Hello Everyone,

I just sold my Mr-2 that i had for about 4 years and have been looking for a replacement for some time now. I decided the way to go right now in my life is a AWD car that i can enjoy. The reason i am posting is to find your opinions about the 1996-1998 Audi A4 2.8L. I was hoping to get some insight on this car since i have been doing alot of reading about the car and i see that the consumer reports gave it a bad rating. Not like Consumer reports gave the Mr2 a good rating but i am looking for a more reliable car hence why i am going non-turbo.

Please if anyone can give me common problems with that year range Audi and any help would be appreciated. I am looking to purchase an Audi with approx 68-80k, of course depending on your opinions.

 

are you looking to do any mods to the engine? 96 -97 2.8 (12v's) are realy not mod freindly

98 and up you can chip and superharge.

reliability... i have only had a few probs. temp sensor and water pump differant times went south. 1 st gear had a chip in it ...replaced whole tranny. and the common control arms/ tie rod ends. other than issues that i caused damage to that is all that went wrong. i do keep up on all my maintance ( alittle expensive when they do come arround) my car has never failed me i concider it a very reliable car

good luck

ps what year mr-2 .. i have always liked the late 80 boxy ones.

 

I had a 1991 Mr2 Turbo actually, i just sold my GF's Mk1 also saturday. I loved both but for auto-x the 1985-88's are much more easier..they are like big go-karts.

I would most likely not mod the car at all, i have done enough of that with the Mr2 and now i am looking for something more timid. The reason i like the Audi is that its AWD and i just so happen to started driving more than i used to and will be during the winter. I really looking for reliability than anything else.

Ok so from what i found out so far is there is problems with the CV Joints and problems with Struts going bad. The timing belt is common to go bad like any other car and should be changed at approx 75k....and during this maintenance so should the Oil pump and water pump?

How is that so far?

Also what happens with the Temp sensors? Around what miles do they go bad?

I know there is a difference btw. the 1.8t and 2.8L but i am looking for the 2.8L because...mainly..turbo=more money and desire to upgrade . I don't need another reason to spend money right now as i am trying to save for a place.

Thanks for you help and any more information is much appreciated.

 

Dude, I had a 300bhp jap-spec rev3... Got a piccy of yours? (Mine is in gallery) I loved that car... It was proper bo!

 

98 and up 2.8 sounds like a good fit for you. The engine is super reliable, and so is the earlier 12v. Actually, the 12v is the most reliable Audi V6, but you will eventually not be happy with it. Just get a 30v to start with with the sport pack (nice steering wheel, better suspension) Control arms, tie rod ends, and timing belt are the biggest things to look out for.

MKII MR2s are fuggin sweet. Got any pics?

 

I don't have a 2.8, I have a 1999 A4 1.8T and buying that car was the worst mistake I've ever made. I thought I was getting a great deal, it was a nice car, especially when I had to have an AWD car. I read Consumer Reports' warnings but once I got in and drove it, I forgot all about them, I was sold. Dumb Dumb Dumb. I should've taken their ratings more seriously. I bought it in June of 2004, put about 25k on it and about $3500k into it in repairs. I brought it in for more noises and an Air Bag warning light a couple of weeks ago and am looking at another 2k to fix. The car is great when it's running right and nothing is broken, but at this point, I've forgotten what that's like. I hear that the newer models have improved greatly, but I still don't think I could ever get another one.

 

Here's the Mr2:
http://dreamingofme.net/danny-mr2/

So the 98 is better than the 96?
Why would you pick the 98 over the 96?
Do they have the same issues?
Are the motors the same in both cars?

Sorry for all the questions, appreciate all the help

 

the main difference between the 96 to 98 is that the 96 is a 12v and produces 172hp, and the 98 is a 30v that has 190. i would go with the 30v, i have a 12v and as for reliability goes... i havent had much else but problems

 

I have a 2000 A4 1.8T quattro that I bought with 75K miles on it.

I have had no major problems and have put 50K miles since I bought it. However, as with any used car, figure on about 1000 dollars to get it in top condition and figure on another 1000 a year in maintenance.

 

hey Rarh. Did you have any trouble putting in the JDM engine? Looks sweet enough. What was it opushing out? Should be about 230bhp with the de-cat. great car anyway!