Which A4 cabriolet to buy?!

bhdseller

bhdseller

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Hi Everyone,

I currently own an Alfa 156 which I love to drive, but it is de-valuing at a stupid rate and I want to go back to a convertible! So, I have been looking at Audi A4 Cabs for the last month or so but am totally confused about which model to go for.

I like the 'ummpph' of my Alfa and as I have a wiggly route to work, I need to know that I can overtake quickly/safely when I get the rare chance. For this reason, I'm a little concerned that the 1.8T won't cut it. So, then I looked at the 2.4 thinking that the V6 would pack more punch, but apparently, that is very similar to, if not slower than the 1.8. Then, on to the 3.0, which I would luuurv if it weren't for the low MPG and high running costs (unless I can be persuaded otherwise!!).

My budget will stretch to 15k - possibly up to 16-17k for my 'perfect' car!

I would appreciate any comments/recommendations from existing a4 cab owners!

Thank in advance,
Ben
 
:unsure:How fast do you need to overtake!!!!!
The 1.8T will cut it no probs, simple remap for the extra Torque and Power - Job done.
Even without a remap will do it.
 
1.8t is ok once remapped but i would take the 3.0 in a cab.Plenty of power/torque and that V6 noise.:yes:
 
J7USS said:
:unsure:How fast do you need to overtake!!!!!
The 1.8T will cut it no probs, simple remap for the extra Torque and Power - Job done.
Even without a remap will do it.
Click to expand...
Thanks J7USS, I don't need to overtake stupidly fast - my alfa is a 2.0JTS 165bhp, but it is fine. It's just I get stuck behind a LOT of slow lorries etc and there are only like 2-3 small places to get past them, so I need to be able to have the umphh to do it. I'm liking the sound of remapping though! ;)
 
what kind of mpg are people getting in the 3.0 V6? I know that if you go and buy a 3.0 V6, you're not supposed to be worried about mpg, but I'm intrigued! :ermm:
 
bhdseller said:
Thanks J7USS, I don't need to overtake stupidly fast - my alfa is a 2.0JTS 165bhp, but it is fine. It's just I get stuck behind a LOT of slow lorries etc and there are only like 2-3 small places to get past them, so I need to be able to have the umphh to do it. I'm liking the sound of remapping though! ;)
Click to expand...

yeah it'll do the job easy mate, especially with a few subtle mods.
Mine aint the fastest @ 205ish bhp but its torque is great.

As james said, if you aint bothered about a turbo then the 3.0v6 is the one, nothing like a 6 cylinder Grumble and those aint slow either.
Depends whether you want a turbo or Non.

Have you considered a TDi Cab?? Ive seen some of these fly,great torque gains aswell from a remap and spotted a fair share at a good price within your budget.

MPG on a V6 I wouldnt know but mine is average 23mpg round town, on a run it could be anything, depending on how heavy/steady your foot is.

So you gotta decide
Turbo or V6!!

You got a good budget to play with so with either turbo or V6 you will have some money to play with for them kind mods.:thumbsup:
 
S4 everytime....... V8 burble and 19mpg.....:jester:
 
Hi Ben
Re 3.0 petrol consumption read my reply in your other post on the B7 board
realistically your looking at not much more than about 21 mpg everyday driving.

Dan
 
Hi Ben
I had an MR2 before at 173bhp and I too needed to overtake and take the odd calculated risk as well as kicking the back wheels out now and again! (But I now have a daughter!)
The 1.8 is not as agile and responsive as my MR2... it was mid engined afterall! but when that extra power is required with my new Audi, there is good excelleration and handles quite well with the hard suspension, tho feels a bit heavier for obvious reasons. If your not bothered about the extra insurance costs I would definitly recommend a remap to get that extra torque. Remember you can't do as much modifications to the V6 than the 1.8 and the 3.0, I've read, is heavier to handle.

Saying that, If I had the patience to find the right one and the money for the petrol, I would have prefered the 3.0. The 2.4 wasn't even an option!
 
Bet you could get an S4. Am selling my Avant and they seem to be dropping almost daily !

If you're only getting 21mpg from a 3.0V6, then I'd definitely get a 4.2V8 - no comparison between them. S4 cacks all over the 3.0 in every way. If you've never driven one, go to a dealers and have a go. They're awesome !!

;)
 
Dont forget guys, he's after a Cab, he aint going to pick up a s4 cab with his budget - would be nice though :yum:
 
Im in touch with Midalnd VW now and they seem pretty clued up and donequite alot of Conversions so because it aint that far from me im taking a trip over to them in the next few weeks and the guys are going to show me a few examples and talk me through exactly what is required and what gains I want for the budget I have. Getting more and more excited about it.
There seems to be an issue though because I need to lower my suspension and stiffen it up but my drive way aint allowing me so again they are going to see whats what.
There is a Package that aint as powerful as Backdrafts and awesomes, think it'll take me to the Region of 290 - 300bhp but is a big saving in money which will help toward my Brembo's and other little bits.
Soon as I know exactly what im doing then ill be posting it up on here and Ive asked for stage by stage pics from start to finish if and when I go ahead.
Im hoping still for may time as Im having a full respray too.

