RS4 Avant (B7) advice sought
Discussion
Hi Everyone. Have decided to look for one of these. Will be for the long term, so will be looking for a low mileage, FSH enthusiast owned (preferably) car.
Will buy from a dealer or privately, can anyone recommend a good specialist, plus any obvious things to look for etc. etc?
Any assistance very much appreciated.
Will buy from a dealer or privately, can anyone recommend a good specialist, plus any obvious things to look for etc. etc?
Any assistance very much appreciated.
Plenty of owner/forums around most with buying advice etc
Pistonheads
RS246
Only advise is take your time/don't be impulsive (I bought the 1st B7 S4 I test drove - luckily it's a good one)- and enjoy !!
Pistonheads
RS246
Only advise is take your time/don't be impulsive (I bought the 1st B7 S4 I test drove - luckily it's a good one)- and enjoy !!
Make sure that you are comfortable turning a blind eye to fuel consumption! 
As the previous poster says, there's plenty of info available on other sites; there is also a really good buyers' guide here on PH.
If you do go down the private purchase from an enthusiast route, they should know their car and various associated quirks/issues, which all likely have reasonably inexpensive fixes by now. Things to watch out for would be the cost of brakes, dynamic ride control, the obvious coking issue and (the one I missed when buying mine) potential corrosion behind the lower door plastic moldings.
Good luck with your search, they really are incredible cars
As the previous poster says, there's plenty of info available on other sites; there is also a really good buyers' guide here on PH.
If you do go down the private purchase from an enthusiast route, they should know their car and various associated quirks/issues, which all likely have reasonably inexpensive fixes by now. Things to watch out for would be the cost of brakes, dynamic ride control, the obvious coking issue and (the one I missed when buying mine) potential corrosion behind the lower door plastic moldings.
Good luck with your search, they really are incredible cars
Great cars. As noted above, check out the buyers' guide on here and register at rs246.com and have a mooch round. Do plenty of reading and look at a few.
Don't be shy on mileage - condition is key if you're in it for the long term. Remember that these are all going to be pushing 9yrs old and performance cars don't like being sat.
Also remember that Sprint Blue cars are faster than all the others. (And that Avus Silver really looks very nice on these in the metal
).
Don't be shy on mileage - condition is key if you're in it for the long term. Remember that these are all going to be pushing 9yrs old and performance cars don't like being sat.
Also remember that Sprint Blue cars are faster than all the others. (And that Avus Silver really looks very nice on these in the metal
).gottans said:
And make sure you get the kick at 5200rpm, if not there is problem.
Other thing to be aware of, if it has the bucket seats, these have been nicked in the past and it is uneconomic to repair so car will become insurance write-off, seats are over £13k to replace.
Is that right? Having had one of these for a while (Sprint Blue) i'd have been surprised the seats are anywhere near that expensive, perhaps £2-3k for a pair. Audi had them in a few models so hardly that exclusive. IIRC the same seat's in the R8, RS3 & could be spec'd in a few other models.Other thing to be aware of, if it has the bucket seats, these have been nicked in the past and it is uneconomic to repair so car will become insurance write-off, seats are over £13k to replace.
W8PMC said:
gottans said:
And make sure you get the kick at 5200rpm, if not there is problem.
Other thing to be aware of, if it has the bucket seats, these have been nicked in the past and it is uneconomic to repair so car will become insurance write-off, seats are over £13k to replace.
Is that right? Having had one of these for a while (Sprint Blue) i'd have been surprised the seats are anywhere near that expensive, perhaps £2-3k for a pair. Audi had them in a few models so hardly that exclusive. IIRC the same seat's in the R8, RS3 & could be spec'd in a few other models.Other thing to be aware of, if it has the bucket seats, these have been nicked in the past and it is uneconomic to repair so car will become insurance write-off, seats are over £13k to replace.
W8PMC said:
Afternoon fella
That amazes me as in the RS4 & RS3 the front seats would make up the best part of 25-30% off the cars value.
Just because Audi sell the seats for that much doesn't mean thats what they cost Audi to make That amazes me as in the RS4 & RS3 the front seats would make up the best part of 25-30% off the cars value.
I'd be surprised if your price wasn't close to the actual "cost" Audi pay.W8PMC said:
Is that right? Having had one of these for a while (Sprint Blue) i'd have been surprised the seats are anywhere near that expensive, perhaps £2-3k for a pair. Audi had them in a few models so hardly that exclusive. IIRC the same seat's in the R8, RS3 & could be spec'd in a few other models.
I think they arethat much new including the replacement windows / any other interior damage that has been done You can buy the seats for 1500-2000 now, maybe 2500 for ones which are fresh from a retrim, so basically new.
Regarding the seats, you can't actually buy them as a complete seat anymore but you can buy the parts, the cost of putting them together is what makes them so expensive.
Manufacturers do not hold stock of a lot of interior trim parts after the car has stopped production, they will keep a lot of parts but not things like seats, dashboards, etc. Just ties up a lot of money that could be better used elsewhere in the business.
Manufacturers do not hold stock of a lot of interior trim parts after the car has stopped production, they will keep a lot of parts but not things like seats, dashboards, etc. Just ties up a lot of money that could be better used elsewhere in the business.
jeremyc said:
t's clearly the superior colour that helps.
Not only is it by far the best colour for an RS4, I think it improves the drag coefficient as well as engine power.Women and children love it too.
I'd almost go as far to say that if your RS4 isn't Sprint Blue, it's not really an RS4. More an RS3.9 or something.
IanH755 said:
Just because Audi sell the seats for that much doesn't mean thats what they cost Audi to make I'd be surprised if your price wasn't close to the actual "cost" Audi pay.
I know that but I'm amazed they'd get away with such a mark up on medium value part. Using that same logic a replacement engine should be what? £60k which they're not so clearly they don't apply such a mark up to all medium-high value components. I'd be surprised if your price wasn't close to the actual "cost" Audi pay.Gassing Station | Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff