Any feedback would be most appreciated. Looking at 1999-2001 for my daughter. I have been out of the Audi game for a while but have owned several from an '83 5000 TD to a '99 A4 1.8T and some in between, and it starts a love affair of course, but life hit me and I have a bunch of kids now. Kind of a chance to get a little toy back under my grips. What pitfalls am I looking for when buying one of these used models and what was a must as far as maintenance. There are some nice low mileage 75k to 90k in my area. One is a 2.8 as well. The AWD is appealing for my kid plus they are super safe cars in a crash. My last A4 went out the door at 63k so I did not do too much work on it at all.

Thanks!

 

The AWD is very nice and they are pretty safe cars, but as with all German cars, the repair and maintenance costs are pretty monstrous. I have paid nearly as much as I paid for my car (bought a used 1998 A4 2.8 quattro with 38K in 2005 at 72K now) in repair and maintenance.

As long as you are willing to shell out the cash to keep the car running properly, you will not be disappointed.

Why did you sell your last A4 with only 63K miles on it?

 

it depends. the 2001 1.8t has 20 more horse than previous b5 1.8t's. anything 98 and up for the 2.8's are 24v versus 12v. im assuming this car would be an automatic... and yes quattro is awesome in snow. about the upkeep... alot of people on here say the repair bills are huge. first off i must have gotten a good one because in a year ive had mine (a 01 1.8t quattro manual) ive had to replace the maf twice and replace three wheel bearings. if i would have brought it into the shop, repairs would have passed a grand easily. i did all the work myself and have maybe spent 250 on parts, including rear brake pads. doing the labor yourself and knowing were to find cheap parts are very key. i say the car your looking for is a 2000 2.8 quattro. they generally are more reliable than the 1.8's and are a little faster too.

 

check out the newbie sticky for a thorough rundown of the cars.

I have to mostly agree with what has been said. I would go for the 2.8L since it is a lil more reliable and since you prob wont be modding performance. Audi's are cheapest to own when you stay on top of the maintenance. If you cant do the work yourself, or dont think your daughter will recognize a potential problem, you might want to go with a cheaper route like a Toyota/Honda. You could also look into a 2.0L Jetta on other VW that might be a little cheaper. Audi also reccomends premium fuel, that may be another consideration if your daughter is paying for gas.

 

in my own opinion ill choose the 99 1.8t. its a pretty nice car for your daughter. aside from its a 1.8 (cheaper in gas). it is a pretty quick car..but not that fast. you dont want to give your daughter a fast car for safety reasons

 

A must as far as maintenance is the timing belt and water pump. My maintenance has been pretty much routine, brake pads, vacuum tubes, timing belt, water pump. The maintenance costs are high, but I love this car!!!

 

99.5 is the way to go
quattro is simply a must...
the 1.8T with manual trans is just a blast to drive... but the 2.8 is supposedly more reliable (no forced induction, naturally), and the auto is obviously easier to drive (especially if she doesn't know how to drive a stick shift).

Welcome back to the Audi world, and wecome to Audi Forums. You came to the right place to ask any and all questions...

 

The info was great. I am looking for the 2.8 unless I find someone that can document the full history on a 1.8T. I do not have a problem with maintenance. I have someone reasonable for the big stuff and the small stuff I enjoy. Only reason I have to get rid of my 99.5 is that I smashed it pretty bad in the front corner...damage went all the way through the suspension and it was never right again. What good is an Audi with messed up suspension..

thanks.