Alright guys, I searched for this, and couldnt quite find what I was looking for, So i felt like making a topic about it.
On wednesday im supposed to be going to a car auction that is supposed to have a good ammount of a4's for a really good price.
they allow you to test drive the cars around the parking lot which is handy.
so my questions is, what should I be looking for?
How can I tell if the timing belt has been changed?
What do YOU think should be the maximum miles I look at?? if that makes sense...
anything important to look for?

and also, something I couldnt quite find while searching.
Ive been thinking really hard about either a tiptronic or a manual.
I know the tip is ALOT slower from what ive seen, and it cant hold as much power.
The mods Im thinking about doing are: a chip,exhaust,and maybe the 150 or so dollar FMIC. and then some other type of mods like suspension,brakes, and interior junk.
You think I should get the manual for those types of mods?
or stick with a tip?


anybody wanna help me out?
and I appologize if I missed something.
I searched and looked through some posts and couldnt find all that I was looking for.

 

Me i was in the same boat as you, I have access to a dealers auction because the company i manage has a nj dealers liscence. IN the 2 years of dealing with used auction cars i've learned DON'T DO IT. Went private seller instead,viewed well over a dozen cars,got a deal on a car over from Audiworlds forum. Real deal Audi lover who also owned a pristine S4 also and had full maintence records 125 miles away in Pa. Skip foward a month into my ownership and checked out by 2 diffrent mechanic buddies of mine at their shops the car is perfect,both couldn't find a thing wrong with it. Prob best deal of my life. The money saved at auction isn't worth the hassle down the road. UNless the auction warrenties it i wouldn't do it. My company has had 2 vehicles catch fire,several trannies go and our latest needed a new engine all within a month of purchase.

Go car shoppin with an unemotional,cold hearted bastard of a friend who both knows cars as well as you do if not better and would tell his own mother she's a fat ***** if thats the truth. Look only at cars with FULL MAINTENCE RECORDS. Drive the car,purposly hit bumps,potholes straight line and in corners. Floor the car in each gear,obviously at lower revs for higher gears and see if pulls smoothly. Let go of wheel,car should track straight,same under braking no pull or violent shaking.CLutch should be catchin quick and smooth and require no gas to get movin quickly. Idle should be steady and not bouncy both hot+cold. Have heartless unemotional buddy drive car and do the same. Drop off the friend on the side of the road and drive past him under acceleration,hitting potholes,cruisng and braking, then switch. There should be no abnormal noise. If it made it this far take the car to a local mechanic you preselected through AAA and have them inspect the car as you will be amazed at what can be seen on a lift with a trained eye you would miss.
Stick should last longer then tip in terms of long term reliability and is pretty hard 2 blow a manual tranny unless your tryin. That and i don't care what the tip guys say 0-60 in 10+ seconds is a dog in my book. Combine tip with a 1.8 engine and its just doesn't feel like the same car. Manual FTW I'd go with 2000 and up just for the piece of mind with the timing belt tensioner update. Personally i found the 2001 1.8 the best value in terms of 20 more hp and 16lbs more torque then 1997-2000 1.8s and much cheaper then the newer body style 2002,truely an excellent value. Gets in NYC city drivin 23-24 city,29-35 highway mpg chipped with quattro. The 2.8V-6 gets lie 17city and 24-27 highway mpg and is slower then a chipped 1.8 and the 1.8 chipped has more torque especially noticable at lower RPMS. Miles i don't think matter terriblly as long as car was meticulously maintained by a private seller and a mechanic gives the thumbs up after a compression check. Personally i wouldn't buy over 120k miles just because the longer someone owned it b4 you the more chances they had to skip maintence,abuse it or neglect it. Yes, a car can go south real fast if abused but hopefully if the owner has full maintence he hasn't been spankin it terribly and 120k miles will leave you with a cushion if he was only forgettin minor things. Thats just my opnion.If you must buy from auction with no records available the lower the better as its less chance for abuse and neglected maintence.

 

i was about to write a response with my input till i saw this:

1997 Mazda MPV Allsport minivan.
3.0 V6 with stock 125 Horsepower
4WD with Locking differential.
Debadged
modified cupholder system.
For Sale Sign in front and rear window

yeah.
bring it on...
Your gonna get smoked..

 

Those things can be made 2 go very fast with dough. I think he was bein sarcastic though.

 

What? you dont like the car im currently stuck with??....
it'll smoke your little a4....

if you took that seriously then I will not be able to takeYOU seriously....


and bob, thanks for that...huge post.
it helps alot.

 

Take your time in buyin a car as a cheap shitty beater MPV beats an expensive,non-running A4 you just sank 10 grand in and needs 4 more in work. Rember the one makin the purchase decision should be that cold hearted bastard of a friend with no emotional intrest in the car at all. With patience comes more options, with more options come better "deals" that are truely deals.

 

Oh I know that.
The van Is just the car I got after my mom got her A8L....
I get stuck with it cause my even older 89 audi 100's tranny died, for the 5th time...
so.
she gets a new car.
i get her old one.


One bummer thing is A few months ago i saw a TON of 1.8t's for sale for really good prices that were private parties.
and thats back when i wanted the 2.8
now of course i want a 1.8t
and all i can ever find are 2.8's

go figure, huh?

so im just trying to find the right one, and maybe.
just MAYBE i could find a good one at this auction.

 

I agree with Bob here, I spent like 4 months lookin thru ads on autotrader and the like untill I found what I wanted. take your time and you'll be much happier in the end.