You paid a premium... especially for a car with a questionable past. No offense, 10.5K isn't a good deal on a tip Avant. I'm guessing you bought from a used car dealer...?

Call an Audi dealer parts department and see what the VIN reads as.

 

Well, virtually impossible that the factory put in the wrong sticker. We are talking German car manufacturers here, and they are beyond **** with proper documentation. Somewhere along the line it would have been caught in the whole process, flagged and fixed. If the VIN on the sticker in the back of the car matches the physical VIN stamped on the firewall, then it WAS a 2.8 at birth; no getting around that. While in there take a good look at the VIN to be sure that it has not been altered; that does happen from time-to-time when cars are cloned.

Any documentation as to what shop/dealership actually did the replacement/transplant? Seriously, I would be knocking on their door asking some hard-questions to find out WTF happened there.

 

Private party seller. The car is nearly perfect. The new engine was replaced by McDonald audi in denver. Full documentation and receipts. I checked the vin last night and it came back as a 1.8t. The only thing that does not match is the sticker. And by the way, no offense taken Tweaked, But I don't know what they are going for where you live, but a mint 01 A4 avant with 72k miles, new engine (it was not just a short block, complete engine w/new turbo) with warranties was not even heard of here, and avants with 30k more miles were going for what i paid for mine. They are very popular in the roaring fork valley (near Aspen) although I bought it in Denver. It does not matter though. I'm happy to have it. You can't sleep in the back of a TT, and my snowboard was always in the way.

 

If you really want to decode the sticker from the back of the car go here and enter what yours has.

http://prsearch.planetvag.com/

Also, if you send me the first 11 digits of the VIN I can decode in the Bentley eBahn software (duh, forgot that one).

No offense meant by my earlier posts, just that it would be odd to find that Audi eff'd up the sticker...the user manual sure, but the options sticker? I work with a bunch of Germans over here in Europe (including some well-placed friends at VDO and the BMW boys), and have spent plenty of time there...heads would roll should something like that ever happen.

Cheers,

Steve

P.S. Avants are great for Winter trekking; bought mine so I didn't have to get another gas-guzzling-land-yacht 4x4 just to get to my place in Tahoe during the Winter when back in the States.

P.P.S. Just ran the codes off my 1.8T here in Europe...great tool above. Always thought that it had Sports Suspension, now have the full list...

PRCode: 0G1 = gearshift lever
PRCode: 1AC = anti-lock brake system (ABS)
PRCode: 1BE = sports suspension/shock absorption
PRCode: 1G3 = alloy spare wheel with original equipment tires
PRCode: 2PV = leather trimmed sports steering wheel
PRCode: 3AF = outer right rear view mirror: convex, powered, heated
PRCode: 3BS = outer left rear view mirror: non-spherical, powered, heated
PRCode: 3FA = without roof insert (standard roof)
PRCode: 3S0 = without roof rails/roof load rack
PRCode: 4UC = airbag for driver
PRCode: 8AV = without radio, with loudspeaker connections
PRCode: 8GD = alternator 90A
PRCode: 8RM = eight loudspeakers (passive)
PRCode: B0A = component parts set without country-specific design requirement
PRCode: C1L = cast alloy wheels 7J x 16 five-arm style, offset 45
PRCode: G0C = 5-speed manual transmission
PRCode: H6U = tires 205/55 R 16 91W
PRCode: J1P = battery 220 A (44 Ah)
PRCode: M9L = 4-cyl. gasoline engine 1.8 L/110 kW 20V turbo, MVEG 2 base engine is T8B/T8C
PRCode: Q1A = standard front seats
PRCode: T8B = components for base engine, unit 058.D
PRCode: X3A = national sales program France

 

Heh, did you ever hear the rumour of the BMW 3 that came out as a coupe on one side and a sedan on the other? It was a story the Porsche "elders" used to tell at school. Never knew it was true, though.

mamankyle: Didn't mean to offend you. Out here, that's not a deal, but Avant tips are a dime a dozen. On the East Coast, clean B5 & B6 1.8TQM sedans seem to be the most popular in-demand versions. I could easily see the utility of an Avant being more popular in Aspen.

 

No offense taken.

 

Ha ha, good one...Coupe on one side and Sedan on the other...actually there is such a vehicle, it is called a mini-van; but not built by BMW. Thankfully BMW and Audi have both steered clear of that segment. Thousands of those breadboxes pouring out of Mercedes, VW, Chrysler and Japanese factories on a daily basis.

The Germans are so tight about regulations that the 914/4 had to be sold in Germany as a Volkswagen. True story, as it did not have the Porsche motor (or suspension or brakes), it could not be sold as a Porsche in that market; blasphemy. Only was a marketing ploy in the US to sell them as Porsche's, which surely added on a few dollars to the MSRP. Only the 914/6's were badged as Porsche in Deutschland since they had all the proper internal kit.

In fact they are SO **** that the Polizei just outside of Munich once insisted on inspecting each and every VIN number on my M3...doors, trunk, hood, engine, etc. VIN numbers on the E36 are everywhere. Just to be sure that I was not somehow breaking the law. After a half-hour I was able to go on my merry way. The car was all of a month old, had all of the proper documentation, go figure.