Hello Guys/Gals...I'm originally a Japanese car guy having owned mostly Hondas and doing minimal maintenance. But I'm ready to begin the love and hate relationship with my new German machinery.

I'm looking forward to picking up my 99 Audi A4 2.8V6 this Saturday. I made sure the timing belt, water pump, seals were replaced as the car as 90K miles on it. I brought up the fact that the lower control arms need to be replaced but the owner said it never caused a problem.

Do you guys have any other tips on what I should look out for or ask questions on regarding the maintenance history of this car?

I test drove an '00 last weekend and felt in love with the car! The engine just feels like butter...like nothing I've ever driven before. I test drove an automatic version of the same car a few days later and was kinda disappointed.I was deciding between a 97-00 bmw 528i/328i or the Audi A4 for my new daily driver/winter car! Wish me luck...

 

Welcome to the forum. Control arms aren't generally a problem until after 100k so I'd have a mechanic take a look at them. How about just asking for all the maintenance records instead of taking his word? Have you considered the 1.8T? The 2.8 is a great car and a reliable daily driver, but isn't very quick. The 1.8t is slightly slower stock, but unlike a 2.8 the tuning potential is almost limitless. Plus it'll be lighter and get better mpg. Still the 2.8 is a great car.

 

Thanks, Trey. I did consider the 1.8T at first but all the reliability problems of that engine regarding sludge and gelling have scared me. I have no idea how the previous owners really treated their 1.8T regarding oil change schedules and type of oil/filter used. It scares me to know that even Audi acknowledges this and have extended the warranty to 8 years due to the issue with the engine. I'm pretty happy with the power of the 2.8 as it is smooth and more reliable.

 

I just picked up my new baby this past weekend and I'm in love with her! The only thing is the stereo.... One of the speakers is blown and I have no idea how I'm gonna find replacement components. I haven't been able to find an aftermarket stereo that has all red buttons and RED display to match the rest of the interior's electronics. I still love my car....it's so extremely opposite from my other car. Everytime I step back into the s2k, it feels like a factory race car...then back into the Audi, it's shielding me from the harsh roads and the engine sings so subtly....like butter!