Hey guys! I'm looking at an '08 A4 2.0T. I've been in love with it for a few years but since most of the money I've been saving up has been going to my tuition (I'm graduating this year), it's been out of reach. My budget is low 20s and I'm stuck between the A4 and an Infiniti G35x mainly because of all the reliability issues I've been reading about. I'm becoming a teacher and I need a car for every day use. I'm not too worried about not having 300 horsepower but I do look for a luxurious interior. I am expecting to keep this car for at least 5-7 years and without paying $1k every time I bring it to a shop. Please give me your insight (hopefully without much bias)! Thanks in advance!

 

audi s is a good car with a great inter...thers just a couple minor problems some have mostly b/w 2005.5 -2008. if i were u id go for a 2009. u can get them now for higher 20s. and it seems some of the problems with the other models have been worked out to what they say....as far as paying alot. u need to get yourself a good mech. who is audi capable...alot of stuff done for servicing is a ripp... you can do it yourself. or have a 3rd party do your service and it wont void your warrenty...i have a 2006... and .. i have had a few minor probs..lights and electrical stuff.....only thing major u should need is a timming belt. maybe after 80 k. i have only did minor things. and car runs like the day i bought it. and i have 99k on it.... you just gotta change that oil. at 5k... on a turbo car.... i was actually at the dealership last week... and they wouldnt change my oil and i was like well i put like....8k on it.???????????? and hes like oh no these cars. blah............... your not replacing my engine for free when it sludges up.... so i went to my buds. tunner shop that specializes in audi /vw....

 

if you want a great, high quality and reliable car get the audi. i'm impressed every time i drive my car. i've had mine for 3 years and 3 months and i've had no issues other than the intake runner motor-which was of course covered by warranty and is a very minor thing anyays. it only affects milage slightly. with the quattro i feel like i can drive it anywhere plus you have the best engine in it's class (2.0T) and great fuel economy. it's built to high standards and a G35 is just a compromise to an audi. as for interior, it doesn't get much better than audi's.

 

What ever you get, be sure it is a CPO. Being an educator, I know that the pay is really low for beginning teachers. You won't have money to spend on repairs regardless of the make or model. Also remember being a new teacher, and driving something like either car your talking about, could get you flack from other staffers, or the community. I'm talking about the fact that the public will think you are overpaid if you drive something like that, and trust me, that can come back to bite you during union negotiiations. That kind of stuff was used against my barganing unit one time to justify slashing pay. We resisted and got our way, but in education pubic perception is everything, and can be used against you.

 

diggs, yeah, i've read about the many problems with the 1.8T and I wanted to avoided any models earlier than '08. I'm not so sure if I can afford high 20s though hahaha, how do you like the power of the '06?

esandes, i know what you mean, i don't want to be driving the G and then, daydream about how it could've, should've been with the A4. what's the typical range of the mpg you get?

B7Night, yeah definitely (about the CPO). I'll be working in NYC so it's around 38 starting. I appreciate the advice and I'm considering that also, hahaha. I guess I'll drive my friend's corolla to meetings/negotiations. If they find out my student debt, they'll probably back off.

 

i didn't mean to sound like a cliche from a commercial but it's so true. audi is in it's own league compared to other manufacturers who claim to be in the same. you get the german safety, suspension, engine, interior, styling, quattro, ESP..everything. what does the G offer? just cheaper versions of these that don't work. i've been in a buddy's nissan and i couldn't believe how much he paid to get so little. i wonder how much of the price tag of a nissan goes towards their marketing group. audi doesn't have to advertise because they sell themselves. i've never even seen an audi TV commercial. that says something.

i can go ~500 miles in a tank on the highway. i only fill her up every 10-14 days with city driving (~30 miles per day). the 2.0T is a super powerful engine that never disappoints and has great fuel economy.

 

hahaha, i really appreciate the helpful responses here. I was wondering if you knew how the '08 A4 reliability (used with 50k miles) compares to say, an '07 A4? Is it the same body as well because I feel as if the '08 looks like a little different. (B7)

 

2006-2008 were all the same basic car (B7) with small interior/electronic changes. It changed pretty radically in 2009 (B8).

I picked up a 2006 2.0T quattro with 35k miles on it for under 20k. It's not CPO, but I'm handy with the smaller stuff and have a good, trustworthy mechanic for anything else.

 

The 08's have the little spoiler built into the trunk lid. If I am not mistaken, the S-Line package became standard, so the 08 has some plastic body cladding that the 06 and 07 didn't. The 08's also have the revised DV valve, cam follower and cam lobe, as well as a revised PCV valve, so hopefully there will be less trouble with the 08's than earlier years. As for the other comment I made about getting flack, sorry, but it has now happened to me twice. The first time was with my Jetta GLX, with the exception of the quattro, had more options than my A4, and now I am getting the same annoying flack about the A4.

 

im gonna be biased here but i say get the audi
i got an 08 2.0T and love it! i love bragging about the 'german safety' haha and there are a ton of small features that i never would have thought of but would miss if i didnt have them now. when i was lookin for a new car, i looked at some infinities but wasnt totally satisfied. i heard that the ride can be pretty stiff and bumpy, and like other people said, its just a polished nissan. unless you wanna make the infinity a tuner car i think the audi is better and more practical. i drive a lot everyday and its great, i can get 30mpg doin 80mph on the highway and 25 in the city (and 25 when i drive hard ). like i said it can be a great daily driver and then you just throw it over to tiptronic mode and can drive it like ya stole it