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Audi S4 Should i Buy

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
Hey everyone...I am in a dilemma again :dead: ...

Here is the deal, All through college i wanted the audi s4 (that kickass naggaro blue color)...So when i got out (this past may), i started looking and really couldnt find anywhere so i ended up getting a Jetta GLI vr6. While the jetta is awesome, i have been wanting the audi the whole time.

So i am driving down the road just minding my own business yesterday (in the jetta) and there i spot a frickin negarro blue audi s4 at a used import dealer. I stopped and the thing looks like it is in perfect condition (special edition blue leather and everything). I hope some of you know the car im talking about :drool:

Either way, i am now faced with the dilemma of taking my jetta with low miles well sort of (48,000) and taking a hit trading for a higher milage car. But keep in mind the Audi is pretty much my dream car and it is super rare to find.

So does anyone know anything about this car? Problems or issues. I have heard these things cost a mint to fix, but so do new VW's...Please i need some life advice here.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,225
20,003
Sleazattle
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.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
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...
 

dan-o

Turbo Monkey
Jun 30, 2004
6,499
2,805
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

Monkey
Jan 8, 2002
623
0
Naperville, IL
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

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,225
20,003
Sleazattle
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.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
dan-o said:
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".
There are a ton of the new ones flying around, but there are very few of the I guess b5 1999-2002 era ones and that is the one i like. Esp. in the blue color, and on top of that the blue trim interior :drool:

I havent found out the year (waiting on a call from the dealer) but i think its a 2002 if that is the case only 670 were imported into the us...id bet less than 1/4 were the blue.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
Hawkeye said:
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)?
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.
 

DRB

unemployed bum
Oct 24, 2002
15,242
0
Watchin' you. Writing it all down.
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.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,225
20,003
Sleazattle
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.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
SkaredShtles said:
How much ins insurance for a young buck such as yourself on said beauty?
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 :dead:
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,375
12,529
In a van.... down by the river
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 :dead:
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. :D
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,030
5,918
borcester rhymes
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.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
first of all its a red shirt :rolleyes:

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)...
 

dan-o

Turbo Monkey
Jun 30, 2004
6,499
2,805
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.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
My dad gets alot of work done at our audi/bmw/porsche dealership (top notch spot, they do good work) here (he has a beemer), and trust me he let me know how expensive it will be to fix. But like said above, if it isnt often then that is ok...
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,375
12,529
In a van.... down by the river
manhattanprjkt83 said:
first of all its a red shirt :rolleyes:
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. :p
 

chaloots

Chimp
Mar 16, 2004
67
0
dirty jerz via Bklyn

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
 

Hawkeye

Monkey
Jan 8, 2002
623
0
Naperville, IL
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

Chimp
Mar 16, 2004
67
0
dirty jerz via Bklyn
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

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
(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:
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,225
20,003
Sleazattle
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 :dead:

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:
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
Alright, i just got back from the dealer...First off i wanna say i f'ing love the car, it motors...

Here is the skinny...The car just had the timing belts redone, and a complete engine maintenence (i have proof of this) about 1500 worth of work.

Brand New Tires
Aftermarket exhaust (forget the name)
rs-4 front bumper
2" drop

toshi, my insurance payments are under what you said, i only pay for 9 months...so should i get an sti instead?