Hi guys,

Newbie here to the audi world. I'm thinking of picking up another car this fall and figured this would be a great time to begin researching. My two seater just isn't cutting it anymore so now and I'm getting to that point where I'd like to have a NICE 4 door which I could drive daily. I'mmainly looking for a wagon because I'd like the space it provides and have narrowed it down to an old 540 or an A4 Avant.

I'm looking at 00-03 avants, prob 1.8T and automatic. Willing to spend in the ballpark of 15k. I've tinkered with every car I've owned in the past 10 years (including adding forced induction) but for this one, I will probably only make minor changes. Like everone here, I like having a good time driving but I don't plan on spending heaps and heaps of money on turbos and electronics this time.

My question are:

1) what should I be watching out for when checking out Avants from this period? I know in 2002, they revamped the model but I honestly don't see much of a difference from the pictures I see on the net.

2) how is the A4's reliability? I remember when I was looking at Audi's back in 2000, many people were telling me to stay away. The feedback I got was from personal owners who's cars were always in the shop and from non-owners who heard from friends. I checked online and see there are very few recalls in A4s from that period.

3) is there a link to the upgrade paths for the A4 Avant? I'd be interested in what possibilities are out there.

If there is a newbie FAQ link that's already out there covering these questions, please just post a link and I'll read more about it. I just haven't seen much online regarding specifically the A4 Avant.

As always, thanks alot for the help.

Steve

 

I have an avant 2.8 auto.i like my car,although it's been quirky,it's never left me stranded.with what you want to spend,you really should look at the allroad 2.7t.what a car.penty of room for tanks and equip and people too.

 

Quirky..... what does that mean exactly

 

Hey there

U can find several posts from similar newbies about FAQ for a used car. Just check posts like "thinking of buying an audi" etc and you'll find tons of info.

As to reliability, I've owned my car for 7 months, but my dad had an audi for +180K and it lasted. Sure, you have to spend money ocasionaly, but it's an overstatement saying that the car spends more time in shops than anything else. Some maintenances are mandatory like TB at 60k to 90k - arguably the most important of all - if you know to DIY, it's not that expensive, but otherwise look at 1K in labour + parts.

I dont know about audi's leaving people stranded as long as you take good care of it.

Good luck on your car hunt!