advice on A4 purchase for college son
#11
11-14-2006 | 06:36 PM
4th Gear
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,794
From: Home of the Yankees
RE: advice on A4 purchase for college son
ORIGINAL: onepoint8tee
Audi's are less reliable than a Honda, thats pretty much a well known fact. But not much less reliable. They are very safe, quality dependable cars. The only catch with an Audi is when something does go wrong, maintnance costs can be killer, especially at the dealer. If you do the work yourself, you will save a TON and makes owning one even more ejoyable. Ive owned my Audi for over a year now and have only had one semi- major issue which was the MAF sensor... But with a 6 year old car at 80k miles, what do I expect?? With the amount of money you are looking to spend, you can get a low mileage A4 that should be problem free for a long while, other than the routine stuff like brakes and tires and on time oil changes. Should last him through the rest of college with minimal problems, if any, and by the time he graduates, let him worry about any future costs the car may bring him. Most people that say Audi's are unreliable are people that are bitter from paying hundreds of dollars at the dealer for a small problem. Best to either do the work yourself on these cars, know someone that can do the work, or find a good shop that knows how to work on it that isnt the dealer... Or pretty much anyone that charges less than $95/hour in labor. 95% of the parts for the Audi are as cheap as parts for a Honda or any other car, its just the labor that can be stupid.
Also with that kind of money you could get ahold of one with a warranty which makes a man feel fuzzy.
Audi's are less reliable than a Honda, thats pretty much a well known fact. But not much less reliable. They are very safe, quality dependable cars. The only catch with an Audi is when something does go wrong, maintnance costs can be killer, especially at the dealer. If you do the work yourself, you will save a TON and makes owning one even more ejoyable. Ive owned my Audi for over a year now and have only had one semi- major issue which was the MAF sensor... But with a 6 year old car at 80k miles, what do I expect?? With the amount of money you are looking to spend, you can get a low mileage A4 that should be problem free for a long while, other than the routine stuff like brakes and tires and on time oil changes. Should last him through the rest of college with minimal problems, if any, and by the time he graduates, let him worry about any future costs the car may bring him. Most people that say Audi's are unreliable are people that are bitter from paying hundreds of dollars at the dealer for a small problem. Best to either do the work yourself on these cars, know someone that can do the work, or find a good shop that knows how to work on it that isnt the dealer... Or pretty much anyone that charges less than $95/hour in labor. 95% of the parts for the Audi are as cheap as parts for a Honda or any other car, its just the labor that can be stupid.
Also with that kind of money you could get ahold of one with a warranty which makes a man feel fuzzy.
#12
11-14-2006 | 06:41 PM
1st Gear
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 60
From:
RE: advice on A4 purchase for college son
I buy and sell engines. I sell a lot of 1.8t's, both for the jetta and the audi in all the varying engine code combos.
If you buy your son this vehicle, immediately put amzoil synthetic oil in it. The reason is simple.... the turbo's on these engines run hot, and the suckers will burn oil. A lot of the higher mileage engines get sludge if you don't use synthetic oil.
Sludge is an oil pumps worst enemy! And a bad oil pump... is an engines worst enemy!
And if I had to sell you one of these for $3700, I think we wouldn't be as good 'o friends!
If you buy your son this vehicle, immediately put amzoil synthetic oil in it. The reason is simple.... the turbo's on these engines run hot, and the suckers will burn oil. A lot of the higher mileage engines get sludge if you don't use synthetic oil.
Sludge is an oil pumps worst enemy! And a bad oil pump... is an engines worst enemy!
And if I had to sell you one of these for $3700, I think we wouldn't be as good 'o friends!
