Average Life?

[JustALilBit]

Hey guys, my Dad's looking at an Audi for the possible future.
Hes looking at one now with around 150k on it. I was wondering what the average life is expected from an audi. Its an A4 if that makes any difference.
-Drew

[R_Ethug]

Re: Average Life?

what year? what engine?

[JustALilBit]

Re: Average Life?

Its an 02 with a 1.8T in it.

[R_Ethug]

Re: Average Life?

a b6 1.8t.. at 150k.. the timing belt should be done by now for sure i'm sure it has so..

only other things would be control arms and that suspension stuff that could be on their way out..

if the car has been treated well and the oil changed every 5-8k with synthetic you can easily get that thing up to 300k i'd say.. really i'd probably say 500,000kms if you treat it really well and follow maintenance

[PRY4SNO]

Re: Average Life?

a b6 1.8t.. at 150k.. the timing belt should be done by now for sure i'm sure it has so..

only other things would be control arms and that suspension stuff that could be on their way out..

if the car has been treated well and the oil changed every 5-8k with synthetic you can easily get that thing up to 300k i'd say.. really i'd probably say 500,000kms if you treat it really well and follow maintenance

Ding ding ding!

Make sure to get an inspection with cold and hot compression test done and inspect the status of the t-belt, if it's even suspect best to change it. Far cheaper that way.

Of course, the control arms were an issue so they're suspect but also the tranny and motor mounts at that age could be getting old, and the tie rods/tie rod ends (especially if it's been curbed/ditched). Electronic gremlins were common in the earlier models. Interior finish/trim has a nifty habit of peeling. Feel for the shift collars (if manual) between 1-2, 1-3 and make sure they're nicely... fricitave (yes I made that word up). A bagged on car will have a sloppy 1-2 shift. If it's rough for 1-2 but a 1-3 then 3-1 is smooth it's just the collars which is not a big deal... common even on well maintained cars. Also have the turbo inspected for any play in the shaft as that can be an annoying/costly fix.

I don't say all that to scare you and your pops away, they're excellent cars. But like Vista, they're so bitchy sometimes. A properly maintained car can easily last 400,000 km - 500,000 km from my conversations with various Audi mechanics (indy tuners, shop technicians/managers, etc). Once I got the basic deferred maintainence taken care of on mine it's been solid. And a joy to drive, every time, any weather, whatever road.

Just do it!

[JustALilBit]

Re: Average Life?

Thanks both of you. Yes he said the timing belt was done 5k ago. It is a manual so I will be sure to tell my dad to look for the fricitaveness .
The car looks to be in great shape. If he seems to have enough interest we will definatly be getting it inspected. (its pretty much a given with any car nowadays)

[PRY4SNO]

Re: Average Life?

Take it to George... he'll give you the goods. Ask for the compression tests and if he figures it to be a worthy purchase overall. You never know, he may know of a better deal.

Curious, what year is it and what's the asking price?

[JustALilBit]

Re: Average Life?

Its a 2002. He said he was asking $17'500 for the car. Dad may try to persuade him to a lower price however. It seems like a good deal to me, but I'm still young and naive

[PRY4SNO]

Re: Average Life?

Its a 2002. He said he was asking $17'500 for the car. Dad may try to persuade him to a lower price however. It seems like a good deal to me, but I'm still young and naive

Ummm, that's highway robbery.

I'll sell you mine ('04 1.8tq 6sp) with under 150,000 for $18k even. A bit more with the 2 sets of near new high end summer/winter rubber. And it's in nearly flawless shape. /plug

For an 02 = 5sp, fully loaded (cold weather, convenience, lighting, etc), and that mileage I wouldn't pay a dime over $15k. Tell him $13,900 and go from there.

[JustALilBit]

Re: Average Life?

Wow, I didn't think that those would go for that cheap considering they are usually $40'000+ brand new.
Alright well Ill tell my dad to talk him down a fair bit and see what plays out. Thanks!

[R_Ethug]

Re: Average Life?

resale sucks plus US market makes it a new game now

i paid over 35k for my s4 close to 4 years ago and you can get them for low 20s now... that makes baby jesus cry!

[ridelikeme]

Re: Average Life?

Obviously you have already seen my car, and as long as the vehicle is properly maintained these cars last forever. tactic does not know what he’s talking about because you will not find a B6 A4 for 13,900.. You would be lucky to find one that cheap in the states. and yeah the US market definitely changes the game but most people do not have the know how or patience to import an auto from the US. When i was bringing my car across the border there were 3 cars being impounded that day from improper paperwork or illegal imports. for example my car runs like a top with 127xxx miles on it. my uncles b6 has 270,000 miles on it, his compression is still straight across the board, his timing is perfect and he has been running GIAC 1+ since around 160,XXX miles, all on the stock K03. If my car for some reason does not sell its going stage III, and the aesthetics are being cleaned up.

[R_Ethug]

Re: Average Life?

i'd say 17500 is a pretty good price 13 seems way to low.. sunfire low lol

[PRY4SNO]

Re: Average Life?

Obviously you have already seen my car, and as long as the vehicle is properly maintained these cars last forever. tactic does not know what he’s talking about because you will not find a B6 A4 for 13,900.. You would be lucky to find one that cheap in the states. and yeah the US market definitely changes the game but most people do not have the know how or patience to import an auto from the US. When i was bringing my car across the border there were 3 cars being impounded that day from improper paperwork or illegal imports. for example my car runs like a top with 127xxx miles on it. my uncles b6 has 270,000 miles on it, his compression is still straight across the board, his timing is perfect and he has been running GIAC 1+ since around 160,XXX miles, all on the stock K03. If my car for some reason does not sell its going stage III, and the aesthetics are being cleaned up.

Try re-reading my post. I said 'offer $13,900 and go from there.' That's called bartering. Only a sucker walks into a deal and slaps a wad of cash down on the counter, saying "give me the best you've got, sticker price!"

While you're at it, check out eBay and AutoTrader to see what our cars with our kind of mileage go for in the states. Then tack on about $1,500-$2,000 for duty and excise taxes... then you've got a nice round figure of about $15,000.

Furthermore, I used to work at a Toyota and then a Lexus dealership and know for a fact that you'd be swinging the deal of the century to get $15k for our cars wholesale, and retail isn't much off. So for an '02 with almost 100k miles, you're lucky to get fifteen grand retail.

Try again.

[ridelikeme]

Re: Average Life?

Try re-reading my post. I said 'offer $13,900 and go from there.' That's called bartering. Only a sucker walks into a deal and slaps a wad of cash down on the counter, saying "give me the best you've got, sticker price!"

While you're at it, check out eBay and AutoTrader to see what our cars with our kind of mileage go for in the states. Then tack on about $1,500-$2,000 for duty and excise taxes... then you've got a nice round figure of about $15,000.

Furthermore, I used to work at a Toyota and then a Lexus dealership and know for a fact that you'd be swinging the deal of the century to get $15k for our cars wholesale, and retail isn't much off. So for an '02 with almost 100k miles, you're lucky to get fifteen grand retail.

Try again.

ok valid point, but you do realize we are in Alberta Canada where our cars hold value fairly well compared to many others. If you check canada trader, even with high mileage our cars are selling for over 16,000. nobody said anything about wholesale, and offering 13,900 is not bartering its lowballing.