Someone I know is looking to buy a 2004-2005 A4 quattro tip with about 40k miles on it. She's coming from a 03 Passat so it's not a drastic change but a good upgrade nonetheless.

So what's to know about these? How is reliablity most importantly? Any commonly known failures?

Anything you have to say is appreciated, I've helped as much as possible but I'm a BMW guyand owner (don't kill me!).

 

Besides the 02 and some 03's, the B6's are very reliable. As long as it's maintained properly, then you should have no problems.

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

I know they were looking at one 03 with low miles but it was a CPO car so I wouldn't worry too much about that example.

 

I just bought a 2005 Audi A4 1.8t Ultra Sport in Aug. It has been an amazing car thus far! Audi's in general have the same fit and finish of BMW's. They also have amazing handling like the BMW's except that they feel much more sure-footed in the curves (especially in wet or snowy conditions.) The Audi will also feel very comfortable at speed cruising down the highway, much like your BMW. The car will also feel amazingly quick, for it's curb weight, with a more explosive feeling of power than you're used to ( you said 330, not 335 right?) Ok, maybe explosive was a bad choice of words, but it will still feels very quick compared to her present car. Also I saw it was mentioned above but I'll say it again, the newer Audi's are also much more reliable than previous years (B5's in particular), the horror stories I still hear from friend s just don’t occur frequently anymore. Since I don’t know too much about VW's I thought that I could explain what to expect in terms of your car (since I've been around BMW's since I was 2 years old) so you can guide her….I hope it helped..In my opinion, Audi is a great maker, and the A4 is a fun, sporty, and reliable vehicle worth every penny I paid for mine!

 

Thanks for your thoughts they're appreciated!

Keep em coming!

 

I've had my 05 A4 1.8t for about 6 months now and it's been a great car. If it's not quick enough for you, chip it and throw on a new DV for about $600 and it will be. Driving in the rain is awesome..nothing like the rear-wheel drive benz I used to drive. Definitely a surefooted car and very safe. Only one thing that I can complain about, and that's the fact that my window regulator went out after owning it about 3 months. But that was a relatively quick fix and haven't had any trouble out of it since that...I would recommend an 05 A4 1.8t. Just because the 02-04 have hideous black plastic crap around the bottom..great car. She won't be disappointed.

 

u may want to look on the coils too. thats the only major problem my car had. but very simple to fix. i got my audi a4 2003 just this april and have no problem at all except for the coils.

 

I've owned a CPO 2004 1.8TQ tip for over a year now, and I've had an absolutely wonderful experience with this car. I had a glitch in my turn signal electronics, where everything worked fine, except for when arming or disarming the alarm, when the left front turn signal wouldn't flash along with the others. A MINOR, MINOR problem that was fixed within one hour of bringing it in to the dealer. The dealer has been absolutely fantastic, and service appointments are great.

I did have a dipsh*t run into my fender and cause $1100 damage, which is being repaired, as we speak, by the top Porsche/Audi/VW body shop in Los Angeles. They charge 150% of the other shops' estimates I got, but they have a solid reputation for being the best. The Jeep Grand Cherokee I received as a rental sucks in comparison, but at least it is black, like my A4!

I highly recommend buying a CPO, contrary to what everyone says about CPO's and not being able to chip them, etc (which you can chip, btw). My boss' 530i just had $3500 worth of maintenance/repairs that haven't solved his transmission problem, and his is not a CPO vehicle. OUCH.

Best of luck in the search!

 

i have an 04 ultrasport (no fugly black panels for me!) i got it used with 30k, i have 75k now.. only problem i had is a battery died after i let it sit for a few weeks (my fault) and fuel pump... i do full syn oil changes every 5k.. if its for a chicky i would put all new hitachi E coilpacks when you get it so she doesnt have to worrry about them going out......

if she wants more power... not that she needs it but i would do a 1+ program.. about $340 more for injectors but more power.. and torque...

audis are less common the bmws and i like the interior quality better (until my switches start peeling!!! and handling will put a bmw to shame... especially if you have a sports package

 

Yea you got me there...I forgot abot ya'll ultrasports..nicer cars