lol

 

Had the most boring of cars before...a Camry. Nothing ever went wrong with it and it had absolutely no personality. Now I have an 03 A4 and get excited every day to drive it. Of course, the A4 has weird sunroof and window ghosts, unexplainable lights come and go on the instrument panel and the a/c vents keep opening and closing....but I would not go back to the plain boring car even if it was free.

 

Welcome to the forums shamrock.

If I were in your shoes, I'd go with the 2.8 or 3.0. They tend to be more reliable and you really don't want your teenager to start modding the car. It can get very expensive very quickly and you know exactly who they're going to hit up for money.

The sludge problem is a bit exagerrated. As long as you change the oil regularly and use a Mann or Mahle filter, it will run a long time. I just saw a post on another forum where someone just hit the 200k mark in his 1.8t.

Quattro makes a huge difference. The most positive difference is in cornering. It has a 50/50 split for transfering the engine power to the front and rear wheels. So your teenager can't burn your tires away when they sneak out at night.

Here's a quick list of common things you should look for when shopping around.
timing belt $600-$1,200
control arms $70 for a single arm and up to $500 for a complete set
wheel bearings $150 each with labor
differential seals $50-$60 each
CV boot

 

Damnnn it's good have ur own chit

 

Have fun. For cornering make sure you have the sport package. The ride is a bit stiffer. I commute 150 miles per day in my A4. Sports suspension is still comfortable.

As with any used car, make sure that you have it checked by a mechanic who specializes in Audi/VW before you buy. this will prevent unforseen surprises.

To add to the life of your car, swap all the fluids at around 60K, including power steering, tranny (even though audi says it is lifetime), and diferentials. Use only Audi approved fluids.

With the timing belt, have the front engine seals done.

If you are mechanically inclined in the least, buy a Ross Tech Vagcom and a Bentley manual. They will pay for themselves quickly.

 

I recently got a 1.8T Quattro. Get a Quattro, it makes a BIG difference in driving dynamics! Anyway, it's what makes the Audi unique- they are famous for it so not getting it is kinda like Pamela Anderson w/o the *****...

I have no experience w/ the 2.8 auto but the 5spd is fun. I prob. would have wanted a auto but it just doesn't seem right w/ a Quattro turbo- the flavor is sporty and kinda fits the 5spd.

I'm a truck guy too! Audi spoiled me, I love driving it. I understand why people are willing to put up w/ the upkeep.

 

Thanks guys...I've was having a great time looking until the wife got involved...she's now dictating her color choices which seems to be at odds with my color choices...somewhere in all this will be a fight and I'll probably lose. Here's an interesting little story...my teenager was a BMW groupie. His mother (my ex) gets a new one every other year or so. Probably why she has trouble making her child support payments. For years I've had to listen to his BMW ravings...BMW this and BMW that...yada, yada, yada...he took the Audi out the other day for his first time and came back converted. So anyways. I've now got a wife dictating her wish list and a teenager dictating his wish list and me wishing I'd never said anything. I'd have been better off just trying to sneak the new car home.

 

Wait. Your wife has her own A6 right? It's going to be your car? I don't get why there's even an argument.

 

Couldn't agree more. I've been driving <groan> GM's all my life and finally I got sick of the mediocrity and picked up a used A4 for a song. For $11K I'm having a great time and enjoying real handling and style for the first time. And for anyone who tells you they are high maintanence, try driving an American car for a while. I'm hooked and it sounds like you are too. About damn time

 

My wife tends to believe she knows best and in the interests of peace and quiet, I tend to let her believe that. Choosing a car color in her eye's is no different than picking paint colors for the bathroom...it's a long and drawn out process that requires many, many hours of intense concentration along with the advice of far and distance friends and relatives and then after it's all been discussed and then re-discussed...it's thrown in my lap to make the final choice so I'm the one to blame if the colors aren't perfect. Same thing will happen with this car.