mellowsean

Hello, everybody!
So this is my first post on the forum after reading quite a few threads and researching a fair amount about Audi's, A4's, and cars in general. I figured at this point, it would be best to get some opinions from some Audi enthusiasts about my first car. So, I have decided on buying an Audi A4 and now I just would like to get a few opinions on the years ranging from 2009 to 2012. I am deciding which year rankest the best in terms of the being the safest, most reliable A4.
I have saved up about $10,000 of my own money and my parents are helping me with the rest. I am quite sure about my decision to buy an A4, it just comes down to which year would be the best. Thanks everyone!

Macallan21

2009-2012 are basically "equally safe". It's the same platform, and nothing has changed in the frame, etc, that I know of.

2009-2011, be ready to pay for fixing the pistons/gaskets for oil leaks.

If you've got $10K to spend, get something else. The maintenance and repairs on this car are going to kill you.
Someone just posted a $1400 estimate at the dealer for getting all 4 brakes pads+rotors done. They spend about half that through an independent shop, but they bought the parts online and paid labor.

How old are you? Insurance is going to be a killer. Under 25, with any incidents, and you could be paying $1000/6months for full coverage. I'm talking REAL insurance, not Liability only, or any other crap from a late night TV commercial.

If you buy a certified pre-owned, they'll charge you extra to certify the car and extend the warranty to 6yrs/100K miles.

As far as "year to buy", that's a simple question. The 2009 is going to be cheapest, since they're all the same B8 generation. You're going to have to pay extra attention to each model year and trim levels, because Audi keeps removing features from the lower 2 trims, and pushing them into the top trim. They do this to keep the price of the lower 2 trims cheap.

mellowsean

I'm 17 years old, insurance is really not bad (considering I am a teenager) because I have multiple discounts from my grades and my mother's job. You say the best, or rather lowest priced A4 to buy is the 2009, but according to this consumer reports piece it says the 2009 A4 is plagued with major engine troubles. Now, if I just chose a car off this picture then I would just go with the 2012, but I want a really don't want to spend that much (unless of course the 2012 is significantly less expensive in the long run in terms of maintenance and repairs). My question really is, what model is the most reliable, since you said they are all equally safe. [IMG][/IMG]

mark444444

I'm 24 and bought a 2012 brand new a year and a half ago. My advice is to really consider what you're getting into with a car this expensive to maintain. We are talking thousands of dollars over the long run. Take tires for instance, a set of stock tires, you're looking at $800 just for the tires and god knows how much for a good balance and fitting. Don't let consumer reports fool you. These are wonderful but definitely not problem free cars. Mine for instance had major oil issues and a blown turbo. Finally after hours on the phone with audi of america my engine was just replaced. I'll put it like this, driving audis is like dating a hot girl. Fun to be seen with, great to look at, but a massive pain in the *** when things go wrong.

Make sure whichever car you get has audicare.

Ocranius

I purchased my 2011 A4 back in 2010 when I was 18 and I would have to agree that the maintenance/upkeep costs are not something to take lightly. My insurance started at 6k, but thankfully it has gradually reduced to 4k, but that is only half the story. Premium fuel is always a lot more expensive and if you drive like I drove when I first got the car, you will be going through a lot of it!

Also, body work is extremely expensive. To give you an idea, I had a nasty door ding in my rear right door, that cost me $700 to fix.

I highyl recommend the A4, could not be happier with mine, but just know that you should be willing to pay at least a few thousand annually just to keep it on the road.

mellowsean

Okay so I know it's a luxury car, it'll be relatively expensive to maintain but I was under the impression that this car was more reliable and the cost to own was cheaper than say that of a BMW 328i. How does the Audi A4 compare in terms of reliability to a BMW 328i anyways?

SFV A4

Young people buy expensive cars all the time. I wouldn't try to talk him out of it. If he's saved up 10k and the rents are paying for the rest, it doesn't sound like money is a large concern. At least the A4 is a very safe car, which can help compensate for inexperience behind the wheel. Statistically, you are a high risk for an accident. Sorry to be blunt. The safer the car, the better. A4 is very safe.

