I'm looking at an Audi a4 1.8 Turbo Quattro...It has 75k miles, and I've read and heard from friends, dealers, and mechanics that Audis are unreliable. I would love to buy this audi, but I am not so sure anymore. It seems to be in excellent condition and the owner says it hasn't been in an accident. I haven't done a carfax report yet, but I plan to.

I would like to know if Audis are reliable and how many more miles can I look forward to driving in this. Also, does it cost a lot to fix? Any information would be helpful.

 

Audi's do require a little bit more in maintenance costs. It's not horrible though. Has the timing belt/water pump been changed on this car yet? If not, that will be a very expensive job (~$500-$1000). It has to be changed from 60-80k miles.

 

The seller says everything is kept up to date.. I'll have to ask him for sure today.

I'm still wondering how many miles this model is usually expected to last with the necessary maintenance. What fixes can I expect along the way and how much would those set me back?

 

75k miles is nothing. do a search for "mileage" or "how many miles". there's a thread where all the high mileage guys put in their two cents. i was glad to see a bunch of cars at 200k or more. i'm at 98k and running strong. like any older car you need to be prepared to put some money into it.

for what it's worth, i just did a bunch of "catch up" maintenance after deciding to keep the car and make the run to 200k miles. so far i've spent about $2,000 on parts and done all the work myself. that's not bad considering since the warranty expired at 50k miles i've done absolutely nothing but typical maintenance. i change the oil religiously ... brakes ... tires ... wiper blades is about all i've done until now.

personally ... i think the 1.8T Quattro engine/drivetrain is one of the best cars to buy and hold for the long run ... especially if you're an enthusiast on a budget.

 

if it's a B5 (96-01), you'll probably have to replace the control arms eventually, that and the timing belt are the only typical major repairs that have to be done...if the car was taken care of properly it should have plenty of life left.