I bought an '97 A6 quattro (C4) 1 week ago with 168,400 Miles on it for 2,000 dollars

My Main reason for this thread to ask, What do I need to look for to get all my regular maintenance out of the way right now before things go bad.

What should I replace right away?

The car is SUPER clean and shifts smoothly through all gears, There was no power steering fluid in when I bought; put some in and it stopped whining and held the fluid.

There was an oil change/maintenance sticker that was up to date in the windshield, says next oil change at 169,500

What can I expect mechanically from this car with this amount of mileage?

ELECTRONICS

All exterior and interior lights work properly, all gauges work.
Voltage will vary and hover around 16.

The power moon-roof makes a loud clicking noise operating it in any way but still opens.
The climate control system works 90% of the time, but during the other 10% I can turn the temperature down but not up. fans faster, but not slower and I'm not able to activate defrost.

I once put it in reverse and it made the passenger mirror adjust inward all the way. Putting it back in park the mirror returned position. Put it into drive without the mirror ever doing this again. this happened 1 time only.

Is this going to be concern for future electronics of the vehicle? Should I sell it before It goes bunk or is there anything I can even do without risking making things worse?

Thanks in advance for the responses, I've been lurking this site for about a week now and know you guys are most knowledgeable

 

The biggest thing looming for you would be the timing belt they changed recomended service from 100k to 75k if it fails it will more than likely bend valves and motor is toast. do some reading on here about timing belt failures.

As for the hvac control issues I think its a pretty safe bet that the control head is giving you your problems tey can be found used at a reasonable price.

The mirror thing is an option to aid with parking I dont have that option but someone else here should be able to explain how it works.

I havent had any trouble with my sunroof so cant be of much help with that issue but again do a search and you should be able to bring up lots of reading.

 

+1 for the timing belt.

+1 for needing a new climate control head. There is a DIY around for removing and cleaning around the buttons, which may help.

The passenger mirror: when the mirror adjustment selector switch is set to the passenger mirror, the mirror will angle down when you put the car in reverse as a parking assist feature. Doesn't do that if the selector switch is set any other way.

Sunroof could be any number of things, I would suggest cleaning and lubricating the track first to see if that helps.

When the car is not running, voltage gauge should go to about 12 V, the voltage of the battery. With the car running the voltage gauge should go up to about 14.5 V, the output of the alternator.

what engine does the car have in it?

 

It's a 2.8L .

Good information on the mirror. Is the moonroof supposed to slide back and forth or just pop up? Mine only pops up and then loud clicks. same with closing.

I was a tad off on the volts, It does hover around 14 give or take while running. rarely shooting up as high as 16 or sometimes even close to 12 while running depending on what accessories I have turned on.

Is the timing belt something I can just check for wear and then decide on when to replace or would it be best to have it replaced regardless? I'm on such a tight budget after this purchase but I definately want to have all my bases covered to prevent serious problems. I tried looking around for timing belt information and found that it can run from $900-$1500 to replace (not including water pump replacement) Is this figure relatively close?

I've never been very handy with cars.
this is my first audi and it was love at first drive; now I just want to make sure I'm taking all due care.

 

Not sure of what is/was available as far as the sunroof/moonroof goes in the C4. What does your switch look like? On my C5 the switch is a circle, turn it to the back to open the sunroof. Push up on it for the "pop up" feature.

Sounds like everything is OK with your battery/alternator.

The timing belt really isn't something you can check with an inspection. Some people say that you can visually inspect the belt for cracks by removing the upper covers but I'm not a big fan/believer in that. The big problem is not necessarily the belt itself, but failures in the other components like the tensioner, water pump or idler roller. That is why most timing belt replacements come as kits with all the stuff included. If any of that goes your engine will self destruct (one of the guys on here calls it "valve salad"). $900 to $1500 does seem to be the average. You may be able to shop around for an indy shop that can get it done for less, but probably not much less.

I know you say you are not handy with cars but it is something that you can DIY if you can turn a wrench. It can be a little intimidating but there are several resources out there with walkthroughs, people on the forums that can assist.

 

I have a 97 C4 aswell and the moon roof DOES slide open. If I turn the dial one way it cracks open...other and it slides all the way open.

If I was in your shoes id try and find out from the prev owner when the timing belt was last changed. That would help me sleep better at night.