Re: Should I Buy a 1999 Audi A4 Quattro?

[ti@amb.org (Ti Kan)]

Neil Bomberg writes:
> I am new to the list.  I am on the verge of buying a 1999 Audi A4 1.8T Quattro with Tiptronic
> transmission.

The A4 is a fine choice.  However, the Tiptronic saps a good chunk of its
performance.  If you must buy an auto tranny then so be it, but if you
don't mind driving a manual transmission you owe it to yourself to try
the manual.  I think you'll be doubly impressed by the performance.

> I am convinced that the Quattro is the way to go.

Good judgement!  Especially since quattro can be had for only $1600 extra and
you not only get two more driven wheels, but a vastly superior rear suspension
than the FrontTrak too.

> However, I am concerned about the overall cost of maintenance of the Quattro vehicle.  The dealer
> indicated that tires must be rotated more regularly on the Quattro version then on the FrontTrak
> version and that it is important to replace all four tires rather than two, if one tire goes bad.  I
> am also concerned about the durability of the system.

The dealer is not being honest here.  If anything, the tires need *less*
frequent rotation on a quattro because the rear wheels do part of the work.
I think the factory recommended tire rotation schedule is the same on both
FWD and quattro.  It is always a good idea to rotate the tires on a regular
interval so that they wear evenly, and as such they should all be replaced
at the same time when they all wear out.  This applies to both FWD and
quattro.

As to durability, the quattro drive train has proven itself to be bulletproof.
Other things might break over time, but we have rarely heard of quattro
itself having any problems.

-Ti
96 A4 2.8 quattro
84 5000S 2.1 turbo
80 4000 2.0
-- 
    ///  Ti Kan                Vorsprung durch Technik
   ///   AMB Research Laboratories, Sunnyvale, CA. USA
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