Noel Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 I just traded a 1998 A4 for a 2006 LGT. The A4 is a great and fun car, but once out of warranty, look out. I spent $10K on Maintenance and repairs from mile 60,000 to 140,000. Since I like to drive my cars til 150K miles, I went back to Subaru for reliability. I actually test drove a used 2004 A4 with a V6 and six speed, but as I started it in the Audi Dealer lot, the check engine light started flashing and the car was only running on 4-5 cylinders. This served as my final reminder. BTW, that car only had 30K miles on it. It is interesting to watch the comsumer reports reliability. The first two years have always been good to average for Audi, then they turn bad very quickly as the cars age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
needforsleep Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 just got an '05 A4 1.8T quattro last night. woot.. right now i'm in love with it. hopefully i will get the LGT within the next month and then i can really compare. yes, maintaining the car will be $$$, and upfront the price of the A4 (15K miles with premium) costed more than a brand new GT legacy. and.. they are also "slow"... LOL but somehow I'm drawn into it.. can't get enough of it.. everything seems to fit perfectly i would get into more detail on the A4 but not now cause i'm having to much fun enjoying it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
needforsleep Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 oh, hit up audizine.com great information.. on the car in general and also if you plan to mod the car. I read the forums through and through and eventough i heard all of their complaints i wasn't swayed. were you looking at the b7(05+) or b6(02-05)? sorry forgot to mention but i got the b6.. mainly because of looks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
941LE Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 I drove a Subaru...was enough to sell me. Didn't care for the Audi powerplants...1.8T (underpowered) or 3.0 (heavy, doggish) and after VW put the piston rings on incorrectly in my ladies Golf I have little faith in the Germans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tantal Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 I have a 1998 A4 1.8t, 5sp, sport package, quattro. I now have 70k mi on it. I have a 05 GT limited wagon, and this car replaced a 95 legacy wagon, also owned since new. Unlike a lot of people here I have not had all that many problems with the car. (1) Replaced both rear wheel bearings. (2) New turbo because of broken ($15) wastegate, integral partn (3) I have an air bag system fault due to the typical failing connectors which is way too much money to fix $500 ? given the nature of the problem, so my airbags dont work Have had good luck otherwise with the car; I've owned it since new. Maybe I've been lucky, but my Audi has been pretty reliable overall. Plusses for the A4: (1) Noticably flatter cornering. (2) Better interior materials (3) Better warranty (4) Higher snob factor if that's important to you (5) Overall higher standards for dealer service - significantly higher. Cons for the A4 (1) It is now a FAT PIG of a car (2) More money (3) More expensive service visits - even little things are more expensive (4) Annonying electrical gremlins (5) I HATE the new styling, obviously a personal issue. I consider myself very lucky to have had the chance to get my GT the way I wanted it - with the manual, with tan leather, in the wagon. If this combination had been unavailable like it is now, I would simply not have considered another subaru, and purchased an 01 528 or 03 525 wagon with a manual instead. I wouldn't, however, refuse to buy an audi, though, if I didn't hate the styling. I could live with the heaviness, but it is a real turn off - you definately feel it in the corners, although it is a traction advantage in the winter. Good luck with your decision. Either car will serve you well and provide a lot of driving pleasure for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 As you mentioned above, you only have 70K miles on the Audi, however, the repairs you mentioned are fairly major compared to a Subie. FYI, my 1998 A4 was "Fairly" reliable, as far as Audi's go" until it had 75K miles on it. From that point until I sold it with 140K miles, I spend about $9-10K in maintenance and repairs. THe bottom line for most, is that if you plan to keep your car for 100K or more miles, then the reliability of Audi or any VW product for that matter, is not even close to Subaru. THere was an interesting quote I read from Consumer Reports that stated that an 8 year old Toyota has fewer problems than a 2 year old VW product. Interesting. Good luck with your next 30K-50K miles, I sincerely hope your experience with your A4 is different than mine...or many others for that matter. Noel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KartRacerBoy Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 Yeah, I'm sort of basing an Audi's buyability on Consumer Reports saying the 2004 and 2005 A4 have above-average reliability. 