Dear Mr. Wizard....

[Tess McMillan]

Oh great ones:

I've been trying to coax one of my friends out of his '91 OldFolksmobile
for some time now. (What can I say, he's a writer and a musician with
a growing family ....)

Charles has just written me that his sister has grown tired of her A4 and
wants to sell it to him. He asks me if this will be a wise purchase.

What should I tell him?

Here is his query:

"She has a 2000 Audi A4 Quattro. 5-speed manual, 60,000 miles. She'll
give it to us for the trade-in value, probably 6K or 7K.

It's the right type of car in terms of size, but I'm worried it will
cost us much too much as soon as something goes wrong. I've heard
horror stories about $2000 ball joints and stuff.

For some it would be a dream deal, but for us, is it worth
considering? Or will it break our heart?"

Please let me know your opinions!

Thanks,

Tess
in Bellevue, WA USA
'88 80Q wearing a few band-aids