Well, I am thinking about switching from a 93 Bmw 325i to a 97-99ish A4 1.8t, What are some of problems to look out for when shopping for A4s as well as some good mods to start out with. I have been looking at Neuspeed products, but I have not seem them mentioned much here. I would like to buy a Neuspeed 1 bar upgrade chip and then piece together my own K04 turbo/plugs/FPR/Gaskets rather than buy their 2 grand kit. Also, is there any preference between the FWD or the Quattro? I would rather not have a FWD and get the all wheel, but which is more desirable for reliablilty/cost/ect.? Thanks for the help.

 

Welcome dahlar, The A4 is a geat car and very modable. The nuespeed chip is ok, but there are other ones that have better reps, like apr and giac. You defintly want the awd, takes some hp but well worth it.

 

Go for a 1999 or newer 2.8 quattro. Try to find one w/water pump and timing belt service already done.

 

He sounds like he wants to mod the car, and the 2.8 is NOT the way to go for that (unless you want to supercharge). Quattro is a great feature to have, but not necessary. I would skip a tiptronic and go for an auto if you plan on adding a new turbo.

The timing belt/waterpump/tensioners change is a very big issue with the A4. Many are known to fail early (60k miles range). The other big known problem with Audi's are the control arms. They begin to squeak and cause problems. If you aren't very familiar with cars, I would take it to your personal mechanic and have him/her take a look at it before you buy. Audi's are great cars, you won't be sorry for making the switch.

Some good mods:

-Chip it
-new suspension
-exhaust
-k04 turbo

 

Yeah, I'm with Jestnomen on this one. 1.8t is very modable, but the condition of the engine will be dependent on how well the previous owner took care of it. Preventative is the name of the game with the 1.8t's, playing catch up can be really expensive.

 

I agree with all the above comments and suggestions and.....

Welcome to the forum Dahlar!

This is a great site. We keep the dialogue friendly and the attitude positive. The info is well received by all and we are here to help anyone with the need. I hope you find it to your liking as well.

If you're not familiar with this forum, please click the START HERE! link. There you will find a forum vocab list, an Audi forum terminology list and an Audi lexicon list. They should be very helpful to you if you're not familiar with the jargon.

Please feel free to ask any question, but double check the archives first. Many questions have been archived and, quite often, the answers are comprehensive.

 

What is it that makes the '99 more desirable than a '98? I know that it's the same platform all the way through '01. but the '98/'99 cars appear (at least on the surface) identical to me. Since those are the years I'm looking at for purchase, if there's an advantage to one over the other I'd really like to know what it is.

Thanks!

-John

 

Hey there all. I just joined the forums and am in the same boat as Dahlar. I'm about to purchase a 2002 A4 and am looking for some suggestions for things to look for. I've found one so far that is a ..... A4 Quattro 1.8T AWD model vehicle has a 1.8 4 Cyl. Turbocharged and Automatic. Any ups / downs to this vehicle? It's a 2002 with 22k miles.