I bought my 1996 A4 used and just traded it in on a BMW 323i as a result of the below issues:

The car has a chronic and much talked about ( visit any Audi owner's website) front suspension design flaw. The car requires frequent and expensive repairs to the CV joints, boots, and control arms. This issue is extremely common on 96-97 models. My car was one of the many to experience this problem and it cost 2,000 bucks to fix properly. BUYER BEWARE, do your research first!

Otherwise it is basically a small Passat with better handling. The ride is great, feature content is strong, the interior is well designed other then the awful electronic climate control which flashed intermittently and was difficult to adjust. You can only put recirculate on when the A/C is on which is stupid. You also have to turn the fan all the way down to turn the whole system off. The A/C kicks on whenever your hit "auto" button. A major nuisance in my book.

I also had terrible issues with my Audi dealer. For the price of these cars you would think they would offer a loaner car or at least wash them for you! Check on this practice if you are buying from a dealer.

For the price of a BMW/Infiniti G 35/Lexus/etc, this car was far too unreliable to recommend to a friend or coworker. Have your front suspension checked WELL. Also, the wind noise at high speeds was rather alarming and the doors pulled away from the gaskets over 80 mph, kinda unexpected in a car with good aerodynamics and at the price.




Amount Paid (US$): 12,000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1996
Model and Options: 1996 A4 2.8 V6 Front Wheel Drive