BMW 320i or AUdi A4 1.8T??

[noobie]

Is a choice, in the price range.

What do the car heads out there suggest for good ride and reliability from the Trinidad dealerships?

I hear BMW service is tops.

The latest models brand new in either case.

[adri 2nr]

i like the bmw 3 series more..the styling more youthful and service is good

[R. Mutt]

I lke the A4 because I love the styling with the smooth euro kits and wheels. Or course it's the same for the 320i but I look at that model as just a chasis for an eventual M3 swap...the engine 320i engine ain't all that to me. Not to say the 1.8T is all that but the KKK can be easily upgraded or swapped for a K04...plus there are 91 octane specific (trini premium ) ecu upgrades for the 1.8T that boost torque and hp output safely.

[noobie]

Note the name eh..noobie.

I don't know what a kkk is.
But I have read about ECU upgrades.
You saying that there are Trinis who have the equipment to do that safely?

The 1.8T is 170Hp 0-60 in 8.6 secs.
the BMW 320i is 150hp 0-60 in 9secs.
I find it hard to understand that an extra 20hp only equal .4 secs though.

[White CZ4A]

A4 is a boss car....acceleration is great..
being turbo is a plus

[equipped2ripp]

yeah, the A4 is a good car in terms of performance and styling. and also the new ones come with a 2.0T engine, i don't know if ASL bringing them down here. but i find the interior is a little too cheap for such an expensive car.

[pugboy]

BMW services sucks since their senior staff left, they have had to bring in german guy to live and work down here, apparently hasn't made much difference.
However if you are really serious about buying a car you could go visit the service desk and interrogate customers there who are bringing in their cars for interval service etc.

A4 is a little bigger and more powerful, BMW looks better and is rwd for the purists

[noobie]

Yeah well,I heard about the German guy, but it was described to the person as a plus for him to be on hand training staff since the cars were brand new.

I haven't heard anything about Audi, or their service however.

I agree, from what I have seen that the Audi interiors just don't look 'luxury' sedan stylee. They look like your 'average car with leather'.

The BMW interior...that looks like an entry level luxury sedan. If you're paying that kind of money for a car, shouldn't it make you feel like you in luxury? Otherwise...why not just buy a cheaper car with leather and tune it to 170HP

[pugboy]

one other thing though, the A4 transmissions had a high failure rate, dunno about the new model ones

[R. Mutt]

Let me give you a little info on lucery cars, they lose their novelty quickly. We have an S500 at home and yes the interior is nice and the nappe leather is great, but once you are comfortable then you forget about all the little detailes. To me it's the driving experience that wins me over. I guess if you have a decent communte on a morning and comfrt and luxery appeal is your thing then go with the 3-series jed.

If you are thinking to modify the car then the audi would be the better bet. There is a sweet black A4 with a kit down here, young indian guy drives it...real nice ride. And A4 looks sporty and sleek with wheels and a drop. The kits complement the lines and the KKK I was talking about is the stock turbo that comes in the 1.8T....it is a quick response turbo...it's efficiency range is low: When you step on the peddle it gets quick spool and you get the power when you want it...but later when you get used to the speed you'll want more. The stock turbo is good for 14psi, but it's better to swap it out an go with something like a GT28RS when you want more power. They have kits specific to the car that will bolt right on from companies like ATP and the like. You have alot more option with the Audi. If you want a nicer interior, swap out the seats for new model S4 seat which look HOT.


I just think the Audi would make a better project car.

[InDeForest]

Breds talk to some A4 owners directly, I always hear some sad stories about the dollars involved with A4 issues.
Also the depreciation of its value is much greater than the BMW.
You want to mod the ride? You arent going to get good gains dollar for dollar with the BMW compared to the A4, so buy a good used A4 for 80 grand and bang it out.

For anyone else, arent the A4 1.8T engine mods all interchangeable with the GTI golf?

[DrunkenMaster16]

as far as ive read no.

[tourniquet]

For anyone else, arent the A4 1.8T engine mods all interchangeable with the GTI golf?

or the jetta

[TREX]

[quote="InDeForest"]Breds talk to some A4 owners directly, I always hear some sad stories about the dollars involved with A4 issues.
Also the depreciation of its value is much greater than the BMW.
You want to mod the ride? You arent going to get good gains dollar for dollar with the BMW compared to the A4, so buy a good used A4 for 80 grand and bang it out.

