Buying Advice 2006 Audi A4 3.2 Quattro

[JochenWoern]

Hoping to get some input from you Audi pro's out there. I had a 1998 A6 Quattro many years ago,but have been away from Audi for a while now.

Here the link to the car I am looking to purchase, negotiated with the seller and he will let the car go for 2K:

https://goldcountry.craigslist.org/c...036098566.html

I checked Carfax and the car was regularly serviced all its life. At the early years at the Audi dealership, later on at independent shops. This will be an additional vehicle, and the plan is to hand it over once my boy has his license. I like to get an Audi Quattro for the snow and as mentioned for my boy, but do not want to spend a huge amount of money, as we already have good and reliable daily drivers (2007 Mercedes E350 for me, 2011 BMW X5 for the wife and a 2003 BMW 330i for my daughter).

So in the pics, the car looks good and straight, and it has a new set of tires as well. I do not mind spending some money on some repairs to get the car where it needs to be again. Some things I (we, my son and I) can and will do ourselves.

I am just mainly interested in the longevity of the 3.2 motor. A well maintained Benz as well as BMW 6 cylinder will easily go past the 200k mile mark, but am wondering if the Audi is capable to do the same? The manual gearbox should hopefully not cause too may problems.

Your input and words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. THANK YOU, and Merry Christmas.

[jeffz]

Listing is gone.

[JochenWoern]

Let's try again.
When I go to craigslist, the posting is there.
Copied the link again in the Hope's it now shall work.

https://goldcountry.craigslist.org/c...036098566.html

[Jeevan]

2000 its a steal. dont think too much even if you spend 1500 to 2500$ for fixing some repairs its still worth it. good about this is a naturally aspirated engine, so dont have to worry about turbo going bad after 1000k.

[Nor_Cal_Driver]

I live in Grass Valley.

Check control arms and have it scanned for codes.

[JochenWoern]

Thanks very much so far.


So you guys would not shy away from the mileage for the price of 2k?

You guys agree that the car does not look bad in the pictures and could be cleaned up again nicely?

Thank you, greatly appreciate your advice.

[Jeevan]

Nope 158k is low. Most of these cars are good for 200k. These are the item that need replacing as soon as you bought it, PCV,Valve cover gaskets, transmission fluid and diff fluids change. Upper control arms. 2k for a Quattro is a steal unless the engine is gone bad. You don’t even get salvage cars for that price

Worst case senario, you can part out the car for more than 2k dude


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[JochenWoern]

Nope 158k is low. Most of these cars are good for 200k. These are the item that need replacing as soon as you bought it, PCV,Valve cover gaskets, transmission fluid and diff fluids change. Upper control arms. 2k for a Quattro is a steal unless the engine is gone bad. You don’t even get salvage cars for that price

Worst case senario, you can part out the car for more than 2k dude


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Thanks Jeevan.

[Nor_Cal_Driver]

I agree. That’s a good deal. I sold my 06 for $3200 with more miles and a bad coolant leak.

[Pillow]

Buy it! We have pretty much the same setup for my daughter, but paid 3k last year... But it needed some work. So you are getting a better all around deal IMO.

Clean it and enjoy. The stereo looks perfect in there as well, I installed the GROM unit for BT. Watch for old valve cover gaskets that leak onto the headers (easy fix for under $40). Also our serp belt was overdue for changing.

Euro tax in effect, but it sounds like you live that life already. ;)

[JochenWoern]

AWESOME, thank you all for putting my mind a bit at ease. GREATLY appreciated.

- According to the owner and verified via Carfax, the Belt as well as Pulley Tensioner was replaced at 153,634 miles.
- Owner states that the Valve Cover Gaskets are leaking and are needing replacement.

As I am a maintenance freak, I will have it looked over thoroughly at my trustworthy Indy Shop, who maintains all of our cars. I do not mind spending some money to put the car back in the shape it needs to be in, as long as I know that the Engine is solid.

I am originally from Germany, immigrated as a matter of fact 30 years ago TODAY! My Dad worked for 37 years as a line Supervisor at the Audi Factory in Neckarsulm, near Heilbronn/Germany, where he was responsible for the Interior Assembly of the 100 and later A6. (He is retired now). Talked to him as well in length about his thoughts on the car and he agrees with you guys, for the price it is a steal.

