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Audi A4 2004 and earlier

6042 messages,  Last post on Sep 20, 2011 at 4:33 PM

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What is this discussion about? Audi A4, Sedan

Messages Page 46 of 605

#448 of 6042 Long term ownership of A4 by jctrac

Nov 14, 2000 (9:15 pm)

I have a 1998 A4 1.8T Quattro that is on lease until April 2001. However, the warranty is up in January (3 years). I am thinking of buying the car at the end of the lease, but I am hesitant because the warranty will be up, although I can get an extended one, and I hear that these Audi's are very expensive to fix. I'd like to hear all of your comments for the long term ownership prospects of this car.


Alternatively, I'd like to lease another A4, but the 2002's won't hit the dealerships until the end of the summer, so I'd have to come up with a car for about 5-6 months to tide me over. Does it make sense to buy my car and then try to sell it 6 months later? My buyback is $18,300 but I have no idea what it might be worth. It's in phenomenal condition, having spent most of the three years in a garage or on the highway, and has about 34k miles. I am told that Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds prices are very unrealistic.

#449 of 6042 My friend's A4 by r34

Nov 14, 2000 (10:50 pm)

My friend has a 2.8 A4 quattro and he told me the car is good on snow but he suggested me to get the ESP too. ESP can help on icy surface. He told me he never got stuck in snow.

#450 of 6042 RE:Go Beachbumm by soon2ba4d

Nov 15, 2000 (5:19 am)

Florida roads can be ok depending on where you're at, just stay away from the I4 destruction zone by Tampa. Decent twisties in some areas, working on getting my wife a 2001 A4 sport, although she wants to look at the Passat before her mind is made up. Big change for me though (selling my 300+HP 95 mustang so she can get the A4). Probably going to chip the car plus wheels and basic mods after the first year.

#451 of 6042 cspirer by equalizer1

Nov 15, 2000 (7:24 pm)

The A4 is great in the snow, especially from a starting position. I have the all season tires, but I bet with dedictated snow tires this car would be unstoppable in the snow.


Last year was the first winter I had my A4 and the only thing I had to be aware of was stopping. No AWD can prevent mistakes if you stop too close or too fast on slippery surfaces, otherwise it was great. Better than my Pathfinder.

#452 of 6042 A Testament to Quattro by jctrac

Nov 15, 2000 (7:59 pm)

For anyone who doubted the advantage of quattro, consider the following two experiences that I had.


On a cold and raining night in Boston two years ago, I was driving my A4 1.8T Q around 2:00 in the morning. There was black ice everywhere. You couldn't drive more than 15-20mph without getting into trouble. As I was approaching one intersection I began to apply the brakes and the ABS brakes immediately kicked in, but clearly were not going to stop me in time to avoid entering the intersection. What I did instead, was throw the car into first gear and let the clutch out all the way, while continuing to apply the breaks. The engine slowed the car down significantly as the RPM's came down, bringing the car to a speed which the ABS brakes could then be more effective and completely stop the car. I propose that it was QUATTRO which saved my ass on this occasion for this reason: ABS brakes applies equally to all wheels, the quattro can apply power, or in this case deceleration, to whichever wheels were gripping the ground. So, when I was down to only 1 or 2 wheels of traction, I was still able to use the full breaking ability of the engine to slow the car down.


Moments later, sitting at the same traffic light, I saw flashing red and white lights in my rearview mirror. I figured it was a cop and I was in trouble, but on closer inspection, I realized that it was a spinning pickup truck, doing consecutive 360's. I was seeing headlights, tail lights, headlights, tail lights. It was coming straight at me with no signs of slowing down on the ice. So, I looked to make sure the intersection was clear and floored it through the intersection to get out of the way of the truck. There was some initial slippage and thus a slow start, but once power was transfered to the other wheels, the car took off just fine. The pickup truck missed me be about 10 feet and also cleared the intersection before finally stopping some 50 feet after the traffic lights.


For anyone who doubts the value of quattro in the cold northeast winters, take it for a test drive on the snow and ice.

#453 of 6042 A4 1.8T AVANT VS. SEDAN by esborg

Nov 15, 2000 (10:43 pm)

Help! I have been reading posts on the Audi threads now for over 2 years, and have finally decided to buy a 1.8T, 2001 model. I am super excited, but my dilemma is that I keep going back and forth between the sedan and the avant. My wife and I will start a family next Spring, but other than that, probably have no need for the extra space.


What are the thoughts out there by you avant owners? Are you glad you have the extra space? Any sedan owners out there with babies/toddlers who make do in the sedan? I prefer the styling of the sedan, but am also practical.


Also: am still debating on a few options - namely, ESP and xenon headlights. Automobile mag (I think) just did a report on xenons, and the review was mixed.


Any thoughts would be appreciated!!

#454 of 6042 esborg by equalizer1

Nov 16, 2000 (2:30 pm)

You might benefit by going to www.audiworld.com. There are plenty of people there who have a family and can advise you of the merits and detriments of both cars for a family. Both are really appealing, so it really doesn't matter which one you go for. According to the people who own Avants, they say it is exactly the same as driving an A4.


Defintely go for the Xenons. I have them and could not imagine a car without them. As far as the ESP, if it were an option in 2000, I would have gotten that as well. I am sure alot of people will say with quattro, why get ESP. My feeling is you can never have enough safety apparatus's.


Good luck!

#455 of 6042 2001 A4 1.8t quattro by r34

Nov 16, 2000 (6:06 pm)

It seems that 2001 1.8t quattro price is around 6%+ over invoice right now. Can I get around 5.5% ? Is the price usually more expensive near winter/snow time ? From now to May, which month(s) is a good time to get a good deal ?


equalizer1:


IMO, Xenon lights are just brighter lights. They help you to see things at night more clear and make you car looks nicer but I don't think it is worth $550. I would rather spend $500-$600 on heated seats or Bose speakers. What do you think ?


Thanks.

#456 of 6042 r34 by equalizer1

Nov 16, 2000 (7:23 pm)

I think heated seats are the best thing since sliced bread if you live in a cold climate. I have them and again, wouldn't get a car with leather without them. Total necessity in the cold weather. I have the Bose and think it's great, but then again, I'm no audiophile. Many people on Audiworld don't like the Bose and have opted for aftermarket systems.


Personally, I think the Xenons are definitely worth it. If you drive a car with them you will see the difference. I also think that most cars in the very near future will have them standard and/or as options, so for resale value it would probably be a good option to get, but if I had the choice of the three, I would get the heated seats.


Good luck!

#457 of 6042 Equalizer 1: by seattlesheila

Nov 16, 2000 (10:54 pm)

Ditto on the heated seats. I just tried mine out for the first time last Saturday in my IS300...of all the creature comforts, that's the best!

Messages Page 46 of 605

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