lataf

After trading in my much loved 2000 A4 a few years ago for a Nissan Pathfinder, I am thinking of going back to Audi or another smaller car. With gas prices so high, it gives me a perfect excuse to ditch the massive/boring SUV. I was thinking of picking up a 2005.5 or 2006 A4 and wanted to get a few opinions on which year would be better. I am looking to spend around 20-25k and feel better about Audi this time around with the 100k/6 year warranty (I had a good amount of problems with my last A4). Any recommendations would be much appreciated.

nickstock

I bought a pre-owned 2000 B5 Avant 1.8T with sports suspension back in 2001 and loved it, especially with the extensive warranty that Audi were offering. I then traded it in and bought a 2006 2.0T S-Line Avant, new (with most of the goodies!) and am still loving it, so if you're looking for an Audi A4 with good hauling room, then I'd buy an Avant (I think they look cooler than the sedans too, but I would say that!). As far as I know there haven't been too many issues with the 2005.5 or 2006 A4's except the occasional coilpack failure (like the B6). The stock sports suspension is pretty good, but most of the folks on this forum go for alternative aftermarket setups...all depends on what you're looking to go to your ride.

So my choice would be a 2006 Avant S-Line....but finding one of those pre-owned may be difficult. I'd plump for the 6 speed MT too, not the tiptronic.

Regards,

Nick

lataf

ya, my 2000 a4 was manual/chipped with 18" bbs and suspension - I loved that car I don't think I am going to be able to go with an Avant although I can see the appeal I actually had coilpack issues with my last car which was one of the reasons I ended up getting rid of it... although it was covered by warranty. It's disappointing to see that they did not correct that issue 6 years later :/

nickstock

...yet! I chipped my old 1.8T with assorted other goodies too...it was a lot of fun. I think you'll be suitably impressed with a B7 audi A4, the build quality is phenomenal (as usual), far better than MB or BMW in my opinion and I've driven (and been driven) in both. Mine is almost 3 years old with 41K on the clock and I still get admiring glances from fellow motorists ;-).

The funniest was a rather senior lady, probably in her 70's, asking me whether I liked the Audi, as she was considering getting one! Not the usual demographic!

Cheers and best of luck in the search.

Nick

joneze93tsi

06 S-Line Here.
Had to wait a while, but it was worth it. Find yourself a nice CPO S-Lne 6MT in the color you want. It will be worth the wait. Car's respond amazingly well to mods. (as do most turbo cars) But it will go further than the 1.8t's on stock turbo.

Cheapy Ebay Test Pipe & APR Flash =
222 awhp & 290 awtq

Pelican Pete

Don't get me wrong -- I hate SUVs. They are unsafe, inefficient, gas-guzzling pigs, and I think that they have no place on public roads.

So I support your decision to return to driving a normal car.

However if you are doing it solely for the gas prices, you should reconsider your reasoning. You'll be taking a depreciation hit on the Nissan. You'll be paying for a new(er) car. Audis don't hold their value too well. And Audis generally have higher maintenance costs than Nissans.
And for what? A few extra mpg? Assuming you drive 20k miles/year, you'll save about 600 gallons/year. And the Audi takes premium, whereas the Pathfinder takes regular.
The difference in fuel cost will be AT MOST 1-2 months car payment.

You had coilpack issues with your 2000 A4 ?! I always thought that the coilpack issues started with the DBW cars in 2001. I never had a coilpack go bad on my '98 A4. In fact, that car has been very reliable. (High maintenance costs, notwithstanding.) I've already replaced a few coilpacks in my 2006 A4, which I only got 6 months ago.

-- P.

B_S373N

Valid reasoning.

lataf

Thanks for the feedback. I think that the gas is more of an excuse to ditch the not so fun SUV and get back to a car I actually enjoy. As far as the savings, I currently drive about 15k-20k a year and actually put premium into the pathfinder as it says it requires (has horrible performance/gas millage on 87). The savings should be about 1-1.5k or so a year after going to the Audi. Also, yes! I had the coilpack issues with my previous Audi -- no fun!