Should I keep or sell my 03 A4.

[kchan156]

Hello all,

I need you guys' opnion if I should keep my A4. It's a 2003 Quattro with 64k miles. I just took it to the dealer to have it serviced today. They told me that my POWER STEERING RACK is leaking and needs to be replaced. Cost would be $1,300. There's another problem which is the cam head gasket. I'm also due for a timing belt/water pump replacement in a year or so.

My question is, should I fork over the few grand to fix the above issues, or should I should around for a another car. Thanks.

[HeHateMe]

do you want another car? What other car(s) are you looking at?

is it paid off? more info needed

[kchan156]

It's been paid for. I'm looking into a S2000 or something a bit more practical like an Accord. I don't want to keep paying for the expensive maintanence on the Audi. Only thing is that it's tough getting a good price for the audi...

[HeHateMe]

you should get the Accord . S2000 is not practical at all. My roommate has one and had to go buy an Element (kept the s2000 as well )because of the things he couldn't do in a two seater with a tiny trunk.

If you are worried about maintaining the a4 then you should get a Honda imo.

[DGS4]

you should get the Accord . S2000 is not practical at all. My roommate has one and had to go buy an Element (kept the s2000 as well )because of the things he couldn't do in a two seater with a tiny trunk.

If you are worried about maintaining the a4 then you should get a Honda imo.

Agreed. If all in all, get the Accord. Just not the S2000. I feel that the car is too clausterphotic inside with the top up and its tight for me. Also theres no room in the trunk. The other thing about the S2000 is in the rain. Watch the rear carefully, it doesn't like inclement weather at all.

[robsilvr85]

....OR go to an independent dealer and pay way less than that. I dont go to the dealership for touble not unless its under warranty.

[IceMole]

It's been paid for. I'm looking into a S2000 or something a bit more practical like an Accord. I don't want to keep paying for the expensive maintanence on the Audi. Only thing is that it's tough getting a good price for the audi...

stop taking it to the dealer if you have no warranty

[davidlizard]

you should keed the audi fix everything and take care!

[[IX]]

I asked my wife to bury me in my 02

[gdawg'05a4]

Having no payments > payments. Say with a Accord EX-L, stickers for $25,7xx, 60 months @ 6%, $5000 down is about $400 a month. $400x12 = $4800 a year in payments. Do you anticipate $4800 in repairs in a given year? I'd rather just bank that money into a high interest savings account and use it for repairs when they come up. Unless your car has been a troublesome one in the past, I don't see that amount of repairs happening in a year.

The steering rack is somewhat of a common issue. My '05 developed a leak at 61k miles and cost me $1500 to replace. The cam gasket IIRC can be a DIY project so you'll save some money there.

The TB though is really a maintenance item and not a "repair". It's just something that has to be done to keep the motor in good running order. If you find a good independent shop, it'll cost you about $500-700 with parts and labor.

I was in the same boat. My '05 has 94,xxx miles on it and thought about getting something new with warranty, etc. But in the end, decided to keep my car. With the time, effort and money I've put into it, would hate to see it go to the auction.

[ungucpho]

i made the switch from the A4 to the s2000. while there isn't a lot of trunk space, i love it.

[AudiA4Turbo22]

i'd keep it because ur Audi is safer, nicer, and payed off, just take it to an independent shop, see this thread:

http://audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=219091

[HeHateMe]

I've been debating possibly selling mine and getting an 06 b7 2.0, an 03-04 m3 or an 02 996. Of course the price rises from former to latter. I've seen a few nice examples of 02 996s that can be had from 33-36k. I've even been contemplating an 06 a3 2.0.

I love my car and would only sell/trade for something more fun to drive or newer w/warranty. I look through ebay and autotrader semi-regularly to see what can be had out there in my price range. I think many of us play that game though.

gdawg'05a4's point makes sense. But I look at it this way. If you put $4800( Accord payments) a year into your b6 for say two years, you would have one mean -ass b6 that will still look great and if you get a Big Turbo , be fast as isht.

[AudiA4Turbo22]

^^a 996 Turbo???

