Audi B7 RS4 vs B8 S4

[ronaldmacdonald]

Hi all

I am looking at getting either a B7 RS4 or B8 S4 in July. I have upto £16 to put down.
I used to own a B5 S4 many many moons ago and loved that car - it seems that they have moved on in the intervening years.
What are the pro's / cons of these two cars? I guess that running costs is a big one on the RS4 - but are they as problematic as the forums would suggest? I guess I would be looking to get a warranty.

Thx

RonaldMcD

[Murph7355]

The RS4 is a 60k to run, regardless of what you buy one for. Big bills are always a possibility.

I haven't driven a B8 S4 or RS4 yet. I intend to this year. I doubt either will be quite as sharp/nimble as the B7 RS4.

16k may not buy a good RS4. If it is, it'll have high miles - in itself not a problem if the car's been looked after. But depends how you feel running a 100k+ miles performance car.

[Whitean3]

I have a B7 RS4, so understand I may be biased...

RS4 is far more special than an S4; many bespoke bits of bodywork for example. The manual gearbox is the most important thing for me- a B8 S4 (and RS4) are auto only. So the way they drive will be very different.

Chris Harris did a nice video review of the B5, B7 and B8 RS4- the B8 comes out as slightly numb, the B5 raw and special, and the B7 the best compromise and the pick of the bunch to drive (his opinion).

As for running costs, if you were comparing the B7 RS4 with a B7 S4, I doubt there would be too much of a difference, unless you trashed the bodywork. I've only had to deal with 2 annual services; nothing has gone wrong. it's a bit more difficult comparing B7 to B8, as you're going from a 4.2 nasp V8 to a supercharged (I think?) V6- I would guess the more modern car is way better on fuel to begin with.

I can't comment on second hand prices as I'm in Switzerland, so I don't know what 16K would get you. There is a huge price range here, based on mileage alone I'd say.

I guess you have to try both

[Dr G]

£16k just about gets into a decent B7 RS4; it won't be the best example but it won't be rubbish either. Work on £2-3k annually if you want to keep things tip top. There are lots of threads on here about the pitfalls.

The B8 S4 is massively more modern and would be my personal preference (although I very much see the appeal of the snarling old RS4). £16k buys a reasonable one but the later you go the better they are. Generally very reliable but early automatics can cause issues (as can the manuals, for that matter). See the B8 S4 owners thread.

I took this car in part exchange a few weeks ago:

http://southmotorgroup.co.uk/cardetails.php?catid=...

It was sold within the trade and I have no affiliation to where it is now on sale but it was a good, very well maintained car.

Edited by Dr G on Tuesday 11th April 10:38

[fcuk1_6]

I drove both a while back and am now on my second B8 S4. It depends on what you are looking for but I found the B7 RS4 looked very dated inside and was a little dissapointed in the power delivery compared to even a standard B8 S4 (had both mine stage 2 tuned). If you have the Quattro Sports Diff on the B8 S4 I think handling wise they are much of a muchness. However the RS4 is undoubtedly a better sounding car and in my opinion is also more eye catching.

[matrignano]

Thread resurrection!

Going to try a B7 RS4 and B8 S5 (V6T) this weekend.

I'm a bit conflicted at the moment - B7 has a better (IMHO) engine and is more special, B8 more tuneable, DSG is handy in London traffic, and more modern cabin/infotainment.

Hopefully a test drive will help me make my mind up.

What's the general consensus?

Also, at what kind of age/mileage do you expect to have to replace clutch, wishbones/bushes, dampers (if DRC leak) on the B7 RS4?
Car I'm seeing has 80k miles but I have no idea yet if/when the above were done.

[neil-wlrao]

These cars are getting old so it's more age rather than just mileage that components need replaced. I bought an rs4 a year ago and drove a few ranging from 80k -120k miles. The one I ended up buying had 115k miles and drove the best out of all them. I did extensive research and wasn't niave to the possibility of big bills but when you drive one it makes it worth it . It had extensive history/bills for replacement of the common issues- clutch ,oil cooler, aux radiators, drc, suspension arms - as well as comprehensive service history. 1 year on and 8k miles later I've had to replace lower front arms (£200 for the four plus £80 to fit) -interestingly it had upper arms replaced by audi just before I got the car at a cost of £1.1k! , front discs and pads ( purchased from euro car parts with 50% discount £500 ), rear wiper motor and pressure switch for air conditioning (£30). Drc failed recently due to the metal pipe connecting the valves to front shocks corroding . Annoying as it had a reciept for 4.5k of work 40k miles ago ( 4 drc dampers, flexi hoses and the accumulators all replaced). The metal pipes are expensive and labour intensive. If they fail you are as well to replace all 4 if you intend keeping the drc system which will cost easily 2k. I replaced with koni dampers and car stills handles/rides well (£650). There are plenty specialists about now to maintain these cars which avoids the ridiculous bills from audi dealers .

[matrignano]

Well I bought the S5 in the end!

RS4 felt more special, the wingbacks, the engine etc. But the interior and infotainment felt so dated!

For anyone who’s interested, the one I saw in Watford seems a decent deal. £18k with 65k miles, wingbacks but no carbon or flat bottom steering wheel. Valved Milltek (think non res) and KWs (not sure which variant), so no DRC issue. Paint not the best but on a 12yo car I’m not too fussed.
Clutch and rear brakes will need doing relatively soon, so a £20k car really. Bit too much for me.

Edited by matrignano on Saturday 15th September 18:59

[neilferg]

matrignano said:

Well I bought the S5 in the end!

RS4 felt more special, the wingbacks, the engine etc. But the interior and infotainment felt so dated!

For anyone who’s interested, the one I saw in Watford seems a decent deal. £18k with 65k miles, wingbacks but no carbon or flat bottom steering wheel. Valved Milltek (think non res) and KWs (not sure which variant), so no DRC issue. Paint not the best but on a 12yo car I’m not too fussed.
Clutch and rear brakes will need doing relatively soon, so a £20k car really. Bit too much for me.

Edited by matrignano on Saturday 15th September 18:59

Agree the sat nav is rather outdated, although I think the general interior hides it's age well. That's strong money for the rs4 given it needs work done to it . Would be easily more than a 20k car especially depending how bad the paintwork is.