1997 Audi A4 - Safe, reliable, German fun!
My vehicle is a 1997 Audi A4 1.8t (turbo) with Quattro (all-wheel drive). It is silver in color and has black leatherette interior. It is a small-sized (but not compact) vehicle, and I've had it for 12 years. I purchased it with about 70k miles and a broken timing belt (which bent the valves) from someone who was trying to make a cross-country trip and ended up in the middle of nowhere Kentucky. We had the head/valves rebuilt, and the car has been very reliable ever since! I really enjoy driving this car. It handles very well, and it sticks to the road in wet conditions. Being Quattro (AWD), it also does very well in the snow -- one of my husband's favorite pastimes is taking it out in an empty parking lot and doing donuts to "test" the AWD, but really, I think he just likes to play in... (more)
My vehicle is a 1997 Audi A4 1.8t (turbo) with Quattro (all-wheel drive). It is silver in color and has black leatherette interior. It is a small-sized (but not compact) vehicle, and I've had it for 12 years. I purchased it with about 70k miles and a broken timing belt (which bent the valves) from someone who was trying to make a cross-country trip and ended up in the middle of nowhere Kentucky. We had the head/valves rebuilt, and the car has been very reliable ever since! I really enjoy driving this car. It handles very well, and it sticks to the road in wet conditions. Being Quattro (AWD), it also does very well in the snow -- one of my husband's favorite pastimes is taking it out in an empty parking lot and doing donuts to "test" the AWD, but really, I think he just likes to play in the snow! The build quality is very good -- as you would expect from a German car. The interior is well-designed, and it has a very timeless look to it that has aged well. In February, we were in a car accident -- not our fault -- another driver ran a red light and smashed into us -- which totaled our car, but we were able to retain ownership in the insurance settlement, and are currently working to rebuild it with a salvage title.
While I was working at a store in our local mall, I had to go in right after a big snow storm. The mall took the notion of "snow removal" very lightly because instead of actually removing the snow, they just pushed it in to very large piles taking up much of the employee parking. With it being during the holiday season, parking was already scarce to begin with, and I did not want to be late to... (more)
While I was working at a store in our local mall, I had to go in right after a big snow storm. The mall took the notion of "snow removal" very lightly because instead of actually removing the snow, they just pushed it in to very large piles taking up much of the employee parking. With it being during the holiday season, parking was already scarce to begin with, and I did not want to be late to work, so thinking that I had all-wheel drive making me pretty much invincible against the elements, I decided to park on top of a snow bank that was at least three–four feet tall. I thought it was a bit odd that my car did not sink down at all, but again, I did not want to be late, so I hurried inside still pretty proud of my impromptu parking spot. When I finally got out of work, at about 10pm, my coworkers and I were walking to my car and several of them marveled at my little A4 parked on top of this giant hill of snow. What I did not realize was that the snow was actually more like a giant hill of ice, because we had had freezing rain the night before, and when I went to drive my car off of the tall "snow" bank, it would not budge. Fortunately, I had some kind coworkers with me who were able to give me a little push, and I quickly got the Audi back to solid ground, but it made for a good story and a good laugh the rest of the time I worked there. They were still amazed that my little car was not only able to get on top of the giant ice/snow "mountain," but that it was completely undamaged by the ordeal.
It is an extremely safe car. My husband, myself, and my three children were all in the car at the time of the accident, and we were able to walk away. The car absorbed the impact very well and actually ricocheted the other car back into a telephone pole. I am very pleased with how well it held up in the accident, and I feel lucky that we were in that car at the time. I also really like the quality of this car. It does not feel "plastic-y" like a lot of American or Japanese cars. When I ride in this car, I know I am in a well-built vehicle. The seats are comfortable and have held up extreme... (more)
It is an extremely safe car. My husband, myself, and my three children were all in the car at the time of the accident, and we were able to walk away. The car absorbed the impact very well and actually ricocheted the other car back into a telephone pole. I am very pleased with how well it held up in the accident, and I feel lucky that we were in that car at the time. I also really like the quality of this car. It does not feel "plastic-y" like a lot of American or Japanese cars. When I ride in this car, I know I am in a well-built vehicle. The seats are comfortable and have held up extremely well, especially for their age. There are no cracks in the dash, and it is not warped in any way. The climate control works very well, and it is very quiet inside (you do not get road noise like you do in many other cars). It is an extremely fun car to drive, and I absolutely love the AWD Quattro system. The turbo gives it an extra kick, so even though it is only a four-cylinder engine, it still has enough pep to keep up with other cars on the highway and to safely merge in and out of traffic. It has also held up well against corrosion, and the body is still solid and has many years of life left in it.
The negatives would be that the timing belt failed in the first place at such low mileage (even though that's what allowed us to purchase it at such a good price). The sunroof also has never worked, apparently there is an issue with the guides, and it seems to be a common problem with the A4s. Our faulty sunroof has fortunately never caused a leak, but we have seen several that have not been so lucky. Also, these cars are unfortunately undervalued, because they are considered more of an "entry level" car for this brand. This is a major con if you are in an accident, even when you were not ... (more)
The negatives would be that the timing belt failed in the first place at such low mileage (even though that's what allowed us to purchase it at such a good price). The sunroof also has never worked, apparently there is an issue with the guides, and it seems to be a common problem with the A4s. Our faulty sunroof has fortunately never caused a leak, but we have seen several that have not been so lucky. Also, these cars are unfortunately undervalued, because they are considered more of an "entry level" car for this brand. This is a major con if you are in an accident, even when you were not at fault or if you have full coverage in the case when you are at fault, because the insurance companies only offer very low payouts if your car is totaled. Also, because it is AWD, I also do not get as good of gas mileage as I would with a non-AWD car. One last thing that may be considered a con is that you have to replace all of the tires at the same time -- instead of just in pairs -- because of the all-wheel drive. That can make new tires much more costly if you are used to only replacing one or two at a time.
2001 Audi A4 - A great, reliable buy.
What I've come to like the most is the reliability. Through the years, the car has stood against the test of time pretty well. Financing wasn't too much of a hassle either, shockingly. You hear nightmares about that sort of thing sometime. But no, for me, it was all smooth.
What I've come to like the most is the reliability. Through the years, the car has stood against the test of time pretty well. Financing wasn't too much of a hassle either, shockingly. You hear nightmares about that sort of thing sometime. But no, for me, it was all smooth.
Used to take the car a bit away. To go sit at the park and enjoy the quiet view.
Used to take the car a bit away. To go sit at the park and enjoy the quiet view.
The smooth ride and the ease of maintaining. The gas mileage.
The smooth ride and the ease of maintaining. The gas mileage.
The look wasn't what I would have liked it to be, but that's not too bad a deal.
The look wasn't what I would have liked it to be, but that's not too bad a deal.
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