New A4

N80KRR

N80KRR

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Hi all, I'm looking to buy an Audi A4 1.8t. Can anyone give me any tips what to look out for when buying. As I only have a small amount of pennies to spend it'll probably be in the 100k mileage bracket.

Any help would be appreciated
 
Hi and welcome to the forum,i myself would make sure service history is bang upto date and the oil has been changed depending if the car has longlife plan(20k) or every 10k,also TBelt should have been changed by now,Check Acon is working if clim-control this could be a handfull if it goes wrong.I have found this forum to be a great help and the guy's are a great source of help.Many subject's have been covered on the 18t...Is the car 190/163 bhp....
 
I'm looking at both I'd like a 190 but they seem to be harder to find. Also wanting to know what sorts of retro fits I could do. Like rain sensors etc, seen the RNS looks fairly simply so that's a nice mod. Also I have the option to be able to create any sort of body for my car as I work with fiberglass. So I'll probably make it RS-like.
 
Whats your budget mate?

Have you thought about a TDI or do you want a 1.8t?
 
Looking to spend about £4k, I've been looking at the TDI's but never owned a diesel. Would quite like a turbo but I've heard diesels can be mapped to much better bhp. As I'm probably going to map it at some point.
 
Rocko said:
You work with fibreglass??

Tell me more chum.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm actually a polystyrene fabricator. So fiberglass is added to it to make it stronger. I'm sort of an apprentice so not too much in my knowledge bank yet but I'm also learning CAM which I can then route and specific shapes ie Bumpers etc
 
I like you already :)

Ive got a diesel remapped to 180bhp and 310lbs/ft torque. It shifts rightly and still gives 40+ mpg.
 
N80KRR said:
Looking to spend about £4k, I've been looking at the TDI's but never owned a diesel. Would quite like a turbo but I've heard diesels can be mapped to much better bhp. As I'm probably going to map it at some point.
Click to expand...


Tink you might be pushing it to get a B6 for 4k well a decent one anyway.

if you can up your budget you will get a decent TDI for 5-6k
 
not sure if this counts as "decent", but here's my 2.5TDi Quattro 180bhp (remappable to around 230bhp)... just paid £4500 for it (and an "undisclosed" amount for the SatNav and steering).

And that came with Bose audio, self levelling Xenons, full leather, headlight washers, electric lumbar support, courtesy light package, 2 original keys, 12 months MOT, four new tyres, Full service history (half Audi and half with one indy).







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There was a lot of similar stuff in that 4500-5500 channel... and PLENTY if u didn't mind FWD or petrol (1.8T Quattro).... I was after a TDi Quattro (1.9 130bhp or 2.5 180bhp).

Semi-decent 1.8T Quattro's are around £4k in the present climate, but usually highish mileage.

Or for 2500 you can get a reasonable B5.... 1.8 TQS (180bhp) or 1.9Tdi FWD....
 
2.5-3k gets you a decent facelift B5 1.8T Quattro which has 180hp

4k isnt going to buy a 190 quattro B6 i wouldnt think.
 
wow that looks lush. I'd like one with as many extra's as possible. Where abouts did you look to find that gem? I've looked at the usual fleabay and auto trader. I have an audi garage right next to work do you think it would be worth popping in there and asking if they get any px in? considering they have two R8's sitting in the showroom. Too many rich people near here.
 
I really would like to buy one like this as I've spent a little while designing this just starting on the bodywork to change.


a4-vi.jpg
 
N80 - that was Autotrader and a little bit of patience (I'd been looking for over 2 months).

Book value (without extras) is about £4400-£5700 on 70k miles...

Since mine is 50k miles OVER the average, it pushed it right down towards the lower end of that, despite being in VERY good condition.

When I ran it through HPI, that returned a mileage adjusted value of £4400... but that is based on avg condition and no extras.... you get the condition and extras by either paying or waiting, normally just by waiting.....