@Pillow: Not sure I understand the "Euro Tax" comment?

Thanks again Guys.

[Pillow]

@Pillow: Not sure I understand the "Euro Tax" comment?

The joy of driving European cars comes with a higher maintenance and upkeep costs of ownership. This is what I use for slang on the Euro Tax.

Keep us posted on how you like the nused 3.2!

[JochenWoern]

The joy of driving European cars comes with a higher maintenance and upkeep costs of ownership. This is what I use for slang on the Euro Tax.

Keep us posted on how you like the used 3.2!

Got it, thanks :)

Yes, I am used to it based on the cars we have, and had for many years. I like to refer to FPG (Fun per Gallon), and am willing to sacrifice a bit on the maintanance cost, as I would never drive a boring Camry or Accord.

The owner is out of State for the Holidays and will not return until 1/6, so I will hopefully get the car soon thereafter.

Will definitely keep you guys posted.

[Pillow]

I like to refer to FPG (Fun per Gallon), and am willing to sacrifice a bit on the maintanance cost, as I would never drive a boring Camry or Accord.

This! :)

[JochenWoern]

This! :)

Glad you agree. ;)

[Nor_Cal_Driver]

Did you get the car?

[JochenWoern]

Did you get the car?

Not yet, have not even checked it out in person.

See my post below, seller will not return from his Holiday Break until tomorrow, 1/6.

Contacted him on Wednesday and we decided to get in touch tomorrow to determine the best time to meet up.

I really hope the car will be as good as it looks in the pics, and that all checks out ok. He did mention that the check engine light is on, but that the car is running well and one cannot notice any performance issues. So this could be anything and hopefully nothing major. Hoping for it to be just something easy and smog related.

I have been continuously looking for A4 cars locally and seriously cannot find anything for this price looking this clean.

[JochenWoern]

LATEST UPDATE!

Seller returns from his 2 week Holiday Break and is starting to operate somewhat difficult. Does he want to sell a car or not I wonder??????

Asked him when his schedule would allow for me to come an have a look and all I get is "Sorry, my car is my last priority right now. I just got home and need to catch up with work". REALLY? Cannot even tell me when will be a good time to stop by? Maybe you should not be gone for 2 weeks if catching up with work is this difficult? Or better yet, do not post a car for sale if you are not willing to put any effort into this.

Also found out that he apparently just paid of the loan for the car and therefore does not have the title. Asked him if it maybe showed up in the last two weeks while he was gone, no response.

- No Title (at least not at the moment)
- An Oil Leak (hopefully from the valve cover gasket, but not sure)
- Check Engine Light on
- No current Smog certificate, as one cannot smog a Car in CA with the CEL on
- A Seller who no longer is making selling a priority

I think I will pass on this one, this seems to be way more difficult than it needs to be.

I have sold many vehicles and have ALWAYS been very accommodating to any potential buyer and have never pulled this kind of BS. :( VERY disappointed to say the least.

[Nor_Cal_Driver]

Bummerb

[JochenWoern]

Bummerb

Do you agree or disagree with me?

Maybe you need to go have a look at this car, since you are living there.

[Jeevan]

Do you agree or disagree with me?

Maybe you need to go have a look at this car, since you are living there.

Spend money like 4K and get a good car with 100-150k miles. Ignore this seller as it’s not worth it.


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[JochenWoern]

Spend money like 4K and get a good car with 100-150k miles. Ignore this seller as it’s not worth it.


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Agreed!

[oVeRdOsE]

its a base grey a4...

hid, sport suspension, 18'', bose; are the nice upgrade from the one you've posted. And will cost you time and money to retrofit this back in.

In that price range, I would consider a E90 BMW. Lot more diy, way more ecu coding available all free, 265bhp reachable with a 330 intake and tune. More comfy. AWD or RWD select via android app (yes you can drift a AWD bmw now!). parts are cheap. N52 are reliable.

