Any thoughts on owning an Audi?


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Old 07-06-17, 05:43 PM
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Any thoughts on owning an Audi?

Had a vehicle accident, no one was injured, but car was totaled. On the short list of potential vehicles is a 2005 Audi A4. I know nothing about this brand. So I am wondering about any quirks? Can a normal mechanic work on these vehicles or are parts scarce, need to have dealer service only or any other hidden expenses that would not be apparent to anyone who has never owned one. Its for my daughter s hoping or something more reliable than her last money pit.
 
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Old 07-06-17, 06:55 PM
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All foreign car parts are very expensive. I have worked on both foreign & domestic cars, for many years. If you are going to buy any foreign car for your daughter, stay with Toyota, Honda or Hyundai. No matter what you buy keep in mind that front wheel drive cars repairs are more expensive to repair. I don't care how good they say that they are in the snow. Stay home when it snows.
 
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Old 07-07-17, 03:37 AM
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I've painted some houses for folks that had Audis and from what little I gathered they seem to be good vehicles but I'm sure they are like most foreign cars you don't see everyday and cost more to repair.

I'm not crazy about working on front wheel drive either but you'd really limit yourself if you took them off of the table.
 
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Old 07-07-17, 04:56 AM
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The best I can offer is to go to your Public Library and look up the old copies of Consumer Reports auto issue. I don't think the current issue will go back all the way to 2005 but previous issues will cover that year and give you an idea about their reliability.
 
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Old 07-07-17, 02:47 PM
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That model was basically the end of the line for that series of A4. The new model that replaced it was very different in architecture and platform and is basically the same as sold now.

You have to consider, that car is 13 model years old. How many miles? Sure, they were decent cars for their time, but a 5 y/o Passat is probably better and basically the same car as an A4. Designed differently of course. The Passat and A4 WERE the same until the B6 models, but even then were targeting the same type people in different price ranges.

I'd have to recommend against buying a European car that old. Now, if you find a nice '54 MB 300SL, that's a different story.
 
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Old 07-07-17, 04:55 PM
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Vic I rolled a 50's era 190 back in 63 does that count. Forgot all about it till read your post. Got drafred and had it in parents garage while I was in Nam.
 
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Old 07-07-17, 05:00 PM
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Its a budget thing, so we have to look at higher mileage older vehicles. I drive a 2002 Suburban (190,000 miles, my wife had a 2003 Mitsubishi Spyder Converible (104,000 miles), and a 2004 Tahoe (108,000 miles). The dealer we are working with specialized in higher end vehilcles. They throw in a couple of affordable models to keep traffic coming in. They prep the vehicles to an extent that you cant tell that they are that old. They are clean, everything works and I have extreme confidence that the vehicle will not be a lemon. We bought my wifes Tahoe from them and it has been just a joy to drive these past 8 months. Spotless, new tires and all the bells and whistles. My question is, on a budget (daughter will eventually pay for it with a loan from mom and dad), would a European car be worth it. Never had one so I don't know how expensive to maintain. Had a sister in law who had a VW beetle who got rid of it because of the maintenance and time involved in trying to repair it.
 
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Old 07-07-17, 05:39 PM
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Well, much depends on where the car will be. You'll always find a Chevy or Ford or Honda dealer nearby...but what about Audi, MB or BMW? Where you are I know they have just about all of them w/in about 20 miles. Out here I don't even have a Mazda or Toyota dealer. Nearest one is almost 50 miles. Neither a great choice for me obviously. Of course I drive a 2004 Suzuki and there are no real dealers for them ANYWHERE anymore...lol. I don't drive distance much, only 80K on the clock, so it will last me another 5-8 yrs or more in this climate.

Sure, plenty of places say they can work on all brands...but I wouldn't take an Audi to a Ford dealer, nor a Ford to a Honda dealer...if I had a choice. There used to be several places in Hampton/NN (even more in VB/Norfolk) that worked exclusively on European brands I think. I specifically remember two, Foreign Auto Service (may have been over in Norfolk) and Autobahn Auto on Pembroke in Hampton. (Yeah, I had to look up the street on that one.)

So if the car is staying local, it might be ok. If you are budget restricted, you could probably find even better deals on domestic cars with similar conditions and mileage.

Heck, plenty of buying services will find the car for you, just put in your desires. Had a buddy got a great deal on an MB that way. He had to go up near DC to get it, but no big deal. Also a female customer when I worked at HD, hated the car buying thing, so she spoke to a dealer in NC who made her the best offer and they came and picked up her trade in and brought the used MB with them. Absolutely no hassle on the buyers parts.
 
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Old 07-25-17, 08:25 AM
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The B5 and B6 A4 series are very well made, this is why I bought one and would buy another.

I do my own wrenching on it and I'm no more than a parts swap guy.

I would stick with the 2.8 or 3.0 NA (the newer bigger engines with the timing chain built into the block go south around 100k miles). Turbos are just more moving parts to maintain. Who cares about more power, a car that weighs 3500 lbs with the engine in front isn't going to be a car you whip around turns. If you want a fun car, find a Boxster that needs a clutch, buy it cheap, and replace both the clutch and upgrade the IMS.

Don't listen to all the Honda bull, my old lady bought an '11 CR-V and it's dog doo. Parts are the same price as Cayenne parts, fluids, tools, dam near everything is proprietary. Try changing a drive belt on a Honda vs a VW/Audi. I told her to get a Cayenne.

Anyway my B6 3.0 is approaching 200k miles, no issues other than expected parts replacement (and parts are no more than Honda parts). My VW so far has 250k miles and I beat the balls off it.
 
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Old 07-30-17, 07:29 PM
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The Audi A4 sedan was a popular vehicle for Audi, the model year 2005 to 2009 is referred to as the B7, of which about 1 million were made. It was also not that big a mechanical change from the previous B6 series, so there should be ample parts availability for some time to come. Some think the 2005 is the older B6 series, I think the B6 A4 sedan finished in 2004, the convertible soldiered on to 2005. So you should be looking at the first year of the newer series.

Depending on the engine, there were some problems with high oil consumption. As far as I know the high oil consumption is more of an inconvenience than a problem which reduces the service life. One quart per thousand miles is viewed as acceptable. If you do basic do it yourself things like checking oil levels and topping up, then you can deal with this. I think its the turbo engines this pertains to.

The coil packs on certain engines were also points of failure, and are $25 each (you need one for each cylinder). Oil changes with proper synthetic are important, as there were sludging problems on poorly maintained cars who did not use the OEM spec oils.

I think all the engines are interference clearance, so if you break a timing belt the engine will be damaged (valves hit the pistons, that's it for the engine). So for the age of the 2005 car, I would have a water pump and timing belt service priced into an offer one of these, would be important preventative maintenance I think. With the timing belts, and perhaps proactively replace the coil packs, you should have a nice car with no real unusual maintenance hassles compared with any other car of that age. One with a service history would be worth a premium.
 
 

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