whats good?

here is my situation... I just had my 96 Mazda Millenia die on my without any warnings. I did many things to this car, in fact take a look at my website
http://cs.oswego.edu/~tcappett/milly/

regardless I am looking at either an A4 or an S4 to fill its shoes. I dont know much about Audi's in general but I do expect to learn and do the work on the
car myself. I am looking for common problems within the 98 - 02 range of A4's and s4's....

I really didnt know where to start so I decided to fins some forums.....

Any help?

 

Hey welcome to the forums. On the A4's make sure the timing belt has been changed before 60-70k miles. That is the largest fault with the B5 platform. Also make sure the car has good control arms and tie rods. They are prone to failure.

 

I am assuming the engines are interference engines, meaning if the timing belt snaps it messes up the engine?

is there any way to check the control arms, or just look for ball joint leaks?

also what is the deal with the turbos??? how long do they hold?

 

Yep exactly. You can sort of check by pushing down on the corners of the car and listening for squeaks. It's best to have the car looked at by a trusted mechanic before buying. He should be able to tell if the joints are sloppy and have play.

 

yea that sounds like a good way to start ....

any thoughts on the turbo?

 

bTw ... been browsing the forum... lot of information on here

 

hard to tell the status on the turbo. There is usually very little warning when it goes.

 

Welcome to the forums, I'm sure you'll be a winner whether you choose the A4 or S4!

 

thanks ... but I am not officially part of the forums.... still got to get that audi...