Have any info on Audi A4's ?

[WRXtranceformed]

My younger brother is getting his first car after he drives around the pooparu some when I bring it home. I guess one of his friend's parents is selling their 1998 AWD A4 with 98,000 miles on it. They said they'd sell it to a family friend like us for $4500, so he's all excited. That kind of made me question it though. From what they say, all it needs is a new timing belt... but we'd have it checked out by a mechanic before purchase of course.

That's all the information I have on the car right now, but do any of you guys have any info about the reliability and durability of this car of this MY ? Anything special we should look for when/if it gets checked out ? I know parts can be expensive for sure and I don't know what his insurance would be like.

On a side note, I'm definitely bitter that his first car is going to be something nice. I drove our old farm truck for like 3 years as my first car =p

[Chris]

talk to Scotty- his parents have one.

[ScottyB]

well, i know quite a bit since i will be looking into this car very soon. Blair also knows a good bit about them. for extra info check out audiworld.com and the 1.8T forum on vwvortex.com, there is enough info there for you to read for a year straight.

i've driven quite a few versions of the 1.8T, the 2.8, both transmissions, in both the A4 and A6, so here is what i can tell you....

big question....is it a 1.8T or 2.8 V6?

well, to start off, 1998's are a good year. if it's a 1.8T, most of the famed coilpack failures begain in 2000 and went on to 2002. also, after the 1999.5 model year audi/vw went with throttle by wire, which is less precise (in my opinion, having driven both throttle by cable and wire) and harder to tune if modded extensively. from 97-99.5 they had 150 horses/150 lb. ft. of torque. the big mod for them is a chip, it ads quite a load of power and better gas milage.

as for the 2.8, its smooth, and has 190 horses/190 lb. ft. of torque stock (in '98 trim). i'm not a fan, the engine is weak down low and has nothing on a chipped 1.8T.

the tranny's are either a 5 speed auto or manny, the auto is labeled as a "tiptronic." the clutch on the manual should last a good 80k miles if driven right, but some people have seen them go as fast as 40k, and up to 150k.

as far as the chassis...its very solid and not particularly heavy for an awd car (3200 pounds). it feels solid as a vault inside. all quattros use a mechanical torsen center diff (and open f/r diffs) with a 50/50 split and come with ESP as standard, it can't be disabled and controls wheelspin via individual brakes under 35 mph. it works amazingly well and its very hard to get the car stuck or dug in.

as for stuff to look out for.....coilpacks on the 1.8T of course, and the water pump. its plastic from the factory and should be replaced with the newer metal one if you get a chance. also the t-belt should be replaced no later than at 60k mile intervals. the ball joints in the front suspension will most likely need to be replaced by 100k miles if not already replaced. they squeek/creak like crazy when they need to be replaced. unfortunately you cant just replace the ball, you have to buy new suspension arms with the balls in them, its a couple hundred bucks.

98k miles is no big deal as long as those things are replaced. they are major reliability parts so they need to be dealt with, especially the t-belt. so far my dad's A4 is going strong after 60k miles with no problems except for one coil pack and a door handle replaced.

if you have more detailed questions about the car, hit me up, i'll talk your ear off

[ViPER1313]

Easy to up the b00st and very light & precise clutch

[WRXtranceformed]

Thanks for the great info ! 8)

It's definitely not the turbocharged version, is the 2.8 v6

[ScottyB]

Thanks for the great info ! 8)

It's definitely not the turbocharged version, is the 2.8 v6

if he doesnt want any extra speed in the future the 2.8 should do fine.

[Mike]

whoa, the 1.8T only puts out 150hp? and i thought my motor sucked!

[CaptainHenreh]

whoa, the 1.8T only puts out 150hp? and i thought my motor sucked!

Yeah, but it has lots of torque, too. But you wouldn't know anything about torque, would you?

:wink:

[Mike]

whoa, the 1.8T only puts out 150hp? and i thought my motor sucked!

Yeah, but it has lots of torque, too. But you wouldn't know anything about torque, would you?

:wink:

<--- 142/127 BITCH

[WRXtranceformed]

Him getting a decent starter car is somewhat acceptable, but one that has the potential for speed ? No chance heh. He needs a lot more practice driving before he should handle any kind of b00st.

If he wants speed, he can ride with me 8)

[ScottyB]

whoa, the 1.8T only puts out 150hp? and i thought my motor sucked!

in 2000 they upped stock horsies to 170 and torque to 160. the best part? torque PEAKS at 1950 rpm and stays flat to 4500 or so. its a tractor motor in disguise, baby.

with a chip, power jumps to 190 horses and 235 lb. feet....deeeeeliscious. at that point though the stock weedwacker turbo is about to go three mile island style anyway. it's a shame too, because the internals are solid to almost twice that power.

edit: the reason the power is so low on the earlier motors is actually a marketing scheme. audi/vw didnt want 1.8T sales biting into the more profitable V6 sales so they purposely detuned the motor, then upped the boost over the years to keep it competitive.

[Feersty]

::pulls out notepad::

thanks scotty

[ScottyB]

::pulls out notepad::

thanks scotty

no prob. i can memorize car facts all day but Lord help me when it comes to remembering when my homework is due

[CaptainHenreh]

::pulls out notepad::

thanks scotty

no prob. i can memorize car facts all day but Lord help me when it comes to remembering when my homework is due

I'm the same way. God help us all. I can remember that the Cosmo had a 3 rotor turbo but with smaller ports than the USDM 2 rotor, but if I have a paper due on thursday, my first thought wednesday morning is "Oh shit! I have a paper due today!"

[lyltoy]

::pulls out notepad::

thanks scotty

no prob. i can memorize car facts all day but Lord help me when it comes to remembering when my homework is due

I'm the same way. God help us all. I can remember that the Cosmo had a 3 rotor turbo but with smaller ports than the USDM 2 rotor, but if I have a paper due on thursday, my first thought wednesday morning is "Oh shit! I have a paper due today!"

oh yea same boat here, i think that we could safely say that most MMers all agree on this

[BLAIR]

KBB value is like 8200 for private party selling and 6000 for trade in value so regardless its a bad ass deal

for that cheep.... id get it for sure.... in fact ill buy it for that price

the v6 is still a good motor.. nice torque and pleanty of powere for a day to day driver. and it should never break as long as its taken care of

as for the timing belt, tensioners, new coolant etc etc parts would be about 250 bucks or so. labor is 5 to 8 hours so expect another 450 to 800 in labor so overall play it safe and say 1000 for the timing belt and all labor. so still for 5500 with a new timing belt the car is a good deal

BTW scotty... good info....i would have said about the same thing

[JohnC]

as for the timing belt, tensioners, new coolant etc etc parts would be about 250 bucks or so. labor is 5 to 8 hours so expect another 450 to 800 in labor so overall play it safe and say 1000 for the timing belt and all labor. so still for 5500 with a new timing belt the car is a good deal

Or you could do it yourself for the cost of parts. And of course, the cost of parts you break getting to the timing belt. And it'll take a few months - the car will be on jackstands through Christmas... Hrm.

[JohnC]

Speaking of Audis, here's a good one:

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[.RJ]

Hrm... A4 or E36 325is....

[CaptainHenreh]

Speaking of Audis, here's a good one:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://forums.audiworld.com/a4/msgs/1567770.phtml">http://forums.audiworld.com/a4/msgs/1567770.phtml</a><!-- m -->

Huh. He must have been doing it wrong.