Still have the eurotax, but in salvage yard there's easily twice E90 than B7, since those are the ''bmw civic''. Parts, parts parts. (own both)

The only cons I would have over my B7 (stock-to-stock comparison), is the cup holder and not quattro. But having the RWD-to-AWD function, is a pretty nice trade.

[JochenWoern]

Thanks for the input. However, read my first post below:

"I like to get an Audi Quattro for the snow and as mentioned for my boy, but do not want to spend a huge amount of money, as we already have good and reliable daily drivers (2007 Mercedes E350 for me, 2011 BMW X5 for the wife and a 2003 BMW 330i for my daughter)."

I am German and have been around German cars all my life. Had a BMW E90 before but only for a short 4 months. Wife hated it, the interior design IMO is horrible and it has very bad workmanship inside with peeling plastic parts. (Ours was a 2006, so maybe it improved over the years?) The face lifted version maybe better, 2011 and up?

So for us, E46 is the only way to go. As you can see, we have one for our daughter, my wife drove 4 E46 cars before her X5.

My daughters E46 is a 2003 330i, came from the original owner with a service history since day one. Bought it 2 years ago with 104K miles, not at 112k miles

[oVeRdOsE]

of course if you got the base e90 tan interior is crap. Leatherette, manual, no sport seat = no boeno.

Sport pack is at least the minimum package to get on the E90. Even without lumbar support, the seats are on point. Inflatable bolsters are very very nice.
You have a ton of configuration : heated, manual/auto, lumbar or not, inflatable bolster or not, extensible seat or not, nevada leather or leatherette, 4 color choice.

A4 only 2 color option, 1 seat configuration, manual/auto, only fake leather, no bolster, no extensible seats.

If you think E90 interior is cheap,you won't be so pleased with A4 b7.

At the end both product are very very similar; german, awd, 6cyl, 6spd manual, multi-link suspension. 3.0L got less power, but a way better gas mileage. Also can be improved on fwd deactivation.

Like I said, stock-to-stock base model comparison, in your price range, despite the fact they are very similar, e90 I a way more interesting option. Its a hit or miss, but possibly less expensive to maintain too. 3.2 is a 4.2 baby. chain tensionner is an issue.

Tbh, knowing I could go 100% rwd on a awd car, I would put my $$ in a E91 before my Avant. But too late. My avant got 120k km, clean af, and many modzzzz.

The ultimate question to myself : Avant with a 3.0T 450hp swap OR E91 with a N54 stock turbo tune 500hp swap

[Pillow]

oVeRdOsE, this is merely a kids beater car. I doubt this is going to get pimped out because race car.

JochenWoern, be patient sometimes the sellers can be a PITA, but for the price its worth it even with a few holdups. But yeah, welcome to CL and FB marketplace BS. Some sellers are legit and some are sketchy AF with a pack of lies on selling. Cavet Emptor. Then again some used car lots are complete BS as well.

At the end of the day A4s are not rare or that expensive to purchase. Be patient and find what fits even if this particular one does not work out. :)

[oVeRdOsE]

oVeRdOsE, this is merely a kids beater car. I doubt this is going to get pimped out because race car.

JochenWoern, be patient sometimes the sellers can be a PITA, but for the price its worth it even with a few holdups. But yeah, welcome to CL and FB marketplace BS. Some sellers are legit and some are sketchy AF with a pack of lies on selling. Cavet Emptor. Then again some used car lots are complete BS as well.

At the end of the day A4s are not rare or that expensive to purchase. Be patient and find what fits even if this particular one does not work out. :)

this is my point, Ive underline it; 'stock to stock.' 'in the price range'. e90 will have way more.

[JochenWoern]

oVeRdOsE, this is merely a kids beater car. I doubt this is going to get pimped out because race car.

JochenWoern, be patient sometimes the sellers can be a PITA, but for the price its worth it even with a few holdups. But yeah, welcome to CL and FB marketplace BS. Some sellers are legit and some are sketchy AF with a pack of lies on selling. Cavet Emptor. Then again some used car lots are complete BS as well.

At the end of the day A4s are not rare or that expensive to purchase. Be patient and find what fits even if this particular one does not work out. :)

Thanks.