New to Audi... Need purchase advice, please-

[RenaissanceMan]

Hello, everyone.

Recently my Grand Cherokee 'died' and I have decided to replace it with a wagon, instead of getting another SUV. I am looking at getting into a mid to late 90's Audi wagon, but have no idea what to look for. I love the looks of them, and an Audi enthusiast buddy of mine is always raving about them. The vast majority of my knowledge and experience has been with BMWs and Porsches up to now, so I'm in unfamiliar territory here.

I really have my eyes on the A4 Avant wagons, and to a lesser degree the A6's. My budget is going to be somewhere between 6 and 8k... Is it possible to find a nice example for that price? What should I be looking for? What should I avoid? Are some years better/worse than others? Any general guidance would be GREATLY appreciated. Also, I try and do all of my own work on my cars, so I'm also curious if they are DIY-friendly or not. I don't want to be totally in the dark as I move forward on a purchase. Thanks in advance-

[Talibangunner925]

Well audi is owned by porshe so thats a pluss. How ever i dont thing the avant was around in the 90's i think it was avable in like 96. how ever its still a great car

[porscheguy9999]

Originally Posted by Talibangunner925

Well audi is owned by porshe so thats a pluss. How ever i dont thing the avant was around in the 90's i think it was avable in like 96. how ever its still a great car

2 corrections to your "facts":
-Audi is owned by VW, not Porsche (Porsche works with VW, but isnt owned by them, it is it's own company).
-The Avant (wagon) was available in the 4000/5000 series during the 80's (Audi 4000/5000 Wagon) I know this because I used to own an 86' 5000s sedan.

In response to RenaissanceMan:
I think you can get a late 90's Avant in either A4 or A6 guise. I would, however, reccoment you buy an A6 Avant because of the added space and features. I assume you can get a well equiped 97'-99' A6 Avant for about $9,000. Mabey a little more. Whatever you choose, any Audi is a great automobile. Much better than Mercedes and BMW. In the luxury wagon segment, Audi is the undenyable king.

[MikeLee2484]

Originally Posted by Talibangunner925

Well audi is owned by porshe so thats a pluss.

wow...

anyway to answer about pricing you should be able to get a 96 A6 Avant for around 8 grand...your odds of getting an A4 for 6-8 grand are pretty slim...they didnt come out with the A4 Avant until 98 and are only available with the 2.8 V6 (just until 1999 when they put the 1.8T in it as well) so you might be looking at shelling out $10,000 or more for it...ill tell you that if you do get one youll want to do as much work on it yourself as you can cause they are expensive to maintain if you really want to keep it running its best...but that comes with buying a luxury german car...sorry i cant tell you more about specific problems or years to avoid...but if you want the A4 avant youll have to get a 98...and id say if you want to get the A6 go with a 97...it looks slightly better than the 96

[Talibangunner925]

Originally Posted by MikeLee2484

wow...

relax man