So this guy at work is trying to sell his old Audi (in the title) for -3k-
He doesn't strike me as the kinda guy who lets his cars go to the ****ter...he recently bought a new (dunno year, probably 2010 or 2011) BMW 704iL v12 and his other car is some Mercedes...yeah, his wife is a doctor and he's a nurse who works mass overtime.

Another guy who was lookin at buying it, who decided not to (he has a family, he needs his bigger car), said the body has 140k on it and the engine either has 60k on it or was changed out at 60k. I haven't talked to him much about it, I was gonna make a list of questions for to answer.

does anyone have any experience with this car? Is it a money pit? What things should I ask about specifically? Any help would be appreciated, or if anyone knows of a good Audi forum, one where people know this stuff inside and not who don't just talk about getting their car on a track and beefing it up.

Thanks!

Oh, the transmission is also that tiptronic? thing. I really, really wanted to stay manual, but for 3k, if the car's not a piece...

 

That is the general value of an A4 4door sedan turbo. I've actually been doing a lot of research on Audi's here recently and am also in the market for one.
One thing smacks me in the face about this one. The motor got replaced, already? What the hell? These are motors known to make 300K with no issues. This makes me wonder just what kind of condition the current motor is in.

 

i personally own a b5 passat. garbage. headache. finnicky. money pit. if you buy it, be prepared to purchase a laptop with special cable and VAG COM software. i detest my passat. everything is computer controlled. theres so many nannies. my tumbler wont recognize my key as the key to the car, so i cant unlock the door without the alarm triggering. very common and expensive to remedy problem. digital climate control is bonkers. sending unit decides its -23 degrees outside in the summertime, so the a/c decides it doesnt need to kick the compressor on, leaving me burning up. i hate my money pit passat. its a 2000 model 2.8 awd, if you were wondering.

 

My guess would be a timing belt failure, pretty common on these motors.

A buddy of mine is dealing with that as we speak. His skipped a couple teeth and bent 90% of the valves in the head, what a mess. (2001 A6 Quattro)

Audi's are GREAT lease vehicles. If you're not responsible for their upkeep, and yo ucan give back at 60k, then hell yeah. Otherwise, not worth it IMO

 

Well then, seems my research has been rubbish. bwahah.
Good advice. And on that note, the A4 I was looking at, can stay at the dealership that has it. I have two money pits, who needs 3?

 

With the motor being replaced, I guess with the 2002 A4, along with the similar/same 2002 VW Jetta(?), there was a huge problem with engine sludge. They said you don't need to change your oil but every like 5-8k, and it turned out that was WAY too long, obviously.

It sounds like...everyone says how awesome those cars are and how reliable, but if you get a bad one, it sucks and it sucks hard.

And the 2002 is very different from the 2001 (according to wikipedia, anyway). It seems with the 2002, they revamped nearly 90% of the car. So I would guess the problems with 2001 and before would be different, for the most part, from 2002 and later.

I think I'm just gonna have to test drive it and have a good German mechanic look over it. If anyone hears anything else, please share!

Thanks fellas

 

Keep reading man, it's a problem across the board for Audi/VW

It's easy to be blinded by the PRO's of a purchase when you really want something.

 

Wow just because it's a Audi it's a money pit. Love the misinformed. They aren't any more expensive to repair than a Lexus,Acura or Infinity.
Sorry to say if you're going for a luxury car it will cost a little more than a standered dd. That being said I had a 96 for 5 years and about the most I did was replace the timing belt when needed and the front control arms. Those were a pain as they weren't yet tagged as having a problem. The cost was $1200 just for the parts and yes I was not happy. I did however get the upgraded S4 control arms that were just starting to show up and didn't have any problems after that. That was all done within the first 6 months of owning the car. I even had h/r coilovers and big brakes on it and it work just fine. Didn't break anything and even lowered had a nice ride.
Not to fond of the triptronic but for 3k that's not a bad price. If it's quattro that is if it's a front track I'd keep looking.

 

so, 3 post new jack, you spent $1200 in the first six months of owning a 96 model beater? that doesnt qualify it as a money pit? im on the VAG forums, these cars are riddled with problems. how can i be so misinformed when im a VAG owner myself? tell me why i cant diagnose the myriad of common electrical problems on my b5 without a VAG-COM? man, shut up. im in a bad mood and not dealing with german car owner holier than thou drivel today. dont test me on my knowledge of automobiles.

 

GET HIM