looking to get a 02/03 Audi A4..need advice

[PG MK5]

i dont know much about the audi a4 platforms in terms of reliability and would like to hear some opinions.

i am currently looking for either an 02/03 A4 with auto transmission. are there any downfalls in choosing these years of manufacture? what engine is more reliable and has a lower cost of maintenance? what are some of the major problems i should look forward to if i purchase an A4?

i have been searching the classifieds on here, kijiji, CL, and autotrader and it seems prices vary drastically. what is a fair value for a vehicle this age with approx. 180-210K

thnx

[the_mad_bastard]

i dont know much about the audi a4 platforms in terms of reliability and would like to hear some opinions.

i am currently looking for either an 02/03 A4 with auto transmission. are there any downfalls in choosing these years of manufacture? what engine is more reliable and has a lower cost of maintenance? what are some of the major problems i should look forward to if i purchase an A4?

i have been searching the classifieds on here, kijiji, CL, and autotrader and it seems prices vary drastically. what is a fair value for a vehicle this age with approx. 180-210K

thnx

my wife got hers about 4 years ago. we chipped it on the way home, put koni coilovers on it 2 weeks after buying it, and installed watermeth and an APR exhaust on it about a month after that.

after 2 years of meth abuse, we cracked one of the intake valves and did some damage to the head. fixed the head, then turned the meth off when we realized just how much timing was being pulled (APR 100 octane software has very aggressive timing, and the time required for the meth to take effect is long enough that the ECU needs to step in to pull timing so things don't get broken). i'm getting a bit off course here. even on the 91 or 93 programs, the car has plenty of go.

other than us doing the head, it's been the absolute model of reliability. ours is a 5spd avant manual (02-03 were 5spd, 04-05 were 6spd). i can't talk about the auto, other than to say that i'm sure it's bulletproof, and boring. i like the sedan, but the avant is so much more useful IMHO. especially if you've got, or are planning a family.

you can use a rear facing child seat, but it'll be a bit cramped. my wife liked the car so much when she found it, that she didn't care that for the first year, she had to sit a little close to the wheel.

problem areas we've had that i can recall:

-1.8T coils (always have a set in the trunk)
-1.8T valve cover (replaced it at both timing belt changes)
-control arms (we've only ever done 3 arms of the 8, and that was a one-time thing)
-the brakes have a bit of a vagueness to them on initial application, but they are otherwise amazing. we updgraded the fronts to B5 S4, but they're still not enough. ideally, we'll go to something bigger and better for when we go back to the track
-we replaced the rad once because it had small leak
-the fuel level read incorrectly for 2 years. i went to replace them, realized i had the wrong parts, plugged everything back in, and it all works fine now
-the original steering rack clunked under certain circumstances (tight reversing turns out of the driveway, for example), so we replaced it with a rebuilt rack that is even noisier. that rack has been in there for about 3 years now.
-i hate the dash-mounted cupholder, and the cupholders in the armrest. i believe that later versions had cupholders in the centre console
-the hard plastic rear of the driver seat has popped out. 2 years and counting now. i've had the parts to fix it for 6 months. no biggie
-find a car with the Bose system, it's **MUCH** better than the non-Bose
-xenon headlights are better (but hugely more expensive to replace) than the halogens

we've put 160K on it since buying it off a wholesaler that got it from audi corporate. it's been a joy driving it, and we can't possibly ever think about selling it. we've tracked it, driven it to waterfest in dirty jersey, ohio, and all over ontario. it's done literally hours of donuts in the snow, and last year in one of the city-shut-down snowstorms, i apexed the 403 at the bottom of the mountain in hamilton at breathtaking speeds with nothing but confidence.

if you haven't experienced quattro with good winter tires in a snowstorm yet, your mind will not believe what is happening.

the manual with the traction control off in the winter will make you sell your skis or snowboard because the thrill of drifting all the way to the hill will make.

the 3.0L is not particularly good on gas (our A4 gets about 600km/tank), and it has a tendency to require expensive repairs, as i recall. pricing is whatever the market will bear, so keep checking the autotrader as you have, and best of luck to you!

