Buying an A4 but which one

[sean.ui]

Am thinking of buying an A4 - would definitely like quattro but can't decide if I'd prefer an Avant or a Saloon. I'm also not sure if I should go for a 1.9tdi 130bhp or a 1.8t - which would you guys recommend, bearing in mind that I will be doing some mods to this car such as lowering, bigger rims and a remap -

What kind of gains can I see without having to go crazy for a 130bhp 1.9tdi or a the various 1.8t's? Which would people generally recommend?

Thanks in advance....

 

[james0808]

I went for the diesel option due to doing a few more miles,im very glad i did,its not a rocket ship but it shifts when i need it to and very economical.

 

[jdp1962]

Why not just go and drive some, and decide which one you like best? It always works for me.

 

[styleinnovations]

I had the same question a few months ago,
Had finally decided on a 1.9tdi Avant after many sad hours with photoshop and different wheels etc, then walked into a dealer and saw this!

So gues what all the plans went out the window, 2,5 TDi Quattro with the full GMBH Kit. ended up with a slighlty older car but hey sure you can see why





As for the engines, not sure how much you have got to spend but you ought to look at the 2.0ltr FSi if you can!

 

[icenutter]

I'd go for diesel. More econonomical and fast in day-to-day driving: i always say the more important performance figures are the 50-70 and 50-80 acceleration times in 4th and 5th. I wouldn't get a 2.5 as they're heavy and it doesn't do the handling any favours. Quattro? I would, but then I probably drive in the winter and in muddy fields more than most people. Trim level it boils down to SE or s-line. The decision on this might be made on if you like the s-line body kit or not. Saloon or avant; this surely depends on what you are planning on doing with it?

A ball-park figure for chip tuning is a 30bhp gain. This can be easily doubled with a custom map, exhaust, etc, etc. How much do you want to spend on tuning . Have a look at http://www.amdtechnik.com for some ideas.

 

[james0808]

My 130 went to 175 with just a remap.Not a bad gain for just over £200

 

[Smithzer14]

Just bought 03 TDi Sport 130 and am very impressed. Highly recomended

 

[sean.ui]

Thanks for the replies guys - to quickly answer some of the questions -

I really like the shape of the Avant and reckon it looks amazing with big rims and a touch of lowering. I'm leaning towards the diesel because of the ecomony factor (I'm getting a bit sensible the more I move into my 30's ) but I'd prefer not to sacrifice the performance too much - although I'm guessing a remapped 130 is probably as quick as my upsolute gti (approx 180bhp). And I've always wanted a quattro for as long as I can remember....

Thanks again...

 

[james0808]

I'd prefer not to sacrifice the performance too much - although I'm guessing a remapped 130 is probably as quick as my upsolute gti (approx 180bhp).

Ive got a golf gti with an upsolute map and the golf is a little quicker off the line and faster top end,but i still prefer the diesel.

 

[kenny_boon]

i have a 190ps quattro, if your going for a petrol id get the 190 if possible as its a fairly heavy car so if ur wanting to remain fairly quick. PD's are good too

 

[mattjwright]

i was also a little unsure of what to go for!
After selling my 225 TT because of lack of space I decided to go for a bright red 04 190 Quattro S line avant. Although it does drink, I'm getting around 31mpg (even compared to the TT) I'm very very impressed with it.
The looks, ride, comfort and grip are simply superb - and with a new baby I've been able to fit all the associated baggage with ease.
I must get some pics posted!

cheers

matt

 

[Block 405]

Well I've had my 04' 130 Quattro Avant with the body kit for 5 days now and covered about 80 miles. All I can say is I'm buzzing everytime I get into it. It's such a step up from my 02' Golf TDI Estate the ride quality and build quality seem on a different planet albeit another VAG group planet!

 

[sean.ui]

How does the fwd Avant handle? As much as it's a touch of a contradiction I'd like decent handling with good ride quality - I'm sick of things rattling and banging in the golf when I go over poor roads.....

