i'm super tempted to pick up an audi, kind of in the 10 grand range, since i live in the north east and....i mean come on, it's quattro.

so basically im trying to find a combo of engine, features, and transmission that is (and remember, i'm talking easy relative to other audis)
1) easiest to maintain diy, and the common failure points are easiest to fix yourself
2) most reliable

ive heard to avoid the 1.8T, but are the stick shift audi transmissions reliable?
and as an aside, are audi stick shifts nice for semi-stick newbies? i've heard that from a few places but im not sure

also are there any optional gizmos that are more trouble than they're worth and thus to avoid them?

If the answer to this question is something other than a b6 a4 that's totally fine too, id just like to know about it

thanks

 

Audi's clutches, personally, I think would be the easiest MT's to learn how to drive a stick. They are smooth and predictable. The MT's are considerably more reliable than the auto tiptronic.

The 4.2 liter (in the 2005 and later) S4s are pretty bullet proof if they are well maintained. You might be able to find a decent well maintained 2005 S4 in about your price range.

Not sure why you would want to avoid the 1.8T though. They are a remarkably reliable engine as well, again, based on proper maintenance. The only other option is the 3.0 liter V6, which I think they only offer for a couple years (probably for a reason).

 

actually, i'll re-prioritize

i'll take easy-to-work-on over reliability any day

basically any audi with less complex mechanical components, perhaps a larger engine bay/smaller engine so its more spacious, so there's less to remove all the time when trying to fix or replace something

 

What's not to love?



Ok, maybe that's not for you. This is a little better, but not by much.



Then there's this... so much space for activities!

 

im actually liking that engine bay the most, since the 1.8T seems to have the firewall slam up against the rear of the engine, so any potential space is lost

 

low and slow it is...