What to look for in a ’98 Audi A4

[71T Targa]

I am looking at a 1998 A4 , 74K miles 2.8L, Quatro. Any thing I should be looking at with the car? Anyone with personal experience they could share? Anyone care to run a carfax?

Thanks, Joel

[Rich76_911s]

My parents have an A4 the turbo went on it that was a 2K fix if they did not have the warranty. Other than that I don't think there have been any issues. It is a pain in the hind quarters to work on though. You need a special tool to replace the rear brake pads!

Rich

[lendaddy]

You can have my '00 A6 twin turbo (same color) for $11,000.

[CarreraS2]

an aftermarket warranty

[71T Targa]

Originally posted by lendaddy
You can have my '00 A6 twin turbo (same color) for $11,000.

Tell me more...

[Jims5543]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC
an aftermarket warranty

Ditto! Do not own one without a warranty.

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by phred68
Tell me more...

'00 Quattro 2.7 Twin Turbo
All options, charcoal leather int.
95kmiles
Recent service (timing belts)
New tires
blah blah

My wife actually has an ad somewhere, I'll see if I can get a link.

[kaisen]

lendaddy-

That's a great deal for your 00 A6 2.7T. My 2001 is for sale for a little more, but mine is a 6 speed manual. Great cars, incredibly complex. Mine has a warranty through 135K miles.

A4 or A6, look at the front suspension components, particularly lower control arms and tie rod ends. They go bad regularly. Also look for bad lines or pixels in the center instrument cluster if the car is equipped with a trip computer (all A6, some A4). The timing belt is not a biggie, but costs $700-800 through the dealer. Good idea to do the water pump and cam seals at same time (Cheap). Automatic transmissions are usually good for about 100K miles, then poof. Normal CV joint stuff. Power window regulators common. A4 V6 is 'better' than 1.8T for reliability.

E

[SpeedracerIndy]

The special tool for the rear brakes can be rented from autozone, and you don't HAVE to have it, it just makes the job easier. FWIW, most VW/Audi's use the same rear brake caliper style.

The timing belt needs to be replaced by 60k miles (not 90 as the manual states). Synthetic oil and a larger oil filter is a must for a turbo model. Control arms and tie rods usually need replacement around 70k miles. The 2.8 is generally considered to be a bit more reliable than the 1.8T; however there is not as much potential HP if you are into the tuning thing. I have a 1.8T quattro and LOVE it. I added a chip that gave me enough extra power to keep away from most common cars on the road for about $200. The bottom end of the 1.8T is supposedly good for over 350 HP. I have had about $600 in maintenance in the last 10 months of ownership (my own labor not included). Although, I bought it with two problems that I knew of, so I factored that into the purchase. If you don't like working on cars and doing your own maintenance, then an aftermarket warranty would be a good idea. I have found though that they are very well put together and pretty easy to work on. I have replaced the turbo on mine (one of the initial problems), and it only took me about 4 hours total. So far, I'm very happy with mine. It requires more tender loving care than an Asian car, but it has a lot more personality and you don't see one in front of every house.

[juanbenae]

i hear the black wagons are pretty nice.

[jstgermaine]

1.8T + Chip + K04 = A whole lot of fun for peanuts!!