Seriously considering a A4 B8 Avant - advice please

[fat controller]

I'm working toward the point where I part company with my Passat - its been a good enough car, but the injector problems knocked the shine off it for a start, not to mention the intermittent hesitation/misfire that it has coupled with the noisy turbo worrying the life out of me; add to that the fact that it has now turned 100k and the clutch seems to be dragging, and I can see big bills on the horizon.

Now, I have had a good look at various cars from various marques, but there are very few that I actually like (and unsurprisingly, nearly all of them are from the VAG stable). I've generally had saloon cars most of my life, however in recent years have cursed myself for this and found myself looking at hatches and estates purely from a practicality point of view.

I really liked the look of the A6, but am not convinced that I need something so big and to be honest I am also not sure that the running costs won't be too much for my palate. The one car that I have taken a bit of a shine to is the A4 Avant - enough space for my needs without being massive, seems to be well screwed together (hopefully doesn't creak and groan like the Passat?), and would appear to be suitable in terms of running costs.

I have taken a real shine to a black one in particular (although I am not overly sure about the dealer selling it - Carcraft - see my other thread in the Anything with wheels section) - - it is a 2.0TDI 143 SE, with 66k on the clock.

Having bought my Passat and then joined this forum to find out that I had the dreaded BKP engine, and that I had essentially bought the motoring equivalent of a time bomb, you will understand that I am keen to avoid a repeat.

So, what should I be looking for when it comes to A4's (particularly the Avant)? Any pitfalls? Also, what are the good points of owning one of these - any happy owners want to share how good their car is?

And lastly, mileage - the cars I have seen all seem to be around the 60 to 80k mark; I am looking to go lower if I can (another reason for looking at the 66k one on a '58 plate instead of a higher mileage on an '09 plate); how critical is the mileage on these, and are there any 'big' service items that arrive at certain mileages that I need to watch for?

Thanks in advance :)

[neilos100]

Not 100% sure but if the same as the A6....the dodgy PD 2.0 engines changes to the far more reliable CR in 2009. Newer is better.....

Sent from my HTC One X using Xparent Red Tapatalk 2

[Guest 2]

The B8 never came with a PD - the CR was produced since the first B8's ~58 plate.

The two B8's I had on loan, once of which for a month and a half and 6000 miles they never let me down once.

Very good build quality, no squeaks bangs or rattles even both being courtesy cars. Very nice inside and a very nice place to be.

Only thing is hat the pedals are offset a tad and can take you a while to find a seating position that suits the pedals and yourself.

I only experienced that on the manual car but the automatic 3.0 was fine.

Audi Belfast sold a B8 with 125k on the clock and I drove it to see how it coped with the mileage - it drove spot on, power delivery was the same as a car with 20k. Steering was direct and I couldn't fault it.

The main thing here is service history - make sure it's 100% Audi history with the timing belt/water pump etc done - Audi recommend this to be changed at I think 80k but for peace of mind factor a change at 60k.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fat controller]

Thanks guys :)

I wasn't really planning to change for another six months or so (mainly so that there is a bit of money left from the trade in once the current loan is cleared), but I am starting to get really twitchy about the potential for the Passat to let me down and rape my wallet. Still not sure about Carcraft though - especially the comments that they don't even let you see a car until they have interrogated you financially.

[dufferum]

I love my B8, although I bought it nearly new from audi.
I travelled up to london for a look at Car Giants stock, they have
Plenty to choose from and you can have a good look at them inside and out
all under roof without being bothered.
The b8's are a big improvement from the B7's in my opinion.

[Pimped-Passat]

I came from a 2007 Passat Sport (2.0 TDi, 140, Saloon, Manual) into a new B8 S-Line Avant (2.0 TDi 143), in December 2010. I've had both cars from new, so I should be able to give you a fairly accurate review of my experiences so far. I'm 18 months into the Audi now, and had the Passat for just over 3 and a half years, covering about 90k miles.

In my honest opinion, the Passat does take some beating, and in a lot of ways I feel it's superior to the B8 in terms of practicality, and performance. I'll try and be candid with you, and try not to write 'War & Peace'...!

Passat
-------
Good overall value for money (£18k)
Sport had a good level of spec - Loads of storage in the cabin
Spacious, front & back. Good boot size
Disappointing residual value - £6500 trade in after 3.5 years
Excellent build quality - As good as the Audi, no matter what anyone else tells you
Reasonable main dealer service costs, but had to shop around and negotiate (Yorkshireman coming out in me!)
MPG very good - Always 50mpg + on runs
Decent running costs in terms of tyres, brakes, etc
Air conditioning better than the Audi
No faults at all during the 3.5 years, although turbo was becoming audible at low revs
Used a lot of oil from day one. Ended up buying oil in bulk
Ordinary looks - Anonymous - Might as well be driving a Mondeo

