hey new to the forums here,im an 18yr old about to start college soon,and well my parents dont drive so now its up to me lol,im really considering buying an a4 1996-2000 preferrably..any suggestions you guys have? are they good cars? and how much money on average do i need to throw into it per year,i went to an automotive high school so i have experience working on cars,oil changes.minor body work etc.

thanks

 

i love my car, ill be the first one to say i love my car very much...but dont do it. this car will rob you of all the money you have in a very short period of time. this isnt a teenagers car. i KNOW, i learned that lesson once, and yet again here i am with more stuff.

Dom

 

its a great car! but not for the average teen going to college unless you have about a grand saved up and a good income after you buy the car this isnt really the car for you. If you do decide you cant live without an a4 save up some money b/c you more then likily will need it.

 

I also have an A4 for my first car and I have to agree with these guys. Luckily my parents pay for repairs on the car which so far have totaled about 3K from the time of ownership (which is about 2 years).


But I do love my Audi.


Also if you get one do not get the 96-97 A4 2.8l, you will regret that engine choice. It is the slowest Audi engine ever it feels like and has no moding potential, but is really reliable

 

it is going to be expensive when you have to fix something... not to mention if you get a 1.8t b5... chances are your gona need to do the timing belt.... which isnt cheap...

 

For college, I would recommend a Honda Accord or Civic. Why:

This will allow you to spend the least amount in the long run. (compare cost, maintenance, and depreciation as your first Accounting 101 homework...)

This will allow you to spend the most amount of your time attending class and doing homework and not worrying about the car that needs work...

 

Normally I'd say "get a Honda." But if you have ambition and enjoy working on your car, and have a good tool selection, I'd say owning an Audi as a first car could contribute to the best times of your early life. Every car needs a timing belt, etc. at some point, it's just that the procedure is not very straight forward. With help from this site and your own skills, you'd be able to get things done fairly cheap when needed. If you don't plan on having a job in school, or don't have generous parents that can help out with funds in a pinch, skip it. I suppose that goes for any car though.

 

Patience, dedication, perseverance.. three things you must have in order to own an Audi.

I embrace the challenges of Audi ownership. When all is said and done, the good times always outweigh the more frustrating ones. I'm heading back down to school next week, and I love that car so damn much I'm bringing a whole set of tools down with me.

 

yeah i kinda figured on an audi..or any other euro car for that matter that maintinance is gonna be $$ well i guess its just that i want something euro...and volkswagons dont seem to be any better..hmm im gonna start looking at maximas lol

 

Don't listen to these fools! Especially CAB509, he's just bitter ()!

A '96-'97 2.8 12v is an excellent car for someone like you - the engine is as reliable as a block of granite as long as you keep up on oil changes. The only problems I've had with mine so far have been in the suspension, because it's got 135,589 miles on it. So if you get one, expect to replace wheel bearings, control arms, control arm bushings, and tie rods within a year or two. You may also have issues with the steering rack leaking, but you can get a remanufactured one for under $400 from the interweb and install it yourself. I've also replaced both pre-cat O2 sensors. Once you get all that out of the way, a 12v will probably last you another solid 100k miles with just basic preventative maintenance that you would do on any car.