Audi A4 buying advice

I'm not a big fan of Audi, to be honest. I think with the options I'd want in an Audi A4, it would quickly become overpriced. I'd take the performance and (hopeful) reliability of a G35 over any of the lower end Audi's or VW's. But then I love my Nissan, and my next car will more than likely be the G35 or another Maxima. I take it you're not a big fan of the 350Z and want a bit more luxury? .

As for the Acura TL, have you seen the new revamped model for 2004? I personally don't care much for the looks and it may end up being out of your price range, too. It's supposed to be re-designed and released in the fall with an estimated 280hp. I'm not sure I'd take it over a G35, but I'm still interested in looking at it.

You may be in for a rude awakening. I like the interior of the Audi, though. Far more than the Altima and a bit more than the Accord. Just don't expect to destroy any Honda Accords or Nissan Altimas off the line in that Audi. You may be in for a surprise! It's sluggish by today's "under $30k car" standards.

 

I had trouble getting in at the OKC dealership, though. It wasn't just Dallas (and OKC was the one that promised the shortest time before they could look at it of all the ones I called).

I had no trouble with my electrical system, though.

There was a problem that popped up with a few (and not very many) of the 1.8T engines. Reading on the A4 message board (which was then at A4.org), I saw others have the same problem, and it was a common enough problem that Audi paid for it when I got it repaired even though the car was out of warranty at the time (to the tune of over $4,000).

But I don't believe the OKC dealership fixed it properly because it very quickly died again, and this time, it took out the engine completely (not to mention that the OKC people dropped the car off at a random place in town miles from my home and took the keys back to OKC with them.. and left it with a dead battery). But try to get a dealership to admit they screwed up and pay for it.

The A/C hose (which I never did get from Audi. I got one from a junk yard) was a serious problem, though. Audi just did not import the part. I have no idea why, but there were only three of them at dealerships in the United States at the time, and it wasn't until I got the Attorney General of the State of Texas to call on my behalf that they agreed to get one from Germany to fix my car (and by then, I had found the one at the junk yard).

But, had I not hit the massive pothole (which was full of water, so I didn't see how deep it was), the hose wouldn't have been damaged in the first place.

It is something you have to get used to, though, in terms of service. Even the things like the free oil changes or the recommended services, etc. will take far more time to get in for than it would at a Ford dealership or a Nissan dealership or whatever. Parts are more scarce, and everything is more expensive.

Maybe you can live with that, but for me, it was just too much. Even had the car not had the engine problems (I've known people who swear by that 1.8T engine, and it is widely used not only in Audis but in many VWs, so it can't be a flaw that affects a large number of the engines), it was still so difficult to deal with knowing that it took so much effort to get even the simplest thing done.

Having a Nissan now, I'm still always amazed when I can get my car in for service the next day and have my car back later that day. That never happened with my Audi. Even a simple repair took weeks to get in for service and about a week to get the car back. Even an oil change was an overnight affair.

And there were far fewer alternate places I could go to get service. The oil and air filters were hardly ever in stock at Jiffy Lubes and the like. Engine work took special tools that hardly any independent shops had made the investment in. And, like I said, parts were in short supply. And many times, Audi will outright refuse parts sales to anyone other than dealerships.

It's just an adjustment I had to make that was so different than anything I had seen before (and I had had 14 cars prior to that). It wasn't the worst car I've ever had (My 1986 Trans Am was a bigger piece of crap - and fell apart much sooner), but it was second on that list (Until the warranty ended, though, I had few problems - only the broken bushing. Everything else happened within 5,000 miles of the 50K mile warranty ending).

Maybe it's better in Austin, but it wasn't any better at any of the dealerships I called when I was having problems. And I called every Audi dealership within 600 miles of my home.

But that was between 1998 and 2001, perhaps it's gotten better since then.

 

GO here: http://www.bugatti-cars.de/bugatti/index.html

Look at the models and check out the Veyron.

You should get that.

 

Audi has been good to me. I have a TT Quattro and it handles incredibly. Even more so in wet conditions.

 

I would say he is off to a life of debt! Buying a new (as opposed to a good used one) is one of the worst financial moves you can make. I say don't do it...

 

Baqui99,

With that range in mind here is the car for you.

A 2004 Mercedes Benz C230 Kompressor 4-Door Sedan

It is a Six-Speed or Automatic, 4-Door Mercedes with 185hp and a great ride to it. If you get that model with the premium sound system ( a must ) and Xenon Lights (another must) it will only run you about 27-28 grand. Mercedes Benz warranties are great as well and the quality and reliability goes without saying. It has a nice sporty inside with an aluminum trim.

I like the Audi A4 a lot though and they are pretty close. My brother bought his wife a C320 Mercedes, but I drove the C230 Komp and it was fun to drive and felt ver solid.

 

hmmm...It looks like you are eying the 28-33K price range.

I recently went through car-buying, and here are some of the cars that haven't been mentioned and would probably fit your price range slightly better than they did mine.

Honda Accord(What I ended up buying...an absolute steal at its price. Way more power than the A4, 9-3, C230, Es, Is, TSX...good handling, very few options, because pretty much everything you could want is standard)

Acura TSX(Great car...superior handling to the Accord, and, though it has less horsepower, doesn't really feel like it has any less power. As with the Accord, pretty much everything is standard...6 disc in dash changer, dual climate, heated seats...)

Saab 9-3(Pretty good styling, good power, don't really know much more)

Can't believe you don't like the TL, either. The TL definitely has far superior power to my Accord(V6), and better handling as well. You could get a steal on an '03 TL(Redesign next year) or CL(Last year of production).

