hey guys i'm new to euro cars (coming from honda/acura cars), and i was considering picking up a 97-00 a4 1.8T. i searched for common problems about the car and i understand that they have a little bit more problems than jap imports.

i'm most likely going to pick up a used one at the dealership, so i doubt they will keep all the maintenence records. can you guys give me some tips of what to look for in a used audi? like which hoses to check for leaks, to determine if the turbo is still working (since some of you have stated his/her turbo went out between 50-100k) etc...

i know basics of what to look for, but i just wanted to be extra sure that the audi i'm going to buy will be in the best condition possible.

thanks in advance guys!

p.s. is it true that pre 2000 models have major problems with them? i.e. electrical.

 

Hi oo3, welcome to the forum!

There is no way to tell if the turbo will give out soon. It all depends on how the previous owner treated the car. It's kinda the luck of the draw I suppose. You should know from searching that control arms and tie rods are common failures on the B5 A4. The timing belt NEEDS to be changed around 60-80k miles. This also must include the tensioner, waterpump, accessory belt, and idle pully. Keep in mind if it hasn't been changed this procedure will cost around 600-1000 bucks.

I have never heard of any major electrical problems with pre 2000 models. That is simply a lie.

 

Consumer Reports down rated 2000's because of ignition coil recall.

 

meh, i'm sure most of that has been taken care of by now.

 

If It's a women that owned the car, then thats a good sign already

 

I dunno man... "what's that pretty oil light?? It's been on for a month now!"

 

Don't buy it at the dealer. You are gonna get raped on the price. Try to find a nice privately owned one... preferably where the owner is a woman!

 

or even better try to find one where the owner was a hooker

 

the only reason, i'm going to a dealership is because i don't wanna sell my car to somebody else...i'd rather trade it in...

 

what car are you trading in? whats the mileage? if you have to have a dealer try to find onew that is located in a smaller town. they can usually trade with the other dealers for the car you want and they usually give you more for your trade. ive never done this but it makes sense to me