KevB

Ok It is a loaded silver 2.8 quattro with 60k miles. It is at Rector in Burlingame Ca. They are asking 16k I am suggesting 12-14k do you think that is possible?

Turning Japanese

That seems high. He could have a newer 1.8t for that.

KevB

That is what I am thinking to

Turning Japanese

what exactly is he looking for? Does he care about tunability?

KevB

NO he just wants a nice car and out of his money pit explorer

Matt H.

My parents had an explorer, I've owned a 96 A4 (No Quattro, eliminating that potential repair cost) for almost a year now, and I've put more into fixing it than they did with an Explorer for 4 years.

Gas Mileage is a little better, but nothing to brag about, especially not that I have to run super.

He either has to spend the money and get something that is Audi assured, or new, or not get an Audi, ir money is the motivating factor.

mike*green

While I only have 23k on mine now, I've NEVER heard of these engines being anything but great in terms of reliability. Now the 1.8T's I know come with a 55k disposable turbo on them :-)

Matt H.

because I spent $700 getting the timing belt done at 90K miles, other than that, here we go:

-Bought at 66K miles
-Drained all fluids and refilled, replaced brake pads on front....$635
-Had to replace fuel pump and relay...$500
-replace seal in filler neck of gas line...$100
-replaced tierod ends, drained power steering fluid and replaced, reset ABS and BRAKE lights....$470
-timing belt job mentioned above....$700
-doing a control arm this week, $100 (Cheap, b/c I'm able to do it myself)
-Needs body work around the front...minor, going to let it go for now.

I'm now at 86K miles, and its been 11 months...unacceptable. Most of these problems arise after 50,000 miles.

RickM

My wife drives a 97 A6 wagon with the same 12-valve 2.8 engine. It has about 75,000 miles on it now. We've already replaced the timing belt, which is a necessary expense, but other than that this engine and drivetrain have been totally bulletproof and problem-free. My complaint is with its performance; it has no low-end grunt and is relatively slow off the mark. But my wife doesn't care, so it isn't an issue. And it's a fine highway cruiser.

So while I don't doubt that some people have experienced some extraordinary problems (with accompanying expense) with this engine, based on my own experiences all I can say is that they are extraordinary and not typical. Or have I just been lucky? I don't have all of the data one would need in order to create a complete service profile of this engine/drivetrain among all owners, but my sense of it from spending the past 2 1/2 years visiting Audiworld is that the 12v 2.8 has generally proved to be very very reliable. Which means that mine is the more typical experience. Bear in mind, my comments here are limited to the engine/drivetrain. Control arms, etc. on the early A4's are a different issue and definitely require attention on the part of any potential buyer.

Rick

Matt H.

ANY used car will require repair at some point...its inevitable. Rapair on an Audi, in most cases, is more expensive than most cars that may be considered in a similar market.

My Brother has a 97 1.8T...few problems, its been more sound than mine for the most part....but he's only at 60,000 miles. BTW, he had to replace the horn switch in the steering wheel the other day......$200! Just one example of how it can get out of hand.