jacksonpt

Hi everyone. I'm new to the boards, and to Audi. To this point, I've always been a truck guy, specifically a Toyota truck guy.

Anyways... I'm looking at replacing my current 4Runner as my daily driver. I know the car I should get is the A4 3.0, but the car I want to get is the S4. I did some reading and asked around some car guys that I know about Audis. I heard a lot of mixed comments... a lot of good and bad. All of the bad I heard was with older models (basically pre 2000) - everything from the electrical system to the timing belt to the transmission.

So, here are my questions.
1) How are Audis over the long haul for reliability? I'm looking for first hand experience from people with 2002 or later A4s, especially from those with higher milages vehicles.
2) Do Audis hold their value at all? There aren't many in my area, so it's hard to guage from what's available locally.
3) Where is the best place to go for Audi historical information (model year/generation designation, model year changes, options, color codes, B5 platform vs B6, etc.)?

Thanks for the info everyone.

needforsleep

1) Reliability is decent. Audi's like most other vehicles have their own quirks, but Audi's powertrain systems are pretty rock solid. The only major issue I'm aware of right now is the coilpack recall but that's already been resolved.

2) Audi's hold their value pretty well, especially if you live in an area that doesn't have many dealerships. Do a search on Autotrader.com to see what kind of supply of used Audi's are in your area and also what they are selling for (approximately....I usually take a couple grand off the asking price).

3) Best place for historical info is right here. Do searches and check out the Audiworld Historical Model Guide. This is probably the best place for info.
Other good sites are:
Audizine.com
and
VWVortex.com (Audi area)

2tu®bos1mission

My 2002 A4 is running like new with 41k miles.

jacksonpt

Could you elaborate on your "qwirks" comment? To me, a qwirk is a nuance that takes some getting used to, not a problem or design flaw. I test drove a 1.8T the other day, and to me, a qwirk is the dials Audi uses to control the heated seats (IMO, a button would be much easier to use), but perhaps that's because I'm used to my wife's BMW.

Silver Stealth

I personally think the rotary dial for the heated seats is brilliant. No other maker allows such fine tuning of the heating level. I find in the winter months that my seat is almost always on, I just vary the number depending on the situation, whether it's a gentle warmth on a long drive to ease the back muscles or a deep heat on a cold morning. A lot of cars I've been in with the on/off or Hi/Lo don't offer that kind of fine tuning and I've found them to be either too hot or not warm enough.

Having my car going on 2 years now, I've really come to appreciate it a lot more. Even though I've come from VW, I really think that Audis are over-engineered (in a good way). There are so many detail touches that go unnoticed by most people (including me). Things just work well and you just don't think about it.

For example, what other automaker goes to the trouble to use fiber optics to make the interior lighting so even and uniform? How about the nano-crystalline coating on the plastic instrument cluster that prevents glare? How about the ambient lighting everywhere that does everything from highlight the center console at night to illuminate the interior of the door handles?
How about the special coating on the window glass that beads water that sheets away to improve vision in the rain?

The list goes on and on. I continually discover new details like this the longer I own the car.

In the end, you have to decide what's best for you. I think you're maintenance costs will be higher for an Audi compared to a Toyota but the trade-off is more driver involvement and a higher level of refinement IMHO.

needforsleep

Squeaky back seats due to metal on metal latching mechanism

Sunroof switch issue that allows sunroof to open/close by itself in/out of the vent position.

Pealing paint from window switches

There's more, but these are just some of the more common issues I see a lot.

Keep in mind we know these apply to 2002/2003, so by 2004, they may have fixed these issues.