Well I have been looking for an a4 for some time now and my parents keep telling me that Audis, BMWs, etc are garbage because they are unreliable and cost too much to fix. I have researched tons about this car and my older brother had one for 3 years and only one problem.(replaced turbo) I understand that I should have at least a grand available after purchasing the car, and I always make sure the timing belt and pump are done when I am looking at one for sale. I am in love with this car. My friend just got one and let me learn stick on it.(apparently that wasnt a good idea) Turns out I am really good at manual and have only stalled his car twice.

The point is, I finally found the perfect one 2000 b5 a4 1.8t q5mt. My mom has a friend whose husband is apparently a "mechanic" and she sent him a link to the car. This was the response:

Zach says:
Audi's are great cars when they are new.
Porsche and Audi come from the same manufacturer.
Porsche's are known to last about 100K and then need major repairs.
Audi is probably the same. You don't see any 200K used Audi's for sale.
I think they all end up in the junk yard.

This car has all the expensive stuff to replace (all wheel drive and turbo). If you want an Audi I would at least go with a 2 wheel drive and no turbo. Turbo will be more expensive to insure anyway.

Best to stick with a Jap car in your price range. They have a much better chance of lasting well beeyond 100K miles.



My question is, what do I reply to this? I want this car so bad. I am going to UTI out of high school and will be going to tahoe almost every weekend for Boarding and I must have quattro. If I get a 2.8 to knock out the turbo I will have less mod options and insurance will be more because it is a v6.

So tell me what I should reply in an email back to this guy.

Thanks

 

Well they are right in some ways. It sounds like you want to mod the car so I would guess you know how to fix some things yourself or you want to learn (since your looking at UTI). Tell them it would be a good learning experience. Show them how cheap you can get low mileage turbos from forums and how much new quattro differentials cost and stuff (fairly inexpensive). Also tell them that the differentials and manual trannys are basically bulletproof. Audis can last 200k easily, they just need some maintenance along the way, your moms husband is right about the fact they arent as realiable as a toyota or a honda and they are more expensive to fix (ten fold if you bring it in for service). Idk how much money your working with but ull want to keep at least a grand for service. Maybe consider a older model like a 99 or 98 and save the extra cash for maintenance.

 

I have a 98 a4 2.8Qm30v with 192k miles. It runs super and is a blast to drive. With a good manual (Bentley Publishing) and some basic mechanical skills you can do a lot of mech work yourself, esp. maint.
I would say quattro is a must for an Audi, IMO. That's what makes Audi special.
I feel my 2.8 30v has plenty of power. But I'm an old guy. Turbo has more mods, but you can always get a sc for the 2.8. I would definitely compromise the engine type before the drive type.
I love my Audi. I have only owned higher mile vw, audi, bmw, but have driven Japanese cars. Always have prefered German makes. I can't really vouch for my old vw's, but with proper care my Audis and bmw's have been very good to me.

 

expect parts to be expensive. learn to fix it your self. i will tell you this it costs more than 2x as much for me to fix something on my Audi than my Jeep.

 

tell this guy to suck it. If you are planning on being a mechanic then what better car to learn on. They are pretty simple to work on and there's loads of information about them. They will also give you knowledge when you are able to scan it and see way more things than any other car (except bmw or mercedes, but those tools cost thousands). Your learned knowledge of the car's computer is very valuable plus you'll always be fixing your car which means it'll be cheaper than someone else fixing it (affordable) and you'll be learning. You could always get a 350 in a chevy but your dad and grandpaw probably had one. ****'s out dated, the era of the expensive and labor intensive auto is here if you're considering working on other people's rides you might as well like your own and master it.

 

This is the most ill-informed, ignorant statement I've ever heard.

Porsche is an independent manufacturer and is one of the only left in the world.

Audi has been 99.9 owned by VW since 1969 (if my memory serves correctly). Porsche recently purchased the controlling stock in VAG (VW, Audi Group), a move only allowable within the past year or so due to a ruling by the E.U. Regardless, Porsche does not make Audi, nor does VW. They have their own design and engineering groups, factories, etc, etc. As a unique point of interest, Porsche Engineering (Weissach) engineer a large amount of innovations for ALL car companies. They truley are some of the best engineers in the world.

