Looking for an Audi A4... Someone help!

[xjett224]

I'm looking into buying an Audi A4 very soon, and was hoping that I could get some help and information because I don't know too much about cars. Should I get the 1.8 T or 2.8? Is 1999 a good year?

Also, what are some cool things that I could do to upgrade and make it faster and overall a better preforming car. Is it easy to do?

Someone please help! As you can tell I don't know much!

[~Met@l~]

1997&1/2 up to curent with the 2.8 and quattro would be what i recomend. In mid 97 the changed from a 12 valve 2.8 to a 30 valve 2.8. 20 horse difference. I have a 12 valve with 207k miles on it and havnt had any problems not caused by human error.

[xjett224]

I've heard the 1.8 turbos are more fun to drive. What's your advice?

[SJanos]

As far as the 1.8t vs. 2.8 issue goes it all comes down to what you plant to use the car for and what you want to do with it. if you want to get a daily driver with the best relability and low end torque, get the 2.8. if you want to seeactual hp gains from mods, great aftermarket avaibility, and to listen to the sweet sound of a turbo spooling under your hood get the 1.8t. the model year that i would recomend for the 1.8t would be 1999.5 (car got a faselift half way through model year), with a 5 speed of course.

[BriNJ]

In what ways is the 2.8 (and current 3.0) better in terms of reliabilty? Are you referring to general maintainence or quality of assembly? I've always been wary of turbo's for long term (150K miles) durabilty.

[RACER D12]

Well if you get the 1.8T it is very easy to mod and it takes to mods well. By just adding a chip you will knock the hp up to 200+hp. However if you got the cash then I would S/C or turbo the 2.8, cause its a bigger motor. So in the long run you could make more power with the 2.8 but the 1.8T will gain HP easyer but not as much in the long run.

[Shwannyboy]

Can you guys confirm or deny this, I heard some complaints revolving around the the 2004 (and I guess earlier) 1.8t audi A4's.

I rumours abound that the 4cyl don't heat up like the the six cylinder....which could potentially pose a problem up here in frigid canada. One of my friends is considering this car, but was wondering if that rumour is true.
we went and test drove it in -30C, but they went and warmed it up for us.....


so any truth...what have you guys heard, what do you think??

[Shwannyboy]

as per my question.....my friend got the a4 4cyl turbo quattro for the night last night. and we took it out in -43 degess Celsius with e windchill (-30 without) and the car was toasty.

there were no problems with the heat especially when you factor in front and rear heated seats.

so if anyone else heard the rumour of inadequate heating in cold temp.

at least in this cold weather testing, there was no problem.

[xjett224]

What are the best Chips out there to get? Does a Trip chip for triptronics make a difference in HP? If i get a chip what else do i need to get for my engine?

[TudorDrancea]

First as tto what car you are going to buy if you are the daily commuter just get the 2.8 wit tip since they are a combo of fun and luxury however if you want a fun fast ride that retains lux get the 1.8t prefferabbly in stick(defiinetly fun to drive plus engine sounds beautiful)

i reccomend the 1.8t

as for what you need to get is up to you and what you want to do
ussually chips are the first mod in line

[xjett224]

I'm not sure which to buy. I heard the 1.8's are less reliable? Can someone verify that? Are Giac chips the best, and if so do i need to get a cold air intake?

[Cbass94]

1.8's aren't necessarily less reliable, I think the reliablility issue has a lot to do with the kind of driver that buys the car. USUALLY, 2.8's don't get driven like the 1.8's do. Usually the people that buy the 1.8 are looking to mod it and drive it hard, hence more wear and tear on the car. I have a 1.8t, and in my opinion, the engine itself is bulletproof.

As for the chip, there are all kinds of companies, and it is next to impossible to say which is the best. In the US, the most well known is probably APR, but that doesn't mean that they are the best for everybody. There are others like: Wetterauer, Oettinger, Giac (as mentioned) AMD, Jabbasport(JBR), etc. Just do some really good research and talk to people that have the various kinds of chips.

With a chip, you do not need to get a cold air intake or even a high flow exhaust right away. The chip can be done alone and like Racer said, it's a really quick 50hp. I don't know if there is any other way to get that much more power for the money.
Good luck with it
-Brad

[RACER D12]

The chip can be done alone and like Racer said, it's a really quick 50hp.

Depends on the year. If its a mid to late 90s 1.8T then yea he would gain like 40 or so hp. However if its a newer one he will only gain like 20hp. This is because the newer ones are better tuned already. So no matter which year you get after the chip you should end up with alittle over 200hp.