I am possibly going to buy an 01 4.2 with 89.5k miles. any tips, info on these cars? Please leave feedback.

 

I have a 2000 4.2. Its an awesome car. It's also expensive to maintain and drive. You have to buy premium gas, and all repairs are expensive. Do you plan on doing them yourself or taking it to the dealer? Does the seller have all the service records? I love my car, but all in all I regret buying it. This is a premium car, and I am paying premium prices to keep up with it.

 

Out of warranty Audi can use independent Audi specialized shop that offers cheaper labor, like
All Audi-VW
7180 Newton St, Westminster, CO 80030 – (303) 428-6161

 

i thought the 4.2's are less expensive to maintain and more reliable that the 2.7t?

 

My 2003 2.7T lasted about 200,000KM before somehow a hole in the engine developed (No idea, that's what the dealer said after I traded it in for a 2005 A6 4.2) I've heard that the turbo's start to go around the same mileage, and it's a pretty expensive job to replace them both. (Start looking for K04's while you wait )

That said, I really enjoy both engines, but if your looking for cheap power at the possible expense of reliability, I'd go 2.7T just for the cheapness of the ECU upgrade. If your going to mostly be doing highway driving and have a light foot, the 4.2 work as well. So far *crosses fingers* haven't had any problems with the 4.2L, but there may be some issue with it leaking oil, and it being due to the material of a seal used, but it was just something I heard in passing, so I can't confirm it. I don't seem to be loosing any oil myself.

Cheers!

 

I have a 2000 4.2. I love the car and it has awesome pickup. However, as mentioned before - it is expensive to maintain. There isnt much of an after market for the 4.2 ( mainly in terms of external styling but some perormance parts as well) but if there is aftermarket then it is expensive.

Also, in terms of repairs; the timing belt is a special issue and requires a cam locking bar that hasnt been developed for the 4.2 yet ( you have to ask the mechanic if he has one that worked on a 2.7t). When you get the timing belt kit i suggest JH motorsports - they give you a do- it- yourself video ( for a 2.7t which they tell you is 80% the same) along with everything else needed - so its a good buy.

In terms of performance; not much if your not a 02' model or better. There are a few chip upgrades that will get you an extra 20hp, you can add an exhaust (but i haven't seen a cold air intake for the car) and you can consider a supercharger, from either PES tuning or Motordyne which, either way, will cost you upward of $8000 and will get you roughly 430hp.

In terms of styling, LLtek has some good parts for the car but you can't get those cool LED lights for the 4.2 because the front is wider. You can get a lowering kit for the car if you want and many other accesories for styling as well.

Overall, i love the car but i will say if your not going to have the money for expensive repairs and parts later down the road then this is not the car for you.

I know i gave you a lot to chew but trust me when i say ive done all kinds of research for this car. It can be time consuming so i thought i'd fill you in on some of the general things you'll see come up in the forums - regarding the 4.2.

hope this helped.