Looking to by a B5 A4 what do I look for?

[Serac]

Looking to purchase a B5 A4 to drive to and from work. Am seeing that typical mileage for these cars are 80,000+. My question is what typically goes wrong with these high mileage vehicles? I'm looking to put about 15-20,000 miles a year for 4 years. Thanks in advance.

[qua(b5)ttro]

The thing that I look for is who the car was driven by, if it is driven by a younger kid, he's most likely going to beat on the car. When I found my a4 it was driven by a 50 year old woman who drove it to and from work like 20 miles away and it spent every night of it's life in a garage and I still got a great deal. also, timing belts seem to go around that mileage range...

[biketsai]

Buy my car!

[UN-PIMP-Z-A4]

nope buy my car i'm in NYC...
search my name in the classifieds and see my upgrades...

[akielb]

Tires.....Yeah, defiantly make sure it has Tires

[fred2ka4]

Nope, buy my car!!

It's all done ............

[TheReflex79]

Bring it to a mechanic to have it gone through before you shell out the cash. I was lucky, mine was owned by a doctor who only drove it back and forth from home and the hospital. And it only has 60k on it. Just check the history on carfax to see if it ever been in a accident. You'd never tell by looking at the car, but it went off the road sometime and hit a pole. Just make sure there are no surprises, you definately don't want crazy repair expenses on a daily driver.

[fred2ka4]

I was just kidding about buying my car even though it has been on Auto Trader twice without my permission or knowledge. I would have the car thoroughly gone over and ask for any maintenance records. I would also go with a 1999.5-2001 facelift model.

Some of the major things to ask for are TB and control arms. There are other things to ask about but these can cost you about $1500 to have done if you are not mechanically inclined. The best thing to do has already been mentioned and that's take it to a mechanic. I do not think he will be able to tell if the TB has been done so ask for receipts and if they cannot be produced assume it has not been done.

[Serac]

I prefer just a regular A4 without any upgrades. The mechanic thing will be tough as I'm looking at online auctions like ehay and most of these cars are far.

[fred2ka4]

I prefer just a regular A4 without any upgrades. The mechanic thing will be tough as I'm looking at online auctions like ehay and most of these cars are far.

If you are looking at buying online than make sure that you ask for maintenance records and receipts of any and all services done, especially the major ones. If they cannot provide them, then you can either negotiate a lower price or move on to the next car. Especially if it's for services that should have already been done.

[belinko]

Looking to purchase a B5 A4 to drive to and from work. Am seeing that typical mileage for these cars are 80,000+. My question is what typically goes wrong with these high mileage vehicles? I'm looking to put about 15-20,000 miles a year for 4 years. Thanks in advance.

I suggest getting a different car unless you're willing to work on it and trouble shoot things your self.

Do you have the knowledge and tools? Are you ready to deal with a "high maintenance" vehicle? Or do you have a fat check book to take the vehicle into the stealership every so often?

Any car with 80K+ is going to need some serious maintenance, besides the Full Timing Belt kit that will need to be done on this vehicle, which the owners usually don't do, since its not mandatory.

I'm thinking check inner & outer CV boots, was the timing belt replaced, listen for wheel bearing noise, you'll be getting close to replacing all of the control arms, most of the vacuum line will need replacing, the list goes on depending upon the model year. There is a lot of things to look for. Keep searching. This question has been asked many times before.

Good luck.

[black99.5a4]

I bought my car with 166k on the clock a month ago.. when buying one of these cars, it comes down to maintance, there is very little on my car that has more then 50-60k miles on it.. timing belt and water pump was done at 163 when the guy i got it from, got it, took it to work and said 'replace anything that looks like its bad or is going bad'..

you should really look for one of THOSE deals.. mine is a 99.5 1.8 5 speed, got it for 5k with new tb, o2 sensors, tires, timing belt/water pump/tensionors, belts, alt, vaccum lines, all fliuids flushed and changed, brakes, etc.

[Serac]

Don't mind taking it to the dealership or having my local Audi mechanic work on it, it wouldn't be my first Audi. Now which is more reliable the 2.8 or 1.8? Also what's the life span mileage wise on the Quattro? I'm not looking to chip or upgrade anything, just oem wear and tear replacements, thanks.

[dingguhlbary]

reliability wise, the 2.8 definitely wins.
but almost any car, as long as you take care of it, can be a reliable machine. just depends on the driver

[ILoveT]

What you look for is a different car. :)

[djwimbo]

If you don't see snow real often a 2.8 FronTrak may be a decent car. I had one.

My 1.8T has been very reliable. I just hit 171K today. ... And I bought it in Nov. with 154K IIRC.

[bob12312357]

Pop the valve cover cap and look for sludge on the 1.8's. Not definitive but if u see it that bad its done.

[belinko]

I know some peeps with 200K+ on their cars with regular maintenance.