[kchan156]

What other common issues do Audi's have after 70k?

[AudiA4Turbo22]

^^if u take good care of the car and check on stuff regularly than u wont have any problems!

[geoshu]

Call it in stolen, I need some parts

[AudiA4Turbo22]

^^haha! dibs on battery cover!

[geoshu]

^^haha! dibs on battery cover!

I think we just started a new version of the "group buy"

[AudiA4Turbo22]

^^hahhahahahahaha mines already salvaged so i can't do much!

[geoshu]

^^Wadda ya know, same here.

[AudiA4Turbo22]

^^ahahahahahaha! both of us have benzs(for u had) and salvaged 03 A4's! I was supposed to get a 1995 S500 instead of the A4 but didn't work out unfortunately!

[geoshu]

Yup, I just started another Benz project. But back on topic, it all depends on whether you can afford the maintenance and repairs or not. Personally, I think the Audi is a money pit, I have put too much money into maintenance on it. Of course, any Honda will be more reliable, but they all played out. Have you looked at G35's? You will only have to add a couple thousand on top of your selling price, and Infiniti has been reliable in my experiences.

[gdawg'05a4]

What other common issues do Audi's have after 70k?

I don't think there's anything specifically common after 70k. As long as you keep an eye on things and perform regular maintenance, it should be trouble free. But don't confuse that with things wearing out due to wear and tear (cv joint, wheel bearings, etc).

The one big thing that cost me some money ($500) after 70k was my wiper transmission had started to seize. I had no choice but to have the dealer repair it since it was snowing that day otherwise, I would have just bought the part ($250 IIRC) and do it my self. Other than that, just oil changes every 5k ($40) and filters every 20k ($40).

[B6Lovin]

ac compressor is another one to keep an eye on... it can be pricey if it goes out, and it's happened before -- but hopefully it's not a problem that you'd have within the time you have the car. (should you decide to keep it awhile longer)

personally i'm at the point with my car where I'll probably just fix it when it brakes and be buried in it one day.

[gotquattro]

Well, FWIW-

I decided to not play the money pit game with my '02 3.0. I'm fine with spending on maintenance items like timing belt or brakes. It's when the repairs became standard monthly expense items, in addition to the car payments, that I decided this was too expensive to be worth it. I think I said I could afford to own an a4, just not drive it every day...

The expense part, when combined with me, still, years later, missing the forced induction rush of my stage 1 GTI, and it's manual tranny too. Don't get me wrong, the 3.0 is strong, and gorgeous sounding with the magnaflows, but not fast and certainly not a wheeeeee experience. The GTI was all about the fun while driving factor & I really missed that.

Still have a family tho, so still need four doors & a trunk, but I had an option to add the fun, the zoom-zoom factor back in. I also preferred to not see myself at every stoplight in town.

For me, The answer was found in a great deal on a MazdaSpeed6.

The Speed6 is a limited production, custom built in Japan (only 10,000 made) K04 fed 2.3 litre Direct Injection 4 cyl. that runs all wheel drive through a 6 speed manual tranny and putting out 275 horse and 280 lbs torque stock. Rare as all hell, and runs a 13.9 quarter mile and 0-60 runs in the upper 5 second range, stock. The 0-60 time could be much faster, sadly tho the tranny requires a shift to 3rd to reach 60, adding muchly to the times.

Now, Thanks to the success of the Speed3, there is a good aftermarket starting up. (speed3 is smaller, only fwd, and has the same motor tho mazda has a much less aggressive tune programmed allowing fwd & automatic tranny, also used on the CX7 sport-ute, and is selling in huge numbers)


And, get this, the buttons don't peel. I know, amazing huh?


It's no Audi, or even a VW, when it comes to build quality. And, I do see regular mazda 6's everywhere. But no other speed6's within hundreds of miles of me.

Meets my requirements tho- Fast as shit, semi-unique family sedan, and fun factor FTW! Oh, yeah, and a waranty...


