Buying advice - A4 Avant TDi - 1996-2001

[wid77]

Hi,

I am new to pistonheads. I am interested in buying the above car and wondered if anyone could let me know what to look out for. I would like the 110bhp SE model but i only have a limited budget about £3k to £3.5k (£4k absolute max) so i know i will be looking at a high miler.

I know parts prices are likely to be higher than some other cars but will this really add a lot to the running costs? I will be doing the minor services myself and letting my mechanic do the more involved work. I am 36 with full ncb so insurance shouldn't be too high.

Would a car with over, say, 130k miles feel 'tired' or do they wear quite well? I would be looking for one with a decent service history.

If i can't afford a decent a4 avant then it will be a skoda octavia tdi but i don't think that car will feel anyway near as special, even though it is a good car by all accounts. I would really like the audi.

Thanks for any help or points you can give.

[rednotdead]

Own a '96 avant TDi 110 SE auto, had it from new. Good solid car which has never let us down *touches wood* although it has only just clocked up 79k miles.

Things to look for:

cambelt service (obviously), should have been done at the 60k mark for the TDi.
check the front suspension bushes - the lower ones are a weak point, ours were replaced at c60k miles.

Apart from that just make sure all the toys work. If the air-con doesn't you are looking at a big bill to sort out - apparently c£1k for a new compressor and labour as it's a dash out job.

Good luck - £3.5k should see you in a fairly decent example but definitely go for the 110bhp, the 90bhp is gutless.

[sublimatica]

Lots of Audis from that generation - like mine - suffer from failing centre computer read outs. After 20 mins driving the screens gradually fade in patches. £700 to sort out if you take it to Audi, although I found a company who claimed to be able to fix them for more like £200.

I had my AC serviced by ChillyWillys a week ago and Paul was telling me that VAG cars are prone to expensive failures if the AC isn't serviced regularly. AC is one of those things that most of us just forget about, but it's particularly important on VAG cars that it gets checked/recharged every two or three years. He was also careful to check whether all the buttons on the AC control unit feel right - they're also known to fail, with expensive consequences.

[trixr4kidz]

My everyday transport is a '98 TDI quattro Avant with 136K on the clock and it is still very tight. The car has been in the family since new so I have seen how little it has deteriorated over the years. As long as the service history is complete, and preferably with additional oil changes, the car should run forever. My father has had many other cars since I bought this off him and they have come and gone in much worse condition than the Audi. The interior of the car wears very well, especially if it has leather, and other than the usual service items, nothing has been replaced.
The only down side is the rear legroom as it's pretty poor.

[Phil Dicky]

I did have a 2.5 TDi A6 avant, which racked up high mileage, generally very good cars, choose the A6 over the A4 for the leg room isuue, they are very poor in this respect

[wid77]

Thanks for all your replies. Very helpful. I now need to start looking for a car with a full service history and not too many previous owners. My main problem is that i tend to get carried away and buy one of the first ones i see. I think it would be a better idea to have a look at a few this time. I did think about going to my local auction but the cahnces of me finding the right car first time is quite small so i will look at the classifieds and, god forbid, ebay!

Cheers.