well im lookin to get into the audi market, i will probably start small with an older model a4 right now im looking at a 98 2.8 quattro 105k automatic for 7500 and a 97 with 116000 2.8 quattro 5 speed manual for 5900 obo... which would be the better deal and aside from the waterpump timing belt and tensioner what might be some things i would need to watch for and take note of when buyin?? thanks for your help and im looking forward to hearing your input!!

 

Well, the 98 probably has the more desirable V6 (the 30 valve engine - you'll know it because the trim panels on each head say 5V (for 5 valves per cylinder)). The 97 is likely a 12V engine - certainly not a bad motor, but it is down about 20 hp from the 30V engine. That being said, the biggest thing to determine before you buy is what your goals with the car are. If you want to mod the car for power, forget the V6 completely and get the 1.8T (mods for the V6 are pretty much limited to intake, exhaust, and $5000 supercharger - there's a chip too, but $500 for 6hp is stupid). If you don't care about modding the car, get the best-cared-for and lowest mile car you can afford. It's not that these cars won't last a long time if cared for, but if you're laying out your hard-earned money, you might as well find one that will (in theory) be around the longest, hence the low mileage car being more desirable.

Either of the cars you mentioned sound good, but if you like sporty driving, you'll probably be MUCH happier with a manual transmission. The A4 is a great car, a lot of fun even when bone-stock, and at least with the 30V (I haven't driven a 12V), the stick shift is a really nice match.

Known issues on the cars involve control arm problems (which can get expensive), the fact that the car seems to eat wheel bearings like popcorn, and the turn signal stalk is known to become problematic (mainly in the use of cruise control). Also, the fuel gauge sending unit flakes out on these cars. Do some reading in the DIY forum here, and you'll see some areas that you can address yourself as far as upgrading and repairing, and there are sticky posts at the top of each forum addressing the major topics usually experienced in each area of the car's ownership. Other than that, just spend a good amount of time reading around here, and as questions come up, you can save yourself some grief and use the search feature to try and find the answers out there rather than posting them up as new topics - most of the issues have been addressed here many times and are archived, and after seeing new guy after new guy post the same thing up without searching first, some of the veterans may get a little heated up - search first, post after, and you'll spare yourself some grief

That being said, welcome aboard, and you'll love the car when you get it

 

yeah I agree with what UPstateNYa4 said, but would add to the "list" the center screen between the tach and the speedo is prone to go bad, they lose lines of pixels and it can be frustrating, and from what I have read here they are about $500 to replace.