Not sure which extras I'm missing.... sunroof, heated leather front and back, cruise control, Bluetooth prep and voice control for the satnav.

After that, it's just missing the S-Line body kit and alloys: currently has the "Sport" stuff....

Top tip: you can widen your search by including decent cars that have that naff plastic trim.... and then plump £100 or so getting it replaced.... I'm not sure, but I think the brushed Aluminum might be a bit more than that, but it's WELL worth it... you can see and feel the metal :D
 
so just have to wait a little longer. What sort of mileage can an Audi last? I mean I know there engines are amazingly good but say if i were to buy one that had 150k on the clock, how long could I be looking to keep it before having to get a new one. I don't want to have to change something every two minutes to keep it alive.
 
Ours has 178k on the clock and still goes just fine.

As with anything higher miles means more parts will need replaced. We've had to change the front wheel bearings and all 8 front control arms for instance. As for the engine itself, regular servicing is a MUST. The 1.8T's really suffer under Audi's long life servicing program, as it means the same oil stays in the engine for >15k miles, when in reality it should be changed every 5k. This coupled with garages servicing the car with crap oil can lead to sludging issues and terminal engine failure.

Our engine has had a ropey history, but i gave it a good flush and have changed the oil every 5k since we've had it and its been going fine, however the oil pump is showing signs of wear (it drops pressure if the level in the sump is below about half way and its left idling when hot) and the cam chain tensioner rattles a bit. These parts arent particularly expensive though, and i suspect that changing them would ensure it lasts another 100k without any problems. The other thing to watch on high mileage motors is the turbo itself. Most seem to fail somewhere around 150k.

I really do thing your not going to get the car you want for the money you have. I'd be spending 2.5-3k on a decent late model B5 (like a 1.8T Quattro Sport, 180hp, half leather interior etc), and using the rest of the cash to tweak it and replace/repair anything that needs it, rather than scraping the barrel for the rattyest B6 you can find, then having nothing left to fix the parts that will inevitably be wrong with it.

3 grand gets you this for example: http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-u...icleYearOfManufacture=2000&vehicleRegLetter=V
 
J7USS said:
Heres a cheap one for you
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=320338775870&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=011

The only 190 A4 you going to get is salvage matey.

You need to push your Budget up to £6500 if you want to grab one of them, ive seen few about. Dont know whether its still there but there was a 190 on a 53plate on the trader last week for £6599 - was tempted till I seen mine!
Click to expand...

Very true I bought mine from salvage for £4,200 dropped to my door.

Its drivable but it don't look to good on one side but then I bought it as a project car.
 
As you can tell I can work on the outside appearance, within reason. Like bumpers and stuff like that I can make it's just mechanical that I'm poor at. I do have a mechanic in the family so if it was something simple then it could be fixed but I can' buy a complete wreck my fiancee would kill me. Been trawling through ebay and found some but I don't know whether this is any good.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=320340167834
 
 
boot floor might be bent, and it will need a new quarter panel.

I suspect it will also sell for a good bit more than the £4k you've got to work with, as they're selling for over 10k in working order.
 
I would run a check on the reg for any loans owed on it but yes I would say new quarter will be need for sure and agreed it will go for way more.
 
seems ok, with a lot of detail and history however this doesnt make any sense:

FULL GENUINE AUDI CAMBELT KIT INC TENSIONERS INCLUDED IN SALE - I JUST HAVEN'T GOT TIME TO GET IT FITTED AT THE MOMENT!
IF YOU WANTED THIS DONE BEFORE SALE I CAN GET IT ALL FITTED FOR £100​

then further down:

FULL CAMBELT KIT FITTED AT 131,000 VW MAIN DEALER
​

Its also been on huge service intervals, which i personally hate, but then i doubt you'll find many cars that havent been on their silly Long Life Servicing crap.
 
i thought exactly the same about the cambelt. So one to avoid, sounds a bit weird that you'd have one spare to fit yet you've already got one fitted.
 
audi upgrades
doesnt seem to be an import?

also, most insurance search things dont actually know if the cars an import or not, hence they say cars must be UK spec in their terms and conditions.

