so you hear nonstop that 1.8t guys always recomend their cars and say a 2.8 is a mistake to buy, but i want to know 2.8 guys do you regret not buying a 1.8t

 

imo it was NOT a mistake to buy a 2.8.. that may just be me but if i didnt see the point in buying a 1.8t then throwing a grand at it just so its even with the 2.8. In the end if you want large horsepower increases your going to be throwing down around 3k eitherway.. all in all im just happy that i ended up with an audi period

 

actually 1.8 guys can have more power then 2.8 guys for about 500 bucks

the only way to increase power in a 2.8 is a 5 grand supercharger for another hundred horses

if your just going to drive it the the 2.8 is probably a better bet

 

a chipped 1.8 will not outrun a stock 30v 2.8, period. a 1.8 from the factory is a 16.5 quarter mile, the 2.8 30v runs a 15.1-15.2, throw on a chip and get 50 hp and 50 lbs of trq and your at about 15.5.... therefore, you will need more than a chip to beat a completely stock 2.8...

either way you cant go wrong, but i got a 2.8 cuz i knew i wasnt gonna mod this car outside of appearance and sound system and navi/dvd and "baller" stuff...

the 1.8 is way way way less reliable than a 2.8 no matter who tries to argue what, its just common fact that a naturally aspirated car will have less "engine maintenance" than a forced induction vehicle, its science, theres no way around it...

there both sweet cars, it just depends on how much money your willing to dump into it to make it fast, if you were to put 4-5 grand into motor modifications of a 1.8, than that 4-5 grand would make you way faster with a supercharged 2.8


supercharged 2.8 - 13.4-13.6 quarter mile time

k04 1.8 w/ supporting mods - 13.8-14.0 quarter mile time...

its just up to you in the end... but i think the chrome window trim and the woodgrain interior is way more luxurious than black window trim with black dash lol...

but i got a 2.8, actually im on my second one...i have never regreted it once... and if i got another audi, i would sure as hell get another 2.8, there beautiful pieces of art work...

 

couldnt have put it better myself

 

+1, AMEN

 

Very well put, and I didn't realize some of those numbers. Interesting...

Anyhow, as far as your question goes, carsrok, I'm very happy with my 2.8 30V (1999, manual trans, quattro)- the car is just what I wanted and needed. I came to this car from a ~485hp 300Z, and I'm still very happy with my 190hp 30V. My girlfriend is going to be in the market for another car maybe this spring, and she loves my car enough to look into one for herself. We may look at a 1.8T this time, and would then have one of both, which would be the best of both worlds.

As far as your question goes, AteUrV8 put it well - depends on if you want to mod the car or not. Having just come from a serious project car, I wasn't interested in going apesh*t working on a car again right away. If I had the bug still to work on cars all the time, I might've tried to find a 1.8T, but my 2.8 fell into my lap at the perfect time, and at the price ($5000) there was no way I wasn't going to get it. Hell, even if I was hardcore about getting a 1.8T, at that price, for this particular car in the condition it's in, there's no way I wouldn't have gotten it.

There are times I wish I had the 1.8T and its tuning options, but not many- I love this car and am very happy with it.

Best summary is - if you're going to mod for power, and don't mind the hassles of fixing a car that breaks what seems to be quite often, then get the 1.8T. If you'd rather not turn wrenches as much, and just want a car you can mod for style/audio/handling IF you choose to mod at all, get the 2.8 (and from what I understand, get the 30V, not the 12V). If you choose the car based on what your realistic intentions are for it, you'll love whichever you get.

 

remember when a4's werent quarter mile cars, the acceleration on a 1.8 is better and could probably pretty easily out curner a 2.8 in the twisties, given a good driver

 

For the price I paid on my 2.8 I do NOT regret getting it. Sure, its a 12v, but I enjoy it. If i had a few more thousand I would've picked a 1.8, but i didn't. 10k later and I still don't regret getting this car.

 

Mine's a 30V, but I have to agree - I really love this car. Boost would make it more fun of course, but to me it's not worth the $5k. If this was about five years ago, I'd probably already have the blower, even though I only got the car 7 weeks ago, but now that I have a mortgage and 2 kids, it's a whole different ball game. I love modding cars, but I know where it's important to spend my money. Lazer Viking has a point though - these aren't meant to be 1/4 mile cars (although they can be of course), and given the 1.8T's likely lighter engine and therefore better f/r weight distribution, I can see where it would probably handle better (better balance, less polar moment of inertia, etc), but you have to wonder whether more than maybe 10% of us have the driving skills needed to really wring everything out of our cars. Given the type of driving I usually do, the torque curve of the 2.8 is more appropriate and usable. Boost would be nice, but to me, it's not necessary to have in order to really enjoy this car.