So...just how bad ARE Audis? - Page 4

onewhippedpuppy · 11-13-2014, 12:28 PM

I second at least looking for a urS4 or S6. They can be had pretty easily for under $10k. I've driven several and loved them, really responsive motor that makes great noises, comfy Recaro seats, and lots of old school German charm.

unclebilly · unclebilly's Garage

Audi is German for 'Dont own off warrantee'...

speeder · speeder's Garage

I'm just wondering at what price point it would be worth rolling the dice on a 85k mile 2006 2.0 turbo A4 Quattro? I can probably get one for many thousands under book, thanks to their wonderful rep on the Internet.

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

What's the worst that could go wrong? Does it have records? If you know some things have been done then you may be out of the woods on some aspects.

tedg04 · tedg04's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by speeder

I'm just wondering at what price point it would be worth rolling the dice on a 85k mile 2006 2.0 turbo A4 Quattro? I can probably get one for many thousands under book, thanks to their wonderful rep on the Internet.

It's a personal decision. If you're not comfortable with it, buy a WRX. But, please, for the love of God, don't come on the internet and talk about your brother's uncle's cousin's A4 that had electrical problems.

In any used car, the most important factor is the previous owner. You have strong odds of finding an A4 owner who didn't beat up the car trying to race it. However, you also have odds of finding an owner that thought Jiffy Lube oil changes were the only thing to maintain.

Tilikum Turbo · Tilikum Turbo's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeorgeK

Around here in Switzerland, 2 things prevail about (modern) Audis:

Highway robbery maintenance prices and abysmal reliability.

Owned by mouth breathing idiots, spending 98% of their time about .00001in. from your rear bumper at highway speeds.

Hate those cars with a passion.

That sounds like the owners of Nissan Altima's drivers here in the US...driven like they are on crack-cocaine/meth looking for that next fix.

LeeH · 11-13-2014, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speeder

I'm just wondering at what price point it would be worth rolling the dice on a 85k mile 2006 2.0 turbo A4 Quattro? I can probably get one for many thousands under book, thanks to their wonderful rep on the Internet.

I know they're rare, but what about an A4 with the 3.1L?

speeder · speeder's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by nostatic

What's the worst that could go wrong? Does it have records? If you know some things have been done then you may be out of the woods on some aspects.

Records are always nice but a lot of the real smoking deals are on dealer/auction cars on ebay, etc. You can always look at the auto check or carfax for basic history of how many owners, what state it resided in, if it was leased, reported accidents, etc.

I'm following one that has all books and does not raise any immediate red flags from pictures but it's definitely a "pay less for the buying format" deal. A LOT less. I trust my own ability to look at the heap in person and drive it but just wondering what type of repairs I might be making on it. It's the age old equation that every used car buyer wrestles with.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tedg04

It's a personal decision. If you're not comfortable with it, buy a WRX. But, please, for the love of God, don't come on the internet and talk about your brother's uncle's cousin's A4 that had electrical problems.

In any used car, the most important factor is the previous owner. You have strong odds of finding an A4 owner who didn't beat up the car trying to race it. However, you also have odds of finding an owner that thought Jiffy Lube oil changes were the only thing to maintain.

I'd love to buy a wrx but I'll only consider completely unmodified, adult owned cars with reasonably low miles and holy mother of god, are they expensive. It's like buying a used Toyota Tacoma truck, you just scratch your freaking head and head to the dealer for a new one. The problem is that my budget does not allow for a new one and they don't even make a wrx hatch/wagon this year if I did want one.

A stock wrx is an awesome car, IMO. One thing I'll give the Audi is that they are almost always dead stock and owned previously by regular old yuppies, or whatever we're calling them these days.

speeder · speeder's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeeH

I know they're rare, but what about an A4 with the 3.1L?

V-6? Wouldn't want one.

