I purchased my A4 new and as with all my autos, I have been diligent about taking care of it. At about 50k miles, things started to happen; first, many electrical issues (sunroof, xenon headlight ignitor, power windows), followed by issues with the interior trim such as seat-back pockets coming off, wood trim cracking, etc..

Mechanically, the car has, and continues to hold up fairly well but everything else seemed to have worn out prematurely. Coupled with Audi making self-repairs very difficult with this model, I'd not recommend purchasing this model/year unless the mileage is very (very) low.

I'm currently shopping for a new vehicle and these silly quality issues have left Audi out of the running (plus the fact that their standard engines are now a 2.0).

Good luck with your decision

 

Update on my daughter's A4: now at 102k with no issues. Did the timing belt at 85.5k and the differential seal a few thousand later. The only thing that makes me nervous is that a couple times the "low oil" icon has gone on during a long drive in very hot weather. The second time it took about a 1/2 quart of oil.

PS - My A6 is resting for the summer (it is primarily my winter car) at 216k.

 

I have had my 2003 A4 3.0, for 12 months now, and have had no issues. It has done 113000km, and has always been well serviced from new (records show this). And I think that is the key