1999 audi a4 manual transmission
 

I am looking at picking up an Audi A4 (1999) with a manual transmission. It is the 1.8 turbo flavor. The mpg is fairly low, but I think that with good driving technique it could be improved.

The reason that I am looking at getting this car, is that it is going to auction next week. As in, someone crashed it and claimed it on their insurance. I have always driven wreckers (though you could never guess this unless you opened up the hood and knew the signs to look for). Basically, by doing this, I am able to buy the car, drive it for a couple years, and then sell it for a profit. It is a win-win situation. I never hide the fact that it was bought at auction and was fixed up. I also stay away from scrap and salvage titles.

Anyways, back to the point at hand... is this car worth buying? I am talking from a purely FE standpoint. My sister has the 2000 version and loves it. She is only 18 though, and drives an automatic. I suspect that she gets most of her gas bought for her, and I know that she has no idea how to even calculate MPG. SO, what is the consensus on the car? Fueleconomy.gov lists it as 23/32. I think I could beat that.

Here are the specs on it.

1999 Audi A4 Performance & Efficiency Standard Features
- 1,781 cc 1.8 liters 4 in-line front longitudinal engine with 81 mm bore, 86.4 mm stroke, 9.5 compression ratio, cast iron block, light alloy head, double overhead cam, variable valve timing/camshaft and five valves per cylinder
- Premium unleaded fuel
- Fuel economy EPA highway (l/100km): 8.1
- Multi-point injection fuel system
- 59 liter fuel tank
- Power: 112 kW , 150 HP @ 5,700 rpm; 155 ft lb , 210 Nm @ 1,750 rpm
1999 Audi A4 Handling, Ride & Braking Standard Features his
- ABS
- 3.5:1 axle ratio
- Front, rear and center differential lock
- Four disc brakes including two ventilated discs
- Immobilizer
- Spacesaver steel rim spare wheel
- Multi-link front suspension with stabilizer bar independent with coil springs , wishbone rear suspension with stabilizer bar independent with coil springs
1999 Audi A4 Exterior & Aerodynamics Standard Features
- Body color body side molding
- Front and rear body color bumpers
- Chrome/bright trim around side windows
- Coefficient of drag: 0.32
- Driver and passenger power heated body color door mirrors
- External dimensions: overall length (mm): 4,488, overall width (mm): 1,732, overall height (mm): 1,440, wheelbase (mm): 2,616, front track (mm): 1,496, rear track (mm): 1,478 and curb to curb turning circle (mm): 11,095
- Front fog lights
- High pressure headlight cleaners
- Complex surface lens halogen bulb single headlights
- Luxury trim leather on gearknob
- Black paint , gloss paint , mica paint
- Rear window
- Roof rails
- Tinted glass
- Weights: gross vehicle weight rating (kg) 2,125 and curb weight (kg) 1,520
- Windshield wipers with automatic intermittent wipe
1999 Audi A4 Interior Standard Features
- Air conditioning with climate control
- Roof antenna
- Remote control peripheral interior monitoring anti-theft protection
- Front illuminated ashtray , rear ashtray
- Audio anti-theft protection:
- Stereo manufacturer's own audio system with AM/FM
- Cargo area cover/rear parcel shelf
- Cargo area dimensions:
- Cargo area light
- Cargo capacity: rear seat up; to lower window (liters): 878 and rear seat down (liters): 1,804
- Front seats illuminated cigar lighter
- Clock
- Dashboard full console , floor full console with open storage box
- Delayed/fade courtesy lights
- Cruise control
- Front seats cup holders
- Door pockets/bins for driver seat and passenger seat
- External temperature digital display
- Floor covering: carpet in passenger compartment and carpet in load area
- Carpet floor mats
- Driver and passenger front airbag
- Bucket seat , bucket seat
- 3-point reel height adjustable front seat belts on driver seat and passenger seat
- Folding front seat center armrest with integral box
- Lockable illuminated glove compartment
- Height adjustable two head restraints on front seats with rotational adjustment , height adjustable three head restraints on rear seats with rotational adjustment
- Illuminated entry system
- Internal dimensions: front headroom (mm): 968, rear headroom (mm): 960, front leg room (mm): 1,046, rear leg room (mm): 846, front shoulder room (mm): 1,389, rear shoulder room (mm): 1,356 and interior volume (liters): 2,512
- Low fuel level warning
- Remote power locks includes power windows
- Vehicle speed proportional power steering
- Front and rear power windows with two one-touch
- Front and rear reading lights
- Rear fog lights
- 3-point reel rear seat belts on driver side, passenger side and center side
- Folding rear seat center armrest with ski bag
- Bench asymmetrical three rear seats
- Rear view mirror
- Electric remote trunk/hatch release
- Front seat back storage
- Upgraded cloth/velour seat upholstery with additional cloth
- Seating: five seats
- Front side airbag
- Eight speakers
- Leather covered steering wheel
- Tachometer
- Driver and passenger illuminated vanity mirror
- Ventilation system with digital controls, push button heater controls, variable fan speeds, recirculation setting and micro filter

