anyone drive an Audi?

[euclid]

hi, i have to buy a car this week and im considering a used Audi A4. the only thing stopping me is the notorious electrical gremlins with VW/Audi.

if anyone has a recent (after 2002) Audi A4 or A6 i'd apprecieate some feedback on reliablity and potential repair issues, thanks!

 

[TopShelf]

I know two people who own an Audi, one is the A4, one is the small sports car they have.
I think they are (Audi) one of the best vehicles to own, for their first 5-7 years of their liefspan. They dont seem to have any greater problems, then other types of vehicles, that are new or close to new

But once you hit that age of "new timing belts, new brakes, tranny work, fuel pumps" etc etc, then you wish you owned a ford or chevy. (As the price of repair is godly)

If your looking to own it for 6 or so years or more, and price is an factor during that time, I would look elsewhere. But if its something shorter then that, a very good buy as they hold their value, very very well.

 

[Jon L]

I would not actually buy an Audi. In fact, I would not buy Audi/Mercedez/BMW. I encourage you lease them for a few years and enjoy them while they are under warrantee, but it's too much of a gamble to actually own one of these.

I personally have driven/owned/leased quite a few of these brands, older and newer, and most of my family drove/leased/bought many of them also. As a general rule, the electrical system develops funny things in these European cars, and while it's no big deal under warrantee, things are no longer funny once they are out of warrantee.

 

[amisdad]

Check out Certified Pre-Driven Volvo's which come with a 100k mile waranty. The average life of a Volvo is 18.6 years. I've had Volvo's in my family last 20 years 400k miles. I currently own an '03 S60 and an '04 S40. The S40 is quite peppy when the turbo spools. I'd make sure to check them out before you make a decision.

 

[mrarroyo]

I had a 2002 Audi TT Quatro, it had more problems than a Calculus Textbook. I would stay away from it.

Some very good used cars would be: Acura TL, Lexus IS or ES, and Infinity G35. Good luck.

 

[Computerpro3]

We have both a 2006 Volvo XC70 and a 2004 Audi A8L. Both are loaded with pretty much every single option available. Both have also had minor software problems (Volvo Parking assist went nuts and Audi's MMI software had to be reflashed). Other than that, they have both been great.

Believe it or not, the Volvo has a decent kick to it - that turbo 5 gets up and goes. The handling is pretty bad though. As far as luxury, I find the interior of the Volvo VERY VERY cramped (and I'm 5'8, 160lbs). If you have some extra baggage I imagine you will be uncomfortable.

The Audi - MAN this thing moves. Spirited, fun, great handling. There is just something intoxicating about dropping the suspension down to "dynamic", feeling the car lower itself 4 inches, slamming the shifter over to "manual" or clicking "Sport Mode" and then taking off. The 335HP V8 has very nice, strong, deep, throaty sound to it - something neither the Mercedes S500 or BMW 745LI had. As far as luxury, the interior is unsurpassed in it's class, period. There's just no way around it. The MMI is very easy to use, and you can stretch out in back no matter how long your legs are. As I said earlier, I am 5'8 and I have to slide wayyyy down in the rear seat to touch the seat in front of me with my feet. It's that nice.

No matter which one you choose, they will serve you well. But no matter how you look at it, in my opinion, the Audi is simply more fun.

 

[hembergler]

You guys must have been driving the wrong cars

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo I had a 2002 Audi TT Quatro, it had more problems than a Calculus Textbook. I would stay away from it. Some very good used cars would be: Acura TL, Lexus IS or ES, and Infinity G35. Good luck.

I used to lease a TT Quattro also. I still wouldn't buy one, but man, it'll be the day when a classic design like this comes out of Lexus, Infinity, etc.

I had the whole works: lowered springs, custom wheels/tires, performance computer chip, Platinum tinting, etc. What a beauty!

 

[euclid]

thanks for the replies

i would love an A8L

this car will only be for 6-10 months so i need to buy used i dont want to take the intial depreciation hit of a new car, it will probibly be out of warranty and thats why im nervous about an Audi. in the late 90s to early 2000 the electrical problems were very well known with VW/Audi but i havnt heard anyhting in regards to the newest models.

FWIW my dad has had a BMW 540i 6speed for the past 5 years, we have put alot of work into it to increase performance and we have driven it hard, its approaching 125k miles and little stuff is just starting to go wrong, alternator crapped out, radiator developed a leak, the power steering pump is losing pressure on the very ends of the turning radius, but overall the car has been solid. i was actually considering a 540i too but im holding out to hopefully afford an M5 after this one.

i have been considering an Infintiy G35 also but they are slightly more expensive and i like the interior/exterior of the Audi alittle better. but i'm still undecided so please keep the suggestions coming, i'd really like to hear about positive or negative experience with anything around that 15-20k price range. my only limitation is that i dont want front wheel drive and the transmission must be manual, so no Mercedes.

