I'm going to buy a 2002 in which the private seller said he bought in May of 2002. Are there any "nagging" issues that I should be concerned about?

I currently own a 2001 Jetta 1.8T and this A4 will be for the wifey. I've been very happy with the 1.8T drivetrain and figured I would step up and get a "real" Audi, hahaha.

Anyways he is asking below $30K. The following is a basic list of the more prominent options and milage;

- Sport package
- Premium package
- 6 speed
- 3.0 Quattro
- 11K miles

I'm going to look at it tonight.

 

Go 4 it. Under $30K? Hit it!

 

Cheap, go for it!!! I love mine.

 

Are you aware of the faulty coil packs in the 2002 A4?

 

I have been reading about them on these forums. My Jetta blew one already.

 

I've had my car since 12/01 with absolutely no problems except I had to replace front left parking light bulb. If the car is clean, it's a no brainer with the 3.0 I wonder if it has the sport pkg.? You wife may not like the firmer ride compared to the standard suspension.
Good Luck

 

grill the owner about this, if he's had one fail yet. If not, expect it in the first 10K mi you own the car, UNLESS AoA gets its act together & the full recall is issued by then. Which I gotta wonder about. They've been having production issues getting the new suppliers to make enough to do the needed swaps.

Other than that, I love my car. If you hung around here long enough, you'd learn others' complaints (some might consider these minor, depends the driver):
items with * should be fixed by dealer under warranty
-rattling sunroof*
-rear bumper cover might come unclipped or otherwise unfastened from the hardware underneath & makes an odd sound when you hit it w/your hand (doesn't seem to be any real concern)
-that front turn-signal bulb*
-I've seen several posts on dead radios*
-sport package original tires (Mich. Primacies) wear out quick and are deadly in the snow. Expect 20-25K mi. Some drivers complain they wear unevenly in latter half of their life
-wiper blades wear out quickly*
-I've lately noticed the black paint on some window switches is peeling. Annoying but easily fixed.

Gosh, what else? Nothing really major that hasn't been covered under the warranty. Not sure if you get the extended "Audi Assured" coverage on a used A4 when buying from a private seller as you would from a dealer. Something to consider, as it extends the original warranty on much of the car. The A4 should be a solid car, and you'll hopefully appreciate the V6 thrust vs. the 1.8T in your Jetta. The sport handling pckg is awesome & totally blew me away when I stepped up from my '95 GLX.

Be sure to check out kbb.com to find out the car's true value. I haven't looked lately, the one you're considering has good/low mileage but make sure it's priced right.

One last thing- I hope it's Dolphin Gray or black! Otherwise you'll end up painting the the lower rocker-panels to match body after reading 100's of posts here & seeing photos of how much better (I think) it looks! Good luck!

PS - you'll probably want to swap cars w/the wife!

 

Wow! Very informative. Thanks a lot.

 

Still slightly higher than normal rates, but nothing at all like the 1.8t engines.