Hello all; this is my first post. Nice place you've got here. Just looking for some guidance on buying my first Audi.

I've found a 1999 A4 2.8L quatro with the tiptronic trans. It has 88K miles and looks to be in decent shape. It's being sold at a run-of-the-mill used car dealership that specializes in Saab's in RI. He's asking $5700. He gave me the CarFAX report and it shows regular Audi dealership maintenance records up to around 50K then gets spotty. I'm guessing after the dealership free maintenance period ran out the owner took it to regular shops. The salesman that showed me the car was also the owner of the dealership and seemed trustworthy.

The car has some small scratches but no dents, and the interior is mint. Salesman is checking with the previous owner about the timing belt/water pump but I'm betting they haven't been done. I would be the third owner of the car.

The Air Bag light in the dashboard came on when he started the car up and stayed on. He said his technician is "good with Volkswagens/Audi's", has a VAG, and can fix it easy. From what reading I've done it's either the driver/passenger seat wiring connections or the main controller. Other than that, I couldn't see any other warning signs with the car. I'm supposed to go for a test drive tomorrow.

I'm pretty set on a 2.8L B5 with the tiptronic trans but I'm not in a rush, so I'd like some opinions. Assuming the Air Bag problem is fixed and the test drive goes well, would $5000 to $5500 be a good deal? What do I need to pay extra attention to during the drive? Questions I need to ask?

Thanks,

Rich

 

Airbag lights on those models can be tricky to remove. Timing belt won't be cheap so start around $4,600 and let the sales guy try to offer you $5,000. If it feels right then buy it.

 

My honest opinion on this... I would not pay more than $4000. the air bag light is alarming. the timing/water has a little life left on it, but i would change soon. i would pay $5000 if he did the water/timing and a must is the tensioner also. that is an $800 - $1000 job alone. just my $.02

 

Thanks. That gives me a starting point.

 

Turns out the timing belt, water pump, tensioner, and MAF sensor had been done at 84K. He's agreed to solve the air bag light problem, whatever it is.

Took it for a ride today and the car felt great, no issues except a touchy fuel gauge. Going up a steep hill the gauge would drop from 1/4 to E and the light would come on. The gauge would return to 1/4 or more on a level surface. The gauge response in my current car is really slow, so maybe this is normal. Seemed strange to me for a car of this quality, however. Could the sending unit be faulty? Like I said, the car ran perfectly, so I'm thinking float/sensors.

So, as long as the air bag problem gets fixed I'm only seeing minor issues with the car, stuff I can fix myself pretty cheaply. He's holding fast at the 5700, but I'm planning on going for it anyway. From the research I've done, in my area, this is a good price for a solid, low mileage '99 A4.

Thanks,

Rich

 

rich, under 100,000 miles that is not a bad price. i would still try to get it down to $5000 if you are using cash. If you are financing, see whatever u can budge. If you have proof the maintenance was done it seems like a good buy. also the gas guage problem has some discussion on here.

good luck

 

I bought it for $5500 yesterday. Can't pick it up until next Thursday though. Insurance company needed a week to activate the new policy... Can't wait, but I'll have a long weekend over xmas to enjoy it. They need some time to fix the air bag problem anyway. I'll post pics when I get it home.

One of my first upgrades will be the deck. It's got a cassette deck with a six cd changer in the trunk. I'm planning on a new Clarion cd deck with bluetooth. Maybe new speakers depending on how the stock system is; I didn't play it during the test drive. Before I get crazy with superficial stuff I'm going to drive it as is for awhile to make sure it doesn't need anything else. The fuel gauge could easily drive me nuts if it's as bad as it seemed. Hopefully it's just wiring and not the whole sending unit.

One thing I noticed last time I was there: the wood trim piece around the radio is cracked in one spot. Anyone know where I can get one of those?

 

Congrats! merry xmas to ya self... change the head and leave the speakers unless they r blown. not very common, but happens. the rears most likely are amplified, the radio in the a4 will have a nice wiring diagram sticker on it. just need the wiring harness for any vw for the powers and fronts. cut up an RCA cable to the rear preamps and power em through the blue acc. off the new head unit. i love my factory speakers, didnt even hookup my sub, just enough bass for me and great highs. if you need any help, hit me up. I am right in Brockton, MA and I specialize in mobile audio and video.

chiao