Thinking of selling my A4

With the CEL you have, just a guess but check the hose that goes to the top of the engine at the front, you cant miss it when you open the bonnet (hood) it is a small rubber tube that is surround with what looks like material, check if it is split, a good sign is if you have black oily residue on the underside of the hood.

If it is, just trim it back a bit and put it back on, reset the cel and job done.

What is your definition of "a major drain on my bank account" in actual dollars on an annual basis? I ask because I have decided to keep my 98.5 A4 2.8Q because it so far has cost me less than $2,000 a year to keep running (the car has been paid off since I bought it at

I just replaced the timing system, water pump, both front cv joints, the rear brake pads and rotors and including the rental car I had to rent for the three weeks it took the local german car mechanic to get done with all of this (New Orleans is not a good place for mechanics right now) it cost me just shy of 4000 dollars. I'm not going to do any more such repairs (I'm thinking here of the weird sound coming from my front end and the check engine light it will take me at least a week at the mechanic to get diagnosed) on my nice car (and it is a very nice car, I'm not arguing that) but I don't need such a nice car. I can't afford to fix such a nice car. So all I'm askin' is how much I can sell my nice car for to recoup some of what I spent.

Thanks, Bill

KLS wrote:

you'd have to do on any car. The bumper thing is a crack-up - how about not "parking by feel"? The CEL could be a very simple fix. Or it could be the MAF. How do you know?

So, let's think a little - you spent 4k. You might get back 6k. (Nobody in their right mind is going to spend even low blue book on a car with a CEL going.) That's 2k you've got left.

That's going to buy you what kind of non-maintenance-requiring car?

The CV joint is another $400 (just a rough guess) and the MAF (maybe) is another $400.

The climate control - wooo-eee! Why in hell do you 'tards need a drink in your hands at all times? Why is it that I can spend 350 miles on the road straight with the need for a SuperTanker Slurpee?

I'm beginning to get the picture. It's not a bad car, you're just a crappy owner. *No* car is going to act nicely for you - that's a guarantee.

E.P.

What a delightful posting style you have- I imagine not a lot of those

If I kept the drinks in my HANDS I wouldn't have the climate control problem I have. I guess I'm the kind of " 'tard " that puts a cup in a cupholder. Your need to not have a drink for 350 straight miles is laudable, but kind of beside the point.

And if I drove by feel I'd probably stop when the WHEELS hit the curb as the bumper glides quite smoothly over the concrete only to dig in when trying to reverse. I certainly feel stupid every time it happens, but thanks for the anonymous internet dig.

While the quality of the ownership of my car is certainly debatable, that's not really the issue. The issue is that in order to fix anything on my nice car (nowhere did I state that it's a crappy car) is that I have to travel a long way to a mechanic who is so understaffed that he keeps it for an inordinately long time whereas if I pick up a cheap used import I can drop it off at anyone from a friend with a car lift to a certified mechanic who will work on it for probably half of the labor rate of the german mechanic. I realize that it's not quite the quality and style of car that I was accustomed to but that bitch Katrina left me on much shiftier financial footing than I was on before so adjustments must be made.

But thanks for your kind consideration.

Bill

Hey, you wanted opinions, you got some. I apologize for not kissing your ass.

Actually, it isn't. I have no idea why people feel the need to drink while they are driving. I doubt anyone is going to die of thirst in whatever short drive they have somewhere in an air conditioned vehicle. Couple that with the obviously dumb location of that flimsy cupholder, and, well, the mind boggles. But, to the point, your excessive thirst-while-driving probably cost you $500 of value. If you're honest with the purchaser.

LOL. That's my name up there, Uber. Oh, is that your first name, Mr. hypocrite? LOL.

Here's a clue - don't pull up on those parking curbs or sidewalks. After the first time, it should have been a clue. Afterwards, well, I leave you to draw your own conclusions.

It is the *only* issue. Owners who are neglectful, sloppy or careless drive a vehicle's value way down. You gripe about regular maintenance items and stuff you caused by carelessness, as if somehow that mitigates the loss of value that you yourself caused. The CEL is the only issue that outstanding. It might be simple. Or it might be expensive. Tough call. But the value of the car is WAY down if it's got an orange CEL while the poor sucker who you're trying to sell this car to is staring him/her right in the face the whole test drive.

And who knows how long the CV boot was ripped? 5k miles? 10k? Do you inspect them every oil change? Even if you do your own work, CVs are a PITA, and a little look-n-feel saves a lot of money and hassle.

BTW, they exist on all cars nowadays (just about). Learn how to examine them, or you'll be in for a CV repair with your next POS.

No, *I* called it a crappy car. It's crappy because you made it that way. Face reality, here, Uber - financially, you're going from a car that's almost completely fixed, and where the issues are known, to car that you absolutely nothing about. Where the seller might be a total liar. And getting a lot less for your car than it would be normally worth, because it does have issues, and you're going to share them with the prospective buyer. You're getting screwed in both orifices, instead of just one.

These two posts are a reality check, not a glee club meeting. If you don't agree with my assessment, fine. But I'm not sugar-coating the reality to make you feel better.

But hey, that injured/defensive thing is working for you.

E.P.

I wanted advice, but your opinion is certainly noted. If anyone else has thoughts I'd be happy to hear them.

Thanks, Bill Tice

I sold my 5 year-old, 60K Audi A4 2 years ago. Basically, it wasn't worth much. I also belatedly found that fixing it up (new brakes, oil/filter/fluid changes) adds nothing to the resale value. As long as the exterior is pristine, nobody cares if the car had been driven as if by the proverbial li'l ol' lady.