i would like to hear common problems, things to look out for, etc. on B5 A4 1.8T Quattro's. I am planning on spending around $10K on a '97-'99 A4. i am not pleased with the 2.8 as far as weight, handling, etc. the 1.8T appeals to me much more (trying to find a 5spd, blkc lthr, sprt pkg, wntr pkg, s.roof, etc. low mileage bad boy (no fake wood grain!). i have heard mixed reviews. i actually test drove a '98 with 75K and the oil pump went out and trashed the top end on a solo test drive! turbo longetivity?, common parts replaced?, good/bad anything?, etc. in the long run is AWD too hard on the 1.8T? any help would be great. i would like to hear some horror stories and pleasing stories. thanks for your time.

From the stories i hear and the techs that i talk to the largest thing is that people don't change the oil on these cars because the spec says something like 5-7k miles between changes. so those who change the oil then have sludge problems and oil starvation to various parts of the engine causing mains to spin overheating parts ect...
Another problem is that most people do not allow for proper cool-down time and coke turbo oil lines and that is the biggest problem with the turbos.
As far as i know the 1.8's are built over the top and have no problem with longevity and awd has little impact on the life of the motor.
Overall the chassis and suspension with normal attention give the owners little to no problems and interiors are all about how hard you kill them. I've always known these cars to be rather tough overall as long as you stay on top of taking care of it with oil, grease, and good gas then they seem to last through whatever you can throw at them.

having the cat flang seperate. i've never gone longer than 6K between oil changers. my turbo is also original. chipped for 60K.

thanks for the great info, i've had many mk2 vw's, all german cars are a hobby - that's what i love. who wants a super reliable ugly honda or toyota anyway. any thoughts, suggestions, stories from anyone else would be thankful!