looking at buying an A4 quattro

[tassie_euro_mk1]

Hey everyone.

The time is coming to look at buying a new used car.
Ive been looking at 1996 - 97 Audi A4 1.8T Quattro.

Not really interested in the basic A4s as the golf is a very fun car to drive. I want something that wont leave me dissapointed. Auto is not an option as the electronic gearbox is apparently a nightmare.

So that leaves me with the 1.8T, 2.6 and the 2.6 Quattro. (that i know of)

Which one would be the best car? What are the faults with the early A4s?

Any info on these cars would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Eric

[Golf Loon]

95% of em are auto

[DubSteve]

There are the rare ones that you can find that are manual. If you get the turbo chip it you will not be dissapointed.

[syncro]

Most (or maybe all) of the 1.8T quattros are manual.
There are various engines in these. 110kw, 120kw, 132kw etc.

[h100vw]

I may be wrong but I think in the UK the q's have a 180hp 1.8T fitted. I know that the later A3q has that motor in.

With a chip you are looking at leap frogging the sixes in terms of power but retaining 1.8 economy if you can lay off the gas.

Check the engine code to get the power output. AEB is a common A4 1.8T which is 110KW. I had a tiptronic Passat in the UK which went pretty well inspite of the auto box.

Gavin

[tassie_euro_mk1]

Cheers guys.

The 1.8T are manual. I prefer the 1.8 over the 2.6 because of ecomony. I was planning to mod it a little bit. just a chip, A8 or motorsport wheels, exhaust. Nothing stupid.

So theyre a goer then?

No major dramas?

[brackie]

But where????

Cheers guys.

The 1.8T are manual. I prefer the 1.8 over the 2.6 because of ecomony. I was planning to mod it a little bit. just a chip, A8 or motorsport wheels, exhaust. Nothing stupid.

So theyre a goer then?

No major dramas?

Yeah... But where are you gonna find one?

[syncro]

Plenty on the big island

[MK2 GTI]

Im driving an A4 at the moment and love it. The only common problem i can think of is the upper control arms tend to go, they done a recall on them im pretty sure but thats long gone now. The auto behind the 1.8 is the 4 speed and they tend to give away if not serviced, the auto behind the 1.8T and v6 models are the ZF 5 speed transmissions and i have only seen one get pulled out and thats because the car had 200,000 kms on it and has never been serviced.

[Bug_racer]

There was never an upper control arm re call .
Only lower control arm , tie rod end , oil pump and airbag . The passat had an immobiliser re-call .

Are you looking for a Quattro or FWD ?

Not all the turbos had 5 speeds , the earlier ones had a 4 speed box (auto) .

Just dont buy a 96 model , cant get chips for them anymore

[MK2 GTI]

oh k, sorry mate, knew it was something in the front end that goes.

[tassie_euro_mk1]

Are you looking for a Quattro or FWD ?

Im after a Quattro. I like the idea of AWD.

So i should look for 1997 onwards model for the aftermarket chip then?

lower control arm

Around what milage would the lower control arm tend to give way?

[vinderliker]

Tassie_euro_mk1,
There is a 1.8t quattro here in Canberra which has beewith this dealer for a long time.

http://vehicles.dmotorworks.com.au/melrose/display_used.jsp?rec_id=6035442&make_id=AUDI

I feel that there are asking to much for the car, and when I went to look at it for something to do, the salesman was real pushy, saying that it was going to be wholesaled the next day.Suprise, suprise, as I said it is still there today.
I checked the Red Book prices for it and they are selling it for 5 to 7k over the recommended price. Armed with this info you maybe can give them a big sqeeze on the price. They also reckon it has got 7k worth of extras, but not knowing a great deal about them, I am not sure. The car itself is in excellent condtion, well worth a look if you haggle them down.I would like to hear that because the salesman was quite rude as well.

Hey everyone.

The time is coming to look at buying a new used car.
Ive been looking at 1996 - 97 Audi A4 1.8T Quattro.

Not really interested in the basic A4s as the golf is a very fun car to drive. I want something that wont leave me dissapointed. Auto is not an option as the electronic gearbox is apparently a nightmare.

So that leaves me with the 1.8T, 2.6 and the 2.6 Quattro. (that i know of)

Which one would be the best car? What are the faults with the early A4s?

Any info on these cars would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Eric

[h100vw]

7 Grand on extras makes it worth no more than a grand over a poverty spec one IMO.

Sounds like they have had it for eons and paid too much in the first place and then through greediness hung on for top dollar while it goes down in value.

Go and knock a big lump off it.

Gavin

[tassie_euro_mk1]

Tassie_euro_mk1,
There is a 1.8t quattro here in Canberra which has beewith this dealer for a long time.

http://vehicles.dmotorworks.com.au/m...2&make_id=AUDI

I feel that there are asking to much for the car, and when I went to look at it for something to do, the salesman was real pushy, saying that it was going to be wholesaled the next day.Suprise, suprise, as I said it is still there today.
I checked the Red Book prices for it and they are selling it for 5 to 7k over the recommended price. Armed with this info you maybe can give them a big sqeeze on the price. They also reckon it has got 7k worth of extras, but not knowing a great deal about them, I am not sure. The car itself is in excellent condtion, well worth a look if you haggle them down.I would like to hear that because the salesman was quite rude as well.

Thankyou vinderliker.

But unfortunatly 30,000+ is way out of my budget. Thats why im looking at 97 98 model.
The otional extras listed dont seem to be optional. One would think the cd stacker, xenon headlights etc would be standard.

My fathers the forman at a automotive workshop/dealer here in Devonport and sees the incerdible marked up prices on used cars all the time. A few months ago the dealership bought a used 97ish Audi A4 1.8 auto for 7g and sold it in 1 week at 14g!!!
Thats amazing. Thats why i want to buy private.