This is the first video on my daily driver, my 2009 Audi A4 1.8T. This is my first car and has seen so much with me. In this video, I explain what it has been like for the last 11 years and why it has been such a good (or bad) car.
In 2018, I purchased a 2L TFSi Quattro Manual with an oil burning problem, but I got it at an incredibly cheap price. I've been driving it for five years, consistently adding oil as needed, and only recently made the decision and rebuilt the engine. This car has become one of my all-time favorites, and I intend to keep it for another five years. Considering the initial price I paid and the cost of a complete engine rebuild, it turned out to be an excellent deal for me.
I appreciate the run down, especially from an Australian ownership point of view. Would you recommend the B9 Audi A4? Looking at the 45 TFSI Quattro 2.0 engine variant. Love the styling of the interior and exterior, also the size and subtle performance aspect. I don't know too much about the reliability and what to look for when buying these cars, especially with most examples around 80,000 - 140,000 km's on the clock. A question regarding both generations, are the media systems reliable? Do the amplifiers and speakers hold up? I went through a nightmare replacing my current cars stereo. It would be the highest priority to have sorted before buying a new car, at least in my opinion.
Thanks for commenting, electrical systems are the ones you need to check the most with these cars. They can have issues and are expensive when they do go wrong. It isn't that common but when it happens, but when it does they can be a nightmare to sort. Stereos and amplifiers aren't the main issue (they are generally quite reliable), its the MMI interface you need to check the most. Another thing to consider is the transmission. The S-tronic gearboxes can give issues like all the VAG DSGs. Other issues are control arms and transmission pan gaskets but they aren't expensive to sort out. Engines seem to be stronger than the B8's in petrol guise, less reported issues with oil consumption and piston rings. I have a few things I stick to with European cars, particularly German cars. The car you buy is the 3rd model year in as they have sorted out a lot of the early bugs. I would be looking for a MY18 or newer example (VIN position 10 is a J) and one with as few electrical systems as possible (less to go wrong) and preferably a manual (not possible with B9s here). Those are the reasons why mine has held up so well and because it is well maintained. Maintenance is more expensive than the equivalent Japanese or Korean car in Australia and unless you get the parts from Europe and check the part numbers from the parts catalogue (where they are reasonably priced), they are very expensive if you have to rely on Audi. I would look at as many as you can, look for a car that is well maintained, full service history and keep your options open in terms of spec. You could find a mint A4 35 TFSI for the same money as a rough 45 TFSI Quattro and that might be a the better bet.
