Audi S4 Should i Buy

Westy · Oct 31, 2005

My bro had an S4. It got stolen from his driveway while he was watching TV. The car was recovered but had been smashed up. The car was never the same again. It seems S4's and A4's are easier to steal than a tricycle left out on your front porch.

zahgurim · Oct 31, 2005

The S4 is a

car, one of my favorites too.
You said it had high mileage, so I'm assuming it's a B5 chassis...
Check out http://www.s4biturbo.com/ some cool info, and links to other sites.

Andy_B · Oct 31, 2005

timing chains at about 70k turbos seem to go around 100k. plus the "extra" wear and tear of a turbo V6 on the drive line.

dan-o · Oct 31, 2005

Look on the Audi forums re: the 2.7T engine. It wasn't around long and was reportedly a gas hog to boot. If you're worried about being able to afford the car that should be your sign to hold off for a while. They will only get cheaper and around here, Boston area, they are everywhere so I wouldn't consider them "rare".

Hawkeye · Oct 31, 2005

Keep in mind S4 auto transmissions cost about $8500 to replace.

A turbo replacement will cost about $5000-$7500.

Many S4's were modded to push 400-500 Hp and both of the above mentioned repairs are pretty common with that much HP.

Now for the question do you have the funds to fix it or will it be a $25,000 paper weight when it breaks (not if it breaks because it will break)?

Westy · Oct 31, 2005

manhattanprjkt83 said:
hmmm, that was sort of the last of my worries, was it sound mechanically prior though? Or was it a maintenance nightmare?

I mean i cant afford to get into a car im going to have to dump a grand into every year just to keep it running...

It seemed to be fine befor stolen. Only 60K on it. After it was stolen the engine never ran right. It was a toss up on whether it was related to the theft, bad airflow sensor, bad ignition modules etc.

SkaredShtles · Oct 31, 2005

Just buy the damn car. Then we can have a good chuckle as you dump thousands of $$ into the repairs. :thumb:

DRB · Oct 31, 2005

My wife has a 2000 S4 and loves it. Its right at 75000 miles and there have been no real surprise costs or repairs. The scheduled services are steep but with a car like that I would rather the dealer do it. Its a hoot to drive.

The resale on the blue might be a bit sketchy, you ought to check Edmunds and see if the color causes the price to go down.

I'd say what the hell. If its your "dream" car and you can afford it without breaking the bank, do it. Later when you have all sorts of other responsibilities it might be more difficult to buy.

SkaredShtles · Oct 31, 2005

DRB said:
My wife has a 2000 S4 and loves it.

I never knew DRB was a rich bahstid.... :think:

Westy · Oct 31, 2005

manhattanprjkt83 said:
its a 6sp

is the turbo something that usually goes bad?

i mean i know my cars pretty well, but i was hoping there were some guru's on the board.

Something that spins at around 100,000 rpm and can glow red from heat? Yep, that is something that can fail. It used to be more common. Turbo's used engine oil for lubrication and would cook the oil into carbon when the engine was shut down if not cooled down properly. Modern turbo'd cars like the S4 typically have some sort of extra cooling circuit that keeps the oil flowing after the engine is turned off. The S4 turbo cooling circuit is itself known for failure, if not fixed quickly the turbo isn't going to last long.

SkaredShtles · Oct 31, 2005

manhattanprjkt83 said:
im supposed to go drive it at lunch...cant wait.

How much ins insurance for a young buck such as yourself on said beauty?

DRB · Oct 31, 2005

SkaredShtles said:
I never knew DRB was a rich bahstid....

The rich bahstid would be Mrs. DRB....... DRB doesn't do anywhere near as well as her.

DRB · Oct 31, 2005

manhattanprjkt83 said:
oh i forgot here is me and the car yesterday...gf made me pose

Save your money and buy some new sunglasses......

SkaredShtles · Oct 31, 2005

manhattanprjkt83 said:
Im taking one thing at a time, first i am going to go and talk to them/ drive the thing at lunch...if it looks like a go i will then check into insurance...i know that car is notorious for high insurance, but my carrier is pretty cheap, and my record is clean. I pay almost $150 a month for the jetta

Yeah. First things first.

You should check insurance first. If you can't afford it, don't dare take that thing for a test drive.

SkaredShtles · Oct 31, 2005

Hey! That's a really nice salmon colored shirt..........

For a *girl* :rolleyes:

Sandwich · Oct 31, 2005

Audi's cost a butt ton to fix. You better learn how to fix your own car, because the only people who can work on them are import specialists, which is synonymous with rip off and extortion specialists.

