Need advice on buying an 96 A4
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1st Gear
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5
Need advice on buying an 96 A4
Hi I have been wanting to get an A4 for a long time and finally found a possible match. The car is a 96, 2.8 Liter V6 and has about 129k on it. Its in great shape , awd but no leather. All in all he's asking about 400 under blue book or 6500. Im pretty sure its a good deal , I have done some searching but can anyone give me a few thoughts on what major mantenince might need to happen around this mileage.
Thanks and happy to have found this forum!!
Thanks and happy to have found this forum!!
5th Gear
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 6,508
From: South Bay
RE: Need advice on buying an 96 A4
depending on where you live and what condition it's in, that might be a good deal....ask the seller when the first timing belt change was done...the second one should probably be due about now (every 60-70k miles)...it's very strange that they aren't leather seats, i thought leather was the only option available in 96...things to watch out for when you test drive it:
ORIGINAL: bentframe
make sure the suspension is good....worn control arms will squeak, tie rod ends will clunk when you hit bumps, cv joints will click during low speed turns (if you're on the gas), open up the oil cap to look for signs of oil sludge (this is especially important with the 1.8Ts)...do the same for the power steering fluid, as well as the coolant. sometimes people top them off or refill them with regular fluids and that can cause big problems including sludge issues....test the cruise control, the switches are known to fail (typically it's an easy fix, a good way to knock a few bucks off the price ). make sure the sunroof is fully functional as well as windows (check each door's switch individually)..listen on the freeway for a humming/grinding sound for failing wheel bearings..oh, and leave the radio OFF during the test drive, test the speakers before or after driving....also consider the mileage on the timing belt, they need to be done every 60-90k miles....search the forums, there are TONS of threads on all this stuff...
make sure the suspension is good....worn control arms will squeak, tie rod ends will clunk when you hit bumps, cv joints will click during low speed turns (if you're on the gas), open up the oil cap to look for signs of oil sludge (this is especially important with the 1.8Ts)...do the same for the power steering fluid, as well as the coolant. sometimes people top them off or refill them with regular fluids and that can cause big problems including sludge issues....test the cruise control, the switches are known to fail (typically it's an easy fix, a good way to knock a few bucks off the price ). make sure the sunroof is fully functional as well as windows (check each door's switch individually)..listen on the freeway for a humming/grinding sound for failing wheel bearings..oh, and leave the radio OFF during the test drive, test the speakers before or after driving....also consider the mileage on the timing belt, they need to be done every 60-90k miles....search the forums, there are TONS of threads on all this stuff...
1st Gear
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 322
From:
RE: Need advice on buying an 96 A4
i bought my 96 12v with 100k miles on it for 6,500, got it down from 7,500 cause i payed in cash, u could probably get a little lower of a preice but... u never know. As far as repairs go my car has been good only problem was that the left and right engines mounts broke ($400 to replace)