I'm considering buying a new A4 and could use some advice. This would be my first Audi purchase and I don't know a whole lot about their long term reliability. I've mostly driven Toyota's and love the reliability of them.
I'm considering the 3.0, FWD A4. I really don't need the Quattro nor do I need the Triptronic transmission. I'm curious as to this groups opinion on their reliability and value. Also interested in many of the options.
Please feel free to respond here or drop me an e-mail.
We have an ES300 (1999), an A4 (2001), and a Camry (1988)......the A4 has just over 30,000 miles and except for an annoying wind noise near the drivers' door (which I think it now fixed -- 3 times at dealer), it has been an excellent car.
But, from what I have read the actual long-term reliability of the A4 may not be as good as the Camry/ES300. Our Camry just turned 300,000 miles and has been extremely reliable.
But, the fun factor for driving the A4 beats both of them hands down..:-)
-
-- Curtis Newton snipped-for-privacy@remove-me.akaMail.com
I have an 98 A4 1.8T Quattro.... I love it. It is my first also. The only things I would change is a 6sp instead of the 5 and an indash cd player instead of in the trunk. I have been lucky with mine. I read some of the nightmare's on this site and I count my blessings. I only put a timing belt in it at 75000 and it cost me 6-700. I put 17" rims with 45's and a nuspeed short shifter. I have 85000 on it now and don't have any regrets. I did hear that after 2001 maybe 2....? They got heavy and the 1.8 isn't that great for the weight, but that is what I HEARD.
*I* think the audi is a great car. I drove the similar BMW and found it to be much smaller, IMHO.
good luck....I would suggest lurking around this site.
That depends on where you live. I live in rainy Seattle (though it isn't rainy this year) and would not consider non-quattro under any circumstances. I spend a good bit of time in Southern California and Quattro there is a waste of money with a weight and fuel penalty.
If you just want a front wheel drive "Audi" with a manual transmission, save yourself a lot of $$$ and just get a Passat. The cars are very similar, are built by the same company, and share many components.
I've owned two: a 97 A4 2.8 Quattro which I just traded in last Saturday with 140,000 miles on it, and now a 2002 A4 1.8 with a
5-speed.
When it came time for me to get a new car, I looked around carefully but did not find anything I wanted more than another A4. They are just a great blend of sport, luxury, convenience, fun, and quality, at a reasonable price, that I could not find in any other vehicle.
My experience with my 97 A4 was mostly very good. It was very reliable. My only "complaints":
The brakes needed replacement more often than I would have expected, and more often than has been my experience with other cars. I was never able to just replace the pads; always had to replace the rotors, and they ain't cheap.
Other components did fail, but all of them after at least 110,000 miles, such as the a/c compressor, and an egr valve. Overall, this was a very reliable car, but still, I would have to say, not as bullet-proof as a Toyota. Nevertheless, there is no Toyota I would prefer, overall, to the Audi, and when it came time for a new car, there was nothing I preferred to another A4.
I think when you read this board, you are looking at a skewed sample: people come here for help with problems, so it may not be the most objective picture. Good luck in your decision.
They are a higher maintenence car than many other makes. I find my A4 to be more high maintenence than my Mustang GT or wife's Saturn L300, but I still like the car. The way Audi is with their NEW cars, and their exceptional warranties and included service, the high maintenence thing compared to other cars is less relevant.
If I was in the market for a small sedan again, the A4 would be very high on my list. Mine is the Quattro. By the numbers, a FWD Audi can handle as well as a Quattro--when the weather is nice and dry. In my opinion, the ONLY thing that would lead me to buy a FWD Audi is the Multitronic transmission (CVT). Those things seem pretty cool.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.