Hey guys,

I know you get a lot of these questions and i have searched, but its hard to find some posts on high mileage a4's. Ok, so now i have a 1996 accord which im probably going to end up selling. I love my accord and its been a great car and i've had no problems with it or the three preludes i owned before it. My friend recently got a 2003 a4 1.8t tiptronic with sport package and i love it. Seriously, after i ride with her my car feels so cheap. I took this in consideration while looking at cars and started looking at 97-98 a4's. I actually found a 1997 a4 1.8t 5mt with 100k for $6500. My question is, will i be buying into a money pit? I know a4's are expensive to maintain and it will probably be a shock since i've spent probably no more than $400 combined on repairs for my hondas. I'd be ready to spend some money on repairs, but i don't know if i could spend like $1500-$2000 in repairs. Please tell me what you think because i am really interested in an a4 and want to make the right decision. Thanks.

 

Certainly nowhere near Honduh reliability, but if you are under warranty you should have nothing to worry about. Just keep up basic and recommended maintenance.

 

If you're a DIYer (like a lot of folks on this board), you can save a bunch of money on the maintenance and repair. If you're a chump like me who still can't figure out where the turbo is actually located, it can get pricey... not quite at the money pit level but still can sting the pocketbook.

 

not that anything will go wrong but repairs can get very expensive very quickly.

 

You will need to spend more than that in regular maintenence.

With 100k miles on a 5spd, consider this:

Timing chain due at 120,000 is $400.
Shock replacements: > $300
Clutch: $2100

Unless the car you are looking at has a new clutch and flywheel, expect to replace it. If the clutch chatters the flywheel is toast.

I have a 98 A4 1.8TQ5MT with 91,000 miles. I purchased it used in 2001 with 41,000 miles on, as an Audi Certified car. I don't consider that high mileage, but the local service shop does. Honda doesn't.

While it was under warranty, I had two oil leaks, one timing chain replaced, one ECU, two tie-rods, one air bag, and one climate control panel replaced. If it hadn't been for the warranty, the cost of this would have been about $3500, and this all occurred between 41,000 and 55,000 miles.

I had a Mustang GT with 80,000 miles on it and all it ever needed was an EGR valve (and lots of tires).

I had a 1984 Camaro and by the time it had 100,000 miles on it, I had only replaced the radiator and muffler.

My 1982 plymouth gran fury (ex-cop-car) only needed a new carbeurator and suspension bushings when I sold it with 175,000 miles on it (but who knows what the cops did to it).

1993 Dodge shadow, 29,000 miles, not a single problem.

1991 Plymouth Laser Turbo, 65,000, not a thing wrong with it.

1989 Acura Integra, 125,000 miles, only needed a new clutch.

1989 Civic CRX. 167,000 miles, only needed a new ECM.

1996 Integra, 30,000, no repairs.

1998 Grand Prix GTP, 27,000 miles, warped rotors.

2000 Honda Prelude, 32,000 miles, ony a recall for spring noise dampers. I should have kept this car instead of buying the Audi.

1998 Audi: Since the warranty has expired I have had to fix an oil leak ($150) which leaked onto the clutch($2100) and corroded a hose ($150). I am also anticipating replacing the shocks, which will cost $300 for cheap Monroe's as I do it myself.

Audi's are engineered to be very nice to drive, and you've experienced that. They are not designed to be reliable nor easy or cheap to fix (if they were, the engineers failed). Case in point, is the clutch I had replaced. Last time I did a clutch, it was a Honda and cost $450 out the door, and only took a couple hours. However, Audi requires $600 in normal clutch parts, and nine hours of labor (about $700-800). They also designed the clutch to engage with a bimetal flywheel which doesn't dissipate heat well, develops hot-spots, warps, chatters, and cannot be machined so it needs to be replaced. This is considered a regular wear item and costs $750. Thank you Audi Engineers. They should demand tuition refunds wherever they got thier diplomas from.

My brother's experience with his 1990 Audi hasn't been better (he ended up selling his to a junk yard because the cost to repair was higher than the value of the car). He's now driving a BMW.

My Father's experience with his Audi was also poor. He had a five cylinder which developed a knocking noise and it's automatic tranny started to slip. With 80,000 miles on it, he got $1500 for it - again, the repair costs did it in. He bought a new 1992 Ford Tempo for $9999 which he put 200,000 miles on it, and got $3000 in trade on a new Hyundai in March.

We love the way our Audi drives and handles in any weather condition, and I am meticulous about taking care of my vehicles. It looks and drives like new, but we're never buying another Audi. We've owned high mileage japanese and american cars and they were more reliable than our Audi and even held it's value better. Our next car, when this Audi becomes a beater, will be a Subaru unless Honda comes out with an AWD wagon.

Good luck.

 

The previous years seemed to have lots of expesive problems like the Timing Belt Tensioner failing, control arms going bad, and etc.

In general Audi's reliability is worse than Honda's, and of course the maintanance would be higher.
If you can do the work yourself, you will save some money.
If you still decide to go with a 97 model, check that all of those things I mentioned have been recently fixed, if not, walk away.