23/04/2026 8:55 am
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ive been scrolling through marketplace and autotrader for like three weeks straight now and my head is honestly spinning because i need a car by the first of the month for this new commute into philly. i have about 17k saved up which i thought was plenty but everything seems so overpriced right now and im terrified of buying a lemon that explodes two weeks later.
im basically torn between two specific ones i found locally. the first is a 2015 a4 premium plus with 72k miles and it looks super clean like the guy definitely babied it but its the older body style and i keep hearing horror stories about the b8 engines and oil consumption which makes me so nervous. the other one is a 2017 a4 with the newer interior and tech which i way prefer but it already has 98k miles on it and its right at the top of my budget at 17,500. i love the apple carplay in the 2017 but that mileage is scary for that price.
im leaning towards the 2015 because of the lower miles but then i read online that the 2017 is actually more reliable because they fixed some of the major engine flaws from the earlier years? but then nearly 100k miles on a german car sounds like a recipe for a 4000 dollar repair bill any minute now and i cant afford that right after buying it. its for a 45 minute commute each way so i need something that isnt gonna leave me stranded on the schuylkill during rush hour. my last car was a civic that never had an issue so jumping into the audi world feels like a huge risk.
what are the actual common issues i should be looking for when i go see these in person this weekend? like are there specific things like water pumps or timing chains that i should ask the owners about or check in the service records? is the 2017 with high miles actually a safer bet than the 2015 with lower miles or am i just overthinking this whole thing...
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23/04/2026 8:55 am
Ive been super satisfied with my high-mileage Audi A4 2017 2.0T Quattro. The older B8s always leak oil, so honestly, grab the newer one for that Philly commute... works great tho.
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23/04/2026 9:20 am
Late to the party but i just had to chime in because i had this exact same freakout when i bought my Audi A4 2.0T Premium Plus 2017 last year!! honestly the interior alone makes the 2017 worth it for a long commute like philly... its so much more modern and less clunky than the older ones. heres my take from being in your shoes:
- check the service records for a DSG transmission fluid flush. if it hasn't been done by 100k, thats a major red flag for me.
- the 2017 engine is way more solid than the 2015, even with higher miles, they really fixed a lot of the oil issues.
- definitely pick up a Ross-Tech VCDS HEX-V2 Diagnostic Tool so you can scan for codes yourself. it lets you see what is actually happening before a shop tries to overcharge you for simple stuff. i was terrified of the maintenance but if you stay on top of it, the car is fantastic! just keep a small emergency fund just in case... better safe than sorry right?
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23/04/2026 9:30 am
Building on the earlier suggestion, the 2017 tech is amazing, but definitely check these things first! The water pump and thermostat housing are massive failure points on those B9 engines.
- Check for white coolant crust near the front of the block
- Look for leaking motor mounts If reliability is priority #1, check out a Acura TLX 2.4L Tech Package. Its fantastic and way less stressful for a daily commute!