Looking for a Quattro for my wife.
Have always heard good things about the Quattro's and thinking about taking the plunge.
I've found a low mileage 2005.5 model with 60k on it.
Automatic trans
Adaptive Lights
Motivated seller

The good:
Always taken to dealership for repairs.
Exterior is nice
Engine bay is clean

The hmmm...
Leather is okay but not pristine for a car of this mileage
Headliner sagging
Many of the switches show aging.
Steering wheel leather is worn
The trans surges a small bit (mechanic hooked computer up and said not to worry) Sounds like torque converter?

I've always owned Porsche, Mercedes, or BMW.
While none of these cars are perfect the interiors hold up fairly well and more so with the Mercedes I have had.

From the research I've done the A4 quattro's sound like a fun and safe car.
And better yet, this particular model seems to be quite reliable apart from the cam follower and maintenance items like the timing belt.

So I'm hoping that some folks can chime in on what they think about this situation?

Or to make things even more interesting there's a 04 A4 quattro with 50k on it for even less money than the 2005.5.

 

Forgot to mention that this a 2.0T engine.

 

Feeling an RPM surge at light, steady throttle/cruise? That's enough for me. Find another car. It may never require replacement, but if it does, estimates I've heard are about $4k to have the work done at a dealership. Mine has been doing it for a while (a year and 10k miles) and since it doesn't cause any damage, I'm just going to let it go until it gives up completely. At that point, I'll have to make the call on whether to fix it or not. Conservatively, it's probably $2500-3000 even at my independent shop and that's if I can get a remanufactured TQ.

Walk away. Honestly, at this point, I wouldn't buy one older than '08 and probably would just look at the B8's if I were serious (says the guy with the '06 2.0T).

 

I usually agree with King when he comments and I am going to partially agree again. My 2008 also surges slightly when cold (almost not noticeable). Started about 2 years ago and 60k miles. I plan on driving until it becomes a major issue. From what I have read they can run a long time like this with what seems like only a few actually needing to be repaired early on. It is still a gamble though. I have heard cost can be $1200 to $3500 and possibly more. Might what to call around to get an idea. Of every thing you listed the headliner is the most troubling for me. Although it probably only be a couple hundred to get fixed I would question why it is falling to start with? Is the moon roof leaking and causing issues, etc... Also, you describe wear that would be common on 160k car not a 60k car. In the end unless the price was great I might walk away as well. Just too many questions for me.

 

I've yet to find a TQ with a reputation for reliability for less than $1000. Most people that have it done just opt to go with the VAG part simply because there is SO much labor involved. I think the $1200 rhodes mentions is either a DIY price or a little low as I doubt anyone reputable would do this job (parts+labor) for less than $2k (it involves completely removing the transmission as the TQ is inside it). So, I guess my earlier walk away would really be more of a qualified statement: If the price is so good that $2k added to it would still make it a good deal, maybe go for it. If not, then walk away.

Oh, and don't forget about other maintenance items. If the timing belt hasn't been done, that's $1200. Sure, it may only have 60k miles on it, but the interval is 75k or 7 years (belts wear out after years as well). This one sounds like it's more than 10 years old if it's the original one. Then, how about some control arms. The bushings have a life of about the same (75k or 7 years). That's about $1k for the upper control arm bushings (or just replacing the entire arms like I did).

It does sound like the car you were looking at is a little tired and worn (headliner, switches, steering wheel). This combined with the possible TQ issue and the headliner tells me there are likely better examples out there unless you get it really cheap. Don't underestimate those switches--they can be pricey. My driver's door lock switch has the black coating bubbling and chipping off. I haven't replaced it because it's like $150 and there's no aftermarket alternative that I've found (yet). Unless it's really cheap ($4k or less), I feel like you can do better.

 

Just so it's not all negative, yes, they are fun cars. They are pretty safe for small sedans. They are pretty responsive considering it's only a 2.0L 4 cylinder. And, the quattro handles very well. I've really wanted to swap my sedan out for a hatchback, but I refuse to even consider FWD ones and the quattro A3 hatches are as rare as chicken teeth around here. Whenever they pop up, they go for ridiculous money compared to my '06 A4, so I've mostly given up on that idea.

Since you are familiar with the maintenance associated with German cars, I don't think anything about these would surprise you. Like I said above, though, unless the price is really good, it sounds like the one you were talking about is not a prime example. The interior sounds pretty abused as I've not seen many Audis where they are just falling apart inside. Mine is now 10 years old and has held up great with the exception of a few known trouble spots that I've fixed along the way.

 

Thanks everyone for the advice.
Since I'm a fairly capable DIY guy and lucky enough to have a good friend that's a mechanic I think I'll be okay.
I'm also VERY lucky to have a friend that has a trans shop and believe it or not probably wouldn't charge me anything to change out the TQ (but I'd owe him LOL!)
I'm still kinda attached to this car.
Hard to find low mileage cars like this in Honolulu and if you can the seller is asking crazy money.
I'm hoping to get this one for about $5k.

 

Well, if you can get the job done for sweat equity or nothing, it may be a good deal. I wouldn't even begin to think about tackling a job that requires removing the transmission on my car and it's probably a 10-15 hour job at a shop.

Still seems a bit ragged out from your description, but given your location, yeah, it would probably be hard to do much better. Just beware Audi interior parts are pricey if you can't get aftermarket alternatives (some just aren't made).

Let us know how it turns out.

 

It sounds like the interior is a bit tired. My 2006 at 149500 miles sounds like it might have less interior wear. Over the years I've had to have lots of things replaced, so the car has been somewhat expensive to keep. The A4 is a fun car though, and worth all that trouble. I'm moving on as of tomorrow though, I'm purchasing a new allroad, and do feel a little sad to see the A4 go, especially since it's a manual!

 

Hoping to pick up car on Friday.
Thanks again for all the advice/comments.