So I've been looking at getting a new car, the 6N2 GTi comes to mind for many reasons, however whilst messing with insurance quotes I found I could insure an Audi A4 B5 1.8T for roughly £200 more than the GTi.

The idea of a car remappable to 200bhp and currentely costing about a grand less than the GTi's I've been looking at interests me. I've looked at reviews and on the honestjohn website for problems, but I wanted to see if anyone has any first hand experience with these cars; problems? Opinions?etc. Cheers, Tom :-D

big pimping, remap will cost you 300, they weigh a fair bit thought so work out the power/weight n see which is faster on paper

I figured they probably would, more so than an ibiza or golf anyhow, but they cost far less initially and are less to insure as well, hmmm

That car does like the sex that you have posted.

Depends what your after, a car you can chuck around? Or a motorway cruiser?

I spend too much time on the vortex I don't do much motorway driving at all but then again I don't do much 'chucking' the car around either, probably somewhere inbetween the two.

I've definitely not come to any decisions yet though, I've come to know quite a bit about 6N2s owning one for two years now and I know I like them pretty much in every respect, however it can't hurt to look at other options.

I can only speak based on my B5.5 Passat (which is basically a B5 A4 underneath, only soggier) but they'll very different cars. Even after a remap the Mk4 will feel sportier, the A4 is a much bigger, softer car. And the engine is longitudinally mounted in front of the front wheels, so if you're after something to chuck around I'd say go for the Polo.

But, if you want a motorway cruiser with shit loads of tuning potential, the A4 is where it's at. It's a class above the Polo tbh.

Edited 22 November, 200916 yr by Alex

If you're not too keen on it being big and sluggish because of it's weight, why don't you opt for an A3 1.8T?

If you've got kids or loads of cash then great car, my brother has a 1.8t a3 and it drinks the juice, well built but expensive to run. Buy a 6n2 1.4 tdi or at least go for a test in one. If every gti owner on hear went for a spin in a 1.4 tdi then i guarantee that at least half would ditch the gti.

Thanks for all the opinions guys, the reason I was looking at it was just because I was suprised at how cheap the insurance was, all other 1.8Ts in smaller cars tend to be more expensive to insure and buy initially (A3,Ibiza,Golf), whereas the A4 was cheap on both these sides.

On refelection I think a 6N2 GTi would be better for me, stock its 0-60 beats the Audi's, it weighs less and is smaller and better for parking (whoever asked if I had kids- GOD NO is the answer ), plus I'm not after a cruiser and I know there isn't anything I don't like about them (except for transmission problems obv).

Oh and about the 1.4TDi PD models, I've heard they're fanatstic especially after a remap but I can't seem to find one anywhere near me with under 90,000 miles for a good price, most want circa £3000, and for for that price the way I see it, I may as well buy a GTi with all the mod cons (xenons,air con etc), but I'll keep my eyes open, a yellow colour concept 1.4TDi would be epic .

Again thanks for all the help guys, appreciated

If you just want the B5 looks and comfort then get a 1.8T. If you want performance as well as the looks, get a B5 S4

I've just got a B5 facelift A4 for the commute:

http://www.clubpolo.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=171206

Thanks for all the opinions guys, the reason I was looking at it was just because I was suprised at how cheap the insurance was, all other 1.8Ts in smaller cars tend to be more expensive to insure and buy initially (A3,Ibiza,Golf), whereas the A4 was cheap on both these sides.

On refelection I think a 6N2 GTi would be better for me, stock its 0-60 beats the Audi's, it weighs less and is smaller and better for parking (whoever asked if I had kids- GOD NO is the answer ), plus I'm not after a cruiser and I know there isn't anything I don't like about them (except for transmission problems obv).

Oh and about the 1.4TDi PD models, I've heard they're fanatstic especially after a remap but I can't seem to find one anywhere near me with under 90,000 miles for a good price, most want circa £3000, and for for that price the way I see it, I may as well buy a GTi with all the mod cons (xenons,air con etc), but I'll keep my eyes open, a yellow colour concept 1.4TDi would be epic .

Again thanks for all the help guys, appreciated

90k is fuck all for a derv

Looks like a nice car tbh ^^.

they handle like boats but overall they're good cars. defo need lowering to get the best out of them

i dont have any experience with a 20vT one though, just my mums old a4 2.4 v6 and 2.5 v6 tdi

Thanks for all input guys, appreciated

Anyone know the exact bhp of a B5 1.8T, couple of places are listing them as 125bhp which by my reasoning can't be correct as it's the same as a GTi, and others to 150bhp which sounds more realistic to me, but I wanted to check.

At this time I'm sorta straying away from the idea of a B5 1.8T, simply because I've seen the fuel price predictions for the coming year and I'm starting to feel maybe it is unwise to have a vehicle that consumes so much fuel (obviously though this is relative ), a TDi certainly looks a good idea but I've not set anything in concrete, still feel the urge to be not so sensible, heart vs brain and all that :-D

Thanks again fellas

the 20v non turbo is 125bhp and they are dog slow

the 20vT is 150bhp

forget fuel prices mate, youre gonna get screwed over no matter what you drive. so you might aswell take the hit and drive something decent and stick two fingers up to the government

edit: also the shells are meant to be fully galvanized iirc. so if there is any rust whatsoever walk away as it is probably badly repaired damage. when i went to look at one that had 2 owners [1 family] she forgot to tell me the whole fukin front wheel arch was rusted to buggery. she knew exactly why it was like that aswell so i just left it

Edited 23 November, 200916 yr by doug

That would explain it, thanks for that I suspected their figures weren't upto much.

And as for fuel prices, I know what you're saying but it's the level of screwage going on tbh, and by using more fuel what you're actually doing is throwing more money to the Government, but hey that's that the petrolheads' dilema I guess. I want to tell 'em to go fuck as well, I'll drive what I damn well please, high CO2 output or not, however I'm not sure I want to give them more cash than necessary at the same time, grrrr.

I knew they were fully galvanised, so thanks for the tip mate

buy a bora.

Test drive a 1.8T and then a diesel then see what you prefer? Also work out the difference in MPG. Eg say the petrol does 30mpg and the diesel does 60mpg... it's gonna cost twice as much (ish) ^^.

Test drive a 1.8T and then a diesel then see what you prefer? Also work out the difference in MPG. Eg say the petrol does 30mpg and the diesel does 60mpg... it's gonna cost twice as much (ish) ^^.

The 1.9 TDI's will do 60 to the gallon if you drive like a granny. Motorway cruising speeds easy give 50 mpg on average.

Test drive a 1.8T and then a diesel then see what you prefer? Also work out the difference in MPG. Eg say the petrol does 30mpg and the diesel does 60mpg... it's gonna cost twice as much (ish) ^^.

The 1.9 TDI's will do 60 to the gallon if you drive like a granny. Motorway cruising speeds easy give 50 mpg on average.

I wasn't quoting any real mpg figures, just making an example. Still though, I'd take the diesel tbh...