[YoungAudiFan]

Hello everyone,

First of all I just want to say thank you to anyone and everyone out there. I'm glad to have found this place via a friends referral.

Introduction: I have been in love with the Audi series for a long time. I'm only 23 (come may, '06) but I work full time and finally decided that I am ready to buy a real car (I was driving a '78 ford thunder bird before). I'm not a car guy; I've never done a lot of reading and I've never worked on my own cars before. I never had the money to buy a car worth staying on top of and I am really a simple guy. I like things clean and stock; out speeding the guy next to me isn't an issue, he can win for all I care. I just want my car to be simple, stock, clean, sexy, and fun for me to drive.

Car Info: On the way home from a job interview I stopped by the Audi dealer; I went in to drive a passat and tripped head over heals for my old friend the A4. They have a 2001 Audi A4 2.8 Quattro, 43,206 miles, clean CARFAX (they faxed a copy to me), a sexy blue with leather etc etc etc. They are asking $17,995 and said "we can work on it".

Inside/Insight Info: The sales rep was super nice to me; really understood I wasn't looking to buy that day but was still selling (as he should be; it's his job). I drove the passat but couldn't stop thinking of the audi. He knows I'm really into the car but he also knows that I can just as easy walk away from it (being that I did that day). Now I hear it's bad if the dealer knows the buyer wants something really bad; so I lost that advantage to a certain degree. I asked the dealer if I could take the specs home and do some research so he gave me his list of used cars on the lot and the features each had. I think the sheet has all the specs the asking price and the day they got the car. I don't know if this helps the cards I have in my hand but I am pretty sure I have the date they bought the car and got it on the lot. In any case the car has been on the lot for "about 100 days/3 months" according to the dealeer but the sheet says 10/'05.

Questions/Advice:
1: Is the 1.8T really as bad as the reviews say and is the 2.8 any different? I couldn't find many reviews on the 2.8; they either didn't say the type or they said 1.8T.
2: What would be a fair price for this car? (WAUDH68D91Ao62073/Vin #) I really don't have a problem walking right up the dealer and telling him that they can sell me the car for $14.5K out the door and walking if they say no. But I would like to know what is a realistic price for this car.
3: What is maintenance really like for these cars? I can afford monthly payments but cars are more than the $300 a month + insurance and I realize this.
4: Does anyone have any idea what insurance is like for a 23 year old kid with 2 california stops on his record?
5: What is the avg. miles per gallon (mpg?). Again I'm not a fast driver but every now and again I do like to take it up a knotch on the free way.

I do apologize about the length of this message but this is my first big car buy and this would be my first ever Audi; mom taught me how to play it safe but big bro taught me how to have fun too, haha. If anyone has any words of advice good or bad please help; I would truely appreciate it.

Sincerely and thank you in advance
Gabriel Z.
Santa Rosa Ca/north of the bay area.

 

[T-sport]

Sounds a bit pricey.over here in uk you could probably get the same car for about $11000 if not cheaper.

The 2.8 is a good engine but is thirsty on gas and you will get about 20-25 mpg aroung town compared with 30-35 mpg with the 1.8 t .

The 2.8 is also in a higher insurance group over here compared to the 1.8 t and someone your age would have a job to insure for sensible money.

Also the 2.8 you are looking at is the older B5 platform so you would probably loose some money in depreciation once you bought it off the forecourt and would not be so desirable for re-sale evn though it has low mileage.

hope this helps you a little.

 

[YoungAudiFan]

It absolutely did help me. It is always nice to see it from another point of view when someone has more knowledge. I appreciate it a lot because I know have some more cards in my hands to take to the dealers.

So far this is what I got going for myself to deal with the dealer... no pun intended.
The car is over priced for the features, year, and over all reliability of the car and the way it will lose value off the lot even used. Soooo I'm thinking of walking in and asking for a 24 months of a bumper to bumper and mechanics warranty and asking for a $14,500-$15,000 out the door. With what you've told me and what I've seen about the car and it being on the lot for 3-6 months would this be fair? Can you also explain the B5 platform vs. B6 etc?

Thank you for replying I truely appreciate it and am excite about the audi's once again.

gabe

 

[volcanoblack]

You can go to www.audi.com and select Certified Pre-Owned cars and do a search for the exact car you want - to match what you are thinking about buying. I did a quick search and found 55 cars for sale around the US, price range from $14,995 - $19,999 and up to $23,000 for a couple of S4's. All of these are certified by the Audi dealers.

I think the car you are looking at is at the upper end of average price and should be absolutely perfect and come with some warranty. Otherwise you might as well go to a dealer and get the protection of the certified cars.

