Maintenance is cheaper than depreciation on a new car - i have a 2009 BMW 3 series convertible with only 24k miles, and my brother has a 2005 Range Rover - and yes, they cost a lot of money from time to time - but well worth it, and none of the modern keyless security issues, or stop start nonsense … golden era 2000 - 2012 to me …. Cars turned in to computers after this …
1000% keep it. The only caveat… they made e90 328i wagons through 2011 with manual transmissions. Not easy to find, but that inline 6 is pretty bullet proof and would solve your desire for more power.
As a fellow Avant owner I can tell you for sure it's the most underrated car ; love it !. The utility of it all is great . Yes New York roads ate my brand new tires and my oil pans engine and Trans . The only good thing is that I was an Audi tech so nothing to fear . Here's a tip for you FCP euro and ECS tuning for parts then have you mechanics install the parts . Saving$$$ . Great video ,loved watching keep it rolling 👍.
Great video. As personally owning an USP as the original owner I have replaced most if not all the items you addressed. It happens with the age of the car (2005 USP), but what I can tell you is that thanks to youtube you have can fix much of the minor items you address. Coils and plugs are cheap. Valve cover is even cheaper. You just need to roll up your sleeves. Labor costs are a nightmare. I get all my stuff from FCP Euro, lifetime warranty and fast shipping.
Oh look! 2nd owner to an ‘05 Dolphin Grey Ultrasport Avant (with the 1.8T/6MT combo too haha) you’ve definitely made a solid decision keeping this. We have an ‘11 e91 328i with the sport package, and I truly enjoy the USP almost every day of the week over the e91. Make a few friends in the community, do some basic wrenching, and in the long term you’ll enjoy both saving thousands of dollars while keeping your Dolphin as good as new. Cheers!
The best looking A4. Plenty of little +1's you can do. Get a minor chip upgrade, when the exhaust goes, upgrade it a little. Even down to light bulbs, the new stuff is just a bit better. Same thing with the stereo and speakers. You can even upgrade the leather for about 1200 + instal to make it all new.
Love it! I have an 05 A4 S-Line Quattro 6 speed (unofficial USP of 05) and have really dumped a ton of money into it the past 5 years. It's a 3.0 so it has those extras like power folding mirrors, reverse dip passenger mirror, Xenons (auto leveling), power rear window shade. Still love it, but the repair bills just keep mounting. I sure as hell wish it was an avant!
Honesty a lot of this work could have been done cheaper and is par the course for the mileage and age, but the car is absolutely mint and is an excellent car to keep on the road.
Hi Joe, I enjoyed watching your video about making the decision to invest in your vehicle. You do have a good technician. I think those repairs would have cost more at my independent Audi shop. We have a 2008 Audi A6 Quattro with 150K miles. The A6 has been very reliable. I had to do the carbon cleanup at 120K miles. That was about $2500. Since then it has only been a radiator/fan issue and the need to replace the valve covers. The A6 has been a great car. It has made more than a few 500 mile trips to New Orleans as well as several trips from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. It is very comfortable and still looks quite good. It is the only vehicle that my 5'10" daughter does not complain about sitting in the back seat. My wife drives it mostly. I just put gas in it and get to drive it on long drives. However, we don't really drive it much on the long trips anymore. Just before the pandemic, I thought about replacing both the front and rear suspension. However, that did not happen. I am sorry now that we did not replace the suspension as the vehicle does not handle quite as well as it did in the past. I worry about the transmission. I tried to get my Audi dealer to change the fluid at 100K miles, but they would not. They said it is "good for the life of the vehicle". However, I do wonder what they mean in terms of a "lifetime". I wish that I could get a map update for the navigation unit. The last update was back in 2016. I also find my xenon headlights don't seem to illuminate the road as well as the newer vehicles in our household. I had the bulbs replaced, but that did not help a lot. Perhaps, the ballast also needed to be replaced along with the bulbs. Now, I tend to drive it less at night. You are correct that it is nice to not have a car payment. You are lucky that your spouse seems to be on the same page as you on your investment decision. My wife is very wishy-washy. One day she is in favor of keeping the A6. The next day she is talking about getting a new Cabriolet. It makes it difficult to make an investment decision. I think that we will likely keep the A6 until there is a need for a major repair that seems too costly. Then, it might get easier to get her to buy into a decision. Good luck with your Avant and your investment decision.
We didn't get "ultrasport" in EU, but I have very similarly specced 2004 B6 avant quattro (6-speed manual of course) minus the sunroof and wheels, but got the misano red color from S4, plus it is the bit more powerful version of 1.8T (BEX) 😁 Has now 250k km (100k by me) and funny how similar the problems have been around the same mileage. Suspension (rear shocks mainly) was shot around 180k (I think that in reality much earlier but I didn't notice it right away), exhaust was leaking from exactly same location (the seam at the Y-pipe) and I changed that around 230k after couple years of leaking (bit sportier sounds during that time 😄). Also, the wheel bearing (front right) started to make noise around 220k, so I changed all four and no problems since. Valve cover gasket does leak easily, but it is luckily easy to fix. Alternator is still the original, so I guess it might go soon! One weird problem has been the outer CV joints in front and those I have been changing roughly every year since I first changed them around 170-180k (I guess the part quality has been going down). Have you checked the rubber hoses and plastic T-pieces etc around the engine and PCV/coolant system? Those are prone to cracking after so many years and heat-cycles (like all plastic pieces in the engine bay). If the power feels low, there is a simple solution for that: bigger turbo and injectors (and other necessary bits and pieces)! For example, K04 hybrid turbo is pretty straight forward installation and keeps the OEM look pretty well while giving around 250-300 hp (depending on the other mods), which is decent but the car is still usable as a daily 😎 But personally, I like the car/body style and practicality (even tho it is a small wagon). It is also pretty easy to service (no need for laptop but it has OBD so you can diagnose problems if you want). Powerwise it is bit low but 1.8T is reliable engine when maintained regularly and it can handle tuning pretty well.
