What's the difference btw 2003/04/05 for A4?

[rockblock]

I usually try to stay away from 1st production year of new models, so I was wondering if there are any notable upgrades/improvements between 2003-05 for both 1.8/3.0? Any particular year that I should stay away from? Thx

[android3000]

02 has the lowest sport suspension

[BASARAB]

There are no problems with 02 models. All years are the same. It all depends how the previous owner was treating the car. 04 are nicer cause u can get 6sp tranny and painted lowers.

[manhertm]

There are no problems with 02 models. All years are the same. It all depends how the previous owner was treating the car. 04 are nicer cause u can get 6sp tranny and painted lowers.

Hmm, that depends on what the OP is looking for, there a definite differences to consider.
Off the top of my head.......
1.No leatherette in the later years(Mine 02 leatherette has a crack on the left boltster)
2.No 6-speed with 1.8t on the early years
3.No USP
4.There was a change in the turbo inlet pipe design(no effect on performance)
5.There are some VAG-COM tweaks that can be done with 02-03 than can't be done with later years
6. No heated rear seats on 03-04

That's all I can think of right now, but you are right about reliability of the 02-06 models, there really is no difference.

[SLeal]

Hmm, that depends on what the OP is looking for, there a definite differences to consider.
Off the top of my head.......
1.No leatherette in the later years(Mine 02 leatherette has a crack on the left boltster)
2.No 6-speed with 1.8t on the early years
3.No USP
4.There was a change in the turbo inlet pipe design(no effect on performance)
5.There are some VAG-COM tweaks that can be done with 02-03 than can't be done with later years
6. No heated rear seats on 03-04

That's all I can think of right now, but you are right about reliability of the 02-06 models, there really is no difference.

My 04 has heated rears

[black99.5a4]

the 04 i'm working on has heated rears!

[A4.Rob]

02 has the lowest sport suspension

i know a lot of peope say that but is there proof of this some place?

[black99.5a4]

in 01, and it might of spilled out into 02 there were 2 codes for sport, one being almost 20mm lower then the other. My buddies 01.5 b5 a4 has the extra lower sport suspension.

It might be what is going on here and they might of stopped offering it.

[rockblock]

I have to choose between an A4 1.8 2003 w/40k miles or a 2005 w/65k miles both at the same price, both in good condition...so, should I go for the 2003?

[manhertm]

Get the 03, if you want potentially less maintenance . Once you get pass 70k, the more expensive maintenance kicks in(timing belt etc). If you don't drive a lot and care about resale, I guess the 05 might be the better choice , but in a year or two , 2 years of difference won't matter much in terms of resale.

[BASARAB]

I have to choose between an A4 1.8 2003 w/40k miles or a 2005 w/65k miles both at the same price, both in good condition...so, should I go for the 2003?

I would suggest an 05. U gotta consider not only mileage, but age of car. All that hoses,tunes,valves get older too. But again, have u checked maintenance records,amount of owners e.t.c. ? Are those cars manual or automatic? And dont buy FWD, or u will hate yourself later lol

[rockblock]

That's kind of my dilema...if a car has been sitting for 2 years without putting any mileage (especially in colder regions), I would assume there has to be some sort of impact on, say timing belt (expansion,contraction due to temp changes)...and yes I'm only looking for quattro as I live in Toronto

[spector]

That's kind of my dilema...if a car has been sitting for 2 years without putting any mileage (especially in colder regions), I would assume there has to be some sort of impact on, say timing belt (expansion,contraction due to temp changes)...and yes I'm only looking for quattro as I live in Toronto

Is one of them a USP?

[BASARAB]

Yeah, it these hours need to be driven, my friend has an 02 and drives it like a maniac, and it never breaks down. While I got an 04 and the car has been sitting in a storage before it was bought bought. I already have replaced bunch of hoses and valves under the hood.

[jsantiago17]

the 04 i'm working on has heated rears!

I have an 04 USP and it looks like I would have heated rears, but there isn't a switch to actually turn them on.

[ruphianh]

I would suggest an 05. U gotta consider not only mileage, but age of car. All that hoses,tunes,valves get older too. But again, have u checked maintenance records,amount of owners e.t.c. ? Are those cars manual or automatic? And dont buy FWD, or u will hate yourself later lol

The tunes get older? ??explain this

[rockblock]

Is one of them a USP?

no usp...I did see a 2002 w/55k miles and sport package though at the same price

[heywier427]

I have an 04 USP and it looks like I would have heated rears, but there isn't a switch to actually turn them on.

if the switches are there, theyre located below the rear ash tray.

[jsantiago17]

if the switches are there, theyre located below the rear ash tray.

Yeah....I know that's where they'd be, but unfortunately they are not. On the side of the seats, it has the symbols for heated seats, but no such luck with the switches to turn them on!