To answer your questions on reliability, the newer, the better. That is how to judge all cars. As they age, more and more things go wrong. It doesn't matter what specific things each model year is known for. You have to look at the overall pattern of the dots in Consumer Reports and base facts on that. It's always been this way... the older the car, the more it's going to be worn and have failures. Newer is better.

More: Audis in general are like most other German cars. They start off reliable and recomended, and then start declining each year after. I have CR books from the 90's, and this pattern has not changed one bit. Within five to six years, they no longer recommend the car as a used vehicle. This pattern has gone on for a long time, so I'd say it's safe to say the B8 will fall into the exact same format.

To conclude, I'd say go for it. As others have mentioned, be prepared for higher than average repair bills over the years. But you'll be getting a dynamic car with numerous good virtues, while standing out on the road because not everyone has these.

Good luck!

Macallan21

The OP is young. He doesn't have the driving experience to drive the A4 in this "dynamic" way. Odds are much higher that he ends up wrapping it around a pole because he thinks he's Batman in it.

The B8 2009-2010 have piston & ring problems. (Could've sworn I wrote about that in my 1st post with the extended warranty) that's why the extended warranty is important. It's free under warranty (but you'll pay for the warranty/CPO), or out of pocket it might be $6,000.

OP, have you gotten an insurance quote from State Farm or AllState, or other good companies? When you say you get good grade discounts, employer discounts so on...we all did. And our insurance was still frigging expensive. I've been paying insurance on a luxury car since I was 16, with a $100 deductible on collision, $0 deductible on comprehensive, and boosted property damage coverage. I've paid anywhere from $1000 to $2000 for 6 months from when I was 16 to when I turned 25. Even 1 speeding ticket in that car could tag your insurance with a 10-20% surcharge.

Safety is always important. But first you need to learn how to drive well, before you get a more powerful car. This A4 is going to be faster than a cheap (base model) Camaro, or a Malibu, or a Ford Fusion base, or a Toyota Corolla, a Honda Civic. You've just recently taken drivers ed. They talked a lot about the mentality of young drivers and how they learn lessons. They make mistakes.

There's something called Lifecycle cost, or Ownership cost. That's how they break down what an item costs to buy, and then to maintain and keep in service.

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2009/..._of_ownership/ - $46K

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2010/..._of_ownership/ - $43K

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2010/..._of_ownership/ - $43K

I think repair costs are really low. But their fuel is about double, maybe triple what you will use. This assumes you're selling/trading the car at the end of 5 years, so it's someone else's headache to change the timing belt, water pump, serpentine belt, etc at 100K miles.


If you're going to buy an A4, then get a 2009 Premium Plus with Quattro, and make sure it had the pistons/rings replaced under the warranty already. The power steering hoses need to be replaced to fix steering wheel vibration at low speeds. There's service information for both of those available at the dealer - so they should know what you're talking about.

snagitseven

Sean,

If you want to avoid the early 2.0t engine issues and keep the cost reasonable, consider a low mileage 2009 3.2 V6. This was the only year that Audi offered this tried and true engine in the B8 series and even without a turbo, outperformed the 2.0t a bit due to it's higher 265 HP and was a blast to drive - the smooth engine performed and sounded great. I loved mine and in four years the only issues I had were Audi came up with a fix that replaced poorly designed upper control arms and an upgraded power steering hose. Both have TSBs and would have been performed by now. If I wasn't looking for the next step up to an A6, I would have held on to it well beyond the 50K miles that I put on.
An nice, relatively low mileage '09 3.2 will be harder to find but could be a great choice for you.

Macallan21

I forgot about the 3.2.
http://carmax.com/enus/view-car/defa...7-af26943c1593

$30K for 31,000 miles, with quattro on a 2009 A4 3.2L - isn't this high?

KBB puts my 2009 2.0T ~$16K, and I have the P+ model with Nav & Quattro.