Faults:

I just want to say all you people with these problems, bought way too complex a car.

I haven't had any problems, beside the driveshaft at 145,000; it went out and I had to pay $1,400 to have that repaired.

All my components work just fine. I think all the 1998-2004 cars with the turbos have problems, so don't buy them... problem solved, so don't complain, you should have thought it through.

My car runs fine. The only thing I wish I could change is I wish the engine wouldn't burn a quart of oil naturally every 1,500 miles, which Audi is notorious for, even when new.

General Comments:

My car is squeak free and very nimble. I absolutely love it. Can't wait to buy a new Audi with the 4.2.

Faults:

Nothing has left me stranded, I have never been worried to drive it for fear of failure.

The timing belt needed to be replaced; dealer cost was $3500, so I did it myself for $700.

Typical wear items have needed replacement; ball joints, brakes pads (4 per corner on the front, 2 per corner in the rear), the hood strut just started leaking bad...

Not much else.

General Comments:

I drive this car hard, really hard. I don't abuse it, but I drive really fast wherever I go.

The quattro has saved my butt on many occasion. It works well in the snow, unbelievable actually - paired with the traction control, it's downright amazing. More comfortable to drive than a 4x4 in harsh conditions.

It's not a quick car, stoplight racing is mediocre. Get on the freeway though and 60 to 140mph comes very quick and safely. I hardly ever lose on the freeway because it's such a freight train.

Brake fade happens, but you really need to be hard on em to make that happen.

The 2.7t model is quicker, not faster.

The suspension is soft around town, but it suits it. Perfect for the freeway.

If you're into driving like a maniac and feeling safe about doing it, buy one.

Faults:

Valve cover gaskets, cam seals, camshaft adjuster seals, and breather ventilation hose were replaced. The car does NOT do well in temperatures below freezing. The breather ventilation hose got clogged or froze and all the seals and gaskets were blown from the pressure buildup. Apparently this happens every 30k-60k miles. The dealership was a nightmare to deal with.

Some lines of the dash pixels have also gone out. This also happens regularly.

General Comments:

A very nice car to drive, when it is running. Max torque is reached at about 1,800 rpm, and the Quattro all wheel drive can get you through almost anything. Highway MPG is a little low (average 23 or 24), but I still manage to get around 19 in the city. I don't have the sport package, so it is a little soft through the corners. However, it also rides a lot smoother than most German cars.

It is EXTREMELY expensive to get anything repaired. Even regular maintenance is very expensive. Replacing two CV boots at a independent mechanic was $560 (dealer was more). Oil changes (with synthetic) also run about $80-$90 at an indy. However, it only needs to be done every 7,500-10,000 miles because of the slower breakdown.

Faults:

With this car, the drive shaft started clicking prior to me getting it, probably around 154000 miles.

Also I got this car with a coolant leak, which was noticed right about the same time, and the driveshaft.

The exhaust has a leak at the flex pipes coming from the header to the catalytic converter (which you either get it chopped and welded, or replace the cats (catalytic converters are not cheap))

And a very small but annoying problem is the instrument cluster that reads the mpg, radio station and temp etc. has many lines going across it, and is very difficult to read.

General Comments:

The car is by far the best I have ever driven in the snow, it is very comfortable with pretty nice style for a station wagon.

The performance could be better with some tuning of the transmission, but not bad for a station wagon. A little too much body roll into corners, and all parts are expensive.