Try another similar age/spec car to see if the quote comes out the same?
 
it's coming up that it was registered in 2006. although it's clearly a 52 plate. I changed it and I can only guess it's because it's a qauttro that the price rockets.
 
Hi,

Was reading through your thread...6 months ago I was in the same boat. 4k to spend and wanted a B6 Tdi ....soon realised was not gonna happen. Started looking at 1.8t Avants. After many weeks of trawling ebay every night, Much to my wifes anoyance! lol , I stumbled accross the 1.8T Quattro Sport Avant I have now. 89 Thou on the clock...Large extras list. Full Audi service and repair history. Cost me just 3700. Sure there were bits and bobs to sort out with it but nowt major or expensive just years of cleaning neglect and carelessness.

Moral of the story is if you know what you want just keep looking and looking...you will get lucky
 
Quattro's (of early B6 age) are anything between £500 and £1500 premium on the FWD's.

If you're prepared to hunt around a little bit, £4k will get you a reasonably high spec, although high-ish mileage (>10k per year) FWD 2.5Tdi (150/163bhp)/1.9Tdi(110.130bhp) that has FSH and is in good condition.

The "book value" on my 2.5TDi(180bhp) Quattro is only £4400 since it is a 2001 and has 120k on the clock... and that will take into account the markup for Quattro, so given the state of the 2nd hand car market you'd expect slightly less, that said, it's weighted down for high mileage, it is based on average condition for the age and standard spec, which it's NOT.
 
I'm thinking tdi is the way to go fuel bills are starting to get more and more. At the moment me and the missus share a C2 and a Mini(old). Now we need a bigger car. I've told her never french again, she's not a fan of japanese so we both elected for German. Benz are too big, BMW's seem to be very high insurance plus trying to find one that hasn't been thrashed or had a massive body kit slapped on it is also hard. So Audi it was. I've heard that the engines are real brutes and will last a long time with the right care. So here I am just wait for the right tdi to pop up everyone keeps asking ridiculous prices with the miles still way over 100k. Plus it's finding one to go look at which isn't in Manchester as that seems to be where a majority are being sold. I appreciate the time some people spend helping others. Can't wait to find my little shiny A4, sooner rather than later.
 
don't stress, it'll come along...

both the 1.9Tdi's and 2.5TDi's are great long-term engines with some decent track history (there's a few people on forums with both of these engines on >200k).... unlike the BMW 320d and 330d's that have a habit of swallowing inlet manifold swirl-flaps around the 60-70k mark (for the 320d's, 330d's are less frequent and slightly later), thus shagging the engine and then BMW leave you high and dry, despite it being a design fault.

I thought they were all in Scotland somewhere.... either way, they all seemed to be 160-250 miles away from London!
 
i've now exhausted fleabay, all a4's under 5k are purple linked. So now exhausting autotrader. Any tips on anywhere else to look? Should I even bother to walk down to the audi garage and ask?
 
might be selling mine soon, its a 2001 Y reg, A4 (B6) saloon, silver, 1.8T 163bhp SE, 102k, cambelt and waterpump changed about 1 year/5k ago. got audi service history up to 86k. probably looking for around 3k. its just a basic in that it doesn't have any bodykit or painted lower trims.


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been looking about and found a couple going to look at this weekend. anyone else out there seen any bargains or possibles? I think I'll probably just retrofit everything I'd lke afterwards as I won't be able to get any of the bits for £4k
 
audi upgrades
there's a price / availability tipping point... things like MFSW are pretty rare, so you may turn down a lot of otherwise decent cars if that's your critical feature that you'd like to have.

Just work out what you need to / want to have, price up the retrofit costs and then factor that in when choosing between cars.
 
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