suthermj

I am looking at the 2001 or the 2002 or 2003 or newer depending on price, model of A4. Now I have been reading and I am hearing alot about the car being maintenance heavy. Lots of problems. I live in toronto, i plan on using it for everyday use. I want this car, because i love the design, the brand and i just love german cars. The most i plan on doing is putting rims on and tinting if need be and adding a system. Nothing much.

I dont plan on racing it. I might you know push it here and there on the highway, but other than that, nothing big.

Now I need to know from you A4 owners, what your experience is. I dont want to spend half the time in the shop. I just want a reliable, yet sexy car. How is it in the winter? For my location where winters can get hectic and summers are hot...how does this car perform day in day out. Am i gonna get myself into trouble here or is there a certain year i should look at if i want to avoid problems if any? Please pour your knowledge on me. Thank you.

Chaos

Maintenance can be heavy if the car was maintained poorly but if you are mechanicaly inclined you do alot of things yourself you can save money theres plenty of diy around the net. With Audi some parts are expensive and then you will notice that the things you would think would cost an arm and a leg are actually cheap. Couple things you should know is control arms go bad and are pricey, timing belt is a pretty big job, ignition coils go bad.....

As for reliabilty the v6 is generaly better than the 1.8t but the 1.8t is more fun and can be easily modded to get more hp Also the 2001 is a B5 while the 02-05 is the b6.

suthermj

what has your experience with the car?

02Audi-A4-3.0

I bought an 02 a4 3.0 about 6 months ago and FAUKIN A i'm glad I did. I was nervous about buying one as well. The thing is you have to buy it from a legit dealership that gives you 3 days to take the car to audi for an inspection. Also go to auto zone and get the codes read. Whatever problem comes up make sure the dealership fixes it before you buy. How many miles are on it? I had to pay for my timing belt which was 900 bucks, but the dealership payed for a lot of the work. Make sure to check suspension on all 4 corners of the car. Just put your hands right above the wheels on the hood and trunk corners and lightly push down and let go. It should be firm and move up and down once maybe twice. When you get the inspection make sure to ask if you can watch them lift the car and walk you through the control arms, cv joints and boots. MAKE SURE TO GET THE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS LOOKED AT!!!! My car was getting 15 mpg before the place I got it from put 2 new ones on (since its a v6 with duel exhaust) Now I get like 20 city and 25 highway. During those 3 days you have car put a broken down cardboard box under you car and check it the next morning for fluid leaks! This is all I did and my car runs great. If only the southeast USA could get some darn premium gas !!!!!! GOOD LUCK they are great cars if looked after. Change that oil every 3 months or 3000 miles. Castrol Syntec is pretty good. MAKE sure to use bosch oil filters!! O yeah get those 02 sensors checked and ignition coils and spark plugs.

suthermj

I plan on buying it off autotrader...one of the dealers who advertise.....but i guess i am going to have to drill them on everything until i am satisfied.


Is this the same case for cars like jetta and bmw 3 series?

02Audi-A4-3.0

I would try to find one somewhat close by. could you upload a link that has the car on it? How far away is it from where you live? You might be able to get price dropped if timing belt has not been changed. atleast 7 or 8 hundred bucks. Timing belt needs to be changed by 6 years or 80,000 miles. I wouldnt wait past 85,000.
If buying from a private seller ask why he is selling it. make sure to put him on the spot without being a douche. Test drive the fire out of it if you can. Get a carfax and make sure to get the VIN number and take it to an audi dealership to look at service records. Best of luck finding one from a dealership that can possibly pay for work at an audi dealership.

suthermj

I have been just browsing autotrader.ca for the audi a4's mostly around 2002 to 2006. I havent really picked out the one I want exactly yet, because I plan on purchasing the car close to christmas or after. Just doing some crazy browsing right now. I want to be sure of everything before i dive in lol. I am not too knowledged with the mechanical stuff. But I am not stupid either. I mean you guys are the experts, since you own the car and have been through everything.

Would someone be able to maybe list everything I need to check and make sure is fixed on the car? This is all overwhelming right now lol...i am taking it little by little.

I will definitely buy it used from a dealer on autotrader.ca but dont know and the car most likely wont have more than 80 or 90 thousand km on it...at most will be 100k. And it will be in the in toronto area. Those pieces of info are certain.

Thanks for all your help.

02Audi-A4-3.0

I'm not an expert by any means. I used to drive a Land Rover and take it in the mud. Now I have a car and am enthused as hell about it and keeping it as good as I can. I did the same thing you are doing for about 2 months. Finally I found one in my area in my price range. You are doing the right thing. Have you looked at reviews from msn autos or edmunds? If you do make sure to keep in mind that some of the tards that say audi's are trash probably didnt even change their oil at the right times. If you are as apprehensive as I was and you get excited from just looking at them you are on the right path. As long as you can handle maintenance and get things worked out before you buy you should be good. Once you get it fixed up before you buy (if possible) try not to think of bad things happening. I would keep posting questions on this forum. People here are extremely helpful. I would get quattro and a v6 for reliability. Feeling like your on rails while driving is quite a rush. Just don't push it. Chances are drivers will back down before quattro will.

IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY FOR AN AUDI UNDER MANUFACTURES WARRANTY GO FOR THAT ONE!!! their warranty is 80,000 miles or 5 to 6 years I think.

suthermj

Thx for the response, yes I am researching like crazy. And I just dont want to settle for anything but an audi lol. I heard 1.8t is not that good, is this true? should i look into a different version of the a4?

Chaos

I found my car on kijiji and it was a private sale but the guy did everything at the dealer and had a binder full of reciepts to prove it. I bought the car not really worrying about repairs becuase i do everything myself and it took me a while to find one with low kms and in good condition the only downside to mine is cloth seats but I decided to have a good condition a4 rather than most of the neglected a4s ive seen with leather. Had the car for 3 months now and i havent had any problems im just slowly dumping money into mods. Oh and when your loocking for a car make sure its a quattro and dont jus look if it has the badge check underneath to see if it has a rar diff. one shady dealer advertised a a4 as having quattro and when i went to check it out turned out it was a front wheel.