Hey guys!

Well I don't own an Audi, but I did test drive a '99 A4 2.8 today. Ive been looking at them for quite sometime and after actually driving it, I finally got a chance to appreciate it. I am aiming to get a 1998 or a 1999. As soon as I got home I started doing research on A4's and came upon this site. Hope to get some useful info here!!

btw, how is the reliability on these A4's? both the 2.8 and a.8T. What can I expect to go wrong? etc...

Thanks!

 

Welcome to the forum Vlad!
There's tons of goodies on this forum! Try searching the archives when ya get a chance, many topics have been covered with great detail.

The A4 is as reliable as you are..in other words..you treat her nice, she'll treat you nice. Audi's can be a bit more expensive to fix than..lets say..Jap imports and american cars, but hey..its german perfection at its finest. An NA engine is gonna be more reliable than a turbo engine cuz the turbo needs to be rebuilt or replaced after awhile. If your just looking for a solid every day Audi, then the V6 NA engine (2.8L) is the way to go. The 1.8Turbo is a favorite among moders and people who like to tinker or do their own handy work, it also gets better gas mileage.

Things to look for when buying:
Timing belt/tensioners must be done roughly every 60k miles..make sure it has been done recently cuz it'll run ya $800-1k at the shop.
Control Arms..bounce each corner of the car and listen for squeeks..if you hear em..the control arms are going.
Get in touch with the previous owner and ask how the car was taken care of...if it was abused, more likely your lookin at a lemon. Get service records and any other information you can possibly dig up on the car.

..those are the biggies..other than that just go thru the normal process for buying a used car (check tires, brakes...watch for leaks..the usual)

Good luck with your search!

-T