car shopping... Audi a good idea?

[sleeperscoob]

i have been car shopping, and i came across a 1998 audi a4 with 77k on it. It looks very clean. It has the Tiptronic transmission, and its a 1.8T. I dont plan on doing aftermarket, maybe just wheels. I am looking for a car that would last about 5 years. This will be my second car, my car now is a peice of junk. I know there are many posts like this, but i dont want to put 23psi of boost in it, and for me this will be no small investment. I just want a reliable car i can drive reasonably for a couple years. I will most likely be relying on it for longer road trips about once a month(4-5 hours) during the summer. After looking on here i see a lot of people with tiptronic trans problems, and some problems with the 1.8 engine. The carfax reports dont show any records of dealer service, but all the records for registration come from canada (ministry of transportation). If the previous owner took it to a canadian dealer is there a way it doesnt show on carfax? what tips can you give me for test driving? is there something specific i should look for or do? I know that i should ask about service records, but what specificaly am i looking for? would it be as reliable as other cars in the price range (04 stratus, newer eclipses... other less cool cars). i have heard people talk about some kind of cam belt tensioner that brakes or can brake. if that is the biggest problem with not having service records, how much does it cost to replace? just curious because maybe i can use it to lower the price a bit. heres a link to the car.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...max_price=9000

[sweetball456]

Audi is a good idea.

[anty]

Hey, man.

I own an Audi A4. I bought it with 175K on it. I have changed everything on suspensions and wheels and I have made another 30K in 6 months. No problems whatsoever.

For an used car, Audi might be one of the best to choose. Mercedes and BMW are good, too, but they have rear wheel drive and it might be difficult if you are not used to it.