A4
--
Expensive to buy (£30k)
Expensive to service, although you can negotiate if you push them, explaining you're not a millionaire
Tyres (235/35/19) are eye-wateringly expensive at £240 per corner for 'AO' Dunlops
Small cabin with very, very limited storage. Glove box a joke
Not a very practical estate (yes estate, not 'Avant' - Marketing jargon gone mad)
Driving position awkward due to offset pedal position.
Nicely designed dash & cabin. Nice place to be in
Great looking motor - Street cred increased - People ask you about the car
Other drivers don't let you out at junctions, especially [jealous] BMW drivers - See above point
MPG not as good as Passat - Have to concentrate to get above 45mpg on a run
Not used any oil so far
Small fuel tank compared to Passat
Nice and planted on the road - Smooth drive
Poor in the snow, and has a tendency to aqua-plane, but probably due to 19" wheels
The B&O music upgrade is fantastic - A must
Decent level of equipment
Well screwed together, but not obviously better than the Passat
Disappointing that it needs a new water-pump after just 40k miles
Expecting to be disappointed with residual value at trade in time

Hope this helps..!

Cheers
HonestMark

[c.grex]

I came from a 2007 Passat Sport (2.0 TDi, 140, Saloon, Manual) into a new B8 S-Line Avant (2.0 TDi 143), in December 2010. I've had both cars from new, so I should be able to give you a fairly accurate review of my experiences so far. I'm 18 months into the Audi now, and had the Passat for just over 3 and a half years, covering about 90k miles.

In my honest opinion, the Passat does take some beating, and in a lot of ways I feel it's superior to the B8 in terms of practicality, and performance. I'll try and be candid with you, and try not to write 'War & Peace'...!

Passat
-------
Good overall value for money (£18k)
Sport had a good level of spec - Loads of storage in the cabin
Spacious, front & back. Good boot size
Disappointing residual value - £6500 trade in after 3.5 years
Excellent build quality - As good as the Audi, no matter what anyone else tells you
Reasonable main dealer service costs, but had to shop around and negotiate (Yorkshireman coming out in me!)
MPG very good - Always 50mpg + on runs
Decent running costs in terms of tyres, brakes, etc
Air conditioning better than the Audi
No faults at all during the 3.5 years, although turbo was becoming audible at low revs
Used a lot of oil from day one. Ended up buying oil in bulk
Ordinary looks - Anonymous - Might as well be driving a Mondeo

A4
--
Expensive to buy (£30k)
Expensive to service, although you can negotiate if you push them, explaining you're not a millionaire
Tyres (235/35/19) are eye-wateringly expensive at £240 per corner for 'AO' Dunlops
Small cabin with very, very limited storage. Glove box a joke
Not a very practical estate (yes estate, not 'Avant' - Marketing jargon gone mad)
Driving position awkward due to offset pedal position.
Nicely designed dash & cabin. Nice place to be in
Great looking motor - Street cred increased - People ask you about the car
Other drivers don't let you out at junctions, especially [jealous] BMW drivers - See above point
MPG not as good as Passat - Have to concentrate to get above 45mpg on a run
Not used any oil so far
Small fuel tank compared to Passat
Nice and planted on the road - Smooth drive
Poor in the snow, and has a tendency to aqua-plane, but probably due to 19" wheels
The B&O music upgrade is fantastic - A must
Decent level of equipment
Well screwed together, but not obviously better than the Passat
Disappointing that it needs a new water-pump after just £40k miles
Expecting to be disappointed with residual value at trade in time

Hope this helps..!

Cheers
HonestMark

Sounds like you like passats far more than the A4!

Are the fuel tanks not the same size? If not I can't see it being a big difference.
Cant say I've had any issues with other drivers of cars.
and I looked at passats when looking for my A4 and there was nowhere near 12k difference in price for the same spec of car.
i agree it's not as big as the passat, but I like the fact it's more car like. And as for prices, most cars don't hold good money from new, but that shouldnt bother the OP as he's looking at used anyway.

[Pimped-Passat]

My comments/observations are just an unbiased opinion, based on my experiences of owning both vehicles the OP is asking about. Don't get me wrong, I like the A4, in fact I like it a lot, but the point I'm making is that the Passat is/was certainly a very good car, so don't expect to be overwhelmed by moving from VW to Audi. I wasn't.

The prices I quoted are accurate, I've got the receipts, but please bear in mind I bought the Passat new in 2007 for £18k, driving a good deal. However I did noticed that VW have hiked up their prices recently. When I was shopping around in 2010 for a replacement, I seem to recall the new Passat estate was about £24k in the spec I wanted (spec comparable to the S-Line). The Audi was screen priced at £33k, but I got it for £29.5k. You are paying for the badge with the Audi, there's no getting away from that, but that's the whole point I suppose.

The fuel tank on the Passat was 70 litres, and it's 60 litres on the A4, so the range on the VW was up to 775 miles, where the Audi is nearer 650. Makes a difference if you're doing a lot of miles, especially if you can't stand visiting garages to fill your car up with smelly diesel..!

I'd be interested to know if anyone else has moved from VW to Audi and have similar views.

Cheers

[Splatrat]

my b8 avant is the first estate i've ever owned, coming from a mercedes cls the audi is spot on in all aspects......you wont be disappointed :)