VB

 

[T-sport]

The B5 is the older shape model manufactured from 1996 to 2001 and was the first A4 to be made.

You can see a picture of each style on the forum header section you are reading now.

B6 is the next newer shape manufactured from 2001 -2005 and has been greatly uprated in terms of style/interior/ engine performance and higher spec for your money as standard.

As volcanoblack says you are best to look around first as its quite easy to fall in love with the first Audi you see and i suspect you will find one as nice for less dollars.

Good luck with your hunting.

 

[YoungAudiFan]

Thank you both for your help and advise. I'm going to go to the website and see what I find. You are right though, I fell for this car really fast.

I have found some people saying that the 2.8 engine isn't as nice as the 1.8t. I'm not looking to do modifications on my car and from what I read the 2.8 doesn't have much room for mods. It seems like the 2.8 is a better fit for someone who is ok with stock. Would you guys agree? Is there any other advantage to the 1.8t engine other than mods?

Thanks again for the help guys. Anyone want any cookies or something, haha.

gabriel

 

[YoungAudiFan]

Is it worth flying somewhere and driving back to save a couple thousand or is it better to just use the info as leverage to get my local dealer to drop the price? I mean I woldn't mind spending a couple hundred to fly somewhere and have a cool road trip back home. I've been wanting to do that anyway and if I did it in a new car that would be awesome.

Is there any reason I shouldn't go with the 2.8 engine. I noticed a lot of problems with the 1.8t engine with the surrounding years around 2001.

I'm not looking for mods so I thought that the 2.8 would still be quick and fun for me to drive but more reliable for me.

gabe

 

[kazyee]

the 1.8 is a better tuned engine and more efficient.

If your looking to save gas wise then i recommend buying the 1.8. anyway you look at it, if you get the 2.8 of course your going to pay less for the b5 model but, if you do that math i bet after a year you will save a few hundred or a thousand. Plus if your not a car guy then i bet you really could care less what numbers are on the back of your audi :grin:

BUT

As far as getting the 1.8 (b6 platform) and the 2.8 (b5 platform) is all personally preference but the price sounds kind of high. I think your better off and buying the car offline from a reputable dealer or someone who sells cars on ebay with very good feedback! I really recommend not jumping into a deal when im 99.9 % sure you can find a better one.

A TRUE STORY...

My friend bought an audi (02 a4 1.8T B6 Platform) for 17,000$ with 48,000 miles on it and spent an extra $2,000 for the extended warrenty.

Plus the interrior on the B6 Platform is so much nicer :grin:

Hope that helps

 

[YoungAudiFan]

Once again I'm stoked I found this place; I'm even starting to understand a lot of this stuff; which is great.

I have been spending a lot of time calling and getting information about warranties they offer, info on the cars history and over all just killing time with the sales guy; forcing him to mail me information and fax me this and that. When you put all his time spent and all the great info I'm getting from you guys I think I'm going to do ok with this if I get an Audi.

You are totaly right though, I don't care what numbers are on the back of the car, haha. You make a good point about the gas and the savings of car over the cost of gas. I'll run some numbers and see what I can find in the savings.

What is the engines relialbility difference between a stock 1.8T B6 platform vs. a stock 2.8 B5 platform? Is there going to be a major difference between the price as well?

Just an update: I ran some numbers and it seems that the 1.8T would only save me about $235 a year vs. the 2.8 and if I can get them down another couple G's then it isn't worth going to a B6 1.8T and having to pay more for the car and insurance as well. Numbers were run off of to fills a month with the B5 avg 23 and the B6 avg 28 @ $3 dollars a gallon for my area, and a 15 gallon tank.

Thanks for making me feel comfortable here guys, I really appreciate it.
gabe

 

[YoungAudiFan]

How safe is it to buy an Audi from a private party? The only reason I ask is because I have found some good deals online but I'm affaird that if there are any problems that I'm going to screw myself with maintenance cost. Can you get a warranty from a dealer even though I got the car from a private party?

 

[audipardner]

If you like to mod your car then go for the 1.8t. I bought the 2.8 and while it has a few more features there seems to be very few mods that can be done.

I did some research once upon a time and found that with a new exhaust and a chip the turbo was capable of 300+ hp. Dont know if those are actual ###'s but the potential is there anyway.

The 2.8 is pretty awesome to drive without any screwing around though.

