Audi A4

[hemi_fan]

Hey, my dad is in the market for a used car. He was looking at some A4s, and I was wondering... which is the better engine. The 1.8T or the 2.8? I want him to get a bit of a faster car, so I made up a small list of cars around $20,000. The thing is, he drives 60,000km/year so he needs a really reliable and relatively fuel efficient car. Heres my list;

1997ish Nissan 240SX
1994ish Mazda RX7
1993ish Toyota Supra
2000ish Acura Integra Type-R
1993ish Mitsubishi 3000-GT
1997ish BMW M3 4dr

I know some of these (RX7/Supra) probably arent a very good choice for his needs, but which of these would fit best? I really like the 240SXs, and also an Integra Type-R probably would be reliable and efficient. So plz help him make a decision! hopefully either him or i will get a car in the near future. Thanx!

[mit5005]

I would go with the RX7 of course, but for his needs, the 240 and the integra would be good because they have the best fuel economy. I would rather go with the 240 because integras are overrated and a lot of people have them. But its up to ur dad. Good luck!

[Silvia_Drift]

I would say to go with the 240sx. The KA24 motor is extremely reliable and fuel efficient. The car does not have a lot of power (155hp) but its really fun to drive because of its well balanced RWD chassis. It leans towards oversteer but this is easily corrected with some counter-steer. If the car doesn't make enough power, you could swap an SR20DET(220hp) or CA18DET (175hp) for around $3500 but these would probably be a bit less reliable since they are turbos.

[stracing]

ummm...far as i know nissan engines are known to be bullet proof. however the sr20det is not that fuel efficient especially when you start boosting a lot.

[WhiteP]

Wow your father rules.. he likes Sport Cars?

I think I will go for the M3... coz it is much more gentleman.. luxurious with that much driving per year... :D

[PATo355]

Mmmm .... go for the A4 , the 1.8T engine is very reliable and with lots of power , like 180hp i think , in the earlier models is 150hp , driving that much i think fuel economy is very important .

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2467891395&category=6003

and its the new model , so devaluation will go slow

[Tomerville]

The 1.8T is zipper, and more fun to drive. Speedwise, its even faster! Of the cars you chose, I say a 2000ish integra type-R. VTECs are a blast, the car is efficient, and its relatively new. The 3000GT, Supra and RX-7 options are too old, and old cars have old problems. Plus, RX-7s were known to self-detonate. Maybe its just my love for VTECs and Type-Rs, but I think it is the most suitable.

[novass]

I have a 2001 Audi A4 1.8T Quattro and I love it. Its got 30k miles on it but it still runs fine and ive never had a problem with it. IMO thats what I would get.

[Tomerville]

have you had any problems with it? Tradionally Audi's have been unreliable. My dad has a 1998 A8 and it has been fine...until now.

[TT]

Tradionally Audi's have been unreliable


This is the first time I read something like that... Audis are very reliable as far as I know... great build quality too... ym grandpa has a first gen A4 2.8 quattro and never had the slighest problem BTW

[novass]

have you had any problems with it? Tradionally Audi's have been unreliable. My dad has a 1998 A8 and it has been fine...until now.

If your referring to me, I already said I have'nt had any problems with it.

[hemi_fan]

If he goes for the A4, what would you recomend? The Tiptronic Auto, or the Manual box? I read in the Lemons book that the cars fitted with the tiptronic run faster than the manual.

[novass]

If he goes for the A4, what would you recomend? The Tiptronic Auto, or the Manual box? I read in the Lemons book that the cars fitted with the tiptronic run faster than the manual.

I only drove the tiptronic once at the dealership just to see how it was and it wasnt too bad but I enjoyed the manual a lot more. Im not sure if its faster or not though. But even if the conventiol stick is a little slower then the new tiptronic/smg, etc transmissions, I still find manual in general to be much more enjoyable, rewarding and encompassing.

You said hes going to be doing quite a bit of driving in the car so if its going to be a lot of traffic driving he may not want the stick. I would say test out both if possible and choose which would better suit his needs.

[callen]

hemifan, if ur dad drives 60k a year, is it for work? if so he should have a company car for sure things, because that is a retarded amount of km. but i think the A4 is a good choice, u are in ontario and RWD sports cars may not be the best daily driver for ur dad. doesnt audi have the CVT? id go with an auto, ur dad aint shumacher and with all those km i dont think he wants to be shofting gears 1.4 billion times a year. but hey i dunno! good luck

[Tomerville]

It seems like in many long-term tests there are always complaints. Take the latest CAR issue as an example. Right now in the US there are two class-action lawsuits against Audi. One is for faulty rear differentials in 2.7T Allroads, and the other is in the ignition wiring in last generation A4 1.8T. I know 3 people involved in them. As you know too, Audi had a huge problem with their AWD system in the late 80s early 90s that still has not been settled for all.

[jon_s]

God damn that 'RS4' looks sweet Tom!
Any more info on it?

[jon_s]

Its a oettinger a4 go to their web site and you might get some info... :wink:
Merci 8)

[novass]

Ya I havent heard anything about any of those problems. They issued a recall on the ignition coils but I never experianced any problems pertaining to that.

[Schwalbe]

It's true that Audi's cost a lot to maintain, but in return, they are beautiful and so fun to drive. :)

[hemi_fan]

Are there any major differences or changes to the A4 from the years 1998-2002? thats the range hes looking in.

[Schwalbe]

There is several changes between the A4/B5 platform (1996-2001) and the A4/B6 platform (2002- and beyond).