Both have clean carfax reports, 1 owner, most servicing done at Audi dealerships, very good if not excellent condition.

Which one is a better deal? I'm looking to minimize maintenance costs. I probably won't keep the car more than 2 years. Both cars are priced fair according to kelly blue book.

1) 2001 Audi A4 1.8T quattro
Mileage: 45,983
$7,995

2) 2000 Audi A4 2.8L V6 Quattro
97,087 miles
State inspection till 8/2011
$7495

If I got with option 1 I would need to change timing belt/water pump/thermostat at some point soon. Also the 2001 parts are more expensive. But I really like the fact that it has such low mileage (no odometer issues). Aren't the v6's more reliable and need less than the 1.8 turbos? Any other pros and cons? Should I be worried about control arms wearing out soon?

 

If you only need it for 2 yrs, the 2.8 would best suit your needs in my opinion (thats if the timing belt has been done already). The 1.8t are people who plan on keeping it for a long time to do some mods on it. On the plus side, you start off with a faster stock 2.8 than a 1.8t.

 

Buy the 2.8 for reliability. Buy the 1.8T for modding.

 

The 1.8t is definately your better deal. First off it has low miles, before anything else people judge the value of a car on how many miles it has. Your timing belt change is at least 2 years away under normal use. As for which one is more expensive, they'll both be about the same- they will both be very expensive to maintain. So if you're looking to minimize maintenence cost you will want to buy a Honda or simular vehicle, not an Audi.

 

even though the car has low miles, the timing belt would need to be done just because of the age of the car... in many cases it is better to buy a car with more miles just because it went through more service.

 

It all depends on your goals you have with the car.