I have drove a 4000cs with 2bennett suspension and it is even more solid than my A4 with coilovers, it all depends man theres alot of different ways you could go, I have also drove a stock suspensioned 200tq and it felt like a boat so yea

 

forget about early model Audi's.. They are deffinately unreliable, especially the 5000, 90,100.

 

i'm a college freshman also dude and i just got my 99.5 1.8T A4 in Nov. I drive 40 miles each way commute to college and i haven't had to replace anything in the 7k miles i've driven it in 3 months. I know 7k isn't a lot of distance but it is a lot for a 3 month span. I got the car at 87k in mint condition for $7,000. I know theres people on these forums that would die for a deal like that. I live in NY and have driven this thing in the snow these last few snow storms. It out performs anything else i've driven and the quattro makes it a beast. Just as a fellow poor college freshman i'd say buy the car if you can get a good deal like i did. Otherwise like others have said, i am aware of the cost its going to eventually run me, but i couldn't pass up a $9,500 KBB valued car for 7 grand.

 

are volkswagons as expensive to fix as audis? how do the 93-98 jetta's handling compare to the A4's? if i said i was looking for a car with great handling, but i dont wanna pay alot for it (2k-5k), and it should be reliable and not expansive to fix, what kind of cars would you guys suggest?

 

IMHO jettas dont handle near as well as an a4 does. But the VR6 is pretty spirited in stockm form, yet the 4 bangers are giant pigs and accelerate at the pace of a slug. my .02 cents

edit if you only wanna pay 2-5k then get a corrolla or civic

 

If you are a poor student, and just need something reliable... and your budget is that low, then I wouldn't consider an A4. I'd look at golfs and jettas and possibly mk3 GTI's too... otherwise, check out civics. Civics are great cars, especially for poor college students! Nobody says you have to rice it... just drive it, maintain it, and it won't let you down. With all the money you'll have saved for driving a honda while you're in college... you can look at stepping into a nice car when you're done school. But I don't think a golf/gti or jetta is going to bankrupt you... a lot nicer to drive than a civic, although not as good on gas, nor as reliable... but yeah. If you drive a civic, and like it... then buy it.

 

Buy what you can afford. No sense buying an Audi and then not having the $$$$ to maintain it.

Honda Civic is great for reliability and gas economy

 

If you want an entertaining ride on a budget, the only place you could really look is the Japanese market. I'm a sophomore in college currently debating a 328iS or an A4 1.8t, but I have about $12k in my car budget, about $8k for the car, a couple G's for upgrades, and the rest to sit in the bank incase something I can't fix breaks. I cant tell you how many people I know with cars that sit in their driveways because they cant afford to fix them, and that's not what you want...or what I want because I end up giving them rides everywhere :-p.

I have owned a few MR2's, my last one turbo-charged with 300WHP, it was fast...very very fast, but I spent some time under it and a good bit of cash keeping it running. Bottom line is anything sporty or fast will cost you money some how...Japanese or not...but with the Japanese cars $2k will do a lot more repairs/upgrades than it will on a German ride.

I know a guy with a GLI and a GTI, they are both very quick cars, tunable, but they are as expensive as an Audi or Bimmer.

I dont want to keep rambling, so I'll give you my recommendation- get an Integra. Of all my friend's cars my favorite is a Teggy. $5k car that's as bulletproof as a civic but more fun to drive and very easily modifiable to be fun and "sporty."

No $$$ = STAY AWAY FROM GERMAN CARS!!!