Did you know that over 2/3 of all Porsche ever built are still on the road today? No other car company can make such a claim. Porsches are actually some of the most reliable cars on the planet. When the new Cayman and Boxsters came out, this was a large issue... there was no work other than maintenance to be had on a regular basis! Being a tech for 4 years at 2 dealers, I know this to be fact.

I've seen numerous Porsche last over 200K miles. And I've seen many "Jap" cars have major transmission issues by 60K miles (Subaru, Mazda... pretty much anything with an Aisin-Warner). Saying that Audis and Porsche need major repairs by 100K miles is absurd.

Is maintenance expensive? Relatively so. By how can you put a price on reliability and safety in the event you get stuck or in an accident? Audi provides that peace of mind, especially with it's dead-reliable Quattro system.

As for the turbo being expensive to insure, that varies by company. It was more expensive for me to insure a V6 Maxima than a 1.8T A4 Quattro. Go figure.

And last, your Audi wont rust out by 100k miles as many "Jap" cars are known to do.

Sounds like you guys need a new mechanic. The knuckle-dragging idiot that sent you that message is the reason why techs get such a bad name. Poor information based on heresay and personal opinion instead of facts and first-hand experience.

If you need first-hand experience, give me a PM.

 

Your "mechanic" is an idiot! Coming from a Euro car mechanic. I have worked on a 530i BMW w/ 296000 miles I was in shock by the miles haha. Also the 1.8t is still a pretty reliable engine imo. The major downfall of it is the turbo and parts failing due to chipping for more power. However I find the car very easy to work on and think that Audi did a lot of smart moves when building the car. You have done your research so you know all the downfalls of the suspension I'm sure but again there easy to replace w/ a basic set of tools and a big *** hammer! But properly maintain the engine use full synthetic oil and keep up on timing belts and the engine will last as long as you should require.

Is this your first car? It is a good car for a first car its safe and its not too fast to control but the maintenance can be an issue. Insurance on these is not bad at all in comparison to many other cars.

Someone said something about learning to be a mechanic? Is that what UTI is? lol sorry for being a noob... This is an EXCELLENT car to learn on. Also if your going to do the work on it then just save up an extra 500 for a good set of tools: Ratchet set (1/4 and 3/8's), sockets, extensions, a couple swivels, wrenches, ratchet wrenches cuz they make **** faster, I like having a strong electric screw gun that I can put a 1/4" socket on if I choose, set of screwdrivers, a long *** breaker bar, and set of allen wrenches on 3/8's drive sockets. I think that would be enough and some to get you through any repair on the car. If your parents are paying for the car and first repairs then you should probably just listen to them but if its your money and you have enough to fix the problems it will already probably have then go for it.

 

it sounds like that mechanic doesn't do much work on audis. you should send him links to audis that have 150k on the clock for sale and shut him up. and i can find you plenty of those links. i forget about the price on the insurance but i'd call the insurance company and ask them for a quote and tell them that you're not set on which car yet so you just want to know how much the difference may be. some insurance agents will be lazy ******* and won't look it up for you if you don't have a vin #. the 2.8 does have much less mods but it really is very reliable. i think if it takes you this much to convince your parents you should go for the more reliable car. when you chip it, you're gonna have problems and you parents might make you sell you car. trust me, my dad is just like that except he knows i can fix my car so i just tell him that and he shuts up. but then he tells me i waste too much time on my car. parents lol. good luck on whatever happens man, i hope you get to buy it and join the family

 

Damn, I knew this was the right place to post, you guys definitely are very knowledgeable about these Audis. I am going to try and convince my parents with most of the things you guys have said, and email back this dude with a couple quotes from here.lol

I really hope this works. My friend sprained both of his heels skiing so he is having me drive him around some places in his a4. I am so in love with it.

 

The insurance thing is absurd. I pay less to insure this car than I did to insure my 89' Ford Bronco. And the Audi is obviously much safer.

As for maintenance, the parts and labor are the killer, especially if you go to a dealer. However, since you're going to UTI, this sounds like a good thing for you to do. There are many places online where you can get parts for these cars, as well as a wealth of knowledge on how to fix them. I say go for it. GL!