E92 M3 or Audi RS4?
Discussion
Hey all,
Looking for some help/advice,
A family member of mine is looking for something special for the weekend car but with the option of being everyday friendly and its come down to these two choices, The budget is £30k which could be stretched just a smidge, I know that the RS4s are in this area and i know that the M3s are starting to hit this area
The main concern is with running costs because ive heard (could be wrong?) that the E9x M3 has some ridiculous servicing costs thanks to its engine?
The car just has to be fun and in his words "Put a smile on his face", He doesnt know which one he wants and to be honest, i wouldnt know which one to suggest!
He's probably going to try test drive them both and decide but in the meantime, can anyone confirm/deny that the M3 has high servicing costs? Is the RS4 a better choice?
P.S Before anyone suggest its, ive already told him he could prob pick up a Porsche Carrera for that money but hes not into the Porsche thing
Looking for some help/advice,
A family member of mine is looking for something special for the weekend car but with the option of being everyday friendly and its come down to these two choices, The budget is £30k which could be stretched just a smidge, I know that the RS4s are in this area and i know that the M3s are starting to hit this area
The main concern is with running costs because ive heard (could be wrong?) that the E9x M3 has some ridiculous servicing costs thanks to its engine?
The car just has to be fun and in his words "Put a smile on his face", He doesnt know which one he wants and to be honest, i wouldnt know which one to suggest!
He's probably going to try test drive them both and decide but in the meantime, can anyone confirm/deny that the M3 has high servicing costs? Is the RS4 a better choice?
P.S Before anyone suggest its, ive already told him he could prob pick up a Porsche Carrera for that money but hes not into the Porsche thing
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2361026.htm
680bhp. I'm sure it would put a smile on anyones face and the noise will be epic.
The M3 and RS4 are both massively capable cars and no doubt quicker round a track, but for sense of occasion they are too clinical and , well, German.
680bhp. I'm sure it would put a smile on anyones face and the noise will be epic.
The M3 and RS4 are both massively capable cars and no doubt quicker round a track, but for sense of occasion they are too clinical and , well, German.
Sam43Harris said:
Is an AMG out the question?....
Well this could be ignorance on our behalf but he's yet to find an AMG he really wants, the SL55 was suggested but dismissed, the C63 AMG is a potential but havent looked into them as prices arent low enough yetAs for the VXR8, never thought of that, hes not a badge snob so could be up for that, but id be worried that it will depreciate like a brick?
dele said:
As for the VXR8, never thought of that, hes not a badge snob so could be up for that, but id be worried that it will depreciate like a brick?
All of the mentioned cars will depreciate like bricks. The Vauxhall may be mildly worse than the German rep mobiles, though.
Edited by kambites on Monday 10th January 13:49
kambites said:
dele said:
As for the VXR8, never thought of that, hes not a badge snob so could be up for that, but id be worried that it will depreciate like a brick?
All of the mentioned cars will depreciate like bricks. The Vauxhall may be mildly worse than the German rep mobiles, though.
Edited by kambites on Monday 10th January 13:49
Out of the two cars mentioned, I would prefer the RS4. Lovely bassy V8 soundtrack for a small engine
Edited by V88Dicky on Monday 10th January 14:01
As had been said, they will all depreciate alot, the VX will more as it is not quite so far along the curve (ie. closer to it's original purchase price).
A standard VX would probably be a better ownership proposition than the one I highlighted, I just picked that one because it highlights what £30k can buy you, if you aren't a sheep
To clarify, of the two original cars suggested, I would have the RS4 definately.
If he is worried about depreciation , maybe a M3 E46 CSL could be a good shout, they can be had for a few grand less than his budget and are immensely capable , whilst retaining most of the practicality of the vanilla M3.
A standard VX would probably be a better ownership proposition than the one I highlighted, I just picked that one because it highlights what £30k can buy you, if you aren't a sheep
To clarify, of the two original cars suggested, I would have the RS4 definately.
If he is worried about depreciation , maybe a M3 E46 CSL could be a good shout, they can be had for a few grand less than his budget and are immensely capable , whilst retaining most of the practicality of the vanilla M3.
Both great cars, decent residuals and I don't think servicing is that bad. In my experience Audi have provided better service but I suspect also that as your man can't make his mind up between RWD and 4WD then maybe he is better off with the 4WD Audi as he probably doesn't have a yearning for a tail happy drivers car. The Audi is amazingly capable and as others have posted, sounds really raw and visceral, but it still understeers safely and is very road sure in the wet.
How far would he be willing to push that budget? (they can be had for £35k...)
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2303853.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2303853.htm
I've driven both and thought seriously about buying them too. Firstly, they're not weekend cars, they're designed and engineered as extremely accomplished all rounders for everyday use, and at that they do best. To be quite honest, although I liked the RS4 and would recommend it to a friend, I got as much out of it as I would a 2.0TDi A4 - it didn't feel that quick at all, and the handling was as interesting as watching the Antiques Roadshow. Everything I liked about it is present in a lesser model A4. The M3 was hardly a sports car, but extremely satisfying with lovely balanced handling, so the M3 is my clear choice of the two. If it's a weekend car though, not liking Porsche is not a show stopper. Surely there are plenty of sports cars out there that would put a bigger smile on your face than a 1600kg all rounder?
-Z- said:
RS4 if he likes the feeling of wondering if his engine is making anywhere near it's supposed power. DFI Audi V8 apparently loses power as it cokes up over time.
The example I drove in spring of last year was a 2007 model with 30,000 miles on the clock. The E46 and E92 M3s felt significantly quicker. Drivetrain losses and this coking issue obviously contributed.The other thing worth looking at is the test weights in magazines that actually weigh their test cars "wet". M3s seem to be a shade lighter than the quoted weight, whereas the RS4 comes out about 50-100kg heavier.
From the seat of the pants the performance of the RS4 that I drove felt somewhere between a 330i and a 335i. That's achievable with the weight, coking and drivetrain losses issues all added up.
I'm not too fussed about straight line pace in a car, but it would pain me to spend the road tax and mpg that the Audi's engine demands for the performance that it generates.
RobM77 said:
-Z- said:
RS4 if he likes the feeling of wondering if his engine is making anywhere near it's supposed power. DFI Audi V8 apparently loses power as it cokes up over time.
The example I drove in spring of last year was a 2007 model with 30,000 miles on the clock. The E46 and E92 M3s felt significantly quicker. Drivetrain losses and this coking issue obviously contributed.The other thing worth looking at is the test weights in magazines that actually weigh their test cars "wet". M3s seem to be a shade lighter than the quoted weight, whereas the RS4 comes out about 50-100kg heavier.
From the seat of the pants the performance of the RS4 that I drove felt somewhere between a 330i and a 335i. That's achievable with the weight, coking and drivetrain losses issues all added up.
I'm not too fussed about straight line pace in a car, but it would pain me to spend the road tax and mpg that the Audi's engine demands for the performance that it generates.
Thank you all for your suggestions, some good ones i totally forgot, also had no idea how "Cheap" AMV8's are
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