 

[busboyt2]

I have an 03 1.8T Quattro Sport Saloon and I love it. I picked it up last Thursday so haven't had too much time to play with it yet but from what I can see so far I am going to have some great fun with this car.

Not sure how the ecomomy side of things will turn out but heh what the hell.

 

[FrankG]

I have a FWD Avant S-line and it handles just like my 2 previous saloons. You can't tell the difference. It has the sport suspension with 22,000 miles and there are no rattles yet! See if you can get a late 04 onwards with the 190bhp, that's what I miss and the lack of a sixth gear, the bhp issue I will be sorting out shortly with a MTM re-map.

 

[stoakseya4]

I bought my Avant just over a year ago and have covered c20k miles and absolutely love it.

The build quility is amazing, and the looks of the s-line avant are amazing.

I went in the end for the 1.8T, purely because I haven't (yet) ventured into the murky world of diesels, and felt happier staying with petrol.

The standard 163bhp engine was fine, but felt a bit sluggish up hills, needing to change down to get things moving. I therefore went for an Upsolute upgrade taking it up to the heady heights of c200bhp, and has just transformed the car completely.

GO FOR IT !

 

[sean.ui]

A4 quattros seem to rare as rocking horse sh!t over here - I've found a mint 03 A4 1.8t (163bhp) but it's not quattro - it does however have a lot of other things I like such as the colour (grpahite) , leather, concert sound system (is this good), dual zone climate -

My question now is - how does the fwd A4 handle compared to the quattro? I'm tempted by this car but I'm just not sure 195bhp (after a remap) will be enough - I'd appreciate any opinions

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=518571

 

[FrankG]

Yes they are rare, the concert is standard and I find it perfect, although I see from the photo its a single disk play only, mine came with a 6 disk and a tape deck, the Bose is nice to but again its as rare as the Quattro! Dual zone again is standard across the range.
I drove both and to be quite honest on day to day driving the FWD is great, I have the sport suspension with 17's so road handling is great, On a rainy day or snow thats where the Quattro comes in to play (and on sunny days when your screwing it down country roads with loads of twisty bits ) you will feal more confident! The other side of the coin is less fuel consuption and buying tyres, I rotate to the front all the time so I end up buying 2 tyres every 15,000 or so miles where as my mate with the Quattro has to replace 4 tyres every time. If you are around or near the midlands you are more than welcome to come and drive mine with the 163bhp. The car you are looking at seems to be 100% on the mark, its the standard 1.8T package with leather as an extra. If you do go down the road of buying it see if you can get the dealer to fit a front armrest, a must have in any A4! Can;t be sure from the photos but make sure the factory fitted mats come with the car as well. Good Luck.

 

[sean.ui]

Yes they are rare, the concert is standard and I find it perfect, although I see from the photo its a single disk play only, mine came with a 6 disk and a tape deck, the Bose is nice to but again its as rare as the Quattro! Dual zone again is standard across the range.
I drove both and to be quite honest on day to day driving the FWD is great, I have the sport suspension with 17's so road handling is great, On a rainy day or snow thats where the Quattro comes in to play (and on sunny days when your screwing it down country roads with loads of twisty bits ) you will feal more confident! The other side of the coin is less fuel consuption and buying tyres, I rotate to the front all the time so I end up buying 2 tyres every 15,000 or so miles where as my mate with the Quattro has to replace 4 tyres every time. If you are around or near the midlands you are more than welcome to come and drive mine with the 163bhp. The car you are looking at seems to be 100% on the mark, its the standard 1.8T package with leather as an extra. If you do go down the road of buying it see if you can get the dealer to fit a front armrest, a must have in any A4! Can;t be sure from the photos but make sure the factory fitted mats come with the car as well. Good Luck.

Thanks again Frank - I'm going to have a look at this car tomorrow - I'm still not that sure as I really want quattro but I'm not sure I want to pass up a good car to wait (or even pay the premium that seems to be attached) - cheers for all the info/advice.