about to buy a 1999.5-2001 b5 a4 1.8t. Wondering what problems to look for when checking it out?? also its best to get the 01 because of the 20 extra hp right??

 

well one of the years has the AEB head.. dont know which one, but people say that is the best motor to get, because ur eventually gonna replace ur turbo anyways cuz from what i hear the stock k03 = crap

then, service records are a huge plus, if they dont have that at least find out when the timing belt and tensionor and pumps were replaced, make sure there are no codes being thrown... umm other than that, i would say the rest depends on how it drives (any noises like cv joints or bearings) and if it looks good to u....

im sure someone else will throw in more info since i have a v6 and not the 1.8.. but thats all the info i can think of to give u from what ive picked up from the 1.8t members on here

 

Good place to start will be the "newbie guide" stickied at the top of the forum. It has a substantial plethora of information on everything to consider when buying a B5.

 

oh yea that too haha

 

AWM head is the 170hp motor, its stamped on the head right under the plastic cover. And yes in my opinion the 2001 is the best b5. It has the pretty face lift, love the side markers in comparison to the older gen b5's. You typically get the Homelink feature which is cool for garages and what not, the Little red LED's are just adorable and of course the re-designed interior is a plus. But ya whenever buying a car you should get a PPI(pre purchase inspection). Just so they can make a list for you so you know what your getting into. Also you should make sure there are no codes and that somebody has not cleared them recently. Everything Mr.Phil has stated is pretty spot on. I would also look online and do some comparison shoping to see if your getting the car at a decent price or not, just a mere suggestion. Good luck.

 

^^^^^ +1,000

2001 is a great year

Also consider who you are buying the car from. You can get an idea of how the car was driven, treated, etc..

 

stickies up top will answer all your questions.

 

+1

If you're buying it via private seller, ask them to drive it for you. It'll tell you a lot about how they've treated it. Even if they consciously know the likely reason for you to make such a request and they try to drive conservatively just so it looks like that's how they always drive, they'll slip up eventually; shift hard, high rev etc, things that to them might be considered conservative compared to their normal driving habits, but what they consider conservative might still ding in as aggressive tendencies.

If buying from a dealer, definitely do a PPI like audirpm said. Take it to a non-biased mechanic and have them look everything over and verify that everything is as it should be. Also, if getting it through a dealer, they should be able to pull up service records, to some degree. Request those records and make sure all the vital things covered in the stickies have been assessed.

 

Mmmm love my 01. AWM, KO3 Sport turbo