B6 A4 or MK5 Jetta?

[seadoo2006]

Posted this a little while back ... seems like it's pretty a propos for this thread ...

I'll be frank on a couple things:

1. I drive an ass-crap number of miles (~40k/year)
2. My B6 has some sort of maintenance issue about once a month
3. It's a 1.8t, with a Unitronic Stage 1+ tune, but it's still crappy on gas mileage
4. I bought it with 98,000 miles, so my maintenance costs have been slightly higher than most.

That being said, I love the car, no scratch that, I adore this car. I love the ride, I love the way it drives, I love quattro in the winter, and I love the looks.

So, a few things I dislike about the car:

1. It's a boat ... it feels every bit of its ~3600 some pounds
2. The 5-speed has pretty short gears ... I'm around 3800rpm at 75mph
3. My car has the infamous seat heater fire problem (Audi of America graciously replaced everything for FREE at 108,000 miles and I was the 3rd owner)
4. The OEM HIDs are pricey to replace ... both my ballasts are starting to go and even if you get Chrysler ballasts and bulbs (same product), they are around $200/headlight
5. The Climatronic tends to have issues ... Mine acts up only when both passenger and driver are set to high. It reverses and sends full heat A/C to both vents in an alternating pattern
6. The non-Bose system is good for Audio (what I have), but the Bose system is typical Bose (no highs, no lows, it must be Bose)
7. Gas mileage ... I had envisioned getting better from this car, but the combination of an underpowered motor for the car and quattro makes your averages suck

Now, for what I love about this car:

1. quattro ... I can't say enough about it. If you've never owned an AWD car, this system is just superb. In conjuction with the ESP, this car is nearly impossible to put sideways unintentionally ... like, if the system even starts to see your ass-end swing out, it automatically straightens itself out
2. Boost ... well, the stock k03s might be an underpowered turd of a turbo, but throw a Stage 1+ tune at it to 18psi and the car wakes up ... sounds like a bat out of hell at full boost (even if you aren't going very quickly)
3. RNS-E ... well, if you splurge like I did and installed an OEM Audi RNS-E, you get the benefits of the integrated cluster with Navigation. The early 2002s with Navi came with the color FIS, but all the rest of them came with the red FIS which requires a quick off/on cycle of the RNS to get it to appear. This is extremely awesome for directions to have it in the cluster.
4. 2002 Cold Weather Package - the 2002s, as an introductory year, came with rear heated seats. These are more of a novelty than anything else, but it was cool showing that off to the girlfriend's parents when I drove them around for the first time.
5. 2002 Sport Package - again, the MY2002s came with the lowest OEM suspension of any Audi ... look at the pictures of my car ... it sits at about 1-1.5 finger gap around on the stock springs and shocks

So, as for the costs of ownership, well, as I said, I drive a crap ton of miles. Here's a quick breakdown of my costs since buying this car last May:

It's pricey, but remember, most of those costs are fuel and mods. The actual repairs aren't too terribly expensive. My car is repaired at an independent shop @ $60/hour, so compare your own local labor to that if you need a more apples-to-apples comparison.

Here is my gas mileage over the last 10 months, approximately 32,000 miles of driving (93oct solely):

In the end, I love this car, even if it does cost me a bit of money. Well worth it for the benefits in my opinion.

[deagle]

i would not jump into an audi before a vw

if you find that you can't keep up w/proper maintenance, you'll just diminish the luxury/performance experience, and just run a fine car into the ground

i drive my 2.slow like an audi, sometimes better/faster too

w/ the vw, you'll be paying close to audi maintenance bills anyway

speed is over-rated (w/gas prices and speeding tickets)

luxury is over-rated (how many hours do you spend in a car versus at home ? makes no sense when my co-workers have a more luxury/comfortable car than a place to live, lol)

[J.Owen]

I currently own both a b7 A4 2.0T and a MK5 Jetta 2.5. If you are looking for some excitement, a great interior with options and a little bit of "status" ... get the Audi. If you want a car that will be rock solid, start every time, take a beating and still be pretty fun to drive ... get the Jetta.

The Jetta doesn't have the mystique or driving feel that the audi has, but when we decide to go a long trip, we take the Jetta.

[mhjett]

Coming from an owner ... B6 A4 ... get the 1.8t.

....just be prepared to flip your sh** when the heated seat burns your ass.

[vwchivette]

My current car is an 04 A4 1.8T and I am in love with this car. I bought it at around 75k mi, replaced the timing belt, water pump, tstat, etc. Yes, I have had vacuum line problems; in fact, I've replaced so many that I lost track (it all started with replacing the damn coolant temp sensor - worst positioning). Otherwise, regular maintenance has kept up. I love the ride, the overall quality of the car, and the looks. It's not as peppy as I had hoped, considering its weight with the Quattro set up and fairly underpowered motor, but as a daily driver, it's all that I need and gets me where I need to go.

