I live in Canada too, Ottawa to be exact.

I bought my 2000 A4 1.8T 5sp for around $18,000 CAD. It came with the sport pkg and new tires and it was in pristine condition with like 75,000 KM.

I was much like you, looking at cost of maintainance, looking for something reliable for a daily driver. I was discouraged about the ratings that edmunds and consumer reports gave the A4. Then I test drove it... and that did it for me. I have only owned the car for like 6 months but in this short period of time, I'd never go back to FWD.... Quattro is the way to go.

If you keep up with the recommended maintainance your car will last. Check out auto trader you will see Audi's in there with 300,000 KM. I guess it all depends what is top on your list. Mine was a DD but I wanted something good in the snow/slush for winter, something safe and reliable - and the 4 rings on the front of the car act as a nice status symbol.

 

i live in Burnaby bc canada 30mins away form Vancouver and the car has 30k kms i agree the body kit and the lower springs says it was driven by a guy that races and the engine is stock, but i didnt care because this is a german car but the suff online scared me.and as for the timin belt tentioner if they hadnt replaced it and somthin went worng when i buy it does audi replaces it for free since it was a defect. so i gess im gonna look around and see other a4 of diffrent years and c reviews on those to c which is most reliable and get it because it is the perfect car for me blast to drive awd and the nearest compeditor is subaru and their older cars kinda look ugly to me.

 

i didn't say tips were slow...just slowER than manuals

 

so the time uve had it did u get too many problems with the car

 

ok ive made my mind i cant get the a4 out of my head every time if do some research i come back again to it. so now i want ure advice on what is more reliable the v6 or the 4cyl and what year do u think has experenced the least problems. i cant buy an 06 or 05 so im lookin at between 03 and 2000. im not a jap car fan even though wrx are cheaper faster and easier to mod cus there are lots of wrxs driven by sissys and i want somthin different.

 

You want a B5 or B6 with 1.8T, chip (with injectors if B6), and exhaust

I can't wait to see how fun this car will be after a turbo swap.

 

You have a BPV huh??? How is that going for you?

 

BPV is just a bypass valve, or diverter valve... so I am sure it's going just fine for him.

And I bought my 2000 A4 1.8TQM with 78K on it for 15700 CDN plus 15% taxes -- 18K exactly out the door. It is fully loaded minus bose... but it does have xenons, it does have technology, it does have winter, and it does have the sport pkg. Black on black, too.
It really depends though... when you're buying a B5 A4 (1996 - 2001) you can bank on at least one major repair -- control arms, and one terrible service interval -- timing belt. If you don't do them yourself... the timing belt can be about a grand, and the control arms a bit more than a grand. There are a few other little things... but overall they are great cars. Just make sure the oil has been changed religiously if you buy ANY used car... but it is very important for the 1.8T.

2.8's are more reliable... but useless if you want to mod them for power (short of a 5000US dollar supercharger).
98+ 2.8's have 190 hp
a 150 hp 1.8T becomes a 200 hp 1.8T with the purchase of a performance chip (500USD).
in 2001 the 1.8T's had 170 hp, but once you chip them, they are almost the same (the 2001 still has a slight advantage though, but not 20 hp)

I'd buy a manual, because the tiptronic is slow as hell in tip mode... unless you get the GIAC tip chip.

EDIT: oh and if you are looking at b6's... (2002 - 2005) then you will have a very limited selection if your price range is around 19K. They are nicer cars to drive, though. Most people like the b6 interior more... most people on here prefer the b5's exterior.

 

the V6 is more reliable becouse less spining parts like turbo. mine V6 already passed 187K miles thats 300K KM and believe me when I say this: NOT A DROP OF OIL and I believe the engine code is AFH the one that is used in A4.
diference: V6 no modes are easy. I4 mods are easy. with V6 you get 175Hp on 12V and 190Hp on 30V. the I4t can start from 150Hp, 175Hp, 225Hp, and modes evrywhere. I4 starts 90-125hp

 

We only have 2 engines for the b5 in North America though... the 2.8 and the 1.8T... both have 2 generations. 172 or 190 hp for the v6, and 150 or 170 hp for the 1.8T. A chip easily levels the playing fields in terms of power.
I love the feel of the V6 stock... very smooth and quiet. But I wanted to be able to mod, and I wanted a bit better fuel economy.