If I had to do it over I would get the S4.

and get the manual tranny! :57:

 

[YoungAudiFan]

Thanks for writing back. I test drove a 1.8T automatic today. I was honestly disappointed with it. The car wasn't that well cared for with cosmetics. The back bumper had some major scratches, the inside has some leather coming undone, the shifter and the silver around it was also scratched. Those things were minor compared to the rest though. Right away moving the seat was incredibly difficult. The only power portion of the seat was the lumbar (back) rest. The rest of it was very difficult to move. And because I have just recently had knee surgery that didn't work for me. Second the car felt really sluggish. It was slow off the line and it took it a bit to catch up. Only once did I feel the acceleration that I would have thought a turbo car should have.

I apologize about the length of this message. The reason I made it so long is that I'm wondering what to expect from Audi. I test drove a subaru leagacy and it seemed to be better in handling and faster to accelerate. Do the cars (1.8T, 2.8, and legacy) have that much of a weight difference? Is the drive of a stick shift that much better over the automatics? If anyone can help me out I'd appreciate it.

 

[audipardner]

The Audi is a completely different car than any of the asian cars. they are heaver and geared for high speeds. Also they are really a sport luxury car so the whole approach the the design is way different.
when I tested the 1.8 I felt the same way until I got in the 2.8 just a way better feel. the down side is the lack of tweak a bility. So if your into that then look up some of the chips and mods that the 1.8 can do and look for the potential.
I once owned a acura integra gsr and it was real fun to drive but it had no tourqe and all the hp was at 7500 rpm= shifting and high revs all the time. the Audi a way better car but the 2.8 needs more power and I cant get it easy.

I dont trust auto trannys when it comes to hot roddin. especially the triptronic tranny.

So the big question is what is the car for. big pimpin or but kickn. If for the latter then I reccomend a 1.8 from a gramma or snoby rich person. soup it up and then let the pimpin follow suit. If the pimin is priority then get the 2.8

for the record I have never driven a roo.

IMO

 

[T-sport]

If your going for the 1.8t a manual transmision is a must.

2.8 is ok with auto box but will be heavier on gas than a manual and i have heard the Audi auto tip tronic boxes have had problems before.

With regards to buying off a private seller you could take a mechanic with you to inspect the car before purchase or as we do over here in the Uk buy an independant mechanical warranty from a company.Should only cost about $7-800 for a years peice of mind.

 

[YoungAudiFan]

That kind of makes me sad. I drove a lexus is300 to the dealer (friends car) and that was very light and quick, it acclerated fast and although it wasn't all wheel drive I did enjoy the ride.

Will the manny A4 1.8T have the same feel with weight and such as the automatic tranny?

 

[YoungAudiFan]

FAIR PRICE FOR AN AUDI

hey everyone, i'm back again and I still don't have a car... blah blah blah I'm still crying about it and making it a big deal.

I just wanted to see what you guys thought about this offer I'm going to make a dealer. They have in stock a none certified pre owned audi with the following.

2004 1.8T
(dark grey)
Quattro
46,753 miles
asking $23,900

The car is 466 miles away. I'd have to fly from northern cali to southern cali and drive back. I'm was thinking I'd offer them $18,000 out the door if they gave me a warranty. Keep in mind I can't go see the car, I can't go test drive it, I can't see the condition. They said they might be able to send me pictures but you know they can take pictures of this and of that but leave here and there out of the shots.

What do you guys think?
gabe

 

[T-sport]

sounds good.

If it is a 2004 registered car you will still have 1 years manufacturers warranty remaining .

So if you can get the dealer to extend it even better.

i take it it is the manual gearbox .

You would be running 163bhp standard and can go for a simple and easy ECU remap for instant power upgrade for about $500 which will give you much better acceleration and about 40 bhp more.

good luck with the buying.

 

[Audi_Rousse]

I like things clean and stock; out speeding the guy next to me isn't an issue, he can win for all I care. I just want my car to be simple, stock, clean, sexy, and fun for me to drive.

Hey Young AudiFan.

Welcome!

I agree with you entirely on this statement and you will find this forum is filled with enthusiasts who share the same views as you on that. Audi’s aren’t intended to be pimped out and I hate it when people supe up the exteriors. Leave that sh*t to Honda drivers.

As far as your car question goes, depending on the kind of roads you drive on and your habits I would go for the 2.8 Quattro.

Like the people said above;1.8t for tuneability .. 2.8 for stock power.
- a stock 2.8 will take a 1.8t. a modded 1.8t will take a 2.8
- One noticable difference between the 1.8 and the 2.8 is engine noise on the highway. If you do alot of long, highway trips, I'd go with the 2.8.

Good luck in your shopping decision and go Quattro.

 

[Audi_Rousse]

Unless we're talking Rally Racing here...
In which case GO AUDI!