Hello everyone. I just sold my 94' Supra Twin Turbo in favor of a more practical car. The A4 has been a 1st option for a while, however, I don't know really anything about them. I would be most likely buying a 96-97 A4 Quattro. Not too sure of the trannys, so I can't say. I would just like to know what is a better engine. 2.8L or 1.8L? Est mpg for both? Reliability? Capable of modification? What is the difference between the 12v and 30v 2.8L? Any and all help or info is appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Tim C.

nt

If you're new to Audi's, do some research in the archives. You'll get a lot of answers here, but sorting through the archives will give you some chronological perspective on the opinions presently offered.

The 1997 A4 1.8T Quattro 5spd is, in my opinion, the best modification-friendly A4. It's also reliable, has no problems, and people have successfully put more than 50,000 miles on them with the dealer changing wiper blades and oil.

The 1997 A4 1.8T Quattro has no side airbags, which allows for further interior modification. It offers rear suspension takeup links for sways that are metal as opposed to plastic. It has two-piece lamps for an easy upgrade to Xenon. It has the football badge, which I like but others do not. It has the old-school taillights with red and amber that can be changed to all-red, masked-amber, clear, smoked, or left alone. It does not have the silly hood insulation. It does not have weirdo down-low badging. It has the 1.8T motor which is much cheaper to modify than the 2.8L 12v motor... though past a certain point the 2.8L begins to produce equal gains for equal money once one goes to increased displacement, etc. It is very easy to drive, though the linkage has significantly more slop than the Supra TT's. It is four-wheel drive. It does not have throttle-by-wire. Chips are readily available. It is reasonably priced on the used market. It is available in pearlescent white, the most beautiful color offered on an A4 and the most impossible to touch up -- this is a plus in that the car is beautiful and there will be no hiding whether the car you are considering has been in an accident, but pearlescent paints do not hide dirt as well as metallic paints and can only be touched up with the $80 vials of clear nail polish from the dealership if you ever get in an accident. The 1997 1.8T's had the old-style head unit which I like more because the knob is close to the driver as opposed to centred, but this is a personal choice. The new head unit looks sexier, the old one is by far more funcational. Look out for 1997 A4 1.8T's that have the European license plate opening on the decklid. These are cars that were probably rear-ended in early 1997 and got 1996 2.8Q decklids as replacement parts.

The car you want is basically my car:

1997 A4 1.8T Quattro
26,000-30,000 miles.
Well cared for.
Stock with an enthusiast owner OR...
Modified with the best parts available.
See if the owner has good tires on the car, I wouldn't buy a car that still had the crappy stock tires... if the car has worn tires, that's fine, but check the wear and make sure it's even. 1997 cars had the best sport seats, thankfully designed by the skinny-rear-end Germans.

Warning signs are:

* More than one wastegate rod failure in the car's past (one is reasonable).
* Oil "pipe" TSB has not been performed
* Car stutters going into reverse
* Driver's side door tweeter failure (common failure, shows that owner hasn't been paying attention to his car) present but no TSB performed.
* No audible turbo or felt boost at 4200RPM
* Car has a failure code either in its VAG readout or in its dash pod that the owner cannot explain.
* Car has an aftermarket ECU but owner cannot specify a tuner and cannot give you a "tuned" service history at area dealerships.
* Car has a first-generation P-Chip from Schaumburg Tuning.
* Car whines on startup and then has alternating compressor startup.
* Outside temperature display flickers or becomes inactive above 110mph (reads constant -40F and goes blank at 130mph) OR outside temperature display goes from above freezing to below freezing readings at startup that are obviously incorrect.
* Car has Euro taillights but now rear fogs don't work (improper connector used, shows car hasn't been cared for as well as you should expect)
* TAP Stage conversion completed but no history or "journal" can be produced of performance changes between stages or part failures/rebuilds.
* Suspension is tuned but spring rates seem in conflict with car's performance and/or the car feels unsettled in usual 80mph turns.
* Rear subframe is cracked or shows stresses and fatigue lines from use of improperly spec'd racing swaybars.
* K-04 conversion completed, but owner cannot specify name of shop and date of completion.
* Bose (I'd never buy a used car where the original owner specified Bose, just one of my prejudices... not many enthusiast owners bought Bose cars -- our California friends and Cathleen exceptions)
* Owner can't produce service records (!)

Just my prejudices. We bought three A4's, a 1996, a 1997, and a 1999... I love the 1997 the most, but it's the one we sold... go figure :-)

Good luck with your search, feel free to email me with any questions.

Best of luck to you,
Cameron

My wife's '97 A6 wagon, which admittedly is much heavier than an A4, has that 2.8 engine. We've had no problems with it, but a "performance" engine it definitely is not. Matched with an automatic (no tiptronic back then), it'll be smooth but hardly exciting. Maybe a manual shifter makes a big difference, but there's only so much one can do with that engine. '98 saw a new 30v version and an 18hp gain. So if your budget dictates a '96-'97 model, I'd vote for the 1.8. Much more spirited, and you can chip it for more hp. One man's opinion.

Rick
99.5 A4 1.8TQMS (me)
97 A6 2.8 Wagon (wife)

<i>* Bose (I'd never buy a used car where the original owner specified Bose, just one of my prejudices... not many enthusiast owners bought Bose cars -- our California friends and Cathleen exceptions)</i>

Cameron, I've got no beef with you and I enjoy reading your posts, but this statement is absolutely ridiculous. What does being an automobile enthusiast have to do with having or not having the BOSE stereo option? I consider myself an "enthusiast" (perhaps not to the extant that you are) and I opted for the BOSE stereo because I didn't want to go through what I consider to be a hassle in swapping out stereo equipment.

I think the BOSE upgrade is a viable option for folks that are not super-critical audiophiles and just want a bit more punch from their stereo. I'm not here to defend BOSE and I don't think it's the "best" stereo out there, but it's not bad for the money. For the $500 or so I spent on it I think it was a decent deal.

Of course, all of this is just MHO.

Andy Hedin
'97 A4 1.8Tqms