Need Advice on Buying a used A4
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1
Need Advice on Buying a used A4
I've never owned an Audi before and am looking to purchase a used A4. I am interested in an A4/S4 between the years of 97' and 99'. Can anyone provide me with some common problems with this model during those years. What should i expect to pay for one of these vehicles and is the 1.8Turbo easier to mod then the 2.8? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am looking to purchase one with in the next month or two. I have not decided on whether to get a Sedan or the Avant. Thanks.
6th Gear
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 10,684
From: Columbs, Ohio
RE: Need Advice on Buying a used A4
Hey welcome to the forum. Yes the 1.8t is 10x easier to mod than the 2.8. Take a look for squeaky suspension indicating bad control arms. Also clunking would mean bad tie rods. The timing belt, water pump, idle pully, etc had to be changed from 60-80k miles. You'll want to keep that in mind because it is a pretty expensive job to have done ($500-1000).
Senior Member
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,042
From:
RE: Need Advice on Buying a used A4
ORIGINAL: boostedte37
Don't do it. I made a big mistake thinking I was getting a reliable german built car. It turns out it's a german built pile of crap.
Don't do it. I made a big mistake thinking I was getting a reliable german built car. It turns out it's a german built pile of crap.
what? im pretty sure the thousands of people driving used A4/S4's will disagree with you. minor issues can be dealt with promptly and you still have a great car.
2nd Gear
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,489
From: San Mateo, CA
RE: Need Advice on Buying a used A4
Here's a thread from VW Vortex that give some pretty good advice for buying a used A4, and what to look for.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2054679
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2054679
5th Gear
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 6,508
From: South Bay
RE: Need Advice on Buying a used A4
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...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...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: Jun 2005
Posts: 84
RE: Need Advice on Buying a used A4
I believe that one of the large problems people find with the Audi's is the turbo and that is what scares them away. But you have to dig deeper then the surface. You will find out that there are only minor problems that are usually fixable due to the DIY help on the forum.