Also, we bought my Accord for a few hundred bucks under invoice.

 

screw the audi, get a ferrari enzo.

 

The comparisons between VW's and Audis are not well founded. Someone has already mentioned that they are manufactured in difft places. Also, if you look at reliability ratings in teh last 5 years, I believe Audi is superior (the Jetta is particularly bad, but the Passat is average, I believe).

I have a 2001 A4 and truly enjoy driving it. The engine is racy, without being truly powerful. The handling is superb. You should definitely take the A4 down Allen Parkway. I do that everyday at about 75 mph, and it's a breeze.

I think the new style is outstanding. I don't know how the new tranny has done, but the reviews from europe, where it's been available for a while, have been good. I would recommend biting the bullet and getting a stereo upgrade. the base stereo is unimpressive, even for a basic guy like me.

 

I had to do that. Park Place Audi in Dallas wouldn't even take my F-150 XLT extended cab in trade. Their offer was literally $Zero.

Well, like I said, the first 50K miles were trouble free except for the pains with changing the oil and filter (and the broken bushing that was covered under warranty, but which took a month to get fixed), if you're an average mileage driver, you wouldn't see problems for nearly 4 years even if your experience was the same as mine.

And, for a lot of people, that's about how long they keep a car anyway.

Don't expect to keep it much longer than the warranty period covers (which I believe is still 50K miles), and you'll probably be mostly satisfied.

The thing that was most annoying for me is that I took better care of that Audi than I had any other car I've ever had. I babied it to the best of my abilities. And it's the one that gave me the most trouble. I treated my Acura Integra like hell, and it never even hiccupped once during my 115,000 mile/3.5 year ownership period.

 

Toyota makes cars in the US and they are no different than the cars made in Japan or any place else for that matter. Audi A4 and the Passat are the exact car minus some interior trim and a few other minor differences. Same engines, tranny, etc. etc. -- most important Volks owns Audi. There isn't a significant difference in the cars, especially one that would warrant the extra cash on the Audi.

 

Besides picking up lots of chicks and looking like a pimp.

 

$500 over invoice is a great deal if you can get it. which color are you getting? theyre all good, but i like the dolphin grey with the black interior. are you getting the 17" sports rims?

also:

arent the 2004 A4s coming out soon? are they may be out already.

 

1 word of advice. I didn't take the time to read the other posts, but here it is

DO NOT BUY THE 2003 model. Opt out for the 2004. If you've seen the 2004, you'll know why...

 

In an Audi A4? Are you talking about picking up and pimping soccer moms?

 

i'm not exactly sure, but i think the 2004s have painted lowers (valences ) and i think they also have the aluminum trim on the inside. the hp may have been bumped up to 190 also. (again, i may be wrong. this is what i remember reading about the a4 a few months ago when i was in the car market)

 

Baqui99,

Go with the G35 sport coupe

I got mine at Northside for 31 fully loaded and 1.7 APR. My payments are only $283.71! Of course big down payment was made too............I sold my old ride to get the funds.

The G35 will last longer because Infinity is made under the Nissan Brand. Nissan's NOW A DAYS are pretty reliable cars. Not to mention the designs they have now are sleek. You mentioned you test drove one. Did you test out the Coupe or 4 Door model? The reason why I ask is because if anyone has ever tested both, they will tell you exactly what I am going to say...........there is a major difference between both. The 4 door model is more like a typical car while the Coupe just feels like your seated in a jet. That's becasue it is built on the sam platform line as Nissan' 350Z, while the 4 door model is built on a platform that is more like the Altima. But unlike the Z which seats 2 like being in a can, the G35 Sport Coupe seats 4 comfortably. The sport coupe just absoultely huggs you. The seats are the most comfortable I have ever been in. And being that your young like me, I assume you will want to trick out your ride. For neon lovers, there are 2, 12volt adapters sockets in the car. With Two quadrecpticle's you can have a total of 8 jacks for all the lights you can imagine and still have some left over for cell phone, radar detector etc...........And Mobile One makes a pretty sweet setup for radio conversions if you decide to get a face on that sucker. And at 287 hp (Coupe that is, not 4dr model) along with a stunning exterior, G35 is absolutely the way to go. Its one of the best affordable cars ever made, period!

Trust me.......fugedabout Audi and jump in a G35......sport coupe that is.

But if you must go for the A4, here is a place you can go on the web and get anything EVER made for your new ride like Clear Tails. They are labeled under the 2001 model but should fit snugly for yours being that the dimensions are basicly the same. ( I think, not quite sure)



Nopi.com E-CAT


Good luck with your new ride, whatever it may be.

 

no offense dude, but you have no idea what youre talking about.

the g35 sedan is not built on the altima platform (FF-L). both the g35 coupe and sedan are built on the FM (front midship) platform. the g35 sedan and coupe share more than just the platform -- they also have the same engine, suspension, interior, etc..

btw, for having 20 more hp and 20 more lb/ft of torque, the coupe is not that much faster than the sedan. 0-60 times for the auto coupe - approx 6 sec. 0-60 times for the auto sedan - approx 6.2 sec. the difference in manuals is about the same.

the difference in handling between the two isnt that great either.

btw, you must have bought a used g35 coupe, because theres no way you could have got a fully loaded one for $31k. thats about $2k lower than invoice. actually, getting a used one at that price is next to impossible also.

if you did get it at that price, then congratulations, because youre the one and only person in the entire country that got any kind of significant discount on a g35 coupe.