like the title says. ive found a blue 98 2.8 that i like. i think ill trade my jetta on it. a few things make me hesitate. when i looked up reviews for it on edmunds almost everyone loves the A4, but a significant number of reviews say that the cars are VERY unreliable. is there any merit to this claim? what else should i know about these cars that may push me over the edge to buy one?

 

well one thing is the luxury of riding in one of these cars. ride is amazingly smooth and power is pretty good even with the quattro. the 2.8 is more reliable than the 1.8t by far. i own an 2.8 wid 114k miles on it and it still runs like a champ. although it's still a champ, it still wears and tears like any other car on the road. i haven't had to do much besides brakes and O2 sensor work. everything else is great bout it. i couldnt' imagine living without it

 

They say its unreliable because they service it like a civic.

 

+1 Those people are clueless about cars to begin. Like any other manufacture there are bound to be some lemons out there. But for the most part the 2.8 and 1.8t are very reliable. Regular service and maintenance is a must, its not a civic.

 

i took my girl to see it and she loved it. so thats one obstacle down to getting the car. next is talking the dealer into changing the timing belt and bleeding the brakes - which i noticed were a major necessity when i test drove it. im fairly certain my car will pay for this one outright so thatll be wonderful. having more cabage in my pocket every month should make losing my jetta worth it! thanks for the replys folks. any advice to a novice modder?

 

If you want to mod, get a 1.8t.

 

there's really not much u can do to the 2.8. i mean u can put an intake and exhuast on but it won't help with the hp. ur just paying for the sound. personally, paying a grand for sound is not worth it. the only real hp increaser for the 2.8 is the supercharger. and ya the timing belt is a very good idea.

 

suoercharger huh......interesting. lets see if my girl will sign off on that.

 

yeah, the superchargers are like $3-5k, so if you have the dough then do it!