Hey everybody, I am new to this forum.

The Intro:
I currently own a 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege (2.0T) with many many mods, but tuning the car sucks. There always seems to be quirks whenever I mod it, and nothing goes smoothly. Right now it is running great, in the 13's. BUT... it is still a Protege. Now that I am traveling more and getting married, I want something a little more solid, with options, somewhat 'luxury', and sporty.

So the reason for this thread. I started looking at 'luxury' cars and am looking at:
BMW 3-Series 2001+
Audi A4 1.8T Quattro 2002+
Other Sugestions?

I was looking at other cars, but I always seem to look back at these two. I was hoping to get some honest opinion here.... nobody will kill you if you admit to liking the BMW (though they might flame a bit!). Here are my thoughts on the two:

I like the Audi because AWD is more readily available, I like the options on the Audi and I think the interior beats the BMW. The options are about the same I guess, though some of the BMW's don't even have sunroofs. For the price of a very used BMW, I can get a newer A4. It seems the 2001 bimmer with 60K miles cost the same as a 2002/2003 A4 with 30-40K miles. I have worked with turbos a lot, so could probably work with the Audi better than I could a non-turbo BMW, and get close to the same amount of power. I would be looking to mod it slightly, probably a chip, DV, intake, maybe injectors. It will not be as fast as my old car, but stronger and more comfortable. I assume gas mileage is about the same. BMW also has nice features, looks great, and can come in coupe.

Anyway, I was hoping to get people to compare the two.... I don't really know all the specs / options for each and would like a break down. Reviews from those who have driven both would be great. Gas mileage specs would be awesome as well. I am also open to other sugestions, I am looking for a sporty luxury car, 2001+.

IF I got an A4 1.8T..... what is a good price for a 2002+ with under 50K miles? What should I look for? What are the A4 'quirks' that people hate... that I should expect?

I really appreciate you reading through all of that, and thank you in advance for any help you can give me towards the purchase of my next car.

 

Some pictures of the old car for your viewing.

Older pic:


Newer pics:




The heatshield has buffing compound on it here.... ready to be buffed.




Close-up of the valves and the soon to be replaced zip-ties.


The IC with a nice huge bug in it. Un-noticable cutting to the bumper support and a thin part near the outlet of the IC. The core is deep though... had to re-locate the power steering cooling line.


With hood closed. Blue headlight covers on the way.

 

whats up man...welcome to the forum. if you go here FAQ from AW it'll give you a lot of answers regarding the B6. As far as comparison, I can only tell you that I enjoyed the comfort of my A4 more than my friends 2001 325. The interior is a lot easier on the eyes on my avant. And believe me, the quattro system is something that is like no other. if you haven't experienced it yet, then you will love it! There isn't a lot of quirks that you should be aware of. ONly that the 02's had some bad coilpacks that should have been replaced under warranty. can't really think of anything else. Hope my limited knowledge helped you. Good luck in your quest.

 

Thanks for the input, it is really appreciated. I will drive each car, but the quattro sounds great. How does the A4 distribute power?

 

well there is some turbo lag with the 1.8T's but that could be fixed with the mods that you listed above.

 

In stock form the A4 is not fast at all. In fact , its slow as all hell.
But it is very mod friendly. A 'chip' will give your 40HP and 70TQ. They are about $500.
There are no limits with the 1.8T

 

anyone have input on gas mileage?

I have a manual now, what are people's impressions on the automatic tranny and manual mode with the 1.8T? My protege was once slow.... now nothing can beat it. Its all in the mods. With a chip, can it keep up with the WRX? It is AWD with about the same boost, that is why I ask. My buddy has a stock WRX but MBC set to about 15 lbs and it seems really quick. That is a 2.0 though. I am just trying to get a comparison prior to test drive since I will not be testing a chipped car.

 

also,
are upgraded injectors worth it? I see for the same price you can get a different MAP on the chip to allow for larger injectors. My guess is that is just allows more power in the lower rpm range. I would probably get an intake, some sort of chip (recomendations? - GIAC or APR seem to be the top 2), better DV, and that is about it... like I said maybe injectors. So I hope with those it will be a faster car.

 

are there any other good Audi forums? It seems the Audi community is limited.

 

It wont be as fast as a stock WRX with just a chip . The auto's are ok , but you sound like you want performance(judging by your current car). Get a manual.
Injectors are a great upgrade to go with a chip .. you would really feel the pull with that mod
This is one of the slower Audi forums IMO . Check out www.audizine.com and www.audiworld.com
Both APR and GIAC make great software