Hey everyone,

In the market for a sedan and just realized the B6 A4 falls into my budget; basically I'm willing to spend up to $8500 on a 2002 - 2005 sedan with less than 80K miles on it.

Two questions:
1. Would this buy me a decent A4?
2. I saw two cars that are for sale for $9K, I think I can negotiate the price down to my budget. Here are the details:

Car 1:
02 1.8T FWD Auto, 70K miles. Car looks very clean inside and out; might only need a fuel pump filter (thank you auditech79 for the great post) as I can hear the humming noise around the 1100 rpm. Haven't driven the car yet but it looks very clean indeed

Car 2:
04 1.8T Quattro Auto, 134K miles. Car also looks very clean inside and out. I have been assured by the owner that everything has been done on that car; timing belt, water pump, plugs, filters... etc. Everything!

I've yet to drive either car, should be doing so around noon tomorrow. However, from the sound of it, which car would be better to go with?

The reason I'm asking is because I know cars have a lifecycle where they need parts. So, I'm asking whether the 134K car might be a better buy. Also, being a Quattro, that would be nice in Connecticut snow .

So, what do the experts recommend?

Would love to hear you comments.

Take care!

Amr

 

dont buy fwd whatever you do

 

I'd keep looking for something with less mileage and Quattro. Do not buy anything CVT (FWD), and the cars will need a lot of maintenance regardless of mileage.

 

out of the 2 cars you listed i would go for the one with quattro. plus it sounds like the previous owner of it took good care of it. the milage is high but german cars go forever. proper maintenance will help to ensure that.

 

Thank you everyone,

I just came back from both test drives...

Car 1:
Gold FWD CVT w/70K mi: Read brake discs are completely shot, they said they will be replacing them though. When I tried asking them about the humming noise; the lady told me they all have that. Now, I had just driven the Quattro one and it didn't have that humming noise. When I told her that, she told me "that's cause they have different engines" !

Car 2:
Looks like a solid car, everything's good and tight. It just has too many miles! Interior's also worn out.

I guess I'll just keep looking.

Thanks for the feedback everyone,

Enjoy you weekend!

 

Thank you everyone,

I just came back from test driving both cars...

Car 1:
Gold FWD CVT w/70K mi: Read brake discs are completely shot, they said they will be replacing them though. When I tried asking them about the humming noise; the lady told me they all have that. Now, I had just driven the Quattro one and it didn't have that humming noise. When I told her that, she told me "that's cause they have different engines" ! I also read that CVT's are very complicated and cost a fortune to fix; which is something I'm not willing to do.

Car 2:
Silver Quattro Auto w/134K mi: Solid car, everything's good and tight. It just has too many miles! Interior's also worn out a bit more than I like (and I'm not very picky in general). The cup holder's cover is broken, all the plastic is peeling... etc.

I guess I'll just keep looking.

Thanks for the feedback everyone,

Enjoy you weekend!