cruising the forum a bit, but thats ok.

The 1.8T has a lot more modding options than the V6 so if you want to do some modding then def get the 1.8T. The V6 is a little faster and has more horsepower than the 1.8T in stock form, but since there are more modding options for the 4 cylinder, it is easier and cheaper to mod and make the car faster than the V6.

Def go with the 5 speed and quattro.

Maintenance should be about the same on each as long as you keep up on the car. The 1.8T is prob a little more troublesome just because of the turbo. The most common problems are probably timing belt, control arms, and tie rod ends. The initial design on these three items weren't the best so you want to make sure they have been replaced or that you factor this into your purcahse. Timing belt is $1500 at dealer, under $500 to do yourself. Timing belts should be changed around 65k miles (before the manufacturer says you have to change it).

Thats about it. You can find a lot of info in the forum especially about your modding options for the 1.8T. Do some browsing and you will learn a lot.

 

yeah ive been looking around these boards, theyve been a great help so far by the way, i just havent come across any direct comparisons, im sure i couldve found some if i looked a bit more but thanks for the info, ill keep looking and hopefully soon ill be posting on here asking for help with modding my audi!

 

Without a doubt im going to have to say the 1.8T you can do alot more mods and get better results ex. chip, as for the 2.8 the chip only gains i think around 10 hp and better throttle response basically to see big gains with the 2.8 PES supercharger but then you have to beef up the other componets to your car like clutch,tranny ect...(lots of money) Im very happy with my 1.8T, imo go with 1.8 you wont be dissapointed........ when buying 1.8 look for things like which type of coolent they used if not pink walk away... also look at your suspension components like control arms stuff of that nature..... finally and most important find out when that timing belt was changed last.

good luck hope to c ya on here sum mor

 

At the end of the day it comes down to what your looking for a car as both cars are great and I can speak from both side as I own a Modified 1.8TQ and a Modified 2.8Q SC.

State what you want from an A4 and people can better guide you and PS you do not need to upgrade anything on the 2.8 with a SC but you can do things to enhance the setup.