Opinions wanted - Mk4 Jetta or 2002 up Audi A4?
 

So the time has come to get a 4 door...but one that is still entertaining. I've narrowed it down to a few, but I'm leaning on the mk4 Jetta, or the 2002 (I believe? The facelifted year?) Audi A4.

I have no real preferences, other than I still want to row my own gears so a 6 speed would be nice. Fuel economy is a factor, so I'm leaning towards the 1.8T in both, but from what I've heard, the VRs aren't that much worse.

What does concern me is reliability and constant issues as far as aging and the related costs of each. from what I can tell, the Audis seem to be going for cheap - and there's a fair amount of them out there for sale. This leads me to think they are ticking time bombs, but opinions are all over the map in customer surveys. I'd love an S4 but again, these have to be ridiculous to work on? And I know mk4 VWs have their interior problems, but mechanically, they don't seem too bad? I'm looking to spend near $10000 for either, so I know I'll get a later VW for this and closer to an '01 Audi. Might even find a GLI for near this.

This will be going on a few forums to get a broader spectrum of opinions, so let me know what your experiences are.

Thanx all!

Crayons.

Crayons everywhere.

why would you even consider an A4, have you seen their track record, have you even googled A4...

This is why I'm looking for actual owners input. The surveys and opinions you get on the net can be skewed as owners rarely write in to compliment or praise their car - but will gladly do so if it's a gripe. And with the A4s, it is all over the map as far as how these cars they treat their owners. Thus, the post.

Audi a4's are more for luxury. Reliability should be the same, they are practically the same car.
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If you ask me, you'd be better off to just take the money you'll be spending on repairs and just use it towards the payment on a newer audi that still has warranty.

Do not get an audi older than 2004
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And get a tdi jetta. They are bulletproof
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My girlfriend drives a MK4 Jetta VR6 and it's terrible. 300-350km on a tank. Unreliable - it drives like a 20 year old car - bad heater core, leaks, creaks, power windows broke, key fob doesn't work, brakes are shit. I can't wait to get her out of it - I've even offered to pay for new car to get her out of it (she doesn't want to waste money).

It is relatively cheap to fix but there will always be things that need fixing. It also cruises at 160kph just fine like a true German car.

E46. Way better build quality, better to drive, better engineered. Audi was playing catch-up with the A4. Also you won't have to replace your coil packs every other week or find new exciting leaks on the driveway.