okay, here's my dilemma, i've been looking at getting an a4 in the 2000 to 2001 range, quattro and either the 1.8t or 2.8, but i just got done reading numerous horror stories of how timing belts have broken before 100k miles completely seizing the engine. on top of that, lots of people said that many other components would continously go bad, as well as transmissions, coil packs, and those type of things but WAY before 100k miles. my question to you is this, how many of you have ever had to do major maintence on your a4 where it could have possibly left you stranded? if so, what went wrong and how long have you owned the car? thanks alot, i really love the car, but now i'm afraid to buy one.
thanks,
mike

 

should you worry if your clothing falls off your back or the food you have eaten will kill you due to bugs, life is for living

 

As far as reliabiliy, they arent Honda's.. If you do the work yourself youll save tons of money and it will make owning it very worthwhile. i have never been stranded with my car. All you have to do is make sure the timing belt tensioner has been replaced with the updated version (1.8t) and use only full synthetic oil to keep from sludging up. Other than that, coil packs can sometimes be an issue, but they are cheap for 00-01. ICM failureis a common issue but 00+ dont have it so you dont need to worry. Control arms are known to fail before 100k miles sometimes.. There is an updated kit available for $500ish and DIY articles on how to install. Tie rod ends are a weak point and can fail early, there is also an updated version you can get for cheap and they also come with the updated control arm set. Other than that, the only other common failure is the LCD info display in the gauge cluster sometimes gets dead pixels. Those are the notorious things, other than that its pretty much routine maintnence and there are tons of DIY articles available for pretty much anything you can think of to help you save money from taking it do the dealer, etc. The ride quality, looks, style and availability for go fast mods (big turbo kits for 1.8t, supercharger for 2.8) make it a great car to own. Its a very safe and solid ride and both engines are reliable if taken care of properly. There is more "plumbing" involved with the 1.8t so it requires more attention sometimes.

 

please dont compare Honda to the Audi[:@]

 

Talking about reliablility dave... Meaning, Audi's reliability is not the same as Honda's reliability. Sort of like how the thought process and comprehension skillsof someone from the UK arent the same as someone from the US. I am not comparing to signify similarities, I am comparing to note the differences.

 

bag of worms just opened[:@]

 

well speaking in terms of reliability, i have a 600 horsepower 03 cobra that never gives me any problems and is more reliable than any of my other cars. as far as the audis go, i haven't heard anything but headaches and horror stories. i also have a fully built 331 stroker 67 mustang. neither of these cars have EVER crapped out on me, and certainly not to the extent that i've heard of some of the a4s.

 

is honda a reliable car one would ask and guess what ( its not )

 

AC cobra nice car but old and I love it because its old but nothing special, most cars will kick its butt today but its an icon of motoring history

 

And which car has more miles? The good thing about american (especially muscle) cars is that there is less to go wrong and parts are usually beefier. Plus people with luxury cars are more prone to complain about the smallest problem.

SMo'