Had my eye on this A4 for a while. I took a look at the newbie guide to see what was needed for the turbo swap. Gunna call the guy in the monring to talk about what parts he used and what not.

Things I should keep an eye out for?

2003 AUDI A4 1.8T GT28RS TURBO

 

With those mods, you can be fairly certain that car has been driven hard on a regular basis. I'd be checking to make sure everything on it is in tip top shape, and that all required maintenance has been done. Ask about when the timing belt was done, etc. From the pics, it looks in good condition, and if those mods appeal to you, it seems like a nicely set up car already built. That said, a 108K mile 1.8TQ is not worth $12500 stock (it's more like $7K). I know those mods cost more than $5500 to do, but *usually* they don't add that much to the sale value, so you should probably try to talk the guy down some from that price.

Regardless of any other considerations, if, after seeing it in person, you decide you like the car, get it inspected by someone who knows Audis - they'll be able to tell you if you should run away or jump at the opportunity.

 

Yeah I realized that its probably been driven hard. He hasn't responded and the car as been for sale for a while now, so its definitely not my first choice.

There is an 07 A4 2.0T quattro that is for sale within my budget and I think I'd rather go with that one.

 

My friend had a 06 A4 2.0T, he says that around 50,000 miles they have an issue with the engines and people are trying to sell it around that mark. He is a local mechanic and he had to replace the engine at around 52,000 miles because his turbo went dead and damaged the engine. Just make sure there isn't any big issue, maybe it was just his, but he says that he has seen few A4's 2.0T sold at that mark.