That was just copied and pasted, so there might be some funny-looking areas. I think I also saw somewhere else that the car has a coefficient of drag of 0.29. Not sure which is correct...

Based on mileage? Nah... But if you wanna fix it and flip it why not? Otoh, if you wanted to do something like this, hell yeah!

i didnt see the mileage but that is the exact same car i want. whats the price on it?

Is this a 1999 (Mark 3)? Or a 1999.5 (Mark 4)?

I'm fairly sure audi does the same thing as VW when it comes to generation changes (and I think 99.5 was a generation change, at least it was for VW and most mfr's change around the same time).

I could be wrong.... But, resale value will change based on body style ;) And I won't lie, VW/Audi had some rather problematic electrical issues in the 90's :thumbdown: Part of the reason why they got the "expensive to repair" reputation...

omgwtfbyobbq: You don't think that 23/32 is decent for a heavy luxury car with a turbo? It is nothing to write home about, but with the right driving technique it should be possible to pull off 40 mpg depending on driving conditions.

Hockey4mnhs: I just happened to come across it as I was searching through an auction site that I frequently use to buy my cars. It has around 115k miles on it. This worries me for two reasons... one, that it may need a new clutch soon. two, that it may need a new turbo soon. Otherwise it looks to be in good shape. Of course there is the whole fixing of the car to make it drivable but that is another story. As for price? Since it is an auction, I have no idea what it will go for. KBB lists it as $5000-$8000 (give or take) so it should sell for less than that. Probably $2-3k is my guess.

trebuchet03: I have no idea. It is impossible for me to see it in person, and as it goes to auction on Tuesday, I doubt I can have anyone check it out for me before then. If I were to guess, I would say it is the older model, just basing my guess on the shape of the car.
Thanks for telling me about the electrical issues. I have noticed among forums and reviews of Audis that they are an expensive car to maintain. I remember my dad getting some proprietary power steering fluid or brake fluid (or something like that) and he was shocked at how much it cost.

Well, I think I would like to buy it, if only to enjoy driving it for a while and seeing what kind of mileage I can squeeze out of it. Oh, and once in a while see how far I can push the turbo! Everything is riding on whether my contact is able to look at it in person and gauge whether it is fixable or not.

Well... Aside from going slower than ~50mph in top gear, and accelerating relatively briskly, I don't think there's much to do w/o risking the Turbo's lifespan. In other words, I wouldn't bother w/ P&G w/ this engine, especially considering that 1.8Ts aren't the most reliable according to anecdotal accounts I've read. It's not like an automatic, where the EPA highway mileage can be greater than the EPA as long as the torque converter locks up, and it's not like most manuals where you can P&G with relative ease, imo of course.

my hubby has found that switching to Mobil 1 oil from the castrol oil they used at the dealership gave him another 2 mpg.
have fun!