For anyone else, arent the A4 1.8T engine mods all interchangeable with the GTI golf?[/quote]

Audi
Most of the parts are interchangeable with the Golf GTi / Passat and the 1.8 Turbo engine is a joy to tune.
At the very least you can have the ECU reprogrammed ($350-$500 USD) to raise the boost up to around 15 lbs or with a little extra cash ($1500) swap the K03 Sport turbo to a K04. More cash more power.

Nice suspension as well and lots of tuner parts for it, depends on how hard core you are.

The BMW looks better but IMO the 320 is a bit gutless in terms of overall performance. A 330 now that’s a different story.

If you are leasing a company car it really boils down to your choice but I would be hesitant to buy a new Euro with my own money, the depreciation will kill u.

Nice position to be in, Good luck

[plex]

for styling the take the bmw ; for performance i take the audi.. now i am not saying the bmw is not a performer, but seeing the the audi is turbo already performance upgrades is easier..u will just be upgrading..i do not think the 320i is turbo/ superchager...
the bmw is good cars..nice luxury and is quite capable for upgrades..
but first thing first..what is it u are looking for?

if was me..i go for the audi 1.8T for performance...style and class..go for the bmw..

another question is the service of these cars? i not sure how good southern sales do service the audi? and TT motors with the BMW??
check out the aftermarket links..i put some links for upgrades for euros..

[equipped2ripp]

nah southern sales service not all that

[noobie]

for styling the take the bmw ; for performance i take the audi.. now i am not saying the bmw is not a performer, but seeing the the audi is turbo already performance upgrades is easier..u will just be upgrading..i do not think the 320i is turbo/ superchager...
the bmw is good cars..nice luxury and is quite capable for upgrades..
but first thing first..what is it u are looking for?

if was me..i go for the audi 1.8T for performance...style and class..go for the bmw..

another question is the service of these cars? i not sure how good southern sales do service the audi? and TT motors with the BMW??
check out the aftermarket links..i put some links for upgrades for euros..

YOu see. No car person I talk to could tell me definitely, go witht he AUdi or go with the BMW. Is always either/or. You know you tlak to somebody about getting a Mitsubish L200 stock or a new model Toyota Hilux stock the answer you most likely to get is Go with the Toyota?

The answer is never Go with the Audi, or Go with the BMW. Is always one set of pros..cons...advantages..disadvantages.Like you have to make a spreadsheet and run it through a difference engine and thing!

The BMW is a normally aspirated engine. But I have read up on bimmerfest.com that there are ECU upgrades available that will up the HP a bit at the expense of mileage and increase the top speed I believe.(though where the hell you need to go faster than 200kp/h in Trinidad?Acceleration more important in my view.). I still looking for a good site for Audi mods.

Next thing is, who the heck you getting in TnT to do a good ECU upgrade without screwing your engine and getting one set of CEL (Check Engine light) conditions? Anybody know?

At this point, it come down to after sales service yes.Both the cars good, and hitting 60 in 8.6s in the 1.8T as opposed to 9.0 in the BMW probably has no 'real world' significance.

[pugboy]

R.Mutt gives some good advice, if you are buying a status car to satisfy a status need, then that novelty will wear out the day you pick it up and go down fast, until of course you get a desire for another status car.

[White CZ4A]

i saying definitely audi.
the ride quality is better than BMW and Benz as well. we have these cars so i am telling you for sure.
I dont know about people saying that their transmissions give trouble etc..but we have had not a single problem with ours.

[Dada]

A4 anyday...bmw..nah..if it was a m3 yea.....but go for the A4 1.8T...

[Alpha_2nr]

I don't know what a kkk is.

Thats the Turbo on the A4 1.8T. A KKK Turbocharger.

What about the A3 Sportback? Some USDM models come with a 200bhp engine...

Or the Jaguar X-Type. I'm not sure if it fall s in the same price range, but its worth a look at.

[Dada]

now thats a nice car..jaguar....i love the x type...but i bought a s type instead..more a womans car to me....4 the wife anyways....

[mango_chow]

I lke the A4 because I love the styling with the smooth euro kits and wheels. Or course it's the same for the 320i but I look at that model as just a chasis for an eventual M3 swap...the engine 320i engine ain't all that to me. Not to say the 1.8T is all that but the KKK can be easily upgraded or swapped for a K04...plus there are 91 octane specific (trini premium ) ecu upgrades for the 1.8T that boost torque and hp output safely.

