Ok this is going to be my first audi and besides a 2000 passat v6 i owned for about a year I know nothing about these german cars..
I decided to go with the 2002-2005 a4 because i like them the best and i only have 8k to spend so the question is do i get the 1.8t or the 3.0 v6
Do i get a automatic? Dosent really matter to me i dont have a preference but i do think a 5 speed would be fun. And last question do i get a quatro? I live in dallas tx and we dont really get much snow over here.. Let me know what u guys think and thanks for the input.

 

I think it depends on what you want to do with the car. If you are looking to mod it for speed, then forget the 3.0 and go with the 1.8T. If you are looking for reliability, then it's a crap shoot. An older 1.8T could develop turbo problems, and those are not cheap. I am partial to the V6 (I found the trim level and options to be generally better), but others are anti-V6. Transmission is also personal, but IMHO a manual MT5 or MT6 is more fun to drive and cheaper to fix if you have problems. I bought a 2003 A4 3.0 MT6 with 69k almost three years ago for my daughter because I felt it would be more reliable than a 1.8T, it was nicer than any 1.8T we looked at, and acceleration was more linear (important in MI and NY snow country). It now has 87k and although the cats were replaced at 79k under warranty, it has been reliable (other than an occasional hard start). It gets decent gas mileage (24-26 on the highway, vs my A6's 23-24). Whatever you do, avoid the CVT transmission. Oh - quattro - probably FWD will work great in Dallas, reduce maintenance costs, and improve your gas mileage. But even in heavy rain my OOOOs feel more stable with quattro. Final comment, general maintenance costs on the 1.8T will be less than the 3.0.

 

Other half has just bought a 2003 A4 B6 1.9tdi quattro sport saloon, 6 speed, goes well enought. If you are looking at a diesel when it is running idle check to see if there is any sort of rocking (depending in mileage of course) as if an idle injector is starting to stick you can just about tell it's like being rocked gentle and listen to the engine for this. I think a manual is always a good bet and easier to fix, look for a full history if you can get one and also when timing chain was last done and stamped in the book. Just a few things but I hope this is of use to you.

 

We really need a sticky thread for this type of thing - question comes up pretty regularly.

Here's a previous thread where ppgoal and I both expressed our opinions, as did several others:

https://www.audiforums.com/forum/b6-...6-audi-169186/

 

I would like to mod for speed.. But im reading the 1.8t is not reliable i need a reliable car this is going to be my daily and i need it to go to work

 

And do all automatics come with the CVT?

 

FWD automatic = CVT, quattro automatic = not CVT. Buy a quattro and you're good to go. As far as 1.8T reliability goes, I think a lot of it has to do with maintenance. Mine gets all of its maintenance on schedule and it has never stranded me. I won't say random crap never breaks (it certainly does, and usually it's expensive), but it has never made the car undriveable. Some people would recommend that you keep a spare set of coil packs in the trunk in case one or more decide to die on you, and I wouldn't advise against that, but I've (cross your fingers) never actually had one fail.

 

Ok thanks for all the good info i will buy a 3.0 auto quattro or a 1.8t 6speed quattro
Still havent decided on what route to take but if a good deal comes out in any of the 2 its what ill take

 

The real question for a potential Audi owner, is not "do I have enough money to afford to buy an Audi"? The real question is, "do I have enough money to repair and maintain my Audi?"

If you don't have a relatively thick wallet, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise when things start to break on your beautiful B6. They are incredibly expensive to repair, unless you have a reasonably priced independent mechanic, or you're willing to do a lot of the repairs & maintenance yourself.