looking at an Audi for the first time ..... EVER

[sammyg2]

Another Audi thread got me curious but didn't want to hijack it ....
I don't know much about Audis, shied away from them on porpoise because I've heard they are stupid expensive to maintain and almost as unreliable as Italian trash.
VW reliability with Mercedes cost,
Best car is an audi with a warranty, worst is one without. That sort of thing.
Bit I got curious and started looking and all the sudden ....

2007 Audi A4 immaculate black convertible - $5400

2007 audi a4
fuel: gas
title status: clean
transmission: automatic
Super clean black on beige leather convertible, 112k mile,
Ice cold AC, all power windows and TOP convertible
Nice tires, CD player, drives very nice & smooth
NO accident NO mechanical issues at all
Clean title with CARFAX available

Now THAT is a sharp looking car. Even with my bad eyes I could see myself driving that.

So what the skinny on these things, all emotion aside?

Bottomless money pit, reasonable .... ?
scale of 1 to 10 with a fiat at one and a Toyota at 10 ....



Note: if an owner has to replace a quarter of the parts in 100,000 miles, I do not consider that a good car.

[LakeCleElum]

My Mechanic friend has worked on a lot of Audi. His recommendation:

[island911]

nice looking Audi.

My experience with an A4 was replacing some cheap plastic EGR valve that was less than conveniently located between the engine and the firewall. --Ridiculous to get to with big hands. And the build of the part struck me as planned obsolesces.

But at least the design engineers crammed a lot of cheaply made motor bits in every nook and cranny.

[Jims5543]

My last Audi experience was a 2005 A6 on lease after trading in a 2001 A6 that was nothing but problems but was under warranty, as was the 2005.

Worst car I ever owned coupled with the worst service department I ever dealt with. This included being broken down 700+ miles from home and the dealership there telling me I would have to sit and wait for 2 weeks while they figured out what was wrong and ordered parts.

When that 36 months were up I could not get that car away from me fast enough.


Your mileage may vary.

I now have a 1991 BMW with over 200K miles on it and it is 100X more reliable than that brand new Audi.


Give it a whirl, just do not own one out of warranty.

[Bob Kontak]

As stated in prior threads. get used to this:

[javadog]

Ive owned a dozen Audis and found them to be more reliable and less expensive than the BMWs and Mercedes that I have owned. I have no experience whatsoever with that particular car. The last small Audi I owned was a 2000 S4 that I bought new, and I had zero problems in my time with it. My S8 is going on it's 15th year, it has averaged less than one problem per year.

[scottmandue]

I love the look of the TT and they can be had for a pretty reasonable price... but yeah, the Audi haters have scared me away.

[svandamme]

audi's are just vw's with a bit more throttle response and a harsher suspension setting.
FWD sucks
AWD sucks a slight bit less
RWD is not on their menu
I rest my case.

[VincentVega]

A friend of mine bought a similar year a4 after I warned her. She just traded it on new a4. When I asked about issues she mentioned a few but that she loved it. I guess thats it, love or hate. She loves the way it drives, loves the interior... IIRC it did light up like a christmas tree whenever I was in it.

[greglepore]

The problem with A4's is access for repair, stuff is crammed in there. Audi techs are very good at removing the front bodywork, but its a major diy pita. I think you could ping Tim Hancock on that.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Good looking car. Put me in the Audi > BMW camp, I've owned two Audis and currently on #3, and have also owned three BMWs and two Minis (so basically a BMW). I love the way BMWs drive but after having five, I won't own another. I find them to be incredibly poorly made, with an interior that makes some GM products look good.

My biggest complaint on Audi products is access, their engineers are masters at packaging crap in every nook and cranny. It's common to have to remove multiple things to access the one thing that you are trying to access. With that said, the 1.8T is a 4-cylinder in an engine bay that is sized to fit a V6 or V8, so it won't be too bad. It's also a zippy and reliable motor if maintained, they get good MPG and people mod them to big HP without a lot of upgrades. Audis are known for electrical gremlins, so test all of the gizmos before buying. If it's as clean as it looks, and if it has been well maintained, I say go for it.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

My biggest complaint on Audi products is access, their engineers are masters at packaging crap in every nook and cranny.

Can't be worse then a Porsche Cayman.coolant assemly pipe
it bloody winds through the engine mount .. can't pack it any tighter then that

[Tim Hancock]

Never again.....

Blown coolant line.....Another reason to HATE @#$%$# Audis

[svandamme]

what are you moping and crying about, it's accessible at the front!!

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by svandamme

what are you moping and crying about, it's accessible at the front!!

It's not that bad a job.

[svandamme]

i'm sure it's not ,just yanking the chain :P

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

Never again.....

Blown coolant line.....Another reason to HATE @#$%$# Audis

And....I'm out. Never. Ever. I will look but not buy.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by svandamme

i'm sure it's not ,just yanking the chain :P

Nicely played.

[Tervuren]

At that price if you like it just buy it, if it goes wrong junk it.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

At that price if you like it just buy it, if it goes wrong junk it.

They are not that expensive.

Chicken shiet maintenance is simply incessant.