Overview & Reviews
All new, the A4 replaces the compact 90. This car performs better than the lackluster 90, and features a full load of standard features. Plus, it's drop-dead gorgeous. For the first time, a five-speed automatic transmission is available with the optional Quattro all-wheel-drive system.
User Reviews:
Showing 1 through 10 of 43.00-
I love my Audi, my Audi loves my wallet! - 1996 Audi A4
By Gabe - September 10 - 3:51 pmBought my 2nd Audi A4 in May, 2015 after the automatic transmission burnt out on my 1st one (2.8 non-Quattro) during the harsh Chicago 2014-2015 winter... Decided to go with a stick shift Quattro this time & I love it more than my last one! Manual transmission performs so much better than automatic & responds quicker, only issue for me is its not fast enough. My opinion, a 2.8L motor should put out at least 200HP & should have better gas mileage (mine got about 16mpg city /25highway). The car weighs A LOT (approx 2 tons) and has poor acceleration & fuel economy for that reason. Ive added a few modifications including coilovers, air intake & straight pipe exhaust system & basic weight reduction which in turn I noticed large increase in acceleration (a little more acceptable for me), increase in gas mileage (20 city/28 highway), & improved handling (car scrapes going over speed bumps & cracked oil pan once since putting on coilovers) Common issues: both of the 96 Audi A4s I bought had a lot of small issues which needed to be addressed: heated side view mirrors not heating, factory radio in safe mode, driver side window wont roll down, armrest cover broken in two pieces, leather seats ripped up, need something to prop the hood with, needed upper/lower control arms, inner/outer tie rods, front/rear struts & strut mounts, required entire tune up Automatic 96 A4 (2.8 non Quattro)@144K had extra issues: sunroof would get stuck open when opened all the way, smoking from motor (required valve cover seals replaced), bad alternator Manual 96 A4 (2.8 Quattro) has extra issues: odometer/tripometer doesnt show (all other dash lights & components work), whirring noise (required a wheel bearing), radiator leaking (required a hose replaced) Forked out a lot of cash (almost $3000 cash in repairs) for mechanics to fix my first Audi just to have the stupid automatic trans get effed up by 6 inches of snows Learned my lesson & did most of the repairs/modifications on my 2nd Audi myself... Sure I broke a nut or a bolt, or got lost / didnt know what to do at some points but I learned a lot & Have the pleasure to say that I know my Audi like the back of my hand... Now I feel safe working on any B5 & will never consider selling my 2nd Audi! Im saving up to get a 2nd car to keep my baby off the road, my first car was a Honda CRX & I want another one just for the killer gas mileage! Long story short, buy this car if you want something sweet & worthy of saying "Yup, thats my car!"
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Worth It - 1996 Audi A4
By kyley1 - December 26 - 9:43 pmIve had my 1996 A4 Quattro for about a year and a half now, and i love this car. Its very entertaining to drive, the 5spd shifts so smoothly and the all wheel drive makes the car feel solid and stable no matter what conditions youre driving in. My car has been very reliable lately, but when things break, youre gonna feel it. I shelled out 700 dollars to fix an oil leak, just because of the awkward design of the engine. If you find a well maintained one, go for it because you wont regret it. But be very strict on your initial inspection of the vehicle.
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Repairs! Repairs! Repairs! - 1996 Audi A4
By lovesit22 - April 24 - 11:22 pmI dont know if the prior owner just ran the car down, but Ive had to replace the heater core, two oil pans, and $3000 of other repairs I couldnt even remember. I love how the car looks and drives, the interior is so nice, but dumb things break. Like the sunroof went out and the vents broke, just little things but they add up. Im hoping to get a newer Audi and not have as many problems! But its great in the snow!
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Love my Audi - 1996 Audi A4
By jteen55 - March 31 - 12:02 amI bought my A4 at 201,000 and it runs like a dream. After a few simple maintenance repairs (oil change and new battery) it quickly became the car of my dreams. Every now and then it likes to act up, but I chalk that up to its quirky personality. I wouldnt trade my 96 A4 for my friends 95 A6 if you paid me. For me my car is absolutely perfect and amazing. I cannot sing higher praises to my car. I love it.