 

[Snake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TopShelf I know two people who own an Audi, one is the A4, one is the small sports car they have. I think they are (Audi) one of the best vehicles to own, for their first 5-7 years of their liefspan. They dont seem to have any greater problems, then other types of vehicles, that are new or close to new But once you hit that age of "new timing belts, new brakes, tranny work, fuel pumps" etc etc, then you wish you owned a ford or chevy. (As the price of repair is godly)

You must price shop the large-scale maintenance on an Audi / VW - I have a 2002 VW Jetta 1.8T (same engine as in the A4, just transverse) and when it needed it's timing belt done I called the 3 dealers in my area.

Dealer I bought the car from, 70 miles from city close to rural location - $1300
Dealer in major metropolitan city - $1100
Dealer in high priced suburb, 15 miles from city - $750

Yes, you got that right - the dealer with the lowest overhead quoted me the highest price. The dealer in the "highest-class" suburban neighborhood quoted me the lowest.

And I've used all 3 at various times - the dealer in the "highest-class" suburb does superb service work (actually, all 3 have done good work for me...with, if I must rate them, the dealer 70 miles out doing the "worst" of the bunch).

So...I went (back) to the dealer in the high-class suburb. Did the work as promised, at the price quoted. I also had a tuneup and other work done, but for the 96,000 mile service the new timing belt, new water pump, full tuneup and a new O2 sensor plus a bit more cost me $1400 total for all.

And the O2 sensor was reimbursed under an extended warranty.

My '02 VW 1.8T, now with 164,000 miles, has had the following out-of-warranty mechanical repairs, excluding scheduled maintenance

- 1 oxygen sensor
- 1 thermostat
- 1 temperature sensor
- 1 set rear brake pads

...

That's it.

YES, that's it.

In-warranty it had 2 coilpacks, a window lift repair and a catalytic converter (due to the coilpack). All covered by VW. And that's it, as well.

Scheduled maintenance was just 2 tuneups and that 96,000 service.

Overall this is the finest car I personally have ever owned.

If you are looking at a turbo A4, turbos like long-distance driving. If you are that type of driver you'll be highly satisfied...depending upon the year of the A4. Look for late 2002 and after (when they got those "electrical gemlins" out). DON'T go with anything from 2000 to early 2002 - yes, those are indeed the cars that had problems. MAF, coilpacks, O2's and window lifts (at least for the VW) are known - but VW/Audi is now covering the coilpacks and window lifts at the minimum, last time I checked.

If you are a stop and go driver I might recommend a different car (unless you can find a good Audi mechanic who charges less than the dealer). Not that the Audi won't last, but finding good mechanics for VW / Audi, who do not charge an arm-and-a-leg, is harder than American or Japanese brands and the VW/Audi dealer parts are indeed more expensive than others. So the Audi will need the same amount of service, but the parts and service might end up more expensive due to supply / demand.

 

[DLeeWebb]

I had an 1998 Audi A4 for five years. Absolutely loved it. Great car for the money. Never had a problem with it electrical or otherwise...

 

[warpdriver]

I had a 97 A4, and it was definitely a "nickel and dime in repairs" type of car. A few of the same things kept breaking over and over again after the 4th year.

I only advise leasing these cars, otherwise, they can be a pain (effort and money) to keep.

 

[tim_the_gamer]

I've previously leased a 2001 A4 and am currently in the last few months of a 2004 Audi A4 lease. They are fantastic cars to drive. At the same time, some of my friends have purchased them. I strongly advise against a purchase because after a few years, my friends have had to deal with some pretty bad maintenance costs. If you want to lease for a short term and then get out of it, I recommend looking into leasetrader.com. Options are to assume a lease or to lease your car then use leasetrader to get someone else to pick up the remainder of the lease. My in-laws have used it twice and with good results (you should have a lawyer though when finalizing your deal)

good luck

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by euclid ...notorious electrical gremlins with VW/Audi.

"notorious electrical gremlins with VW/Audi"?

I've owned VW's for years, decades actually. I've been a member of VW clubs, frequented VW forums, all for decades.

I've never heard of any sort of "electrical gremlins" that were not isolated incidences.

Someone has misinformed you.

VW's are not without problems, but they're not like early Jaguars, who's electrics were designed by Vincent the prince of darkness.

If you don't want an Audi that's fine, but don't base your decision on "notorious electrical gremlins" that don't exist.

 

[euclid]

i was going to buy a 1998 GTi VR6 in the year 2000 and the car died of complete eletrical failure on the test drive. a close friend of mine also had a 1999 Jetta and among other things he had to replace sensors that were repeatedly malfunctioning, the electical problems in these cars are not rumors they just seem to be hit or miss. visit the Japanese forums, electical issue are not even isolated incidences they are virtually non-existant.

i would like an Audi, i dont want to buy one with the intention of reselling it in a year at no loss and have to drop thousands into it for it to run properly, if i was looking into a new one i wouldnt have any problem taking the gamble while under warranty. but while you are adament about these cars being completely reliable within this thread out of like 10 posters ive already been warned by 4 people with actual bad experience. thats why i wanted to create the thread.