John Hagerty

Thanks for taking the time! I currently have a 200 tq 20v avant; super car; love it, older technology I realize but it seems audi had everything in the right direction there. Now I am ready to replace it and I love the ar; I have been watching them since they came out. Now I am ready and looking for a nice 01,02 and doing research. Watching the links here I have to say I am a bit nervous to say the least, it seems there are many problems and all very expensive fixes. I do not mind maintaining a car, but some of these problems sound excessive. Maybe I am nieve or just lucky, but my 200 tq 20v has needed very little and no major work and I am approaching 200k miles. I am 3rd owner for 3-4 years and 60k miles; biggest thing replaced was the starter and it was only $200+-. Do the extended warranties really work? I am looking at cars with around 50k which of course means no warranty. What are the 3 or 4 or 5 biggest things to look for when looking at used ar?

Sorry for the length, but I was just going to drive to Seattle(400 Miles) this weekend to probably purchase and now am a bit concerned.

Do I need to go with the Infiniti FX 35 or the BMW X5 afterall?

Thanks to all!!

First timer to post on site(be nice)

John
200 tq 20v avant
900 spg saab
164 alfa
911 SC
Sub(yuk)
Excursion(yuk)
Dodge Ram (ok yuk; hauls toys)

My wife says sell some of these and buy 1 that you really like (tough decision; all for sale)

kkrzeminski

I bought my certified car a year ago and besides the normal maintenance I have not had any issues. To be safe get a certified car. All cars now are so technology driven that I do not think I would by any car without being certified, whether it is a BMW or a Infinity. I looked at a X5 the other day for $40,000 and it was a beat on. You should be able to pick up an allroad for a hell of a lot less than that.

Good Luck

happy allroader

But with non-warranty items you don't need to use the dealer and their high costs. I've been reading this forum for a couple of years and yes people have problems but statistically I don't think our repair costs are that much more than most other Euro cars. Don't forget to check your timing belt.

allroadbryan

Buy Certified Audi 2yr/100k warranty

Studly_1

It's just that when something goes wrong, it's "BREATHTAKINGLY expensive" - (thanks markcinci) to fix. This is the first car to have gone 16k without any problems. I had the alignment adjusted, locks coded to lock on the fly, and changed oil. That's it, and I expect studly service for many miles. Turbos and suspension are pricey, and there's a ton of electrickery to go bad one day.

I owned an ALFA - and I knew my mechanic's vacation schedule. Sweet car that needed attention. That's not the Audi. I wish we could get the TDI.

"Do you feel lucky? Well, do you, punk?" - Dirty Harry

Dr.quattro

Second, Good choice of vehicles! I have always thought that if you take care of your cars, they will in turn provide you with a long life. My VAG history dates back to a 4000s quattro, then an A4 avant, a VW Jetta, and now an allroad. All lives of these respective cars have been fruitful and rewarding.

The 4000s I bought with 108,000 miles and had a single minor problem in 50k of driving. The A4 had narry a single major problem and two minor problems (broken exhaust flang and surging, drove for nearly 80k). The Jetta aside from a few recall problems has been great (5 years 30k). The allroad has been great with only minor problems all taken care of under waranty which would have totalled maybe $500 to fix up to this point.

The allroad seems to be the type of car that can snowball on you. Meaning, if you do not take care of the small problems immediately, it will snowball into a larger problem. Take Paulroad for examaple, who had leaking oil. He immediately took it to the dealer and had the cam seal replaced (granted the dealer was at fault for this mistake. That was you right Paul), but if he did not address the problem, God knows what could have happened. My mechanic had a failing air compressor switch, which he chose to ignore. It ended up remaining open for about 20 hours, causing the compressor to overheat and fail. A major problem.

The question I have is, first, do you trust your dealer? Second, if not, do you trust a reliable mechanic? Are you willing to pay a few thousand extra for CPO or after market waranty? If all the above are answered yes, then you should have happy allroading, as I have enjoyed for 35k.

xtreetoes

I purchased a 2001 allroad in August 04, with 50K miles on it. So far it has been on par with the 3 other Audi's I have owned with respect to repairs (1988 90, 1992 100s, 1995 90). I usually try to find a car in good mechanical shape but has some needs that I can take care of. The allroad was no different.

I did talk to my mechanic friend who specializes in Volvo's and Saabs about any issues with turbo chargers. He feels if the car is properly maintained the likely hood of turbo failures is the same as any other engine component.

The car is a pleasure to drive and has started everyday since I bought it. So far this is what I have done, in order and the parts cost. I did most of the labor. Mileage now 61K.

Directional Relay/Flasher, 35.00 from dealer. Wanted to get it done. Cheaper online

Tires, Cooper Lifeliner Touring SLE-V's $100.00 ea shipped $10.00 each to mount and balance. I like these tires so far. The price went up to 116.00 delivered however.

Bank 1 O2 Sensor $30.00 Impexfap.com VW part Retro Connector from old sensor. Audi PN $140.00 (for p1131, p0431 errors)

Sparkplugs and air filter $60.00 for plugs, $14.00 for air filter (p0300 error)

Bank 2 O2 Sensor $30.00 Impexfap.com VW part Retro Connector from old sensor. Audi PN $140.00 (for p1131, p0431 errors after dealer let me know which side was bank 2. Need to get a Bentley's)

Vag-com Cable from ebay 71.00 shipped. (Should have gone through Ross-Tech. Cable only compatible with older versions of Vag-Com)

Front brakes Mintex $92.00 shipped. $20.00 to turn both rotors.

Appointment Feb 10 to have Bank 2 pre-cat replaced under Audi 7-70 emissions, warranty item $00.00.

FWIW I switched over to German Castrol 0w-30 oil from dino oil. I did have an oil analysis done at 5k of my old Mobil Drive Clean 5w-30 which I still need to post. The engine shows very little wear, had a lot of fuel in the oil however which I hope the air filter and plugs will take care of. Will run another analysis in 5k miles.

Search the forum on what to look for when buying an allroad and when you find a good one get it, you'll be happy..

I am warranty free and comfortable with that decision.

Troy H

You have a 46K UID and this is your first post? Wow! and Welcome!

Troy H

How much do they charge to CPO a car you already own? I didn't know they'd do that.

ar2002

Things to look for are the service history, oil leaks, handling or vibration issues, and the brakes. The brakes are good for, say, 50K under normal use but some owners have had problems, especially when the car is driven, and braked, hard. Look for a car that has not been chipped, IMHO.