Hi everyone,
I purchased a 97 A4 1.8 last week and today to my horror the oil light came on. I took it to the local dealer (about 1 mile away) and they tell me that this is a common problem with A4's with this many miles (120,000). Apparently the oil pump something-something gets clogged up with something-something (I believe "something-something" is a technical term). Anyway, they tell me that I need a new oil pump assembly which would run me $217 in parts & $620 in labor (estimated 6 hours of work). That seems a tad much, but I don't really know any better. I trust internet strangers more than I do mechanics.
BTW, I really dig the car.