Got to buy a car due to change of job. Bugger.

Quick phone call to a chap I know & trust, who has a 55plate 2.0 tdi avant going, at a very fair price – he’s not a greedy guy, retired, just keeps his toes playing px game to stop himself getting bored. (i’m a previous happy customer).

It’s fsh and just had a new clutch fitted & just ticked over 100k. Anything to look out for on a test drive; otherwise I’ll just trust him.

I know not many here drive Audis, so it’s a long shot…

Obvious thing is to check fsh fully to make sure it’s been properly looked after and where he had it serviced (we use a very good non dealer german auto specialist so it’s not jut about “dealer fsh”) We have a 2.7 TDI A6, 7 years old 110k and feels like it was when we bought it new.

Cross your fingers and hope the turbo and DMF don’t fail!

Don’t pay too much attention to scare stories either..!

There is a reason you see more r,s t etc reg A4’s knocking about than you do other brands.

The turbo went on mine 170k but I had got a little lazy with the oil changes so it possibly could have lasted longer and wasnt that big a job to fix.

Always strikes me with these cars how similar they are regardless of year, theyve just been refining an old design which in my mind is good thing.

Go for it, as good a bet as any 100k car.

djglover – Member
Cross your fingers and hope the turbo and DMF don’t fail!

Or don’t worry about it. My Ibiza has got a turbo and a DMF. Still on the originals after 217k miles.
Still on original clutch too. Oh, and exhaust. Only on the second set of front discs and pads too…..must have a very sympathetic driving style or something….

There is a reason you see more r,s t etc reg A4’s knocking about than you do other brands.

yup, they have the 1.9TDI, not the 2.0 TDI

Have you a 5 or is one on order? 😉

I believe those are the STW rules.

Go for higher mileage rather than lower.

yup, they have the 1.9TDI, not the 2.0 TDI

Is the 2.0 worse? asking because Im half looking for another myself.

Those 2.0s had a couple of big issues early on – some had dodgy injectors, and some had dodgy oil pumps. All will have been fixed now though, they were both recalled eventually.

I assume the cambelt was changed around 80k?

Get the plate and call Audi dealer to match up the full history.

Had a 2.0 170Ps Avant on a 57 plate for around three years. No mechanical issues whatsoever with it. It wasn’t the most inspiring to drive but was a lovely motorway cruiser. Only had 50k on the clock when we bought it though.

What’s a reasonable price for an 8 y/o car with 100k?

And the key thing you are looking for is evidence that it has been serviced to schedule (or better).

Plus how many miles are you looking at covering over the next X years vs the purchase price. I always look for £1000 per year as a write off; so a £5k car should have at least 5 years left in it, or as per my current car, £500k and a years MOT – so once passed 6 months I’ll be happy.

Thanks all; what should I be looking for on the day though – aside from doing the history double check, bounce test on suspension; oil cap test and the usual novice things, is there anything particular to check out on these models?

or as per my current car, £500k and a years MOT

Is it an old Alfa? 😉

EDIT: If it’s had a clutch change, would this help negate any DMF issues?

The thing that would affect the DMF is driving style. If you are rough with the clutch and accelerator, it strains the DMF. You’ve got no way of knowing how it’s been driven though. Only indication you have is that high mileage implies motorway miles which will help everything.

54/05 2.0TDI had issues? I’d go for the 1.9

Or personally the 1.8T.

Is it an old Alfa?

Nope, an STW fav – Passat.

Even better, go for the A4 3.0 V6. I have one of these and it is a fantastic motor. For such a big engine it’s not bad at all on the fuel as long as you drive it sensibly. It’s just good to have power on tap if you need it.

chiefinspector – Member

Even better, go for the A4 3.0 V6.

But then everyone will know you were too poor to get the V8, much like buying a Cayman. 😳

I think the Chiefinspector was referring to the 3.0l diesel not a silly old petrol engine 🙂

I had the 233PS 3.0TDI A4 and you are right – it is a great engine! More torque and power than the 2.7 but the same fuel economy.

Ohhh this I like – I’m about to get my A6 3.0 tdi V6 auto 🙂

VAG 2.0Tdi from 2005 had badly designed oil drive shaft, then without telling public VAG changed from chain driven to hex shaft drive, which in turn was better design overall but after high mileage would wear out just because it was a bit too short.
You could upgrade to longer hex shaft drive but that would cost you a premium (£300+).
If you wanted to upgrade from chain into hex drive then that would be even more monies.

Bur if you ignore all that, once drive shaft fails you better be looking for new engine.

Injector recalls/replacement on 2.0tdi are free, you just need to call dealer to confirm.
Latest 2008 onwards common rail tdi have sorted all shait out so are generally regarded as the ones to go for.

So if you go for early 2005 A4 its time proven older 1.9Tdi to go for.

IMHO

johndoh – Member
Ohhh this I like – I’m about to get my A6 3.0 tdi V6 auto
POSTED 4 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

That’s what I’ve got now. Big diesel and auto is a match made in heaven!

I had an A4, it was unreliable and spent quite a lot of time having small irritating faults fixed. Now I’m on my second Passat and I’ve had no small irritating faults to fix at all.

Deliberately went for the 1.9 as it has less sensors, no dpf and I though it more robust as it was, on general, simpler.

My 2003 1.9 TDI has done 140k and the only issues I’ve had are the front and rear windscreen wiper motors going which were replaced myself, the actuator for AC to the windscreen went but i just removed it and left it open full time and the battery was replaced last week. Aside from that just a standard service every 6 months or so and the necessary cam belt changes at 80k and 125k.

The 1.9TDi is definitly a more robust engine, have taken two over 250k miles without breaking a sweat, had a 2.0TDi and over 90k started having all sorts of issues.

Oh and 100,000 miles on an 8 year old car is pretty average mileage, that does not suggest its had an easy life cruising up and down motorways either.

VAG 2.0Tdi from 2005 had badly designed oil drive shaft, then without telling public VAG changed from chain driven to hex shaft drive, which in turn was better design overall but after high mileage would wear out just because it was a bit too short.
You could upgrade to longer hex shaft drive but that would cost you a premium (£300+).
If you wanted to upgrade from chain into hex drive then that would be even more monies.

Bur if you ignore all that, once drive shaft fails you better be looking for new engine.

Injector recalls/replacement on 2.0tdi are free, you just need to call dealer to confirm.
Latest 2008 onwards common rail tdi have sorted all shait out so are generally regarded as the ones to go for.

So if you go for early 2005 A4 its time proven older 1.9Tdi to go for.

IMHO

That’s really useful thanks. Is there an easy way of finding out whether it has a hex drive or chain (I checked with Audi about injector issues; the car has no o/s service recalls).

You could tell if it was earlier chain or hex drive shaft by engine code. Vwaudiforum.co.uk crowd would be better and quicker with help you require. I was too looking at audi a4 B7 but value for money wasn’t there for me. Did an awfull lot of research about VAG etc, hope you save time and resolve your puzzle quicker.