I'm going to be looking at a 00 A4 1.8T Quattro with 168k miles and I wanted to get some opinions about the really high miles and also what to look for when I go to inspect it. It has a manual trans. I do my own work but have never had an Audi or even a car for that matter, I'm a truck and Jeep guy. I'm looking for a commuter car and the seller of this A4 contacted me when he saw that I was selling my Jeep and asked if I would consider a trade. I'm pretty handy with a wrench so I woukdn't shy away from a little work to keep this thing on the road just don't want to have to be working on it every weekend. I'm handy enough to do an engine/tranny swap if needed. My main question is can I get at least another 100k out of this setup, assuming that the previous owner maintained it well. Are there initial services that you would do if you got this A4 no matter what the condition, I'd do fluid changes of course. Any info you provide will be appreciated, I'm really considering this trade because I need a commuter and I don't want a car payment. My jeep is worth $5-$6k

 

Check the stickies and FAQ at the top of this section for all the info you will ever need about the 1.8 and maintenance. If it's been well maintained, I'd say go for it, but with a little cash from him to you (about a grand) as your jeep is worth at least that much more than a B5 with that many miles.

Most important, get proof (receipts) of major work done recently, like the timing belt. With this mileage it should be on it's third timing belt (normal interval is 60-80K).

But, do the usual stuff you would do buying any used vehicle, test drive, check for leaks, maintenance history, etc. Glean as much info as you can from this forum, then when you talk to the owner, get a feeling for how much he knows about his car. If he knows all the details inside and out, it's a safe bet he took care of it. If he doesn't know why the coolant should be pink (not green), then proceed with caution.

If you have a indie euro shop nearby, you could also pay a small fee and have them do a good once over and give you a full write up on whats good and what's bad.

Good luck, and welcome to AF!

 

Thanks for the reply, good to know about the value, also, we've been chatting back and forth thru emails, he said the only thing wrong right now is the ABS booster is bad so the light is on, but he doesn't have any issues with the brakes. He said this is common on Audi's, is this an issue that should be addressed right away?

 

This thread lists "high mileage" Audis: https://www.audiforums.com/forum/aud...-32216/page28/

I would say, yes, provided it's been maintained. Especially if you're doing most of the work yourself. There's a DIY for almost everything you would need to do

 

module masters (google it) will rebuild your ABS module for a decent price, and it is a common problem. Without it, you have no anti-lock breaks, just regular brakes, so it could be a safety consideration on wet or snowy days...

If you convince him to add cash to the deal, you should be able to get a few maintenance concerns out of the way...

 

^ This

I would not trade a $5,500 vehicle for an Audi B5 A4 unless it was near perfect with "low" mileage. Definitely ask for cash in the deal. Unless he has receipts for work such as the timing belt and control arms, use that to bring the cash deal in. The dealers charge about $1200-$1500 for a timing belt job (someone correct me if I'm wrong) which will be your top priority. Control arm replacement is about $2000 (IIRC)