any advice on buying a4?

[spirytoos]

My first post so before I start.. awesome forum you got here with lots of knowledgeable (or so it seems) posters, very glad I found it J

ok.. Got few question regarding buying A4, I did some research and the model I'm after is 2003 or 2004 1.8t. could you guys advise me on what shall I look for when choosing A4 and all that. In particular I would like to know

1. What is the reasonable number of kilometres for this age group. I saw some cars with below 50000 and that's what I'm hoping to get. I simply want to buy and not put too much money in it, just keep changing oil and doing usual maintenance, but not any major repairs. Is A4 with below 50000km safe buy or it might have some major flaws, assuming that odometer hasn't been modified.

2. How easy it is to modify odometer and how can I possibly spot odometer fraud? Is there anything else could do then just taking overall look at how worn out the seats are and all that? I'm no mechanic for sure, but have general (very limited though) knowledge and I guess I could tell when oil should be changed but not much more than that.

3. What would be reasonable price for this car, redbook.com.au for 2003 private sales gives ~24-27k. 2004 is ~3k extra.

4. would you recommend to buy from a dealer? If so, any in particular (prestige cars or sth?) or rather privately? Also what I should make sure and watch out for when buying? Check oil, history, transmission fluid but anything else I should pay attention with this particular model?

5. How can I make sure that car is not stoles/written off and there's no money owned on it? I found bunch of websites with few phone numbers to rta etc. but if you could guys tell me the best way to make sure i wont have any legal troubles later that would be great.

6. Insurance.. been fishing for quotes and in general I found comprehensive options pretty expensive 3k+. found one cheaper though at bingle.com.au, in fact way cheaper as only ~$1300. Can you recommend any insurance companies I should check? Is bingle.com.au ok as insurance company or anyones had problems with it? Again, what shall I watch out for and what would be reasonable quote for this kind of car. Its for my wife, red p driver with 2 years experience driving, getting to 30 next year, and no drivers below 25 driving the car.

7. Maintenance costs.. can I maintain it with local mechanic or rather audi place somewhere? As I said I want to keep car going and use it everyday, however I'm not interested in modifying it in any way.

8. How it compares with bmw 3 series, merc c classe or lexus.. these seems more expensive, however even if prices were the same I would personally go with a4. Simply looks way better, but is it better/worse to drive, maintain etc.?

9. As I said the car is for my wife for day to day drive around the city, and probably once a year holiday travel across Australia, probably douing 5k+ in ~2 weeks. Would a4 be good for this kind of usage? At the moment I drive Mitsubishi magna 2003 (series 2) and its not a bad car, especially for long driving, but how audi would do?

Well that's a lot of questions and I'm still doing my research, but if anyone could help me with questions above that would be very much appreciated. I love audis and a4 seems perfect size for me and if any of you could help me so I wouldn't get a lemon that would be great. O yeh and expect more posts from me here, hopefully as (very?) happy audi driver ;)

[Golf Loon]

A4s are strong beasts and ks dont hurt em. More important to me would be a stamped logbook, recent timing belt. Id avoid the autos as I hate em, car should drive tight and be tidy in and out. Odometer cannot be modified, only replaced with another unit, thus transferring the ks. Good service history prevents this. revs.nsw.gov.au will help with encumberance check, but only in NSW. Update your location makes it easier to offer specific advice. I`d use an aftermarket specialist rather than audi or a general workshop. Buying from a non prestige dealer who has taken it as a tradein can get you a bargain and a private sale with good books is the way I`d go. Prices vary between states. I bought an A4 wagon in Brisbane for $5k less than the same car in NSW. Freight was $500. Audi parts can be expensive, but a specialist is better than a local mechanic where they will be trying to work it out. Better to pay the specialist a couple of hours labour at a higher rather than 10 hours cheap labour for a normal mechanic to work out how to do the job and probably bugger up some expensive part in the process. I have heard some horror stories, but they are a well made, safe luxury car and are more reliable than most. For a bit more money the new Skoda Octavias are $32k at the moment and have the same engine and very good fit and finish.

[h100vw]

The only bad bit on them is the front suspension. The wishbones and bushes wear out or seize up on them in Europe, not sure if that's the same in Australia.

Certainly they can handle epic mileages with regular maintenance. I would buy on condition and history, rather than get one with no mileage. Taking it for a service every 2 years because it hasn't done the distance is as bad as not servicing it at all. This happens to cars driven in the city, lots of stop start driving wears out brakes tyres etc.

I bought a 98 Passat wagon in the UK with 125000 miles on it and ran it for 2 years without problems.

For me the 1.8T is the one to get, 2 or 4wd. The v6 is more complex and therefore if it goes wrong can be more costly to fix up.

You can up the performance of the 1.8T easily. They would run across Australia and back easily. I bought my Passat on a Thursday and drove 1000 miles through France on the Friday without thinking twice.

