I am in highschool and i know audis are expensive to maintain and that they tend to have problems but i am looking at a 1997 Audi A4 1.8t with 137,000 miles for $5,995 (we can bargain the price down.) But i wanted to know what exactly goes wrong with audis is it the engine? electrical? because the car comes with a powertrain coverage warranty? is this a good deal or will the warranty barely cover anything? thanks.

Link for car:http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...max_price=9000

 

It will be good if you could request for the car's service history. I guess the major thing to watch out for is the transmission. I just traded in my santourin blue 1999.5 A4 2.8 Quattro triptronic with 85k miles (with premium, s line and cold weather package) for 8k and got sold for 11k. You can probably use this as reference. For all the years I have owned the car, nothing major went wrong but the usual maintenance including parts replacement that got worn out through usage and age. Definitely look for unmodified cars as much as possible. It is a great car to own.

 

looks like a nice car.... and body looks straight...

... are you mechanically inclined? will you be able to preform some of the maintanace yourself?

.... one MAJOR problem with the audi 1.8t's are the fact that the oil sump gets clogged with dirt and crap from the pcv system... as long as the engine oil has been changed every 5k and or the engine has already been replaced because of this issue you should be good.... i have had to personally fix this issue for a friend and it was HELL!


... so check out the car fax and make sure that this car has recieved all it's regular maitnance on time.... also, if you really love to drive and drive hard... i would recomend getting a quattro.... i had a non-quattro once.... lowered it with springs and adjustable shocks/struts...... still didn't handle as well as a stock quattro... makes all the difference in the world... test drive both.... good luck!

and welcome to the forums!

 

Take a look at the top sticky posts in the B5 subforum - there's one there called something like "the newbie guide to owning an A4" - it'll explain a ton of things to you that will help you get your bearings with this car. Welcome to the family

 

I think it would be better to keep looking around. I'd recommend getting a Quattro, unless you'd rather not become addicted to Audis. It may take a bit of searching to find something in that price range, but in the end you'll be glad you did.
As a point of reference, I just came across a 99 2.8Q that seems to be in decent condition with 104,000 on it for $5000 (private seller).
Good luck.