Looking into an S4, any advice?
07-23-2007, 02:54 AM
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Looking into an S4, any advice?
Just basically wanted to say hello to everyone. I've been looking through this site for a while and have always like S4's. My car died a little while ago and I'm thinking an S4 is practical enough while still having the performance I want.
Problem is my family isnt too financialy well off. If I get an S4 it cant fail me. I was looking at repair/parts prices and they're much higher than the econoboxes my family is used to. I'm pretty mechanically ept but the S4 seems complex.
So far I've found a 2000 S4 with 75,000 miles on it on craigslist from a Peter Chrysanthou for $12,900, sounds good, right? its got some scratches here around but nothing serious. The front has a crack but I'm planning on the RS4 front anyway. What matters is the mechanical condition, and I don't know how to be sure of that. I've read it will need a timing belt at this milage (its failure was the death of my last 2 cars) which will suck but thats all that comes to mind till I hear it. I guess I'm just looking for any advice. I'm gonna check it out this, or next week.
Also, If anyone is in the Chicago area, knows S4s well, and wants to help me check it out would be very welcome, lunch will be on me.
And the VIN: is WAUDD68D0YA128368 if anyone can possibly find history reports. Thanks in advanced everyone, looking forward to joining the community.
Problem is my family isnt too financialy well off. If I get an S4 it cant fail me. I was looking at repair/parts prices and they're much higher than the econoboxes my family is used to. I'm pretty mechanically ept but the S4 seems complex.
So far I've found a 2000 S4 with 75,000 miles on it on craigslist from a Peter Chrysanthou for $12,900, sounds good, right? its got some scratches here around but nothing serious. The front has a crack but I'm planning on the RS4 front anyway. What matters is the mechanical condition, and I don't know how to be sure of that. I've read it will need a timing belt at this milage (its failure was the death of my last 2 cars) which will suck but thats all that comes to mind till I hear it. I guess I'm just looking for any advice. I'm gonna check it out this, or next week.
Also, If anyone is in the Chicago area, knows S4s well, and wants to help me check it out would be very welcome, lunch will be on me.
And the VIN: is WAUDD68D0YA128368 if anyone can possibly find history reports. Thanks in advanced everyone, looking forward to joining the community.
07-23-2007, 04:01 AM
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audi and cheap dont go together unless you do your own work,
expect to pay around 800-1200 for the timing belt swap, have the control arms inspected and outer cv joints as well. make sure the tubos are not making any louder than normal siren whistling's noises.
if its a 6 speed make sure the clutch is not slipping. other than that they are pretty reliable cars, however if you dont have alot of money you need to know how to wrench or you can get in a mess fast
if its a 6 speed make sure the clutch is not slipping. other than that they are pretty reliable cars, however if you dont have alot of money you need to know how to wrench or you can get in a mess fast
07-23-2007, 04:30 AM
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"If I get an S4 it cant fail me" ---> It *will* fail you sooner or later
If you have your heart set on an S4, the only rational thing you could do IMO is buy an extended service contract and don't do any mechanical mods. Most aftermarket warranties will deny your claim and void your contract if they inspect your car/claim and its modded *whatsoever*. Read the fine print.
You might be able to get away with a chip or other *invisible* mods, but if a $6k turbo job would compromise you and/or your family's financial stability, it may not be wise to take a chance. Even if you do your own wrenching, as many here do, these cars are still expensive to maintain.
Long story short, these cars are cheap to purchase now, but parts and repair costs will make you remember it's a $40k car.
You might be able to get away with a chip or other *invisible* mods, but if a $6k turbo job would compromise you and/or your family's financial stability, it may not be wise to take a chance. Even if you do your own wrenching, as many here do, these cars are still expensive to maintain.
Long story short, these cars are cheap to purchase now, but parts and repair costs will make you remember it's a $40k car.
07-23-2007, 05:20 AM
#4
If you want a reliable S4 get a low mileage urs4/s6 92-95, much easier to work on...
and built to last. The B5 s4 is a great car and I love it but we always take the URS6 Avant with 215K miles and 100K of that pushing 150hp over stock for long trips because of how few problems it has compared to my B5 S4 avant with 69K miles. The B5 is more of a hobby car than a good DD IMHO. The URS was built to run and last and I've seen them with 400K miles on them still holding up great.
Elijah
Elijah
07-23-2007, 06:00 AM
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2nd, it's unfortunate and I didn't buy all the "worryisms" but they are largely true
it is an expensive car to maintain. If you don't wrench your own car, now's a fantastic time to start because the $90 oil changes and $90+/hr labor jobs at dealerships will kill you very soon. Good luck
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07-23-2007, 06:34 AM
#8
Trust me - unless you LOVE the S4 and have a healthy bank account to fund the repairs you will need,
DON'T buy it. I love my car, but fortunately I can afford to fix it and rent a loaner while it is in the shop. Unless you are certain you can fix everything that may and will go wrong, budget and S4 are diametrically opposed. The combination of luxury and performance are almost impossible to match for the price, but this car is very unreliable. This was the highest warranty expense vehicle that Audi of America has ever sold - that should tell you something and they aren't aging that well.
I'll never sell mine, but I always get in an argument with my wife every time it goes in the shop (and I do all the minor stuff myself). It's like having an extremely high maintenance girlfried who likes expensive clothing and jewelry - the highs are great and the lows really suck, but normal or reliable is not part of the relationship with either the girl or the S4.
I'll never sell mine, but I always get in an argument with my wife every time it goes in the shop (and I do all the minor stuff myself). It's like having an extremely high maintenance girlfried who likes expensive clothing and jewelry - the highs are great and the lows really suck, but normal or reliable is not part of the relationship with either the girl or the S4.