Why do u say 91 octane specific is premium, just curious. Owner of a 320 btw. Excellent performance.

[EcoTune Trinidad]

for styling the take the bmw ; for performance i take the audi.. now i am not saying the bmw is not a performer, but seeing the the audi is turbo already performance upgrades is easier..u will just be upgrading..i do not think the 320i is turbo/ superchager...
the bmw is good cars..nice luxury and is quite capable for upgrades..
but first thing first..what is it u are looking for?

if was me..i go for the audi 1.8T for performance...style and class..go for the bmw..

another question is the service of these cars? i not sure how good southern sales do service the audi? and TT motors with the BMW??
check out the aftermarket links..i put some links for upgrades for euros..

YOu see. No car person I talk to could tell me definitely, go witht he AUdi or go with the BMW. Is always either/or. You know you tlak to somebody about getting a Mitsubish L200 stock or a new model Toyota Hilux stock the answer you most likely to get is Go with the Toyota?

The answer is never Go with the Audi, or Go with the BMW. Is always one set of pros..cons...advantages..disadvantages.Like you have to make a spreadsheet and run it through a difference engine and thing!

The BMW is a normally aspirated engine. But I have read up on bimmerfest.com that there are ECU upgrades available that will up the HP a bit at the expense of mileage and increase the top speed I believe.(though where the hell you need to go faster than 200kp/h in Trinidad?Acceleration more important in my view.). I still looking for a good site for Audi mods.

Next thing is, who the heck you getting in TnT to do a good ECU upgrade without screwing your engine and getting one set of CEL (Check Engine light) conditions? Anybody know?

At this point, it come down to after sales service yes.Both the cars good, and hitting 60 in 8.6s in the 1.8T as opposed to 9.0 in the BMW probably has no 'real world' significance.

Want to increase the HP of your E90 320i? Allow me to introduce myself

Hi, Remapping All things Euro is what I do best...from Audi - BMW - Jaguar - Lambo et al, even most JDM's locally

With 20hp+ on the BMW, you would be amazed at the difference...or and don't worry "reliable & safe" fortunately for you are in my vocabulary..check out my website..it's what I do...


Carry on...

[White CZ4A]

wow..can't believe how nice I was regarding the Audi 7 years ago.

not too long after..maybe 2007..we started to experience major problems with both A4's. Both had transmission failures among many other mechanical failures.
To top it off, their resale value was(and still is) the worst thing ever. We bought them for $260k in 2002 and sold for $55k in 2008(as is).
In comparison, we bought a C240 in 2002 for $260k, and I am sure we can get $115k for that car right now.It still works perfectly and has never had any major problem.

Not sure if the newer Audi's have the same problems. But I'd never buy an Audi.

[tourniquet]

i saying definitely audi.
the ride quality is better than BMW and Benz as well. we have these cars so i am telling you for sure.
I dont know about people saying that their transmissions give trouble etc..but we have had not a single problem with ours.

way to blight the cars bro

wow..can't believe how nice I was regarding the Audi 7 years ago.

not too long after..maybe 2007..we started to experience major problems with both A4's. Both had transmission failures among many other mechanical failures.
To top it off, their resale value was(and still is) the worst thing ever. We bought them for $260k in 2002 and sold for $55k in 2008(as is).
In comparison, we bought a C240 in 2002 for $260k, and I am sure we can get $115k for that car right now.It still works perfectly and has never had any major problem.

Not sure if the newer Audi's have the same problems. But I'd never buy an Audi.

as I was scrolling through this thread and reading your posts, I was like, "hold on, I'm pretty sure I read about him complaining about audi's and their shoddy quality (with those models at least)

[equipped2ripp]

Had the same TCM problem with mine in 2011, other than that no major problems really - only the AC compressor, evaporator, water pump and thermostat. Gonna change the fuel pump and cam chain tensioner next week. I hardly drive it again though, in the last 18 months I've probably done like 5000kms.


And no I'm not selling.

[zeeshan66]

audi for quality/design/badge

[neexis]

perhaps you should post this question in the "EURO" section. likely to get more feedback there.

you have much research ahead of you.... and some test driving to do

[X2]

You need to drive both... they are vastly different cars. The 3 series is pretty much un matched in terms of quality, design, ride... etc... in it's segment. Audi A4 is a good replacement for less money and is a decent 'tuner car', but IMO... it's no 3 series... which is the benchmark.

But is the 3 series worth the extra bucko bucks ? eeeehhhh.... go drive em both !