nw324001

I have never owned an Audi before, and am looking at buying an 03' Audi A4 Turbo Quattro 5 speed automatic with 57,000k miles on it for $15,000. The service history is great, no major problems or wrecks. I will probably be putting 30-35k miles/year on this vehicle, so within 3 years I will probably be around the 150k miles mark. I would appreciate any advice on service issues with this model, problems to expect with high mileage, and basically if this car is going to handle the miles I plan on driving over the next 3 years, and if it is worth my investment. The Dealership makes it sound like a great deal, but I need some real advice from those Audi lovers out there. + or - would be great

Poorer than I look

This is not a heavy commuter car. It is beautiful, it handles like a dream, it is moderately efficient, and it will impress your friends.

There are lots of people in this forum who haven't had to do major repairs.

If you aren't lucky enough to be one of those people, I'd suggest something a little more ordinary. These cars are very expensive to maintain and fix.

They are great to own on warranty, and fun to modify if you have the money and the time. But if you are going to put that many miles on it, you are at risk.

You either need to move up to an 04/05 with lower miles and buy the 100k warranty.

If your budget is for a $15k car that will last you 100k miles, just try to forget how cool you look driving an Audi. It will break you.

Tgr_Clw

There are plenty of 1.8T users with 150K+ on the clock.

Bronze

you should be OK.

By maintenance, I mean oil changes every 5k-7.5k (not the 10k Audi interval), trans fluid updates as needed, timing belt at 70k intervals, air filters, hose updates when they start to crack, inspecting the boots, control arms, steering, etc.

Audi's are a bit high maintenance, but if you buy them nice things, they'll treat you ok.

lawstudenttony

Buy a 3.0!!

Tgr_Clw

going around several months back.

I don't have any specific links or anything but since I'm here every day, I could've sworn that for like 3 months straight almost all problematic posts have dealt with the 3.0

My personal feeling is that yes, the 3.0 is slightly more reliable than the 1.8T but you shouldn't expect Toyota like reliability from it either.

All Wheel Driver

for all the 3.0's out there, only a few had the "virus". Most run perfectly.

A4AdMan

issues doesn't mean that the engine is unreliable.

Tgr_Clw

Of course not, but the 1.8T is not unreliable either ;-)

paul128

I would love to be able to recommend that you purchase the above car since I've had a 97 1.8TQ manual transmission 5-speed and currently have an '03 A4 1.8TQ m. However, I can't, even though the A4 is very enjoyable to drive. Unless this car is coming with a transferable extended warranty, you have a great relationship with or know a competent dealership and/or independent mechanic (and don't mind high maintenance/repair costs), and you have access to other wheels for work on those cold weather occasions when the car fails to start, this car is not for you. Check out the dealership "report card." Search other threads in this forum. Good luck with whatever you decide.