Mid 90s audis 1996 Audi A4 Quattro in particular

[Seanith]

I've been helping my GF look for a car, and she found a 1996 Audi A4 Quattro that she might be interested in. What can you guys tell me about them? I know audis are known for their expensive maintanance and was just wondering if it would be a suitable for a girls first car? She is kind of on a budget, so we have been trying to find a nice Integra or Prelude but an Audi would be really nice. Thanks!

[JC522]

My friend got a newer A4 for her first car and she learned to drive stick on it. She let me try it out and you have to let the clutch out pretty high first before you start to go or else you'll burn it like i learned haha. I dunno I was used to my RX-7's clutch being low so I guess that might just be me. But if she can afford the insurance and stuff then I say it's a nice car

[Seanith]

She basically needs help from her parents on this one. So when she buys the car, after insurance and all that she won't have a lot of money left over. Do you think Audi's reputation of expensive and frequent repairs will be a problem or am I just being stereotypical?

[kaput]

.

[JC522]

I don't know much about their maintenance but it's probably like the BMW's and stuff. I know that Audi has told all their dealers to use synthetic oil on their engines though

[Seanith]

Originally posted by kaput
I think its way too nice for a first car, and if she can't afford it herself then perhaps something more reasonable is a better place to start. It's really not worth draining all your resources for a stupid car, I learned that early and I'm way ahead of a lot of friends today because of that decision a few years ago. Not saying don't go for it, but maybe consider other options?

Your totally right. Although she probably won't end up getting this car, its nice to look at the options. I'm leaning towards a honda. Its a good first car that will be relatively problem free. An audi is probably too nice for her at the time being ;)

[t-im]

Speaking from experience...

Once anything breaks on a German car it's mucho $$

http://www.canadiandriver.com/roadtest/96-01a4.htm

[Weapon_R]

I also think that it would be the wrong car to buy for a first time buyer (not to mention that it doesn't seem she's going to be able to handle maintanence and repairs).

[Seanith]

Thanks for the help guys. You are definitely right on the money. I could handle a car that may need more maintanance, but definitely not a female that is getting her first car and doesn't know shit about them :tongue: . This quote did it for me.

Consumer Reports has included the 1996-2001 Audi A4 1.8T on its list of used vehicles to avoid, principally because of a worse than average record with respect to engine repairs, but engine cooling, electrical and brake problems also caused concern.

[JC522]

It all depends on if she can afford it, it's a nice car but german cars are expensive to maintain. A honda or a toyota would be a good starter car, they seem to last forever. My first starter car was my RX-7 and I learned how to fix cars because it broke down so much. What I'm trying to say is you don't need a nice car like an A4 for your first car if you can't afford it.

[jasonybu]

im also in the market for an a4, or possibly a bmw 3 or 5 series. from what ive read and heard deffinetly stay away from the 1.8 turbo charged model, the 6cyl is deffinetly a better motor. but it all depends on who you talk to. my boss had a 99 vdub passat, wich is an audi affiliate, and he hated his. but it all depends on what you expect to get out of it. for between $10,000-15,000 you can get a pretty nice little a4.:burnout:

[R-Audi]

Wow,
It seems like all of this info is pretty inaccurate...
I have had both the 2.8 and now the 1.8T, and neither have had any major problems...As for staying away from the 1.8T Are you serious? Look at how many VW.Audi/Seat cars use this engine (still being used!) The engine is strong, and can handle quite a bit of abuse. Like any car, it depends on how it is treated. If you bag it like a Honda, you will have repairs, and at the dealer, they ae expensive!