I got the car with 100k on it but it ran perfect. I didnt notice when I bought it that the CEL was on, but it turned out to be a couple O2 sensors and cats. Ive spent so much money in the past 9 months on it and there is still more to go, and I keep finding more wrong with it. and now the tires and brakes need to be replaced. I am moving to Seattle in december and will be driving, so I need a reliable vehicle, since I cant afford to keep fixing it and saving for the move. I am pretty torn, because I was so excited when I got it. But it is clearly not a good vehicle for college students.

I found an 06 2.5 Altima with 31k miles and got them down to $10k with a trade in and the extended warranty, so I will probably finance for $12 and sell the Audi privately. I can probably get them down lower since they really need the business right now. But I was a little disturbed when I test drove it and instantly noticed how much quieter and better it drove (aside from missing the quattro). idk, what do you guys think??

 

IMO if your going to be in college go even cheaper I don't know what kind of parents you have but I had a car payment all through college and it sucked... But yeah just my two cents

 

I think you'll really miss Quattro in the bad weather. But it's amazing what not having crappy weight balance does for a car, huh? A4s (other than the B8s) are way too nose-heavy.

I assume the Altima has the 2.5, not the 3.5? The 3.5 is much nicer IMO but it's pretty bad on gas for what it is.

 

i think the problem is you didn't inspect it properly when you bought it. i'm a college student and i've had my car for over 2 years now and trust me i'm not rich. i had problems when i first bought it but i did a lot of research and found the problem and the cheapest way to fix it properly. usually the cats are fine and it's the 02 sensors that go bad. you should get under the car and slap the cats with your hand to see if you hear rattling. if not, it's def the 02 sensors. the sensors are 70 bux from autozone but you have to splice them in yourself. it's really easy because all the wires are the same color and they have an OEM connector. for seattle, i think the A4 would be a better car than the altima. also if you're not mechanically inclined, you should look for a car that's good on gas and much newer. i'd recommend a subi

 

Yeah, Subaru has some good cars. Just too bad they're hideous looking and have poor quality interiors. And their 4 speed automatic is junk (though their 5 speed auto is better). Their manuals are mostly hooked up to crappy AWD systems.

Leaving your O2 sensors bad will ruin your cats. Though cats are cheap; get universals from Magnaflow/Carsound and have a custom exhaust shop put them in. Should run around $70/cat and maybe $50 labor for install.

 

I did not notice the CEL on when I test drove it, and the day after I bought it I saw it and thats when I ran the codes. I did most of the work myself, besides suspension work and timing belt. I am still very undecided on what to do. This particular place has 5 or 6 used altimas and they were easy to haggle. So i will probably get the 3.5 if I go that route, although I havent test driven the 3.5 yet. How is its power?? quicker than the 2.8 I am sure. oh and dragonrage I did replace the 02 sensors back when I got it, the P0431 has always been there.

 

The Nissan 3.5 will definitely kill the VW 2.8.

 

get the seR altima hahaha

 

Best friends sister has a Altima 3.5 Coupe and she hates the damn thing.....she moved up from a Hyundai Tiburon that gave her nothing but issues. She has the one with CVT....i don't know if that is an option for you or not.

She is pretty demanding of cars, more so than most women I know, and even through all the troubles with the Tiburon, she'd rather have that than the Nissan.

You can get a good idea about opinions but you will ultimately have to decide based on your financial decision. I can personally atest to how my Audi has cost me $1200 since last November, but the car is clean and know runs better than when I got it. I SHOULD be able to pull another couple of years outta her.

Good Luck on the search.....hope you stick with the Audi!!!!

 

Don't go for the CVT. And honestly, I'd take an Altima 3.5 over an A4 FWD, except for probably the B8. But I wanted Quattro.