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Family members first car advice.

toothofwar

Autocross Champion
So my nephew is looking at a 2006 Audi A4 quattro 2.0t. It has 126k miles on it and a 2 owner car. It has a typical 16 year old car fade in the paint and interior is dirty, but no tips or major stains. I have only had mk7s and mk7.5s so I am not familiar with that platform. The private owner is asking $2k for it. Would this make a Good starter car for a 16 y/o? Anything to look out for or ask about? Thanks in advance.
 

gixxerfool

Autocross Champion
I will tell you the same thing I tell everyone when they ask me. Go get a Civic or a Corolla. They’re reliable, cheap to fix and maintain and get good MPG. As a first car it will get beat up. Accidents happen. My daughter wanted a Jetta as her first car and I told her no. I want her to know how to work on cars and the above are great learning platforms and I won’t worry about her being stranded some place.
 

JC_451

Autocross Champion
What's the purchase budget?

If it's actually 2 grand, Civic or Corrola.

Otherwise $2000 for the Audi doesn't sound like a bad price but I can't imagine he gets even light usage out of it without significant extra investment.
 

toothofwar

Autocross Champion
? What kind of extra investment ? Just getting some details for him. I'm with you on the honda purchase , but the Only ones we are finding have been tagged out for years in the 2k range.
 

toothofwar

Autocross Champion
Oh, and around 2-3k is the budget. He is going to have about 1k he can put down, but he is just starting to work steady. Would like to pay off any difference Durring summer break.
 

gixxerfool

Autocross Champion
It may be worth it to see if he can look up prices of tires, shocks, front upper control arms, a turbo, timing chains were a known issue as well. If these things have been ignored, prepare for a decent amount of money to be spent to get it fixed. He would be better off getting a small car loan and just getting something Japanese to get around in.
 

shovelhd

Autocross Champion
The lower the price point, the simpler the car should be. An AWD Audi is anything but simple. If you're stuck on VAG and are willing to bankroll the repairs, go for it, but a Honda or Toyota would be a batter choice.

Typical high mileage costly issues on this car would be a clutch, water pump/thermostat, brakes, timing belt/tensioner, fuel injectors, exhaust, etc.
 

toothofwar

Autocross Champion
Ok, so some info on the car. New parts at 107k miles include the following

Brakes (pads and rotors )
Water pump and t housing
Tires
Plugs and coils

Is this the motor that randomly pukes out the timing belt/chain?

He has loved my VWs and is wanting to get in brand, but parents dont want a gti or R for obvious reasons.
 

KevinC

Autocross Champion
It might be a great car - if the kid has a pile of money to fix/maintain it, or a fat trust fund that can be tapped at will for the inevitable expensive repair here and there.

Otherwise - heed the advice above to get a Civic or a Corolla.
 

Daks

Autocross Champion
Ok, so some info on the car. New parts at 107k miles include the following

Brakes (pads and rotors )
Water pump and t housing
Tires
Plugs and coils

Is this the motor that randomly pukes out the timing belt/chain?

He has loved my VWs and is wanting to get in brand, but parents dont want a gti or R for obvious reasons.
Not sure if the cam follower is an issue on those cars...
 

gixxerfool

Autocross Champion
These are the engines with the timing chain tensioner issues I believe, if not, then check the belt. Couple of bolts should give you access to see the condition.

If it is, there is a plug in the front cover you can remove and see the chain tensioner. If you cannot see the notches on the tensioner plunger, you need tensioner and chains. If you can see the notches, count them. More than 5 you need to consider chains. 6 notches you need them. 7 or more you’re a ticking time bomb.

The turbo waste gate arm bushings like to wear and you need to replace the turbo.
 

Jose_Gti

Autocross Newbie
That Audi it’s a project car, so it depends on what your nephew wants. If he needs something to go to school/work, somewhat reliable and his budget is low I would pass.
If he wants a European car and he doesn’t mind to wait for parts, work to save money and fix his own car at his own pace then I think this Audi it’s a great opportunity.
 

brat_burner

Autocross Champion
Friend of mine that is semi knowledgable about cars got a v6 Audi with low mileage. He was romping it one day and the timing belt snapped... He had just recently got it for a 'daily'.
 
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