318 vs a4

[briansol]

is this a common problem (or more so, does it have an easy fix?)
a quick search says it's pretty common...
http://318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2484


Long story short

I found a 95 318ti at a local 20-car dealer lot.
green, 15-ish spoke alloys (not sure what model they are), not a sport model, 5 spd.
body is in very good shape. the hood has some paint peels, but only on the hood.
tan leather interior.
150k on it

the pass side window is off the track to the point of it looking like it barely is even hanging on the window frame.
The rear view mirror is also sitting on the passenger seat.

they are asking 3500 for it.
it seems like a good deal to me, but i'm not exactly looking to get into a project car right now... i'm just looking for a winter driver (not a beater) while my M keeps the garage company


parked right next to it is a 98 a4 5 spd with 2.8 v6 for the same price.
this car also looks pretty mint.
but, it has 200k on it.
the awd will certainly be a lot more convenient (i'm up north here where it snows a lot) but i was planning to put snows on whatever i picked up anyway.


so, pros and cons...

a4 vs 318ti
more miles - less miles
awd > rwd in the snow
not a fixer - needs minor work
better gas mileage to the 318
more pep to the a4


help! lol

i'm buying one of these tomorrow most likely, so what would you do?

[SDKmann]

Well first off the A4 does not have more pep, my sister has the exact same model A4 and its much slower than my ti, wallows like a pig too. That said they are asking way too much for that ti, I wouldnt pay a cent more than $2k for a car like that. RWD is fine in the winter if you get good snow tires and dont drive like a jackass so that shouldnt be an issue. Knowing all that Id say its up to personal preference although Id skip the ti unless you can bring them down significantly.

[wolferj-RIP]

Well, if you take in our obvious bias, I would still take the ti, but for a lot less... It does seem that it will be somewhat of a project car, however... Window off track, clear coat peeling, Does it look like the previous owners at least took care of it? Any e36 can go that mileage and be neglected along the way...

The A4 may look nicer, but I would suspect it's at the end of it's usefullness. May need some major work in the near future since it has 200k... but I'm no expert on Audi's... Also, not every A4 is a quattro. Are you sure it is? Because $3500 for a quattro seems low (does it have the right badge? did you check the VIN on the door jamb?) Just make sure... (if you already checked, ignore me...)

All things considered, go with whatever your rational decision is...


(funny side note, my M is the beater and my ti gets the better parking spot. I paid more for my ti than the M.)

[paddyhart]

Find an audi board for their reliability on their drivetrain at 200k
me thinks is $ but could be wrong

[Maverix]

IMO, you've already made up your mind. You're looking for acceptance from us. If you like the a4, go ahead and get it.

But since you're asking me what I would like. I would go with the ti and restore it. I like to believe in,"No ti left behind." lol

[briansol]

If i came off as leading towards the a4, i voiced myself wrong.

I'm pretty much dead nuts 50/50 at this point.

yes, the 200k mileage scares me... you're right, it could be on its last leg (i haven't even test driven it yet..). it is a quatro though.. i stuck my head under and noticed the rear end

But, not having a rear view mirror or passenger side window that even fully closes at this point also scares me, like James mentioned above... it may be a true sign that it was neglected.

the ti looks like it came from an auction. has some writing on the glass light auction numbers, etc. But, most of these 20-car lots get their inventory from auctions.
So, perhaps someone just got sick of dumping money into it, and when the window went off said screw it and traded it in.

i'm not too worried about the rwd in the snow... i'll probably get some dunlop wintersport M3's. love those tires.


Totally off topic, they also have a 2001 S4 for 9800. lol it's a little (ok, a lot) more than i really want to spend though... and it also has 100k on it... and who knows if the t-blet or turbos were replaced. but, that may be a huge bargaining chip.

It's a buyers market for sure right now with the economy the way it is. If i don't buy it tomorrow, they are going to sit on it for a while probably. I plan to use that to my advantage either way.

[briansol]

and i just ran into this too from a private seller.

http://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/946482430.html


hrm...

