Audi
 

Any opinions on Audi A4's or S4's here. I am thinking about a new (used) daily driver. Maybe aroud a 2002 model. Tired of my POS honda civic,anyway it is unsuitable for a man of my wealth and stature.;) I saw a thread over on the 911 tech board but didn't think it exactly fit under 911 tech. Over there,something was said about semi throw away brake rotors every 115,000 miles. What about engine size? Are 1.8 gutless? Thanks

The A4 is a great car, but like most German cars it has it's issues. I had a '99 and loved it, the build quality is incredible, only reason I sold it is it was FWD. Turbos on the 1.8T only last about 100k, timing belts need to be done at 80k or sooner. The factory interval is 90k, but my car had a rebuilt head because it broke at 85k, very common issue. Front control arm bushings wear out and make a clunking noise, most VAG cars have this issue. Also somewhat prone to electrical gremlins, though buying a newer one should help you avoid this. The 1.8T is a nice motor, very little lag. Easily chipped for more HP, and if you want to start replacing the turbo, exhaust, etc they can make over 300 HP easily on stock internals. The 30v V6 is probably the safer choice, it have a turbo to eat, but it isn't very moddable, unless you SC for some real fun. Here's a few sites to get you started.
http://www.goapr.com/Audi/
http://www.audizine.com/forum/
http://www.audiworld.com/
http://www.fourtitude.com/

No matter what you do to a 1.8, it's still a 1.8. Especially in an overweight Audi. Having owned many turbocharged cars, I'll never own a 2L or less turbo engine again.

The '00-'02 S4, on the other hand, is a sleeper rocketship. My wife and I keep looking for something, anything, that could replace our S4 Avant if it died. It's a unique car and truly special.

You should definitely test drive some Audis, though. The feel is the exact opposite of a Civic. Everything in an Audi is weighty and a bit numb compared to the light feel of the Honda.

I forgot you were interested in the S4, definitely go with it if you have the cash. Awesome cars. Similar issues to the A4, except with two turbos to go out instead of one. Incredibly moddable, fast stock. I would have gotten one instead of the 540 if I had more money, they're amazing cars.

My standard Audi question answer:

Great cars, they are love/hate relationships. (This is the important part --->) Do NOT own one without a warranty.

Get a wagon.

A black one.

In July of '04 we were looking for a car to replace our '97 Volvo T-5. Because of the driving we do, AWD was a requirement. The A4 didn't do it for us after the T-5. The A4 with V6 was ok but not great. Forget the Jag X series, didn't want another BMW, already had one. The MB was great but there was something about it we just didn't buy into.

We were ready to settle for a A4 V6 when I suggested to my wife that we try the S4 with the V8, just for grins. The grin hasn't come off either of our faces since then. It has changed the way we look at cars. 6 speed, Quattro, V8. . . Unbelievable!

And park it in an empty hotel parking lot.

my wife drives a 98 a4 2.8l avant quatrro with 135000 miles on it, she loves the car and I can't get her to trade it for anything. It has been a good car since new, yes, the timing belt has been changed and the front control arms have been replaced(audi paid for the arms) and yes, the abs module was repaired. The 30v 6 is a smooth motor and the only issue I have is that the cam covers are prone to leak, bad design.

My daily driver is a 00 a4 1.8t quatrro, it has 60000 miles on it and drives fine, knock on wood, no issues yet. At 75000 will change the timing belt. It seems peppy enough but is ain't my porsche :D

Thanks for the replies. I was also considering an M3, but around here, BMWs are now so common that I kind of turned off to them. Of course they are not M3s, mostly 325s with middle aged women driving or rich gang banger wannabe whatevers.Some reviews that I have read reported that the S4 was a much hotter car than the M3.

I had an A6-99' and I miss that love-hate relationship. Great car but unfortunately too many small things.. Then its not cheap to maintain.
Don't buy without warranty and save $$$ to do the timing belt+water pump+turbo+control arms+fading display clutster which are the most common issues. And by the way don't expect to find a forum so rich like this. www.audiworld.com is the better one but still too many guys asking if their signature is cool and asking how to chip dad's Audi. :-(
-Jasper

Dear lord no.

I have a volkswagon with the 1.8T. You want to be at the dealership every other month for some damn problem.......?

Mine has 62k and I've had it.

I have a 2000 S4 with approx 71K miles; LOVE it and have had relatively few probs. Be aware however that even regular maintenance, brakes, tires etc are expensive for these cars. Not any different from Porsche types of prices, really.

This car has a 1bar GIAC chip and a bigger rear swaybar but is otherwise stock. It handles well and will walk away from most other cars on the road - torque is beefy with a totally flat curve from 1800-5000+ rpm.

The only replacement candidates on my list right now are an RS6 or possibly a MB E55; but I have no burning desire to get rid of the S4 unless/until it turns into a money pit...100K miles might be it.

I recently drove a 2000 A4 1.8T with the upgraded turbo.

Jerry at EuroEast modified his for around 250 HP without a ton of effort or $ and it goes like stink for a street car.. It felt solid but was still comfortable, don't know anything about the maint. though...

My wife's 2003 New Beetle turbo has the same 1.8T motor (with a smaller turbo). 15K miles - been in the shop only twice for scheduled maintenance.

-Z.

My wife has a 2003 A4, 3.0. We test drove both the 1.8T and 3.0 motors when we were buying. I didn't like the lag of the 1.8T. The only thing that's gone out on it was the windshield washer pump. Car only has 13K miles on it though so it doesn't get driven enough for much to break.
The only thing I don't like about the car is the transmission. We have the auto with tiptronic. It's not a very smooth tranny when accelerating from a stop or low speeds.

Yup. Except for the occasional sensor, everything is fine until around 50k. And then it starts.....

Don't get me wrong, I got 5 great years out of the car, and it was, and is, fun to drive. But I usually have a pretty good '6th sense' when it comes to cars, and this puppy is on the way down.

I had to laugh when I read some of the posts about the 'clunking sound' in the front end of the cars. I have the same thing. The dip****s at the dealership could not figure it out.......

I would look at M3s too, unless you're totally put off by your neighbors all having a BMW. Most of what I remember comparing the E36 M3 and B5 S4 was that the M3 was the sports car of the two, much more raw. The S4 being more refined but more isolated as well. E36 M3s are great cars, you get a lot for the money, and they're reliable.

So . . .

A 2002 - 2003 A4 3.0 with their Certified Warranty might not be a stupid idea?

"The Audi Certified pre-owned Limited Warranty starts the day you purchase your Audi Certified pre-owned vehicle. Although the Warranty is extremely comprehensive, it is not an extension of the original 4-year/80,000 kilometre New Audi Vehicle Limited Warranty. The Audi Certified pre-owned Limited Warranty takes over when the new Audi Vehicle Limited Warranty expires, and provides coverage for an additional 2 years or 160,000 total vehicle kilometres, whichever occurs first."

I'm looking to replace my wife's car. I will drive it too occasionally since my 323i is always in use by my stepson in residence - who will probably never leave home . . .

Ian

If your wife can drice a 6 speed, it is the way I / we would go. We just felt that the auto made the V6 too sluggish. In either case, I would do a A4 6. Good choice.