[PG MK5]

Thank you very much for this reply.
the information i have gathered so far is:
-that the fwd auto (cvt) is complete poop. thats ok since i am looking at quattro.
-i am leaning more towards the 1.8 as i wouldnt mind keeping the cost of fuel down.
-i have read that the thing that goes most is the rad fans and control unit. which is a hefty replacement.
-ive been told to make sure the car has used synthetic oil
-timing belt and waterpump to be recently serviced.

if i do find a 1.8T model, it will be my first FI car, so can someone tell me some tell-tale signs of a turbo that is singing its last song?

i would love love love to find an avant, but they are quite more expensive (and harder to find) than the sedans

[Ed52]

Also find out if any control arms have been replaced...it's a big bill to do all if they're worn.

There is a good Audi Forum (Audizine??) where members are helpful.

[PG MK5]

Also find out if any control arms have been replaced...it's a big bill to do all if they're worn.

There is a good Audi Forum (Audizine??) where members are helpful.

thanks

[Grasshopper]

I picked up my A4 Avant about 4 years ago. Very much like the_mad_bastard's car except mine is the the Ultrasport with 6 speed and a few other dealer optioned goodies. Mine also came from an Audi dealer auction. All in all the same car as far as this discussion is concerned. I can't boast the same fun time behind the wheel though as I'm not as daring as Jay is but I can say this...winter time + quattro + ESP turned off = one hell of a good time. I bought my car to be a nice all year around daily driver and it has been nothing but a pleasure to own. I also do about 600km/tank on average. Road trips (such as to Waterfest) will get you around 800kms/tank with steady non-stop driving. For what I do the stock brakes are just fine. Just make sure you do your maintenance with OEM or better.

Performance mods are as follows:
- APR stage 1 fully programmed ECU (did it during the promotion) and there is a definite difference in performance. You could say the car "wakes up".
- APR R1 diverter valve
- Koni FSD shocks/Eibach Prokit springs
- RS4 rear sway bar
- drop-in K&N filter

This is what I've repaired/replaced since I've owned the car:
- crank position sensor
- coil packs (2 rounds)
- valve cover gasket
- both front window regulators
- fuel pump/filter
- tie-rod end
- steering rack with tie-rod ends
- coolant temp sensor
- Symphony Head Unit

Many of the above I did myself: coil packs, temp sensor, window regulators, and head unit. Most who know the B6 A4's will tell that the above are all pretty common wear and tear repairs and by the time a car hits 200K on the clock it will have had them done. So if you find a car that's had these repairs performed in it's service history it doesn't mean that you're buying a lemon, in fact, it might be a good buy since the car's been looked after and are repairs you most likely won't see again.

You will want to make sure that the timing belt/water pump replacement has been done somewhere between 80K and 100K kms. Ask if the coil packs have ever been replaced, there was a recall campaign on them.

And yes, Audizine (www.audizine.com) has a good community with mostly mature and helpful individuals, unlike many of the fukkheads you come across on VWVortex. There are also a lot of great DIY's sticky'd at the top of forums that cover many of the common problems/fixes you'll encounter. You'll more than likely find it a breath of fresh air.

Good luck with the hunt!

[Jenkins337]

My dad just bought an 04 Avant after months of searching for the perfect one, (the Avants are hard to find as it is as you had mentioned). After all the reading we did on the A4s definitely stay away from FWD. Also the 1.8t is a great engine, very tuneable which is a good thing because the A4 Quattro is rather slow. Between the weight of it and the AWD system you dont have alot of get up and go. Also the 1.8t has great fuel economy, the best part is i get better mileage after i added 60hp to my 1.8t. And finally, get a standard, the automatic transmissions are fine but do fail and are really really expensive to replace, plus standard is so much more fun anyways. Hope this helps.