i would like to start off by saying that if your only intention is to tell me im an idiot for buying an Audi, or want to rip on VWs and Audie, please don’t post in this thread. ive done the research and made up my mind this is what im buying. thank you for your understanding.
ok, as most of you kno, im looking at getting a 96-97 A4 2.8. i have come across one that is a pretty good deal, but it does need a coupple thisgn done.
1996 A4 Quattro
146,000 miles
Water Pump and Timing belt changed about 20k ago
car is overall in good shape
the person selling it flat out told me its gonna need ball joints and it has never had the tie rods done (so im just gonna assume it will need those).
my question is, are ball joints and tie rods something i could do (with a little help) or something i really need to have done? if so, how much am i looking at?
the other car i am considering is a 96 A4 FWD with 119,000 miles, and it has small power steering leak. it is the same rpice as the first one.
so what do you guys think? am i better off putting new ball joints and tie rods in the first one and get the bennifits of AWD OR am i better off going with the FWD (which i think will be fine for me) and dealing with the power steering leak? also, i have no idea when or if the timing belt or water pump were done. OR should i keep looking? the sooner i get something the better…and money IS and object. thanks in advance for the advice
AWD>FWD as a daily no matter how you cut it. yes, FWD can get you around, but AWD is the shit and you will love having it.
ball joints and TRE are much easier to replace than trying to do anything having to do with power steering on the B5 chassis. be warned though, an alignment is gonna be a pretty penny, and those ball joints are gonna need replacing again soon.
146,000 is alot of mileage for stuff like clutch, cv boots, coolant system, and some of the misc sensors (coolant temp, 02, egt) those are possible costs you could have down the road and should be thought of if money is an object. these arent the cheapest cars to maintain.
if you arent in a rush i would wait, maybe even look out of state. if you are considering doing the work yourself, you will love a car that hasnt seen as much buffalo winter. another thing that could save you money down the road.
have the cars been buffalo driven they’re whole lives?
tre and ball joints are not a huge project at all, unless you’ve got no experience at all under a car, then you might want to get some help doing it. just buy an owners manual for it and read. i thought myself how to do everything on the car by just reading the manual and actually doing that when i was 15-16yo.
with the other audi that has the power steering leak, all i have to say is it will be a bigger chore than doing ball joints. i would take my time finding a better deal and travel a lil to find something better. ive always hated doing racks.
little shit like that will keep adding up on vw/audi cars that will put the dent in your wallet, trust me, it sucks. plus you have all summer to find one (if its gonna be a winter beater)
The rack is very expensive though. The leak is more likely one of the high pressure lines, but could easily just be a crack in a hose going to the cooler, impossible to tell w/out looking. If it was the rack, it would drain the fluid in about 24 hours, not a slow leak.
AWD > FWD, and it still sounds like you can’t afford the car, why not buy something else? The 96s were crapola.
5 grand is about my limmit. whether thats $4500 on the car and $500 in repairs or $5000 on the whole car that doesnt need anything, it doesnt matter, but $5000 is my limmit.
You should really be looking at spending it on something else. There are plenty of expensive repairs that are likely to pop up. Wheel bearings, ABS controller, etc etc
Great cars, but don’t try to buy one on a “budget”, you get what you pay for with these, and repairs can get costly. If you send an extra 2 or so grand (7K total) you should be able to find a good one that won’t need any maint. for a while.
My Passat is also a B5 and last year I did the timing belt, control arms, tie rod ends etc., this year I have had nothing to do, and I drivef 40K a year.
Don’t go high mileage unless you are ready to start replacing stuff. You will bury the 5G mark if you have to start replacing things on an Audi. My cousin is selling his white A4 2.8, PM me if you are interested, I will ask him how much he is selling it for.
Find one with incredible service records and pay big bucks for it.
Buy a really cheap one and gamble on repairs.
If you have the coin for repairs it may be worth the gamble because even with good records cars can still have huge repairs needed.
It is a used car so expect repairs either way.
see the thing is, the A4 has everything i want. a somewhat ‘pimp’ 4 door sedan, 5 speed, handles well, and is a comfortable car to drive to a DD. i dont really kno what else i want that fits that crieteria. i really dont know what else i want. i was looking into 98+ 2 door Accord V6s, but there is no way in hell i can get one for under 5 grand. i did find a coupple 99 Eclipses on Autotrader that are in my price rtance, but there is the whole DSM thing which is prob not much better than the Audi lol.
