Dear Mr. Wizard....

[Grant Lenahan]

He's coming up on a full t-belt service and related - about 75000 if  
he's smart.  That's what, $1000 or so?

$2000 ball joints? Nah.  But the control arms, with integral BJs, do  
fail - often int he 60-75k range. But they go onesy-twosy, and cost  
about $100 each plus labor.  Tie rods too, same deal, plus alignment.

if the 1.8 has been maintained, it is very reliable and durable.  If  
its been abused the turbo will have a short life. ill your friend  
remeber to warm it up when cold, change the oil with M1, etc?

My musician neighbor has loved her 1.8t avant for 100k+ miles trouble  
free., She does pay for dealer maint like clockwork however.

Grant
On Apr 6, 2008, at 11:50 AM, Tess McMillan wrote:

> 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
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