[tiFreak]

Audi's have all kinds of stupid electrical faults in them that come out after a certain mileage, my mom bought an A6 and she hates it, I'm sure with 200k that one has plenty of them, fixing the window is easy enough, there's a write-up of it on here, the mirror just needs to be glued back on, although it may have some faults that you can't see, I'd try to talk the dealer down to $2500-3000

[spidertri]

I too was looking at A4s when I purchased my car. I would stay away from the V6 if you have any intentions of modding. The 1.8T is a much better car for that.

From my research it really seemed like the Audi was much more expensive to maintain than a 318. As long as you keep an eye on the cooling system of the M42/44 it's a great little engine.

The Jetta VR6 looks like a really good find too. Gosh, I love the VR exhaust note. New clutch though, probably means it was thrashed. Still for a winter beater, it won't be a bad car.

[briansol]

The guy with the jetta never emailed me back. the a4 was garbage. had an aftermarket starter that required all sorts of keywork involved to keep the starter off the flywheel. The dealer straight up told me not to buy that POS. lol So, i bought the Ti.

it's not remotely as slow as i thought it was going to be. I was rather impressed, actually. 1st and 2nd aren't anything to write home about but 3rd gear just pulls and pulls.

They fixed the window already. it wasn't off the track, it just got rolled up and didin't go under the little nub thing that holds it under the top door frame. so, that's a huge plus.
The rear end is a little load under load.... whines a bit. Probably needs some diif fluid changed.
The radio illumination is bunk... but, its a tape player anyway. So, i'll be putting in an aftermarket radio/ipod anyway.
Shift knob fell off. looks like its missing a set screw or something. easy fix.
the driver door is a little tough to close. the latch is finicky... kinda need to hold the lever open as you close it. probbaly a greese/lube job and it will be good.
rear hatch pistons don't hold up the hatch. easy fix (aka- a stick ) until i get time to replace them.

it also has almost new hokkapelita's on it. so, that's instant cash back so to speak that i was going to spend on snow tires (500 bucks probably).

there's a couple specs of rust on the hatch / glass meet up right on the seal... the seal is actually peeled a little bit in that corner. No sign of leaks though. interior was fine.

I got him down 500 bucks to 3k.

I take delivery on tuesday (dmv closes at noon on sat. and is closed sun/mon so i can't get it reg'ed until then, and they will be doing it for me as it needs to go through emissions as well).

All in all, i think with a couple hundred bucks and some elbow greese, i got myself a nice little driving car. I'm happy.


here's some pics. it needs a good detail job, and they will also be doing that before i take delivery on tuesday.

[wolferj-RIP]

Congrats on your new TI! And welcome to the .org... Your 3k cost plus $500 tire savings = $2500... Well done...

Do watch that window, it may slip again... Look for the permanet window fix thread that cooljess wrote a little while back...

And definately change that diff fluid... Doubt it has ever been changed previously.

And there is no set screw for OEM shift knobs, they just push on and pull off (really hard) and have a slot at the top to stay in place (a tab may be broken inside the knob, however). If you want to buy a really, really nice new one, there is a discount thread in the for sale section from Tisher Motorsports... great guys to get real BMW parts from..

Have fun and happy winter driving!

[briansol]

Thanks.

BTW, does anyone know what trim this is? My attachments dfon't seem to be working for me..





i don't think it's the base model is it? aren't those the better wheels? and it has leather...

[wolferj-RIP]

It is probably an "Active" trim... Did you notice if the clock has multi functions? You have the upgraded 15" factory alloys (as opposed to hubcaps) and a leather interior.

When you have a moment, Mallard can run the VIN for you (look for the VIN thread) and get you all the details...

[tiFreak]

yup, looks like an active, although you could get a base with upgraded wheels and leather, does it have cruise? that and the multi-function clock are only available on actives, looks like a pretty nice ti, although green with a tan interior happens to be one of my least favorite color combinations

[briansol]

yes, it has cruise. there's a wand sitck by the ignition.

the clock/radio is all fubar... can't read anything on it. its one big blur of led's.

yeah, i'm not too big on tan... in anything. It def looks more white than tan though.

I'll live with it. ANYTHING is better than wood grain. god i hate wood grain interiors.