Yeah im sure you got your answer.... I got 107k on mine but it was a one owner 40yr old business womans car before I got it and she got everything replaced before I bought it. My turbo's are still strong and It wouldn't matter if they went anyway because a I plan on goin stage 3 soon anyway.. Like everyone else said its a toss up because of how much it got beat on, maintained and what not... I love it theres nothing like these cars but if your lookin for cheap and inexpensve your def. in the wrong place!!Hope your job pays well if things go wrong!!!

 

I apologize to come on here as a Audi noob and bring it up... I'm not attacking the B5s (or audi, for that matter). I obviously like them too, but trying to make the best call for my current situation. Advice helps.

Seems to be the consensus.... can be great, can be a pit of a pill... but regardless they are super fun! I'm going to have to think about hard about it I think. If I weren't still in school, I wouldn't be concerned about reliability as much, but since I am, I am the mercy of the dealer for repairs since I don't have the place, tools, or time to do my own work. I'm not afriad of most of the stuff. Butblown turbos for these cars must cost over 3 grand to fix. I make good money for a college kid, but that would really hurt!

What about an aftermarket warranty?? Anyone got one for their cars?? My dad bought a car that he was a little worried about and had an aftermarket warranty with it... ended up having the tranny replaced 3 times for nothing! If I could get a good, fully comprehensive warranty like that, I guess it wouldn't matter about stuff failing. Only problem is that I won't be able to leave the car alone... basic bolt ons and chip would be all for the engine at least though, but would that void it?Anyone with any warranty experience?

 

I bought my Audi about a month ago and went to the local dealer for a warranty....I live in Southern California so if your in that area look to spend more than 2 grand forone.

 

I bought a RR and it broke down ( mind you it was 30 years old ) CARS ARE MECHANICAL SO THE BREAK DOWN wear and tare

 

Also, if it has 80k on it, you have to replace the timing belt before 100k, and if you don't do that yourself its about a $1000. so keep that in mind
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Its not really a cheap car to maintain. parts and labor are expensive, not out of controll, but expensive. If you wrench yourself you can save big $$$. Its a great rewarding car but a little chubby if your tracking it. Its easy to get big performance gains too.

One thing i will say is i have never had my S4 breakdown on me. I keep up on matinence and as long as theres fuel in the tank shell run beautifully. Much more reliable than my year 2000 saab 9-5.

 

I would say at this point it may not be the best decision in your life. You are of college age (as am i) and so liklihood is that with a twin turbo sports car you're going to have lead-foot syndrome. And at 80k miles with this engine its asking for trouble.

I personally am getting a 2000 A6 2.7T 6mt with high milage (same engine) and am fully expecting to replace the turbo's somewhere in the first couple of months of ownership. It's something you have to consider. If you can't afford to drop 1500 into the car at any time, it's probably not for you. I'm lucky enough to have a good job and amazing credit so i can afford repairs if need be but for a college kid, 500 dollars is a lot, so doing a ~$3k turbo replacement is probably out of the picture.

My advice: buy something cheap and reliable to get you through college, all the while saving up as much cash as possible. Then take another look at audi once you're out and have some money saved up.

 

I am in college right now, and home is about 300+ miles away. I bought my S4 over a year ago, with an aftermarket warranty. The aftermarket warranty sounds great, but it take forever for anyone to do anything to it in the shop. The good thing about a new car with a warranty from the factory is that they get in there and get **** done. I have yet to find a shop that will accept my warranty and who is speedy about it.

Since I've owned my S4, the tranny went out on me (I bought it at 84 and it now has 101) But that was mostly covered under the warranty. The TBB ripped, CV joints, and now I've got an ignition problem. So if your going to be tight on money while ur in college, then I vote dont do it. But if daddy is feeding you the money then go for it. Make sure you have another means of transportation if you get the aftermarket warranty though. The car is a blast. Right now mine is chipped, darIntake and the upgraded DV's ( they come from a TT, cant remember name) But thats just my experiences so far.