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Great Car but Expensive to Maintain - 1996 Audi A4
By mthomaslawrence - October 22 - 4:47 pmI do appreciate the bulletproof reliability of Honda (Acura) and Toyota (Lexus), but the driving experience does not even come close to that of a good German sedan such as Audi or BMW. If you are looking for strictly gas mileage and reliability, those cars are the way to go. But when you compare the feel of a Acura TL, for example, to an Audi A4 of the same year and price, the Audi is more solid and refined. In other words, the car has character. The Audi is the older, more mature brother, solid and stable without trying to be. Just like all the finer things in life though, it comes at a price. That price is maintenance costs that would most likely triple that of your average Japanese car.
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Good, if you can find a maintained one - 1996 Audi A4
By J Wood - May 21 - 1:53 amI bought this from a good friend of mine. There were all the service records from new until 89k when I got it. Now at 107k I have replaced the cat converters ($100 - I got universal ones - they work FINE!), the alternator ($165), and the plugs and wires ($130). Thats it as far as maintenance. Now, if you want to keep this car affordable do the easy stuff yourself! Taking it to the dealer is a horrible idea - theres nothing magical about an Audi. I have spent hundreds more in extra modifications, but they werent necessary -) If I could do it over again though I would get a 1.8t or the 30v 2.8 (98 and up). The 12v in the 96 and 97, while reliable, is pretty slow.
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Awesome car - 1996 Audi A4
By whtbowtie - February 4 - 11:45 pmIf youre reading this you were in my shoes, I bought my Audi with 107k and it was awesome from day one, precision turning car felt secure to the road. All parts are expensive, I put 15000 miles on my car in the last year and I would recommend this car to everyone. But be sure to test everything before you decide to buy-> ALL ELECTRICAL, lights, wipers, windows, climate control and watch for the air bag lights. My only problem with the car was the brakes, Audi/VW has a problem with air in the ABS pump, if you get air in there you end up with locked up brakes only when you go into antilock. Something to test when you test drive the car. Quattro = never getting stuck.
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OVER 160K AND THE CAR JUST WONT DIE - 1996 Audi A4
By Tom Cannone - April 16 - 11:05 amI loved the style of the A4, smaller then the A6, its a little more nimble then the bigger Audi cars in the line up. I have a limited GOLD package that was offered in 3 different colors only, black, green, and white. This car has just about every option available, heated leather seats, sunroof, BOSE audio, QUATTRO, ski bag, heated washer nozzles, alloy rims, everything! Plus a nice slick shifting 5spd to add to the fun. The car has 166k and the damn thing just wont give up, the engine hums and the famed AWD is near flawless in any weather condition, luxury, style, and class appeal are very noticable in this car, not to mention its made for all year round weather. Id buy another 10 audi/vws
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Audis are the best ! - 1996 Audi A4
By Mehdi - October 27 - 3:52 amI had my A4 for 5 years, got 100k miles on it. And still runs smooth. You will never have engine problems if you maintain the car well. After switching to an Audi, I couldnt drive Japanese anymore. This car is just a mixture of sport and luxury if you will. Especially the 5 speed manual Quattro. You feel that the car sticks to the ground in sharp turns and the engine is ready to run for another 100k miles (as long as you take care of it). I love the interior design, especially the wood trim. There is little space in the back seats, but the driving comfort is perfect. I also love the smoothness of the manual transmission. I like the shape of this car better than the new 05 model.
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Great Car! - 1996 Audi A4
By Julio - September 8 - 10:43 pmIm telling you the Audi A4 Quattro has won me over all the cars i have ever driven in my life. I had a Mustang V6 and its no comparation to the Audi A4 Quattro. I bought my Audi with 124,000 miles and its unbelivable how good it feels with all those miles, when i first test drove the car i though it had much less. Let me tell you I believe that if you purchase an Audi A4 with alot of miles but with alot of repairs done you better off. The car looks great and runs great. The Quattro system is really nice in the rain and in any road condition. I really believe that its price is worth for this car!!! GREAT CAR!!!!
