Hello,

We are thinking of purchasing a 2003 Audi A4 (1.8 T). It has nearly 32,000 miles & getting a pretty good price.

Bumper to Bumper warranty has expired.

Is there anything I need to look out for? Any major issues with 2003 models?

Would appreciate the advice.

Thanks AV

 

welcome to the forum.

Advice 1. Use the search button as this question is asked daily.


2. Car should be fine at 32K miles. It is hardly broken in. As usual, with any used car, get a carfax report and have it checked by a mechanic that specializes in VW/Audi.

 

You should check into the warranty a bit more, my Audi certified used 2002 was fully covered to 50k including services. I have a warranty from 50k to 100k (or 2008) but don't know the details off-hand.

 

Factory warranty is 4 yrs/50k miles, whichever comes first. Warranty is calculated from date the car was originally first sold. A Carfax report will tell you all that. Who are you buying it from? If it's an Audi stealership, their used cars are CPO (Certified Pre-owned), which means that the extended warranty will be good to 6 yrs/100k miles, whichever comes first.

 

Hey there. I just bought a '02 A4 Quattro 1.8Tfully loaded and sweet! The things you have to look out for are:

- If it's standard delicately jiggle the shifter left and right while it's in gear and running. If there's ALLOT of play when it's in gear it means the bushings and/or linkage are worn and from my point of view, the car was driven hard. Might want to pass on it. I would. More than an inch of play from center would be excessive in my books and would raise one red flag for me.

- Ask the dealer if he's going to replace the timing belt, if he refuses then see if he'll pay for at least half. Any time you buy a used Audi, might as well have this done for some peice of mind. Make sure all the bells and whistles are working and make sure the OWNER'S MANUAL is either under the steering column or in the Glove compartment.

- Audi's and German cars in general are notorious for oil leaks so make sure thare are absolutely none whatsoever and always do a test drive solo, as in NO sales rep there with you. If they refuse that request then it's a sure fire bet that they cannot be trusted. While on the drive try it out in every gear, feel the pick up and how she rides at high speeds (100 mph +)

I'm sure there are many other here who know Audi's better than I as I just got mine but I know what to look for in a standard and this is how I scrutinized my car before I signed anything and I got a GEM. I've had nothing but great experiences with my A4 and my dealer, and I wish you the same luck.

Lastly, get a quattro, you'll be gladyou did

 

At 30K miles, the car should be fine. Make sure you buy from an Audi dealer and you clarify the warranty. Audi has changed the certification criteria last year.Mine wascertified up to 60,000 miles or six years starting from when the original owner first purchased it. I believe it's now certifiedto 50,000 miles.I bought my A4 1.8t Quattro (Certified) last July with 58,000 miles. It barely qualified as a certified vehicle. A week laterthe check engine light came on and keeps turning on even after the dealer cleared the computer. It had engine sludge! It took the dealer three months to trouble shoot andwork out the warranty with Audi HQ. They finally put in a short block kit and rebuilt the engine. Then during the test run the timing belt broke and damaged the head! They replaced the head. The dealerput in a total of 8K dollars worth of parts and labor into the repair and they gave me a brand new loaner 2007 A4 Quattro for the entire time that my car was in the shop. NOT A SINGLE DIME CAME OUT OF MY POCKET! Sweet!!!!

The dealer recommends changing your oil every 5k miles with synthetic to combat engine sludge.