A little off topic but hey, its all good in the hood!!;)
 
dans3.0 said:
Hi Ben
Re 3.0 petrol consumption read my reply in your other post on the B7 board
realistically your looking at not much more than about 21 mpg everyday driving.

Dan
Click to expand...

no way! My 52 Reg 3.0V6 Sport Cab MANUAL rarely dropped below 26, normal was low 30's! It's that Multichronic sticking in second gear!!:blackrs4:
 
Just wanted to say thank you so much for all of your comments. Really helpful. I'm gonna go and test drive the 1.8T and hopefully a 3.0 V6. I think the 1.8 with a remap will be my best option.
 
bhdseller said:
Just wanted to say thank you so much for all of your comments. Really helpful. I'm gonna go and test drive the 1.8T and hopefully a 3.0 V6. I think the 1.8 with a remap will be my best option.
Click to expand...


Good luck, let us know how you get on.
the 1.8T will be the lightest and also the quickest off the mark because of the boost from the turbo, especially with a remap!:icon_thumright:
 
Hi Ben,

I have recentley gone from an Alfa 166 2.0TI FL to a 03 A4 3.0 Sport Cab. I too was initially concerned about MPG and running costs, but I am honestly finding the MPG about the same as a Twinnie, all be it a 166 is probably a little heavier than a 156. My daily commute is from Sheffield to Matlock via Chatsworth Park and I have been getting 30.5 daily with a total combined of 28.1 since I bought the car on March 4th. I like yourself you changed as the 166 is now in freefall (if it wasnt already) and I wasn't prepared to see 6K dissapear in a year. That said Alfa's are brilliant cars and I had 5 in a row, but after this last I thought it was time for a change. I am finding the Audi great fun and very practical for a convertible. I know nothing about modding cars, but went for the 3 litre over the 1.8T as I see the car as more of a cruiser than a sports car, and as its heavy the 3.0 litre seems to manage with ease. Its not got the grunt of an Alfa 3.0V6, but then its a totally different sort of car. If I could have stretched a long way I would have bought an S4. So anyway I think for a 3.0 litre engine the economy is not so bad, but car tax next year is £440. Bet you will miss the Alfa a little bit when you change. Mine's a 03 43k miler, 1 owner, Full Audi history with electric sports seats and for me the must have Bose speakers, in metallic Moro blue for £12600 and then I spent £550 on full cambelt change and water pump. The cambelt is a must do depending on mileage and age.

Cheers

Nick D
 
Thats a good price you got there Nick. I agree - Bose sound is a must. Although I didn't get it and find the sound a litte dispointing compared the my MR2 which had a standard issue Subwoofer under the seat. Other essentials: Symphony stereo not Concert; heated seats; and try to avoid getting a CVT automatic!
Good luck ben.
 
Quote
no way! My 52 Reg 3.0V6 Sport Cab MANUAL rarely dropped below 26, normal was low 30's! It's that Multichronic sticking in second gear!!:blackrs4:

Yes way!
Audi quotes for urban 20.02 mpg manual and 20.03 multitronic
and combined 29.1 for both so obviously depends on how you drive and what distances you cover!

Do not go by the dis computer we all now how optomistic they can be!

Working it out if you get 330 miles on 65 litres in a tank holding 70 litres that = 23.08 mpg
so to get 30 mpg you would have to get 430 miles on 65 litres of fuel
if this is what you are getting well done:icon_thumright:

430 miles is the best that my cabs ever done on a long run with the cruise set at 80 most of the way

So basically he needs to know the worst case scenerio and not buy a car expecting 30 mpg and only getting 20.

Whatever version he gets hes still getting one of the best 4 seat convertibles money can buy

Danny
 
Thanks for your comments NickDutch - nice to hear from a fellow alfa enthusiast. I am sure I will miss the Alfa - I love it to bits... I just wish it held it's value better and had a soft top!

You got an absolute steal for your 3.0 - I've been looking for a LONG time and not seen any with those specs and mileage for that kind of price.

The 3.0 V6 is certainly beginning to sound more and more promising, although as dans3.0 says, I would like to aim for 30mpg but be well prepared for 20-25mpg.