Your VW has another 100k in it before you really need to worry. I'd start getting uncomfortable in a new audi around 75k. The germans have a way of cramming as much as they can into a car, and tend to neglect the bare essentials.

I owned an 83 coupe and my friend owns an 02 A6. Nice cars, but Audi needs to focus a little, IMO.

Buy it if you have what the cars costs, plus 1/2 of what the car costs. Do NOT buy it if you have just enough. These cars will still be there when you can actually afford them. That was the lesson I learned from my Audi. I sold mine, bought a japanese car for 1/6 the price, and haven't had to sink much into it yet. In fact, I think that's a general rule for Audi buyers, but it adjusts by year.

dan-o · Oct 31, 2005

While the labor costs are high, the parts are what sting when it comes to repairing high-end german cars. My wife's '94 M-B E320 wagon is a great car that rarely needs work but when it does it stings.
Be sure to research what regular servicing will cost as without it things will get really pricey.

SkaredShtles · Oct 31, 2005

manhattanprjkt83 said:
first of all its a red shirt

Pink - it's the new red. :think:

i do "only have enough" to buy it, i mean i could afford to buy it and be fine, its just the worry of a 5000 + repair bill that freaks me out. I cant be doing that, i mean its such a $$$ car it suprises me there are all these problems...I do alot of my work on my vw im assuming some of the audi would be the same (they are the same company)...

Buy it, man! We could use the entertainment.

Find yourself a good, reasonable VW mechanic in town - that's how I got my Audi repaired when it needed it. Of course, mine was old.

SkaredShtles · Oct 31, 2005

manhattanprjkt83 said:
<snip>But like said above, if it isnt often then that is ok...

Oh, it'll be often. And it'll be for $hit like power windows that won't work anymore, or idle-air stabilizers, or, or, or.........

Do it, man!!

douglas · Oct 31, 2005

SkaredShtles said:
I never knew DRB was a rich bahstid....

Someone w/a car worth around $15K is rich??

dude, you need to get out more

chaloots · Oct 31, 2005

i love mine is a 2000 nogaro w/alcantera 6spd. very capable in foul weather.
the turbos are a weak link for sure esp if you are chipped. its hard to resist because the chip and an exhaust will add approx 60 hp and 100 ft/lbs of torque. a aftermarket alarm is a must if you live in nyc for sure they are usually targeted for the xenons. knocking on wood so far i've only had to replace the tie rod ends of the suspension after 5+ years of ownership and driving on NYC streets. i also have a leaking rear diff (nothing major common problem) that im having fixed.

check out audiworld.com B5s4 forum its a wealth of info on this car

SkaredShtles · Oct 31, 2005

douglas said:
Someone w/a car worth around $15K is rich??

dude, you need to get out more

I guess if you presume she just bought it. :think:

They're 50+ new, methinks.

You notice that DRB didn't contest the assertion................ :eviltongu

Hawkeye · Oct 31, 2005

chaloots said:
i love mine is a 2000 nogaro w/alcantera 6spd. very capable in foul weather.
the turbos are a weak link for sure esp if you are chipped. its hard to resist because the chip and an exhaust will add approx 60 hp and 100 ft/lbs of torque. a aftermarket alarm is a must if you live in nyc for sure they are usually targeted for the xenons. knocking on wood so far i've only had to replace the tie rod ends of the suspension after 5+ years of ownership and driving on NYC streets. i also have a leaking rear diff (nothing major common problem) that im having fixed.

check out audiworld.com B5s4 forum its a wealth of info on this car

He knows what he's talking about.

Turbo's are the weak link.

And I see that it has a nonfactory front bumber which makes me think it has been a pretty rough 75,000 miles

chaloots · Oct 31, 2005

make sure to use moble1 every 6-8k miles and stay on top of your scheduled maintanence.

also dont go into boost until your oil is warm and let it cool down a bit before shutting down.better yet get a turbo timer

Toshi · Oct 31, 2005

(to echo an earlier, lost point)

so, what's the insurance going to run you? if you're already at 1800/yr for a jetta of all cars :dead:

TN · Oct 31, 2005

You better drive a cool car with those Paris Hilton glasses on.

Westy · Oct 31, 2005

Toshi said:
(to echo an earlier, lost point)

so, what's the insurance going to run you? if you're already at 1800/yr for a jetta of all cars

When I was shopping for a first new car the Jetta had the highest insurance rates out of everything I considered. The GTI VR6 I got had a much lower rate for basically the same car. :think:

DRB · Oct 31, 2005

How many miles does it have?

Audi S4 Should i Buy

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