Expensive oil? Wal-Mart is where I get my oil for my fleet of German cars.

 

IMHO -- every person that owns an Audi that is over 5 years old needs a "secret weapon" maybe two.
I drive my Audi 100 miles a day to get back and forth to work and have a back up vehicle "just-in-case" (Not the Model T) cause crap happens at an accelerated pace with an older Audi.

 

bob martin your right... im actually going to take it the dealer next and let them tell me everything i should know about the car.... then asked again....

but i want to know are audi's dependable when the are fix or does it break down alot?
(nh_usa?)

 

These posts are somewhat worrysome and i see both sides of the story we see it on the Porsche forums a lot too .. a guy buys a complex vehicle like an Audi and his first post is about " where can i get cheap parts that are dependable" " where can i get an indie that does good work and is cheap " " does this car break a lot "

These are all huge red flags that the person is wading in deeper than he/she wants .. As stated Audis are complex vehicles with complex systems . Unless you are willing to spend nights scouring ebay and other sights , have very good technical ability and some good tools .. and a back up car ... you are going to have to be prepared to spend coin.
I don't want to be the voice of doom and gloom as i think these are wonderful cars if maintained and repaired with quality .. and that takes some money ...

As i always say when it comes to service .. you can have "cheap" "fast" and "good" ... you can have any 2 out of 3 ..

Good luck .. p.s my opinion for you with this car on what little i have read is that you are not financially ready for this car .. but hey that is only my 2c and what do i know .. if you decide to keep it ther will be lots of support here .. good luck ..

 

bigomaster Iceman is right.
My A6 Avant is dependable for the most part. It has over 250K miles but it has not been without a price. I'd say that it has only let me down twice in the past two years (alternator and oil seal behind the cooler), but I stay on top of things so they don't become a big problem. In the past I got 350K out of a 200QT with minimal problems.

I do most of the work myself because it is EXPENSIVE to have someone else do it. I get good used (when it makes sense) and new parts, mostly from Force Five, and have a good mechanic for the things I don't want to touch. I am car savvy, have most of the tools, and a good place to work on the car.

I know it is nearing the EOL and all it will take to have me walk away is one big problem. To me it is comfortable - cheap transportation and I'm willing to risk a few thousand dollars to weed through a bad one now and then, but there is a limit. I paid about $2500 for the A6 with 180K and have spent about $1500 to keep it going on brakes, alternator, Timing belt, etc. - mostly normal maintenance items.

I'll give you an example of my decision method - Remember the car has over 250K. I just wore out the Michelin tires that came on the car, but had a mounted set of BF Goodrich tires so I put them on. If I was looking at spending $500-600 for new tires I would have to do some real soul searching due to the mileage.

I am horrified at people that purchase a 5 year old Audi with over 100K miles for anything over $4K and think they got a good deal. And it gets worse when they don't have money for repairs or can't do most of the work themselves. Many don't know enough about automobiles or are not financially ready to own an Audi.

 

to nh_usa i bought for 3900 and have 1500 in saving to fix it like you said i knew there would be fixing happen in the future since is an older car.... it only has 98,000 thousand miles, my ? to you is do you think they are keepers (audi) like how toyota or lexus are or do you think is one of those cars that break down alot and you have to fix alot?

 

The best way to limit costs is to forget about taking an older car that needs lots of work to a dealer -for virtually anything other than a new ignition key. Ask around for advice on a good german or international import shop. I'm sure there are at least several excellent ones in Atlanta with plenty of Audi experience. Most of your work involves ordering and installing the same parts. It's a matter of asking some local people: start with friends and relatives. Good auto parts stores are usually staffed with knowledgable people. Try a good one where you're getting parts that you're installing, or several of them until a pattern emerges and then visit some and see the cars they have outside waiting for service. Good shops tend to have their own web sites where you may get some good info on experience and qualifications. Then get some estimates for one or two of your intense-labor jobs. Best of luck!

 

bigomaster -- it all depends upon how well they are maintained, how you drive, and your luck.

 

The best way to limit costs is to forget about taking an older car that needs lots of work to a dealer -for virtually anything other than a new ignition key. Ask around for advice on a good german or international import shop. I'm sure there are at least several excellent ones in Atlanta with plenty of Audi experience. Most of your work involves ordering and installing the same parts. It's a matter of asking some local people: start with friends and relatives. Good auto parts stores are usually staffed with knowledgable people. Try a good one where you're getting parts that you're installing, or several of them until a pattern emerges and then visit some and see the cars they have outside waiting for service. Good shops tend to have their own web sites where you may get some good info on experience and qualifications. Then get some estimates for one or two of your intense-labor jobs. Best of luck!

 

Rodolfo,

I could not agree more!

You should make your post sticky, or attach to Noobie rules!