Hey there,

I am 16, and looking to get a new car. I am looking at a 1999 A4. Would this be a very reliable car? I dont know anything about Audis, but just like that they have AWD, since I am a skier, and heard they handle well in snow. Also, how many miles will a well maintained Audi last?.. and do they get expensive to maintain/fix? Please let me know.. thanks

 

alright, so before I can really help I need to know what engine you are considering because the 2.8 is usually more reliable then the 1.8t but if I had the choice I would get the 1.8t because you can mod it.

Audi's are reliable when you take care of them but if something should break, it will cost a **** ton to fix if you hire someone to do it (ie get in good with a mechanic friend and never go to the dealer if at all possible)

Audi's are very well built and luxurious cars they have all these little comforts that most other cars lack and that you rarely notice (until you own an Audi), also the interior craftsmanship is second to non in my book and everything is very well placed.



do they handle well in snow? well, this is a subjective question but the answer is yes, 25+ years of AWD research has developed arguably the most reliable and most sought after AWD system on the market (Yeah yeah yeah all the Subbie and Evo lovers will tell you their AWD is better but they both run electronic AWD's (so you can switch how power is diverted on the fly) which tends to break down more often)
But in reality the most important part of snow handling is a good set of snow tires and some driving experience. (there are video's of RWD Volvo's and Porsche's absolutely tearing it up in the snow). But forgoing the great tires, QUuttro owns the snow, I've never gotten stuck in any situation.


As a skier myself I love my car in the winter, I have b5 platform and I can easliy fit up to 180's in the back with the back seats folded and if I passed them through to the front I could proabably through some 220 or something utterly rediculous, and make sure you get the winter package, because seat warmers are the ****.


A well maintained Audi will last well over 250,000 miles and run almost like the day it was bought.


Yes they can get expensive to fix because everything is still made in Germany and you pay a premium for the brand name and quality, that being said, I wouldn't have it any other way, I love my Audi and still get compliments on it even with it being 12 years old.



I'll be happy to help as much as I can if you have any further questions and I hope this helps

 

If the car needs it, an Audi will be expensive to maintain. If the car was taken care of, solid maintenance, then your wallet will be spared some. But like any car, if attention and money isn't spent when needed, the problem will grow and affect other parts of the car. See if the seller has maintenance records.

That being said, if it's a well-taken-care-of car, then it will be very reliable. Having mine for six months, it's been very reliable. I have 128K miles.

Also, is the audi you're looking at the 1.8 liter engine or 2.8?
If it's the 1.8, is it turbocharged or naturally aspirated?
Also, which ever engine it is, does the car feature quattro?

A lot of people say the 2.8 is for reliability and the 1.8 turbo is for performance. That doesn't mean the 1.8 turbo isn't reliable. It is. Just besure the turbo is healthy. The 2.8, the other hand, is definitely not for performance. It has some kick, but not a lot. Also, you won't be able to modify the 2.8 without spending a lot of money. Pretty much dead end in the performance department. The 1.8 turbo's performance can be upgraded for relatively cheap. Put some more money and you can have a pretty fast, stealthy car.

In my opinion, don't buy the car unless it has quattro. Then, go either with the 1.8turbo or the 2.8 depending on your needs.

 

Thanks for the help.

To answer your questions, it is a 1.8, and turbo quattro.

There isnt any way of sticking a ski rack on top is there?

 

Thats easy, you can do that, I just carry mine inside because I don't live in that great of a skiing environment and therefore don't feel like spending the money

 

Alright yeah, it has 88k miles on it, and its going for like $8,850.. worth it?

 

There is an OEM ski rack you can buy. Also, depending on the maintenance, the price might be close to fair considering you can buy a cheapS4 for $11-13K. See if they don't have maintenance records, at least check the turbo and the timing belt. Timing belt costs ~600 for labor and ~200 to 300 in parts...

 

i boght a 99 a4 with a reconstructed title and i already put 10,000 miles on it with not problems, so if you tke care of it, it should do you ok, just make sure the timing belt was changed. oh and as for the snow driving quattro does really well.

 

Yeah, well it is a 1.8L I think. I didnt see a T anywhere.. whats the L?

 

Take a look at the maintanence book if you get a chance on the car. If I remember correctly the 90k maint is very nessessary from what I read. I ended up doing mine a few years ago, and have never seen a REAL engine problem. Ive also read those who skip the maintanence, pay for it big time down the line...