JonRS4

it's the consumerism you are adicated to, not speed. The marketers have caught you in their "sell the sizzle" web. You can't live without the newest, shiniest and fanciest toys. Sadly, it's a game you cannot win.

Hoots

Everyone on this board is a go fast freak or they wouldn't be considering a 340 hp S4. Why in the hell would I want to drive a rattle box of a car like a Z28? I didn't even want a pile like that when I was in high school. You must not understand the advantages of a high horse allwheel drive car. If you want to hug a tree you are in the wrong place. You must have mistaken this for the Greenpeace site.

BiggerTwin

You, my dear sir, are dead wrong. But thanks for sharing anyway.

E-Ticket

You're confusing commercialization w/ fun. It's all about hauling ***... not prestige...

E-Ticket

Touche', Al.....!

E-Ticket

I used to race a Datsun 510 in the National Pro- Rally series back in the early '80s. Performance rallying was some of the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on.

I quit for a couple of reasons:
1) no major sponsor/backing to take it to the "next level"
2) not enough personal money to invest in on-board, integrated fire systems, Nomex suits, and state of the art fuel cells. So I knew we were living on the edge in terms of safety
3) but primarily, it was the "Darwins." These are the spectators who would stand on the outside edge of a downhill left turn... with a sheer 15' bank at their backs... and assume that I wouldn't lose control and crush them flat. But odds are odds and it's only a matter of time until Murphy intrudes and things go bad in an instant. Without better crowd control... I walked away from the sport.

But I miss it.

So then I discover the 2000 Audi S4 with 250-320hp and AWD. Not only will it haul *** on back country roads at extreme speeds and limits -in the wet or the dry - but will also *very* comfortably haul me on those long, boring trips down the super slabs on cross-country trips.

Crass commercialization? ...pointless prestige?

Dude. With my driving style/habits, the *last* thing I want to do is "stick out and get noticed." The classic, low-key styling of the S4 is at once beautiful and ageless -- and is *not* screaming, "...hey! Look at the size of my pe***....!!! Don't you wish you were me?!"

So, if I *already* have a great car, why do I want the new S4? That's easy: it's faster, it handles better, it grips better, it stops better, has a V-8 with endless/seamless torque, and it's an Avant so I can throw my bikes, skis, whatever, in the back without any drama.

Yeah.... I think that sums it up.

Tag. you're it.

Hoots

Many of us are attracted to the S4 because it doesn't scream status or look at me. The S4 does have a style that will age very well. I got a warning ticket awhile back and the officer wrote it as an A4. I raced a couple guys in a tuned Accord a few weeks ago and it took two smokings before they realized I was driving an S4. You don't come across too many S4's around here so people just aren't aware. They didn't want to play anymore after that.

E-Ticket

Yah... we'll see if this one "sticks".... or he wants to run at the windmill one more time...

BiggerTwin

I gave up the flashier and faster M3 because it had more power than I could safely use on the street and family commitments prevent me from taking the time to go to a track to use it. The S4 should be just as thrilling but significantly safer with its glued to the road AWD. The TopGear video shows it all. While the M3 is great fun to push to its fishtailing limits on airport tarmac, with trees and other obstacles on public roads the more "sedate" S4 gives a wider margin of safety for those of us who like adrenaline but don't have the skill of the Schumacher boys.

Alan

BiggerTwin

we simply can't afford bigger cars. A less expensive 5 Series sedan will land you more prestige. The S4, or M3 for that matter, are definitely about speed and handling, not prestige.

Alan