Maybe looking to buy an A4

[S3-Andy]

Hi guys as the title says i am considering buying an a4, i currently own a s3, i considered a s4 but after weighing up running costs and extra money i would need to add to it i decided not to go down this route, i am drawn to the 3.0 petrol version at the minute, any advice on what model and spec to consider?? what extras should i be looking for? My S3 is fully loaded, heated seats, bose sounds, armrest etc basicaly every optional extra as well as a remap to around 265-270 bhp, lovely car but need something with 4 doors, what is the 1.8t version like does it feel under powered in a big car? loving some of the motors in the gallery section,
thanks for any advice
andrew

 

[itsmeagain]

Hi mate, I just sold my Audi TT 225 quattro and purchased a A4 1.8t sport convertible. I really enjoy driving this car, obviously its nowhere near as quick as my TT but its not slow. I just had it remapped which has made it much more fun. My advice is to test drive a few cars.

 

[quattrojames]

Hi Andy

I've got a 2.5 TDi so only have a passing knowledge of the petrol engines. The 3.0 is quite a rare model, it sounds nice but can be thirsty I believe, and there aren't many tuning options. The 1.8T is very popular and imminently tuneable, so many people have it I can't believe it is underpowered. It can be easily remapped to give an extra 30 + bhp too. The 190 is probably the one to go for (I'm not too sure as to what models came with this - maybe just the run out S-Lines?).

Saloon or Avant is purely personal, I prefer the Avants (biased...?) and they have gained a good following of late.

There are Sports and SE models, and also the end of line 1.8T 190's were badged as S-lines. The sports from 2003 on have the S-Line style front which is very desired. Sports have 20mm lower suspension with a sports seat and steering wheel, whereas SE's tend to have the full DIS computer and cruise etc. Its probably easier to get a Sport and retrofit the electric bits than an SE and retrofit sports seats! Although I have an SE and my seats are fine......

Have you thought about a 2.5TDi? Worth a drive, you might be pleasantly surprised.....

 

[S3-Andy]

just been having a flick through auto trader and ebay, did not realise just how many different engine versions there are, does anyone know where i could find a list of them all and what power they have?? did they not produce a 225 1.8t same as tt or s3? i am guessing most people with the 190 would go for a remap to about 210 which would prob be enough if i am honest. Must admint i like both avant and saloon, avant seems popular at the minute, think i would have to go with a sline, not stuck on the 2 tone bumpers on other models. I just need to find something fully loaded so the spec is not to far off the s3 or will i not find this unless i had deeper pockets and went for a s4! Are there any paticular engines to avoid, anything prone to problems??
cheers

 

[BahnStormer77]

General advice seems to be to avoid the 2.4 and 2.0 petrols... unless you're just after a bargain purchase price and are doing low mileage...

My advice would be the 190 1.8T... the 3.0 V6 petrol is v thirstly and lacks the forced induction "rush"... I bellieve the 190's remap to aroudn 220-230bhp (180's normally max out around 200-210bhp) on pure remap - no extras....

The 1.8T is the same block as your S3, so anything is possible: but it is bigger, so it'll feel a bit more sluggish in acceleration... and more stable at speed....

What mileage do you do: if >15k pa, then consider TDI's... there's a fair few 1.9TDI's around that are remapped to about 180bhp - which has more mid-range torque than a 300bhp petrol!

1.9TDI = v frugal, 2.5TDI is nice, but it is a big lump and not THAT fuel efficient - you can probably get similar mpg out of a 1.8T (35mpg average). Those are the only three engine blocks I'd seriously consider.... if you're after performance and remaps, then probably best to go for the quattro flavour of whichever you get.

I assume you're going manual? if auto, tread carefully... multitronics can be v expensive if they haven't been rebuilt yet... regular auto boxes are fine though.

 

[Xmay4444]

here's a list of VAG engines, their poewer and what cars they are fitted to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Volkswagen_Group_petrol_engines