2 more things I thought of for the A4: -front limited-slip (I live in the snow belt) -fold-down rear seats As to reliability of the 2004/05 Audi, I think its a little to early to tell. Remember, more problems show up as cars get older, and I seem to remember model years of Audis that looked good in CR for reliability when one year old, but then deteriorated rapidly (as reflected in CR's reliability tables). Since German cars have been adding all the electronic geegaws (BMW idrive, nav systems, etc.) have gone to pot on reliabilty in electronics and CR has stated this. Motor and powertrain reliability is still good. Reliability when you're spending that much money is a big deal to me. A car isn't too prestigous in the shop. The other thing I hate about German (or other Europeon makers') cars nowadays is that they're ponderous boats. I was looking at the new Volvo V70R (300 hp awd) but it weighs over $4,000 lbs. I found one with 15,000 miles on it in Maryland at a dealer for $32,000, but I got my spanking new LGT non-limited wagon in Feb. 2005 for about $6,000 less. And it weighs almost 700 lbs less! Granted, the Subaru is a smaller car physically, but that is just another good thing to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tantal Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 As you mentioned above, you only have 70K miles on the Audi, however, the repairs you mentioned are fairly major compared to a Subie. FYI, my 1998 A4 was "Fairly" reliable, as far as Audi's go" until it had 75K [snip] Noel For reference, on the legacy, which I kept for 10 years asn 120 k mi, I replaced the following: The Clutch both rear wheel bearings brake calipers (rust) heater core A/C compressor I think these (except the clutch) are pretty comparable to the audi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinlsb Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 An Audi is a VW with expensive parts. "Belief does not make truth. Evidence makes truth. And belief does not make evidence." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 For reference, on the legacy, which I kept for 10 years asn 120 k mi, I replaced the following: The Clutch both rear wheel bearings brake calipers (rust) heater core A/C compressor I think these (except the clutch) are pretty comparable to the audi. If the board had enough memory, I would post my list for my A4. Let's just say that it is about 5-6 times longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkl303 Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 I had to opportunity to drive my friends A3 2.0T. That thing was fun to drive and DSG shifts like a dream but I'd still prefer to own the GT. I'm not sure if it's still an issue but the b5 A4s 1.8T and 2.8 both needed their timing belt done at 60k miles. My friend's belt or tensioner went out at 80k and well its still not on the road last time I heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmm def Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 All you who say "Audi's suck" and leave it at that.... you suck! Cmon what kind of argument is that?!!! I'd take a Suby over Audi anyday for reliability however there are some nice advantages for the Audi, but they do come at a price. You have much better interior quality, paint, I think they feel a bit more solid, they look $$, xenons/power everything...haha lots of little electrical toys (that break a lot) and many more features. If audi could get to Subaru reliability levels we'd have a real winner there. Audis do get very expensive to maintain/own, some are lucky some are not. We had a 95 S6 that we sold with 185,000..that car was bulletproof. An 01 S4 for 40,000 miles that car was alright. Luckily no turbo problems, minor electrical glitches. 2003 RS6 with 38,000 on it, car has been flawless. I think Audi has a lot of room for improvement reliability wise, however other than that they are very nice cars. But..I drive a Honda so who am I Sounds like you have made your mind on the Audi! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck 2.5GT Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 Audi = Engine looks like it is 90% in front of the front axle. Also, the Audi dealerships around me are filled with extremely snooby salesman. To me, the legacy looks and performs better, enjoy dealing with Subaru. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kleggo Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Audi's suck. period. LOL what a dork! cheers kleggo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegGTLT Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Who's the dork now? Please PM joeleodee For All Site Questions. He is the acting Admin and can resolve anything related to LegacyGT.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustangendsley Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 the services on the audi are a pain in the wallet. you can buy a porsh for the same money for services on the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegGTLT Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Oh god... mods! Shut it down! It's three years old... we don't need another one... Please PM joeleodee For All Site Questions. He is the acting Admin and can resolve anything related to LegacyGT.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPU1 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 My LGT is far more fun to drive than a 1.8t or 2.0t A4. I have not driven the 3.2 but I cannot imagine the feel of the car is very different. The Audi feels less connected to the road, the steering is also too light for my taste Do yourself a favor and drive them both, and try to do it in the same day. I worked at a Porsche dealer, we sold Audis... I could have gotten Employee pricing on one and I own an LGT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegGTLT Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 So much for that request... Please PM joeleodee For All Site Questions. He is the acting Admin and can resolve anything related to LegacyGT.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnout8488 Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 Audi = Engine looks like it is 90% in front of the front axle. I have to respond to this even though it's 3 years old. I just looked at the engine in my legacy last night relative to the front axles, and it is entirely in front of the axles. 100%. What am I missing here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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