2001 Audi A4 as my first car?

[xfire45]

it's got 71k miles, in very good condition, I test drove it, and it ran great! It's the 1.8 L turbo engine model, although its fwd version no the quattro. Its priced at $6200. My only concern is the cost of maintenance,I know european cars are slightly expensive to maintain (like for oil change and I would probably have to fill it with premium), but this looks like such a good deal to me. Your opinion would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[jon@af]

Originally Posted by xfire45

it's got 71k miles, in very good condition, I test drove it, and it ran great! It's the 1.8 L turbo engine model, although its fwd version no the quattro. Its priced at $6200. My only concern is the cost of maintenance,I know european cars are slightly expensive to maintain (like for oil change and I would probably have to fill it with premium), but this looks like such a good deal to me. Your opinion would be much appreciated. Thanks.

The price for the mileage sounds like a pretty good deal. It's not often you find a car that's 10 years old and has under 100,000 miles on it.

As far as maintenance goes, look into what kind of maintenance is typical of that model (we have an Audi forum right here ), what mileage ranges typically result in problems/parts replacement, etc.

My mother-in-law used to have an Audi wagon and it was somewhat expensive to upkeep, so that certainly is a good thing to keep in mind if you're going to be getting your first car. It helps if you have a job, but you don't want to be pouring all your money into car work bills if you can avoid it.

[2bloud]

Sounds like a good deal to me. Maintenance is high on these cars. I own a volkswagen passat. There basicly the same car but I got the v6 na. I figured it would be better to not have a turbo. That can cost alot if it goes out. I love my car and it does take premium fuel. If it is auto keep in mind the tranny is sealed so you cant just check the fluid, very easy that is. Anyways Good luck hope you find something nice.

[speediva]

Don't forget about insurance costs... You mentioned this would be your first car, so depending on YOUR age, the insurance may be prohibitive.

And as Swigz said, check out what kinds of things have gone wrong for others in the Audi forum and see if the cost of parts/maintenance is going to sink you.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

[xfire45]

I'm 21, so I have 5 years of driving experience, which I think will help with insurance. I'm currently in my last year of college which is what I'd use this car for going back and forth between home and college (4 hr trip, 250 miles). But I only go home a couple times in a semester (3 or 4 at most). I've been looking at Accords, Camry, and some other japanese cars but they have higher mileage on them, plus some of them like the accord are more expensive than the a4, I'm talking $7000-$8000 for a decent used accord which is 10 years old. They probably cost less to maintain, but this audi has no mechanical issues, and the last owner followed the service manual religiously, he took it for an oil change every 3000 miles, put in synthetic. I've read that well maintained audis can last forever,so I think that this car can last me at least another year or two, without any major issues.

[Moppie]

Originally Posted by xfire45

I'm 21, so I have 5 years of driving experience, which I think will help with insurance. I'm currently in my last year of college which is what I'd use this car for going back and forth between home and college (4 hr trip, 250 miles). But I only go home a couple times in a semester (3 or 4 at most). I've been looking at Accords, Camry, and some other japanese cars but they have higher mileage on them, plus some of them like the accord are more expensive than the a4, I'm talking $7000-$8000 for a decent used accord which is 10 years old. They probably cost less to maintain, but this audi has no mechanical issues, and the last owner followed the service manual religiously, he took it for an oil change every 3000 miles, put in synthetic. I've read that well maintained audis can last forever,so I think that this car can last me at least another year or two, without any major issues.

Welcome to AF!

They are pretty well built cars, and a much nicer drive than a Camry or Accord.
If it's been well looked after, and you can keep looking after it, there is no reason it won't continue to be reliable.

The Camry and Accord are both made in the US, so there is no excuse for parts to cost more.
Most bits for the Audi will be coming from Europe, China or Brazil, so it's an excuse for dealers and parts suppliers to charge more.
In reality they are no more expensive than an Accord or Camry to run.

But, you will need to do a little digging to find the best parts suppliers.
I know in the US there are companies who specialise in online sales of parts at affordable prices for European cars.