I was going to go and view this car:
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-u...odel=A4&min_pr=7000&max_pr=16000&max_mileage=



but have just noticed that it has SOLD written in small at the bottom :sob:
 
bhdseller said:
what kind of mpg are people getting in the 3.0 V6? I know that if you go and buy a 3.0 V6, you're not supposed to be worried about mpg, but I'm intrigued! :ermm:
Click to expand...

I have the 3.0 And the economy on a run is unbelievably good ! The soundtrack is just fantastic And its simply just a much better drive than the 1.8 which allways feels strained ! I might sell it if I were bid proper coin for it !!
Picture130-3.jpg

Picture142.jpg

Picture135.jpg

Picture091.jpg
 
Hi all,

Just wanted to let you know that I test drove a 1.8T (base model), a 2.5TDI and 1.8T S Line today and although the TDI was actually a lot smoother and quieter than I was expecting, I went for this S Line in the end:

http://www.performance-direct.net/detail.asp?ID=480

It was lovely to drive and had a really good spec. Managed to knock them down to £17,200 and I'm picking it up on Wednesday!! Excited!

Thanks again for your help. Probablt won't be long before I'll be on here again looking for remap advice etc! :)
 
The car looks stunning, maybe you wont miss the Alfa after all!

Nick
 
I think you'll be well pleased with the 1.8T - its such a tried and tested engine and remaps so well.

Thats why I went with another 1.8T when changing from my Octy vRS
 
Yeh - I'm really pleased with it... can't wait to pick it up day after tomorrow - pray for some sun!!

Yes it's in the city of shizzle Brizzle!! :)
 
Di you try the 3.0L V6 in the end - whats wrong with the 2.4 V6 engine?

J.
 
A bloke at work I know has a 2.4 Cabrio.......he is realled p*ssed off with the MPG - only getting very low 20's MPG.....he reckons you have to rev it really high to get into its power band......
He drove my 2.5TDI Quattro Sport Avant (with RS4 ARB) ...and he loved it.......so now is looking to by a 2.5TDi Cabrio.....
.....can the 2.4 engine be tuned at all to give it some more low down grunt ?

Does anyone know if Audi ever made a 2.5TDi quattro (180hp) version of the cabrio ?
 
I wouldnt even bother tuning the 2.4 slug, sell it and buy the 3.0 v6 instead!

Ive heard the 2.4 is heavier too, dont know how true that is.
 
i really didnt find any big differences between the 3.0ltr and the 1.8t,
not any quicker,infact once remaped i think the 18t would do a 3.0ltr.
fuel more or less the same,i suppose the 3.0ltr is a little heavier due to the bigger lump in it.
the only thing i found was that the insurance was more.
the 2.4 was out of the question for me, they dont seem to hold there money at all and with all the reports about them on the forums i didnt even think of one.
very happy with mine, but im not ruling out a remap!
 
when i was looking for mine, i couldnt see the point in the 2.4 v6. Thirstier than the 3.0, and not any quicker than the 1.8t.

i can confirm that a remap makes a BIG difference to the 1.8t engine. almost like a totally different car to drive.

and i dont think the 2.5 tdi was ever made in a quattro flavour in the cabriolet :( shame really as i bet that would have been awesome.

i looked at getting a tdi cab, but couldnt bring myself to buy a diesel cab. it just didnt seem right. however, i may consider one in the future.
 
2.4 Cab hmmm I used to own one, sold it after six months. Fuel economy was rubbish and if that wasn’t bad enough I liked drinking oil too. I loved the car I was just expecting a little more from a V6. I have the 2.0T now J and it is loads better. The only thing I mss from the 2.4 is the roar of that engine. With the roof down get it above 5 on the rev counter and it sounded fantastic, you just don’t get that with a four cylinder. Oh and bought it for £20K and sold it for £14K lost 6K in 6 months L bummer!
 
Before I bought the R32, I was very interested in the A4 cabriolet I absolutely love the way it looks, and I'm not even a big fan of convertibles normally.

However, I found the engine range to be disappointing to say the least. The 1.8T is gutless in standard form, I'm sure a remap would do it good but the small four cylinder engine is not my cup of tea anymore (have an A4 1.8T as well). The 2.4 is terrible, it's been around for a while and is built as a cruiser or a GT, but apparently fuel economy is bad and it's not even fast or tuneable. I had high hopes for the 3.0 V6 but even that seemed a bit lethargic, and didn't sound all that nice. It wasn't bad by any means but maybe I expected too much from it.

I was tempted to get a red 1.8T which was fully loaded and whack a KO4 turbo in there with upgraded injectors, exhaust etc to take it to around 250 bhp but couldn't be bothered with the hassle and wait.

The engine range in the B7 is a lot better but I didn't want to spend over £15k and I didn't like the front end of the B7's. The S4 cab was too expensive at the time but I see prices have dropped considerably now...
 
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