I'm looking for a reliable daily driver and don't mind paying a little more for the maintenance if I'm getting the luxury. I'm looking to spend around $10K CDN and came across a 1996 A4 2.8 Quattro w/ 67K kms (42K miles) for $9500 CDN ($8500 USD). I'm attracted to this car as I'd hope the low mileage would mean reasonable maintenance costs. The luxury, looks, and AWD don't hurt either.

But, looking at the reviews on the MSN website you'd think this car is a money pit... NOT something I'm looking for. This could be skewed as often it's only the people with problems that will bother posting.

Should I be staying away from this car? Will I have any better luck with a slightly newer A4?

Thanks for the input,

Joe

p.s. How much for replacement control arms? Are there aftermarket ones that are stronger?

 

no that particular engine is very reliable. they can go 300k+ kms no prob just dont expect any power expect maintainence to be more expensive but other than that your good. i say go for it.

although i dont know which is more reliable the 12v 2.8 or the 30v 2.8 (the one in that one is a 12v). so you might wana look into that

 

Thanks Chaos... power's not a big deal. I need to get around town comfortably, and do the occaisional highway trip. When I want power, I'll jump into my 350z.

 

These cars do require a little more maintenence than most, BUT if you read alot about your model by searching this forum, you can do almost all repairs and maintenence items yourself for not much money at all. I have had three different cars, and this one has actually cost the least in repairs.

 

I have that exact car, and have loved it since I bought it a few years ago. Currently have about 109,000 miles on it. Maintainence hasnt really been too much of a problem. I've done every repair myself without too much difficulty. As stated above the 2.8 engine is one of audi's most reliable. Get the car, take care of it, and it should last you a long time without major problems. I would however make sure you take care of the timing belt, tstat, and all that good stuff once you get around 90,000 miles. Drop the cash and join the elite.

 

most people who review cars just post reviews cause their car broke down and they are pissed. People are more motivated to post negative reviews than positive.

 

+1 Yup like everyone said that car is very reliable. Plus it only has 42k, for $9500 thats not too bad.

 

I don't know if it makes a difference, but the car has an additional 3 year Audi warranty on the powertrain... although that's the toughest part of the car from what I've read.

I dunno.... 42K miles w/ all the service records & the warranty. What could it be hiding?

 

Thats pretty low milage, so I'd wonder where it was driven. I'd definitely invest in getting a detailed inspection by a qualified euro-mechanic, not Joe's Tow-n-Go

And you'll want to have the Timing belt, water pump, etc. changed at 60,000 miles. Definitely before 70K. The tensioners, not the belt itself, are notorious. The 00-01 B5's got better tensioners, so I can wait until 90K. Expensive work to have done, so do it yourself if you can...but definitely don't put it off too long, especially since its so old.

Little older than I'd like to see, but the price is definitely right. THat engine (2.8L V6, 12V) is solid, just as everyone says.

 

as with any used car, take it to a mechanic who specialized in VW/Audi and have him check it over for problems