I'm consider this 1997 Audi A4 2.8 Quattro/5-speed Std./178k......$3500

The repairs that have been done in the last 30-40,000 miles are Timing belt, Thermostat, Waterpump, Radiator, Condenser, and some other things that I don't remember. Also, a new clutch about 4k ago, so I was used to my unreplaced, 14yr/200k old BMW 325i clutch. It bucked a lot for me, but I had him drive it and it was nice and smooth. It has never been in any accidents and been in the same family since the get-go. Right now, the A/C is kind of weak and he told me that it may or may be, but it should just be recharged. Anything common with that NOT related to just a recharge? It is bone-stock all around and needs a little bit of clean-up on the inside of it. There is just some areas that are pretty dirty but will wash off clean and make the car look great. I think it has been the baby carrier with mom inside for a while now. The body is great and has only a few minor scratches on the rear bumper and some rock chips on the hood.

Electronics work great and do not show any signs of fading. Sunroof works and functions great. I am looking at getting a new shift **** as the one is completely worn and the emblem is off. Can I just go for one of these?: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AUDI-...spagenameZWDVW
Also, the drivers side seat is worn and is splitting and has an inch gap or so with peeling cracks of of that and is about 6-8 inches long. How should I go about this: buy a seat cover or get a new re-upholstery job?

The check engine light comes on occasionally and is normally when it needs an oil change he said. He is an honest guy and has always taken it to a VW/Audi specialist for all the work. I asked him about what his mechanic says and he just can't figure it out. Do you think that it is just a bad sensor somewhere? It wouldn't be an 02 sensor, would it?

Please help me out here guys as I'm really interested, but want some more seasoned advice here. I grew up with Audi's but have not been able to as much research other than to stay away from the Turbo unless I want to fork over the savings...

 

It sounds like most of the vital work has been done, which is good. As for the clutch and the jerkiness in driving, Audi sets their clutches up to engage when the pedal is most of the way out, far off the floor. I've never driven any other car with a clutch pickup point so high, but rest assured, it's normal - you just have to adjust to driving it that way. Give it a day or two and it'll feel natural to you.

The AC may just need a recharge, but you may also have a problem with the system. When I bought my car the AC was weak, and I tried a recharge to no avail. My refrigerant level is fine, and the compressor works fine, and I have no leaks in the system, which leads me to think that the problem lies in the expansion valve - if that fails, the air won't blow cold (on my car at least, that's pretty much the last option).

Any car with that mileage will have some scrapes and chips, so that should be expected. I'd ask them to clean the car up for you though - first off, when someone is handing over money for a car, the least they can do is hand over a clean car. But also it'd give you a chance to see the condition of the car more clearly and see just how much TLC it needs.

The shifter may work for you, but as I found out, our cars' shifters sit somewhat high, and if you get a **** that isn't made for our car (and even some that are), you'll find that it sticks WAY up. The one I bought and installed, and promptly took off and threw away, must've sat 3-4" higher than the stock one. You're probably better off looking for another OEM ****, or shopping with www.ecstuning.com, www.purems.com, or another tuning house known for our cars - they're more likely to sell shift ***** that are made to sit at the correct height, without looking like they're infused with viagra.

On the split in the seat, the easiest and possibly cheapest option to return the car to the right look would be to check the classifieds section here on the forum, and also eBay and Craigslist, and find someone selling a seat similar to yours, and just replace it. Seat covers generally look like hell and don't fit well enough to belong in a Tercel, let alone an Audi. Getting the seat repaired is an option, but if you have side airbags like most A4s do, built into the side of the front seats, you may end up paying a lot more money due to the "danger factor" of the airbag. No promise that it'll happen, but some places will charge more when they have to worry about detonating an airbag.

The check-engine light (CEL) coming on randomly doesn't make much sense. Take the car to AutoZone and have them scan the car - they'll do it for free and it only takes a couple minutes to do it. They'll give you a list of any codes stored in the ECU, and you can post them here to find the definitions out and what to do to repair the problems they indicate. It could be an O2 sensor, but then it could be anything that the car monitors - once you have the codes, post them up here and we can define and troubleshoot with you.

Finally, as for the turbo model, they do tend to be more mainenance-intensive than the V6 models, but if you want to tune the car and modify it, and don't want to fork over a kidney for a supercharger kit, then the 1.8T is the only way to go. It won't kill you financially in the same way that the S4 is reputed to do, but a naturally-aspirated V6 model A4 will be, in general, the least costly of the models to maintain, trading off tuning potential for reliable, largely worry-free driving.

 

I have that exact same car, except mine has had less scheduled maintenance as it only has 80K, and I love it. Sounds to me like a good buy, if you're willing to put in a little work on it. Let us know how it goes!

 

Jeremy, thank you VERY much. That was all really good stuff to find out about. It is especially reassuring to hear about the clutch; I'll give it time. Seriously, that was possibly the most help I've ever received on a forum and the most detailed. Thanks again and I'll post as to how things go for it all.

 

My pleasure Glad it helped out, and hopefully everything will work out well enough that next time we see a post from you it'll have pics of your newly-acquired Audi

 

I too have a 97 A4 2.8. I have 150k miles on it and it still runs like a charm. Just changed the timing belt and she's still kicking.

 

Got the car today and am already getting used to the clutch. It is a nice ride for $3500, no doubt about that. I'm still unsure whether or not I enjoy the A4 or the 325i more though. We'll see if I really start to miss the bimmer, I'll just have totell myself that the AWD will make up for it...

Also, here is the post with the codes from the Autozone diagnostics:
https://www.audiforums.com/m_916073/.../tm.htm#916073

I'll post pics tomorrow when I have more time to mess aroud with it. Thanks guys! I'm excited and am looking forward to a fun, forum ride.