Hello everyone, this is my first post and I should start of by saying I've searched the forums and the Internet in general. I've also owned a VW Jetta that I bought with 145k and had until I hit a deer and totaled it. I had the Jetta for a little over a year and had to put about $1500 into it to fix things. I was 16 at the time so my parents helped out. I'm now 17 and thinking about getting a 2005 A4 with 120-150k on it. Is it a bad idea? I know that if all I'm worried about is reliability I should probably go Japanese (every car my family owns is a Toyota and I currently drive a 4Runner) but I want an a4 because they're nice and not too hard to come by with a manual transmission. I should also include my budget is 5-6k and that's pretty much what I've seen them go for with 120-50k on them. Thank you for your time now.

 

When the A4s get into the mid to high 100k miles they tend to start needing repairs. If you are handy then you can save some money. My A4 has had multiple little issues since it hit 200k miles that have added up to about $1500 in repairs (coolant hose, rear coolant flange, clamp on an airbox hose). Throw in the timing belt/water pump at $2k it has been an expensive couple of months. If you get a good one costs can be manageable, but expect higher repair costs. I think my car will go about another 100k with, hopefully, few issues. So for me the repairs are worth it to drive an Audi. As with any car if you get a bad one it will cost you money. Would I rather have a Toyota or Honda? NOPE!

 

+1 @ rhodes991
Everything what that guy said

I love Audi's as well but if you don't have a high paying job but love driving them - you better learn how to work on them. They can be expensive to maintain (especially if neglected) but super fun to drive when they run well.
If you buy your parts online and install yourself they are well within affordable maintenance range of other cars. Sure parts are not as cheap as Honda but you do get a better car after all

Beware of electrical Gremlins!

 

Thanks for your guys' responses @sheldon and @rhodes991 Do you guys think that it is a bad investment as I am still in highschool. Should I find something else? Just curious. I am big into cars and love them. Although I just don't know much about them or how to work on them nor does anyone in my family really. Knowing those things and being as unbiased as possible would you still recommend and a4? Also is it better if it is sold by a dealer or private. Does the car being sold by a dealer mean that it will be more reliable.

 

IMO when buying a car with 120k+ miles you need to be prepared to fix it. With that said if you get a good one you might not run into any real repair issues (once again my car up to 195K was for the most part repair free). It doesn't matter if it is a Ford, Chevy, Honda, Audi, etc... If you get a bad one it can get costly. Thinking back to when I was in high school (oh so long ago) I needed every spare penny I had for beer, I mean soda. So buying a car with a lot less miles might be the safer option. This from the guy that bought the cars based on how cool I thought they were (72 Torino, 74 El Camino, 72 Charger)! I haven't learned a damn thing. In the end I buy and drive cars I like and deal with the repercussions of that decision. I could easily have bought a new Kia, Ford, Chevy, and a few other makes when I bought my used A4 for $19k. That just wasn't for me though. Good luck in what ever you decide to do.

As for dealer or private there isn't much difference. I would say that when you buy from a person you can size them up about how you think they treated the car. At the dealer you don't get that benefit. The dealer may offer a short term warranty (30 days as an example) that you wouldn't get from an individual. I have bought both ways.