Whatever you decide, I hope it works out for you-

-

[HeHateMe]

^^a 996 Turbo???

no just the regular 996. I believe its 320 hp or around there. The turbos are way out of my price range. e46 m3s are really coming down in price right now. Surely due to the new model.

The b7s will probably take a nice little dive when the b8 debuts as well. It will soon be a really good time to get a great price on a 2.0 I will probably keep the good old b6 though. I wonder if b6 values will go down when the b8 comes out? Haven't given it any thought.

Well, FWIW-



For me, The answer was found in a great deal on a MazdaSpeed6.

I like the MazdaSpeed3. That's a cool little wagon , the 263 hp and low price make it pretty hard to beat. You can pick a one or two year old car for under 20k

[AudiA4Turbo22]

^^my buddy bought an E46 M3 for $21000 2 months ago! i think it had 60k on the clock though! And as for the B6 values, they will be more demanded, because some wont like the B8 and instead get a B6 or B7 and those who like te B8 and cant afford one will buy a B6 because it's cheaper!

[Maverick]

go buy yourself an extended factory warranty if your car is not modded heavily

[HeHateMe]

^^my buddy bought an E46 M3 for $21000 2 months ago! i think it had 60k on the clock though! And as for the B6 values, they will be more demanded, because some wont like the B8 and instead get a B6 or B7 and those who like te B8 and cant afford one will buy a B6 because it's cheaper!

LOL, that's a way to look at it

[B6 Dude]

I had a B5 A4 1.8t for 10.5yrs and 163k miles (only recently traded it in for a B6), and although it did have various issues, it was one of the best car values I ever had, better than my Integra. (I've had other Hondas, but didn't keep them for long). When I traded it in a couple weeks ago, I was thinking that even if the car disintegrated into dust and I got nothing out of it, I wouldn't be hurt because it cost me so little in maintenance over those years.

The trick was to never go to the dealer after the warranty and do as much as possible myself. Euro/german shops are another good source, but can be expensive at times depending on what you need done. I realized that parts aren't very expensive on Audis -- it's the labor, so if you don't have the ability to do much on your own, you may be better off getting the Honda. BTW, compare Honda vs. Audi vs. Mazda parts prices (for similar items) at places like Autozone or Pep boys. You'll never want to own a Mazda.

For something like a steering rack, check out aftermarket sources (I usually use germanautoparts.com or purems.com) and have it replaced at somewhere like a tire kingdom or so. You should find that the repair would cost way below your original estimate. For engine issues, I'd lean more towards a Euro/German shop.

Cheers,
-Neil.

[kchan156]

Thanks for the input guys. I'm going to my co-worker's mechanic and see how much it'll be to do the services. The A4's fine it's just that I'm afraid it'll be a money pit. I rather pay 400 bucks a month and get a new car than using half that money to maintain the car.

[geoshu]

Did you have any signs that the rack was leaking? My rack is making loud popping/clunking noises when I turn the wheel sharp, I definitely dont want to spend that much on mine.

[b6onboost]

Money wise...it is pretty much always cheaper to keep an older car running than it is to buy something newer. like gdawg'05a4 mentioned, the cost per year to get a newer car will likely exceed the cost of maintaining your A4.

Emotion wise...its hard to put a price on warranty, piece of mind, and driving a never (possibly better) car. To some this is worth a ton, to others nothing.

The new car would be a bigger 'money pit'. Depreciation, insurance, high monthly payment. Just because its a new car doesn't mean it is any less of a money pit.

The A4's fine it's just that I'm afraid it'll be a money pit. I rather pay 400 bucks a month and get a new car than using half that money to maintain the car.

[AudiA4Turbo22]

yo geoshu thats related to ur CV joints, i'm getting mine changed out this week! all u need is 2 new axles, maybe $300-$400 tops!

[gdawg'05a4]

No signs the rack was leaking. I actually noticed it when changing my transmission fluid. I usually like to check around when I'm under the car to look for anything that may be torn, leaking, etc.

[geoshu]

yo geoshu thats related to ur CV joints, i'm getting mine changed out this week! all u need is 2 new axles, maybe $300-$400 tops!

Nice, look for PM with q's