And FWiW, the apples/apples price difference between a 2006/07 A4 Quattro w/ 100k miles and the same age/miles wrx is about 2:1.

onewhippedpuppy · 11-13-2014, 05:41 PM

Really the only huge record with an A4 is the timing belt. Worst case if you don't have a receipt, just do it for $250 in parts and a few hours of labor. Everything else is small potatoes for a DIY mechanic.

dondarnell · 11-13-2014, 06:03 PM

Had a few Audi's. Currently own a V8 S4 as dd. 118k, body hardware is solid, interior is 9.9. Mechanically,it enjoys a little attention now and then, but nothing outrageous. In all, it's still a great car. 8 year old WRX is is going to be a real pos. Not sure how you can cross shop the two, other than they both have all wheel drive. If that's the primary criteria, get a Tahoe.

imcarthur · imcarthur's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by speeder

V-6? Wouldn't want one.

Too bad. The Audi 6 cyl is a great motor. We had an 02 A4 3l Quattro. It was a wonderful car until it wasn't. 7 years & it cost next to nothing in repairs. The last year it turned into a money pit.

Ian

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

Seems like when they go, they go.

speeder · speeder's Garage

Quote:

Had a few Audi's. Currently own a V8 S4 as dd. 118k, body hardware is solid, interior is 9.9. Mechanically,it enjoys a little attention now and then, but nothing outrageous. In all, it's still a great car. 8 year old WRX is is going to be a real pos. Not sure how you can cross shop the two, other than they both have all wheel drive. If that's the primary criteria, get a Tahoe.

I've owned plenty of trucks, I want a small AWD wagon as a winter/ski car that's also sporty enough to be fun on pavement.

You may know a little about Audis, (or at least have some ownership experience), but you definitely don't know anything about Subarus. If anything, the Subie is a lot stronger car. I'm finding WRX wagons 12 years old with 200k miles that look and drive like 2 year old cars but they're overpriced. Audis are dirt cheap because of their POS reputation. That makes them tempting.

speeder · speeder's Garage

Quote:

Quote de speeder

V-6? Wouldn't want one.

Too bad. The Audi 6 cyl is a great motor. We had an 02 A4 3l Quattro. It was a wonderful car until it wasn't. 7 years & it cost next to nothing in repairs. The last year it turned into a money pit.

Ian

The reason I wouldn't want a V-6 in an A4 is mostly the maintainance nightmares ad reduced fuel mileage. The turbo 2.0 4-cyl is a quick car and a lot easier and cheaper to service. I've seen the old 1.8 version top 200k with horrible maintainance as well, so there is that.

unclebilly · unclebilly's Garage

What is the A3 TDI like? My neighbor has one he bought new in Dallas... It has had all sorts of work done but. I don't have specifics...

Arizona_928 · 11-14-2014, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unclebilly

What is the A3 TDI like? My neighbor has one he bought new in Dallas... It has had all sorts of work done but. I don't have specifics...

Uses the 2.0 common rail diesel as with all the 4 cyl. diesel VW's from 09 and up. Very reliable engine, but bad with the HPFP. Never driven the audi's with the engine but my mk6 with the 2.0 CR and I love that little engine. Takes a couple seconds to build boost but nice smooth power that pulls.

They have nicer interior's then the Veedubs, but you're buying luxury at that point....

Arizona_928 · 11-14-2014, 12:59 AM

Why don't you go with one of the AWD 996's? It's obvious the audi's are POS, hence the low market value. "Bold statement I know"
Why beat yourself up over making one bullet proof, and suffer the recoup of resale value down the road.

Food for thought. In Japan the wrx's are dirt cheap.

CurtEgerer · CurtEgerer's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by speeder

.... a winter/ski car that's also sporty enough to be fun on pavement.

How fast do you want to get there? I'll throw in the vintage rack and longboards at no extra cost

onewhippedpuppy · 11-14-2014, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speeder

I've owned plenty of trucks, I want a small AWD wagon as a winter/ski car that's also sporty enough to be fun on pavement.

You may know a little about Audis, (or at least have some ownership experience), but you definitely don't know anything about Subarus. If anything, the Subie is a lot stronger car. I'm finding WRX wagons 12 years old with 200k miles that look and drive like 2 year old cars but they're overpriced. Audis are dirt cheap because of their POS reputation. That makes them tempting.

If you start shopping Audis, I think you'll find that their interiors wear much better than Subaru. Both cars have similarly mechanical reliability, the Audi 1.8T and 2.0T and manual transmissions are very stout. There are a lot of these cars around with a reliable 300+ HP. The Audi will be more prone to annoying little issues like sensors and bushings, but it's nothing that's going to break you.