Like a few other people have said, test drive both cars, and decide which you feel most comfortable purchasing, and what you can see yourself driving for a long time. Also, though not always possible, I highly recommend trying to find a vehicle with extensive maintenance history - a very well maintained car is much better route. Good luck in your endeavors.

[seadoo2006]

....just be prepared to flip your sh** when the heated seat burns your ass.

Haha, I did and raised holy hell with AoA ... but hey, I got the repair for free ..

[JusDub]

Awesome advice guys. Keep it coming.

[mhjett]

Haha, I did and raised holy hell with AoA ... but hey, I got the repair for free ..

I know... I remember your thread on here about it.

[JusDub]

Still confused on which to get. Goshh. Decisions decisions n

[SlowMotion]

As a b5 and b6 owner I will suggest the MKV.
The little things that keeps breaking in older Audi will disappoint you in no time.

[Jrod511]

Tbis is where my dilemma lies. I like the mk5 exterior and understand that engine is reliable. BUT I hear the 2.5 is slow as hell. I mean not that I speed wherever I go but if I need to I would like to have some "kick" behind it.

I just spent 4 days driving a Jetta 2.5 Auto; felt pretty good to me. Plenty of power; good amount of torque missing in most smaller 4 cylinder cars. Quiet and smooth, makes that nice 5 cyl growl if you run it out. I didn't think it was weak at all.

[TM87]

I had 2 2.5 Jettas and love them . I had 06 and wife has 2010(40k miles on it now) and its been trouble free for both cars. They are not the fastest thing, but plenty of power to go around. We have all black interior and it looks great.
A4 has nicer styling and more features and options. 1.8T has more tuning potential, but also potential problems.

If you want the looks and not worried about POTENTIAL(doesnt mean it will happen) problems, get A4.
If you want a reliable,simple fun engine in a decent package get a Jetta. Any and all work on the Jetta will be cheaper then A4.

[StormChaser]

What's your budget? That will say a lot about which choice is wiser.

[audivoodoo]

coming from a b6 a4 3.0, I went to a jetta wolfsburg 2.0t...no regrets at all...the only thing that kinda bothered me was not having xenons but in comparision the 2.0t is way funner to drive and still my dd. In addition I havn't had a single problem with it since. The audi was full of headaches even though I maintained her very well

[vdubjettaman]

I have a 02 A4 3.0Q 6spd sport with 87k miles. I purchased it 3 years ago with 49k. It has been daily driven everyday, and only in the past few months have I sank a serious amount of $ into it. I had the timing belt and all other components replaced, along with a new radiator fan module, new axles and a few new mounts. Other than regular gas/oil changes, it has been reliable. There are things that break, and with it being 10 years old now, it's to be expected that parts are going to wear out to some degree.
One of the worst things I hate about the interior is the finish on all the switches. If you look at any B6 A4 I guarantee you will find peeling window switches or headlight switches, or hvac switches. Broken armrest lids, gloveboxes, and seatbacks are probably going to be pretty common. Unfortunately, they are not always cheap fixes. I lock my glovebox and don't ever use it, the armrest lid is annoying having to be in the down position (when driving a manual anyway) as it can interfere with shifting at times, and the seatbacks, well, I don't look at it so it doesn't bother me till I open the rear door, or someone mentions it. The styling is definitely still very nice, and I find it to have aged very well.

The 3.0 has enough oomph to make it enjoyable, but if you plan to mod the engine for more, then do not consider it. But it doesn't sound like you are looking to go mod crazy, so it's a very comfortable package.

The Jetta will be newer- less broken, and definitely cheaper to operate/maintain.

[usc_jetta]

I have the 2.5 jetta with about 92,000 miles and it's been pretty cheap maintenance wise. It may not be the fastest thing on four wheels but Its still a fun car!

[whitemike]

....just be prepared to flip your sh** when the heated seat burns your ass.

How can we tell if the repair has been done already?

[BRZ]

My mom has a B6 1.8t with absolutely no problems (except for interior peel). Simple design that has aged well. Make sure you get one with painted lowers.

[BostonB6]

Longitudinally mounted 1.8T's in Audi A4 & VW Passat models have a sludge issue. Supposedly, this does not apply to model years 2005+ and VW has since required only synthetic but there are ton of folks who have had issues with 2005+ cars.

[seadoo2006]

Longitudinally mounted 1.8T's in Audi A4 & VW Passat models have a sludge issue. Supposedly, this does not apply to model years 2005+ and VW has since required only synthetic but there are ton of folks who have had issues with 2005+ cars.

LOL WAT?

1) the sludge issue was only in early model B5 Audi's ... all prior to 2000 ...
2) VAG didn't make the 1.8t after 2005 ...

[brandonwillyumz]

There aren't many mods for the 2.5, honestly, but it's super reliable and still a decently quick car. A flash and new intake really open it up. I vote for Jetta.