Hey all,

Been a member here for a while posting questions about our '97 A6 a while ago.

Anyways, i'm in the market for a new car. I took a test drive of the 2004 1.8T and 2004 3.0 today @ my dealer. I'm having trouble now deciding between the 1.8T or 3.0, both 6-speed. Here's my take:

test drove the 1.8T first.

Pretty good pulling power for a 4-cyl turbo. 'bout 2k RPM's is when I feel it start to pull ahead. The one I drove was a non-sport, yet still handled well for non-sport suspension, little body roll. Top notch materials inside, solid build, quiet on the inside. I felt that the 6-speed was a little notchy, but maybe it's cuz the car only has 50 miles on it? Maybe after it's been broken and shifted more, it'll become less notchy? how 'bout it 6-speed owners ? This one had the Bose XM option installed and it sounded very nice. Good bass and clarity. All in all, a very good car for the money of the 1.8T.

Next up, the 3.0. This one was a sport packaged one. 6-speed as well. This one has 177 miles on it, but still, the shifter was notchy as the 1.8T. The sport suspension definitely made it more of a "bouncy" ride but handled very well and I didn't mind it. The power was there, from start to finish, power was always available once i hit the pedal. nice exhaust note as well. Again, solid build, quiet, etc. This one was equipped with the Symphony Sound. Didn't have as much bass as the Bose, but still nice sounding. in the end, good like the 1.8T, just more power

I had my salesman spec out a 2005 A4 3.0 with:
Moro Pearl Blue Metallic
Platinum Leather Interior
Premium Package
Sport Package w/ All Seasons
Cold Weather
Northeast Emissions
Bose XM Sound

MSRP was $39,9xx I believe...very close to 40k. They took about 10% off the MSRP, sell for $36k. Do you think that's a good deal?

After I left the dealer, I was thinking of getting the 1.8T instead of the 3.0, one reason is saving about 4k-5k probably. A little more fuel efficient. Mostly driving by myself and don't haul passengers, so I guess I don't need the power of the V6. IMO, the 1.8T suits my needs for power, passing, highway, etc. I called and had him spec out a 2005 1.8T with the "same" options as the 3.0. He will let me know tomorrow when I go back to appraise a trade in.

What do you think the 1.8T can be had for those similar options to the 3.0?

Also, if I did get the 3.0 for $36k and did a trade in, would they take the total of the trade off the $36k or the $40k msrp?

Sorry for the long post, looking forward to hearing answers and joining in the convo's here soon!

 

engine upgrades for the current a4 are coming in the next model year.

 

yes, I do need it within the next month or so as my brother is getting his license and I am giving him my car.

 

cant talk for the 1.8T people, but most on here have a chip for their car as they had a thirst for me power.

 

i'm going to drive the 1.8T again tomorrow to get a better feel for it. I only drove it for about 10 minutes today so that was not enough.

 

Go with 1.8t, then mod. 3.0 not worth an extra $5000 IMO!

 

Go with the 3.0... that looks like a good price

 

Mmmm..definitely a good deal IMO

They offered me a 2005 A4 1.8T, same packages (i know a few things are offered on the 3.0 and not on the 1.8) for $32,290. I'm still deciding between the two. Difference of about 4k 1.8T vs 3.0 though, I feel that the 1.8T is sufficient for my drives and such.

They let me take the 1.8T home tonight for a 24 hour test drive so I can take it on my commute tomorrow to see how it feels and stuff.

I'll probably make my decision within this week