Hey guys,

Must have posted this in the wrong category b/c I got no replies...

I am thinking of buying a 2002-2005 A4. I have never owned an Audi so I would like to know what I should expect

1. What packages & options should I make sure to get?
2. What should I know about the A4 before purchasing?
3. Anything I should stay away from, are any specific years prone to more problems?
4. General advice?
5. Anything helps!

Thanks so much guys, looking forward to spending some time here and getting to know everyone.

God bless

 

Might want to try and post in the A4 section. This is the A6 section.

 

1) In Seattle, I imagine you have some snow every winter, like we do here in Minnesota; buy a quattro, preferably with the cold weather package (heated seats, etc). 4WD + traction control/ABS lets you drive with confidence in the snow, and keeping your butt warm in the winter never hurts.

2) You should know that whenever anything breaks or wears out, it's going to cost you a fair bit of money unless you can do the work yourself. Audis are not cheap to keep going, but they're great to drive.

3) Don't buy a front wheel drive automatic. Those cars have a CVT (continuously variable transmission), which, while it's supposed to be quite nice to drive, is prone to expensive failures.

4) Look carefully at the maintenance records - if it hasn't had its scheduled maintenance done on time, including oil changes with synthetic oil every 10K or less miles, walk away. Timing belt & water pump need replacing every 70K-80K miles - if you're looking at a car near/above that mileage, take that into account when negotiating, because it's an expensive job ($1K+ for the 1.8T engine, more for the 3.0 V6).

5) Personally, I prefer the 1.8T engine to the 3.0 V6, but obviously everybody's got an opinion, and they all stink, etc. My reasons are as follows: better gas mileage, better upgrade path, (slightly) less expensive maintenance. The 1.8T starts out 50HP down on the 3.0 V6, but that's easily remedied for $500-1200, depending on what you want to do with it, and if you're willing to spend more money than that, you can have significantly more power than the 3.0. Given that cruising on the highway will always be in vacuum (not boost), it'll always get better fuel economy than the 3.0 V6. Finally, things as simple as the fact that it takes 4 quarts of synthetic oil (vs 7 quarts in the 3.0) mean that it's cheaper to maintain. Of course, if you're one of those people who just hates turbo engines, the above won't matter to you, but I figure if you're asking for advice, worst case you just disregard some of it.

Good luck with your search, and enjoy your new car, whatever you end up getting.

 

Very thorough response, thanks so much, great info - will keep this info on hand during my A4 search.

I should add I will not be modding my A4 at all - but I am picky about how it looks. So if there are certain packages that include all the goodies this would be good to know. Or the options that I should make sure the car has.

I prefer lower or sport stock suspension, sport seats, leather, dual power seats, 17 or 18" nice stock alloy wheels, bluetooth and ipod connection is a plus if available.

Does Audi have packages that include this stuff? I don't need navigation unless Audi makes a really nice setup, but the stuff mentioned above would be nice.

 

Based on the small sample of A4s I looked at before buying a 2003 A4 3.0 MT6, the 3.0 line was a lot more upscale than the 1.8Ts -- nicer trim, accessories, features. Mine did have the premium package (sunroof, auto dimming mirrors, memory for drivers seat and side mirror, Xenon, and multi function steering wheel), cold weather package (ski sack and heated front seats), and Bose. I am sure these are available in the 1.8Ts, but the ones I looked at did not have the dash controls and chrome trim. The 3.0 engine is plenty powerful and very linear in it's acceleration, something I wanted for my daughter. Gas mileage is average: 18-20 around town and 25-26 highway, slightly better than my A6. Just had the timing belt done by my indie shop and it cost me $1150. My A6 was about $250 less. In summary the 3.0 gets worse gas mileage and costs more to do the TB every 80k, but you don't have to worry about blowing the turbo. And 3 qts more of synthetic every 8-10k should not break the bank. Good luck.

 

I must just have gotten lucky when looking for mine then, ppgoal, because apart from the memory seats (couldn't care less, I'm the only one who drives the car, and manual seats are lighter) and the Xenon headlights (admittedly would be nice, but man those bulbs are spendy), I got just about everything you did. No super-duper steering wheel, but IMO that's no big deal - I can reach an extra 15 inches to turn up the volume on the radio if need be. :P My car actually has heated front and rear seats, even. Sunroof was possessed when I got it, but that's an easy DIY.

As far as the oil thing goes, yeah, an extra 3 quarts won't break the bank, but it will cost $20-25 more. It's not ridiculous, but every little thing adds up, so I figured it was worth mentioning.

Given that the OP has no intent of modding the engine for more power, at least some of the advantage of the 1.8T goes away. That said, I've been reasonably happy with mine even though it's still stock. YMMV.

Seems like we write these same couple of posts every few weeks on here - perhaps it's time to make a sticky entitled "B6 A4 Buyer's guide" or some such.

 

thanks again to both of you for the useful and thorough comments. It is nice to know if I do go with the 1.8T most of the features I want are still available.

Right now I am focusing on the 3.0 but I haven't test drove the B6 yet so I am still in the air. It looks like I will need a manual or Quattro in either engine to stay away from CTV issues. I don't necessarily need Quattro, but I wish Audi made a rear wheel drive

 

Ended up purchasing an Ocean Pearl Effect 2004 Audi A4 Quattro 6sp 52k miles with Premium & Sport packages, color matched body moldings, leather, and spoiler. All stock. Very happy with it. Thanks guys!

 

Congrats, and enjoy your new ride.

 

nice find-thats a pretty rare combo. enjoy!