#13
11-14-2006 | 06:41 PM
3rd Gear
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,990
From: Perkasie, PA / Potsdam, NY
RE: advice on A4 purchase for college son
I'd say no. Theres a good chance the control arms will go bad, wheel bearings wil go bad, abs control module might go bad, and then u'll hafta do the timing belt in 15k mi or so. Prolly not a good choice, unless he's gonna be doing the maintenance
#16
11-14-2006 | 07:41 PM
Thread Starter
|
1st Gear
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 6
RE: advice on A4 purchase for college son
You guys have a great forum. Thanks for all the quick responses. Unfourtunately, I am the car nut in the family. I race Spec Miata and am currently driving a Boxster which replaced a TT Quattro Coupe. If my son does oil changes on time I will be happy. Self maintenance is a non starter. Of course we never take cars to dealers for maintenance and I have a fellow racer who lives in a neighboring town to his school so I am hoping we can get hooked up with a good independant mechanic. It's interesting that you consider 50K a low mileage car. Many of you who said nay made the same negative arguments that my mechanic did. Buying a CPO car seems out of the question as dealers are a bit insane about their prices and I have never heard good things about aftermarket warranties, so that doesn't seem to be an answer. In any case I will show all these responses to my son and see if I can get a mature response out of him.
thanks again,
DG
thanks again,
DG
#17
11-15-2006 | 12:56 AM
Senior Member
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 491
From:
RE: advice on A4 purchase for college son
Hmm, sounds like you love your son. Do him a favor, do it!
If he has a part time job, he should be fine on maintenance. I do recommend dropping a couple hundred $ on a ross-tech vag-com. I had a check engine light a while back. I used it to pull the codes and fix the car myself (a simple 1/2 hour jpb replacing an $8 part) and it paid for itself.
Let's face it, he ain't workin that hard in school despite what he says. I double majored in phsics and engineering and was out 4+ nights a week closing down the bars. I drove a ford escort that didn't get me laid. An A4 will help out your son, trust me. Don't make him wish he had a nicer car in college. DO IT! Give him those days he'll never forget!
I'm such a sinner...
If he has a part time job, he should be fine on maintenance. I do recommend dropping a couple hundred $ on a ross-tech vag-com. I had a check engine light a while back. I used it to pull the codes and fix the car myself (a simple 1/2 hour jpb replacing an $8 part) and it paid for itself.
Let's face it, he ain't workin that hard in school despite what he says. I double majored in phsics and engineering and was out 4+ nights a week closing down the bars. I drove a ford escort that didn't get me laid. An A4 will help out your son, trust me. Don't make him wish he had a nicer car in college. DO IT! Give him those days he'll never forget!
I'm such a sinner...
#18
11-15-2006 | 01:31 AM
Zombie Defense Force
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 7,782
From: Dallas
RE: advice on A4 purchase for college son
wow tom is alive
ORIGINAL: TomRitt
I'd say no. Theres a good chance the control arms will go bad, wheel bearings wil go bad, abs control module might go bad, and then u'll hafta do the timing belt in 15k mi or so. Prolly not a good choice, unless he's gonna be doing the maintenance
I'd say no. Theres a good chance the control arms will go bad, wheel bearings wil go bad, abs control module might go bad, and then u'll hafta do the timing belt in 15k mi or so. Prolly not a good choice, unless he's gonna be doing the maintenance
#20
11-15-2006 | 01:52 AM
2nd Gear
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 619
From: NY
RE: advice on A4 purchase for college son
The kid is driving a 99 and is in school. I am 26 and still don't have a car that new.
Anyway, make him buy his own Audi, and he will appreciate it a lot more. I will be one of the few to recommend not getting it for him. Its def a more expensive car to own. I do some of my own maintenance, but this car has cost me more in a few months than my 92 Honda did for a year....although if you have enough money to put the kid through college and buy him a $15k car, then you probably don't have to worry much about higher maintenance costs.
Anyway, make him buy his own Audi, and he will appreciate it a lot more. I will be one of the few to recommend not getting it for him. Its def a more expensive car to own. I do some of my own maintenance, but this car has cost me more in a few months than my 92 Honda did for a year....although if you have enough money to put the kid through college and buy him a $15k car, then you probably don't have to worry much about higher maintenance costs.