Sounds like similar issues around the same mileage points. Very interesting. Looks pretty consistent. I'll check those rubber hoses and plastic pieces you mention. I have been a bit hesitant to do performance upgrades as this car is mainly used by my wife, who is not a speed fanatic (like me 😎). But she will agree that the car does lack power. Nevertheless she enjoys the Avant's size and handling characteristics.
Great car. I was surprised the alternator lasted 18 years on yours. Mine was 13 years. On my Avant B8. That was for prevention since the starter was gone last year. They are great car once you can handle all the quirks. Great video! Thank you
Perhaps we got lucky with our alternator. Relatively speaking, our Avant has relatively low mileage too, so maybe that helped it last so long. Thanks for watching the video! I appreciate the support.
Loved my B6. Had the exact same car; sport quattro; but with 1.9tdi, loved it - but starting to get corrosion especially on the front arches. Was on 230,000 milee when i sold it.
As for power, install a new Turbo! I recently installed a new K04 and my USP is day and night. Once you have the new turbo, grab a tune for your ECU. That's a wrap...
I feel like you could have done a lot of this yourself relatively easily at home for 1/4th the price if that's what you're into. Obviously time is money and it might make sense to pay for the labor elsewhere. Either way, glad to see you back here!
Use to have the same car, black ! Someone offered me great money and I gave it! Now I have B7 sedan with 1.8 Turbo with 55K miles on the clock. Done all the maintenance myself, I also done the cover gasket, but while there I made my Valve seals, they were shot! Which probably you should do this when cover was down for the gasket change. I change them on place whthout tearing dow the head. Purchased a special edition B7 and will now transfer all goods from there to mine. :) Very underestimaded car, this car rund and drives like new car now, like a Toyota etc... It is quiete inside, comfortable and so on. Also, this is the last Audi engine which is worth purchasing, all the NEW TFSI garbage are not worth ! Also I am runing it on LPG Convertion with Prins and Keihin kit.
Welcome back to RU-vid:). If Modern is something you do decide to go with check out Golf R or Audi RS3. They are the modern cousins of your A4 wagon and can be had with a manual) as well as have room for dogs)
Awesome to see you keep it such good condition.. 👍 Ive got 14 audi allroad wagon. 175k i do all fluids, spark plugs every 30k miles.. She is beautiful clean, rust free and smooth driving.. only wish it was a 6 spd But the zf 8 speed is wonderfull. I was skeptical about the allroad it sits 1.5 inches higher.. but after research the b8.5 allroad uses the a4 avant body , but its matted to the a5 suspension, so its much wider track then the regular A4 Handles amazing, throw it into any turn 80 mph handles and grips like a true sports car .but comfortable and smooth as butter . I always describe it as the car handles like a sport car, but rides comforate wise as an suv . I agree take this over CUV anyday
Although the allroad sits higher than the ultra sport, it still has a lower center of gravity than a typical crossover. I like the look of those allroads. Keep it going!
Yeah man I have an Audi a4 1.8t 05 ultra sport suckers got 220 miles I do the repairs and seeing them prices wow! I feel like you could have actually done most of the repairs would have cut that 13 to like 3
Zero issues with my bought new 2005 Land Cruiser. Just regular fluid changes and other wear items like pads, rotors, shocks and bushings. All oem always. 200k miles. Zero rust. No accidents. Not one cel or fault ever. I could probably get $30k for it. Keeping it for another 200k miles.
@@Joe_Hutchinsonyou as well. Your avant- with the aero bumper is a good looking car and still way cheaper than buying new where the depreciation alone will well exceed the $13k. As to Audi build quality being commendable, I guess it’s all relative. Toyota is levels above.
Yeah, we love the look of this Ultra Sport package. And I agree, although it seems like the repairs have added up to a lot in the last three years, we still feel we are ahead of the game.
I got a 2003 Audi A4 B6 Avant 1.9 TDI with 130hp and I'll probably go for a second one The trick here is not to let things get too far ahead. When you have a vehicle that is many years old, preventative maintenance comes into play alongside normal car maintenance. You have to roll up your sleeves and work on it, even if it's from an observation or visualization of the components. In my case, everything related to the engine block and chassis is up to the brand, replacement or replacement of components and parts, brake discs and pads, tires and others is up to me, even bearings and rotors., of course you have to have a space to do this, garage, parking space, etc. Congratulations and many, many km's. This 1.8T is a hell of a car and a hell of an engine!😃👍🦾
