Safest Buy??
 

I really love the look of the Audi sedans and I am debating on purchasing one now that my daily commute to college is almost over. I am driving a Civic SiR right now, which has been great for school, but going into a professional type job a nice German sedan would be more appropriate. I am a car guy so I don't mind doing some of my own maintenance but I also don't want to be on the side of the road somewhere with a dead car. What I am asking is what models to look for in terms of overall reliability. I want an auto ( for the wife ) and the easier to work on the better. I am looking around the 5-8K mark in terms of price. I have seen an 01 S4 with 213K for $6300 plus taxes. I have also seen a nice looking 98 A4 with some mods and 245K for $4900 with my choice of rims and tires. ( 18 or 19 inch) . I really have been spoiled by the reliability of my current ride. I need some advice from real Audi owners as to which models to look at or avoid. Are turbos OK? Automatics? What should I be looking at closely when inspecting?

Thanks, Pat.

Re: Safest Buy??
 

Wow thats a lot of open ended questions. Any car depending on the maintenance history and who owned it may have problems. I have heard amazing success stories and down right horror stories. The S4 you are looking at is an amazing car which is highly tunable if you have the money and patience but 213k would involve some further investigation on your part.

Coming to this site and asking AUDI enthusiasts if you should buy and Audi and which one is kind of like asking me who has a sweet tooth which candy I like. I think the best for you is to find a suitable candidate car and then post up the history and specs for us to comment on.

Good luck and let us know what you end up with.

Re: Safest Buy??
 

Anything in that year range is going to have issues, regardless what brand. You can't expect a 10 year car to have no problems. IMO, at your price range, I would stick with your current car for now and save up a little first. Your budget could easily be the repair cost of your car when it has a problem, so unless you are okay with spending as much on repair as the car cost, I wouldn't bother.

I also don't see how driving a 10 year old German sedan is more appropriate than driving a Civic to work...what profession are you in?

Re: Safest Buy??
 

I am going to be in the insurance industry. I maybe driving clients around or visiting customers homes or offices to look at claims. Thought I might look too much like a kid, driving a mustard yellow Civic hatchback. Yeah its bone stock, no ricer here, but still a young man's car. I am not sure how much I agree with the 10 year old car will always have issues comment. My current ride is 2 years away from that, and I don't see any big issues down the road. Maybe a clutch at my convenience, since its still on the first one, but the rest of the car seems bulletproof.

Maybe I just want to know if a turbo is a bigger headache than N/A. Also do V6 have better reliability than a 4 cylinder.