hello, my name is nick andim currently searching for an audi a4 turbo and have a few basic qeustions before i purchase a car. I was wondering at what power point the stock short block becomes the weak link and at what power levels the stock block is reliable at. other than apr, are there any other sites that i could find complete kits for upgrading things. and last but not least. in stock, or slightly modified bolt on form are these cars fairly reliable, or do people have lots of problems with them. im not new to cars or anything and i understand how fast is how much money you have. im a very inclined mechanic and fabricator so im not afraid to really tear into something. just looking for some basic info. i have really taken a liking to the way these cars look when they are nice and clean. id love and s4 but they are just lil pricy for me. thanks for the help. i really appreciate peoples patients and info.
I have run the APR 3+ kit for 6 years or so. My engine is the most reliable part of my car. I believe this kit pushes the stock internals to their limits.
The block can be good for a ton of power, but obviously the other internals will have to be upgraded. The a4 is basically an overweight 'slow' all wheel drive car. With the APR 3 kit it is fun to drive, but it no better than modern stock 2.0T cars you can buy today. You will have to dump a fortune into it for it to be 'fast' - and even at that, it will never be fast like a corvette, etc.
I am sure there are all sorts of things you CAN do - but if you want reliability and not a million headaches, I would just stick with a known quantity from a well known tuner like APR. With my apr3, I have a reliable, fun to drive car that doesn't break the bank.
just my 2 pennies.