Gavin

[spirytoos]

A4s are strong beasts and ks dont hurt em. More important to me would be a stamped logbook, recent timing belt. Id avoid the autos as I hate em, car should drive tight and be tidy in and out. Odometer cannot be modified, only replaced with another unit, thus transferring the ks. Good service history prevents this. revs.nsw.gov.au will help with encumberance check, but only in NSW. Update your location makes it easier to offer specific advice. I`d use an aftermarket specialist rather than audi or a general workshop. Buying from a non prestige dealer who has taken it as a tradein can get you a bargain and a private sale with good books is the way I`d go.

i'm located in sydney and i'm a bit wary of dealers for some reason. seen some decent looking cars though advertised by dealers but somhow i'm always expecting to be ripped off. is it really possible to get something decent for a decent price from a dealer?

[Golf Loon]

Do lots of internat and telephone research rather than driving around.
There are good dealers and bad, they have to give you minimal warranty if you are spending more than 10k.
Where are you in Sydders? What is your budget? Do you have to have an Auto?

[spirytoos]

Do lots of internat and telephone research rather than driving around.
There are good dealers and bad, they have to give you minimal warranty if you are spending more than 10k.
Where are you in Sydders? What is your budget? Do you have to have an Auto?

yeh definitely auto, hurstville area, wanted to spend no more than 25k.. what you reckon i should ask when calling dealers/p. sellers? how much on a price are they usually prpared to drop? seen some cars advertised ~29 and was thinking if could get something like that below 25k. i definitely dont wanna waste their time and mine.
btw thank you all guys for prompt answers, i'm pleasantly surprised i could get help here so quick

[Jmac]

Just one guys the A4 B5 which runs on 'K' line and not Can Bus CAN have the odometer modified no dramas and im afraid it is untraceable, some version of Vagtacho can as long as it runs K line, so having said that all the A4 B5 models can be modified.
Jmac

[Jmac]

On things to look for , Service history. When you purchase i would recommend changing the Cam belt, roller and tensioner and possibly the hydraulic damper then you are good for at least 90K. Even if there is stickers etc indicating its been done, for peace of mind i woukd still do it.
Drive it and try it on full lock and listen for clicks. They are bad for outer CV joints when they are up the mileage. Ign switches are bad on them too, you will know if the key feels graunchy when cycling the ign. Make sure the AC is nice and cold, they are bad for evaporaters pin holing, and can be dear, done MANY. Well serviced A4 will like Gavin says go to the moon and back and i wouldnt hesitate recommending one. I also like the V6 and the same goes for them only it is sensible when doing the cam belt on it to do the water pump, they are bad for them.
Cheers and good luck:)
Jmac

[spirytoos]

once again thank you all for your help, will sure post here something when in doubt (it shouldnt take too long ;))

[brad]

A For a bit more money the new Skoda Octavias are $32k at the moment and have the same engine and very good fit and finish.
The 1.8T in a Skoda is not the same 1.8T as an '03-'04 Audi (if that's what you are implying).

I don't know much about Audis but i assume pre-2006 are 1.8T 20valve engines?

Octavias are the 1.8TSI engine released in 2006 (http://www.audiworld.com/news/06/paris-audi-18tfsi-engine/). But certainly agree that for $32k they are good value & are well built. I'm loving mine.

[Bug_racer]

Since this is refering to the b6 model , Im pretty sure that the 5 speed tiptronic was replaced by the CVT on all models (Im yet to see an A4 b6 with auto box) . Biggest issue is the control unit on the back of the box which is around a $3-4k repair .

Other common issues are :
Breather hose on rocker cover perishes
rocker cover gasket leaks
rear coolant flange leaks
upper control arms start knocking (usually after 100k+)
Tie rod ends start to sag
Interior plastics on switches starts to peel

Oh , any odometer can be re-set with the right equipment , and yes there are people here in Sydney that have this equipment

[Jmac]

Ah my bad, Bug Racer well spotted mate. Ok ill have a spray about the B6 then:) CVT ( Multitronic) or fondly known as Faultytronic has an issue with slipping. Early in the piece we were fitting Valve bodies and flashing the ECU. Now that all that has been done the biggest thing is a lack of servicing. It is done at 60k but many miss it. You are right the Ecu inside the box are bad for faults too and you must wear an earth strap when changing as you can damage the printed circuit. There is a company doing CVT recos for $3000 warranted for 3 years which isnt too bad but bad enough i suppose. Company is in Melbourne and he specialises in CVT and only one other i know is in the UK. Yes the coolant flange at the rear of the head is shocking for failing. ALT engine which is the 2.oltr can drink a bit of oil. Again like any Audi check the history and have the cam belt , tensioner and water pump done in one hit. The radio, window switches, headlamp and other dash switches all peel, get new ones and they do the same.
Yeah there are people up here in Brizzy too with the nesc software for dashes. On that like BUg Racer says ANY elec clock can have things done with the right gear and software.
Cheers
Oh and by the way B6s look tops with A8 replica wheels!!!!!!!!!!!!! and dropped a bit too
Jmac