noaudiyet

I just looked at a 2002 Allroad with 172k on the clock. It has cosmetic issues on the interior such as switches having info worn off which I read is pretty typical of audi products. I drove the car and it drove good, was responsive. The timing chain and tensioners have recently been replaced. The passenger side rear window went down automatically but would not come back up. Tried to get it up but left if with the seller to get worked out.
The biggie is the air suspension. The front wheels are low and the rear seems to have the correct gap when turned off. The switch stayed at position 1 although position 2 did come on once but went off and I could not get it to come back on again. I put the car in jack mode and still not change in the front or rear of car. I could hear the pump running but no change in status of front or rear. I like the car and could get it at a good price but If I could get an idea of what I might be looking at in terms of problems and cost I could better determine if this is a project I want to take on. I can get the car for 2k or a little less. If I put another 1K in it, it might be worth the risk. Anymore than $1,500 above sale price is not worth it I think. Looking for experienced audi owners input. Thanks.

YKallroad

Best advice is to read the buyer's guide, and search the forums for air suspension threads, as well as timing belt threads and anything else you're curious about. This forum has been very helpful for me in shaking down my '02 over the past 18 months.

Good luck.

EDIT: Just found this by chance: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/aud...meone-2065411/

Shark1007

I bought my 01 recently. It was for sale locally and my indie shop owner knew the shop consigning the car. It had 154K and drove well, my friend was told it just needed a.c. compressor and O2 sensor.

At cost, wholesale, I'm at about 4K in parts. Includes new suspension all around, motor mounts, lots of suspension parts. Needless to say, the seller was a b.s. artist.

On a positive note, I just got back from the mountains with the car and it is superb on the hills and slippery areas. I'm guessing you will spend more than 1500 bucks.

To be complete, I told my friend to give it the fine tooth comb and fix anything he found because I was going to leave it in the mountains. Even thought I have a few bucks invested, really love the car!

SixStick

Unless you're confident enough to tackle the suspension issues yourself, you'll easily spend over $1500. Especially if you don't have good independent mechanic. Taking it to an Audi dealer is a huge financial gamble. Just the two front oem airbags alone will cost over $1500, without installation costs. That's if they determine that's it's only the airbags that are bad. It could be the control block, air pump or other components that are also creating the air level problem. Airbags from Arnott are available for about $600 for the pair, but an indie mechanic will still cost you about $500 - $1000 depending on your location.

At 172k miles, you're more than likely going to have more problems. My recommendation would to be to look for a car with much lower mileage and to learn more about what the common issues with the car are. Also, decide whether you want to do a lot of the mechanical work yourself. The car is great when it runs well, but it definitely takes quite a bit work/money to keep it healthy. I've have a 2004 now, and had another 2004 previously. Love them both, but they both need/needed quite a bit of attention. I would try to pick up a 2004-05 if possible as they seem to be the most reliable from my experience. Good luck with your search.

Worldwidebeagle

Spot on advice. It could have been me speaking. . Allroads have a mid life crisis at 125 k. They are a labour of love from that point on. You can easily spend more than the car is worth. After 125k, it's always something. Just sold my 2003 6mt, sorry to see it go; my wallet, wife are thrilled.

noaudiyet

Thank you to everyone that posted. I did some research and after that I decided to let that car go. I found another with a manual tranny but the owner is a wheeler dealer type, buys them, fixes them, and sells them. He does know when the car had its last timing belt, water pump and thermostat change. To me that says its a job to do as soon as you get the car! The air suspension is in good shape...for now. I'm contemplating but in no hurry. Thanks again.