Looking for audi s4 b6 cabriolet,but is my budget not enough

[p1tse]

Budget c.£5-6k max

Had my eye on this one but couldn't get there on time

Audi s4 convertable | eBay
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/321300302965?nav=SEARCH&am...
This had 94k, blue exterior and back interior

Also noticed this but again was gone:
2004 AUDI S4 QUATTRO CABRIOLET2 DOOR CONVERTIBLE BLACK | eBay
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/191028013244?nav=SEARCH&am...
93k, black and red interior

Thoughts on the two above which has gone as a comparator?

Manual preferred, as I have a tdi estate auto to do the cruising and think an old auto would feel backwards compared to having owned a r32 with DSG

Could be playing the waiting game as not many out there

[lewisf182]

Jesus didn't realise they were so cheap now. Bargain for that 4.2 V8

[carinaman]

I'm not convinced they'd be a good steer, but agree on the bangs for your buck.

Do you really need the S4 and V8? Go for a 3 litre V6 Quattro one instead, or a 3 litre non-Quattro one and save yourself some weight and fuel?

[carinaman]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/cars/audi/...

So it seems on those that the premium for the S4 and V8 is £1K. Go for a differently engined one or borrow the extra from an online p2p lender like Zopa?

[Benbay001]

If its near your max budget then when you find the reason the previous owner is selling it, how are you going to afford to fix it?

I made that very expensive mistake with a 4.2 liter v8 Jag 1.5 years ago.

Tyres could be £800 all around, more if you want premiums.
A borked gear box could be a few £1000.
Spark plugs for the Jag were £140

Its no good buying a v8 sports saloon for near your "max" budget.

Learn from my mistake

[E24man]

They are a pretty good drive and do everything it says on the tin - the V8 noise is very pleasant and quietly addictive. The tiptronic is ok, more economical than the manual due to a higher 6th gear but the gearchange isn't very quick by modern auto or Alpina standards. The roof is excellent; triple layered and quiet enough for motorway speed conversations and not ever chilly even in the coldest winter - the bum warmers seem to have a nuclear heat capability. Ours has the six-spoke 18" Avus alloys which offer a good ride - we've never toyed with fitting the RS4 cab's 19's - and the brakes are more than up to the job on the road in any driving conditions/moods.

Mrs E24man has toyed with swapping hers in for a newer 'something' but even she stops and thinks, 'Why? It does everything I want so well and doesn't owe us anything.' I do the servicing and maintenance so it's all too easy to keep it and stack up the miles. The 'S' cars don't suffer the RS/M/AMG premium price promise for parts so most consumer parts are affordable and easy to fit being pre-coding /electronic nightmare.

It is quite a heavy car though and I'd imagine anything other than a V8 would feel a little pedestrian - the V8 tiptronic allows for stress and clutch-free easy commuting while the 344 ponies permit some indecently rapid progression for a understated good looking car.

And the B6 doesn't have those 'orrible bloody chav lights

Edited by E24man on Friday 31st January 20:34

[Ed.M]

I've loved having one. It will be going to make way for a M135i in the coming weeks.

I've not got round to advertising as yet, and it would just about fall into your budget. If you want to pick my brains or know about mine PM me

[p1tse]

The s comes with better standard spec over the v6 like xenons etc

As for top budget, well that's a risk I'll take
Tyres cost will be similar to a v6 model so makes no odds

I don't do huge mileage so not worried about tyre cost

I've been following the market on these and seen some in the £4k even nice avants but just with bigger miles which isn't an issue

I was tempted by a 70k one with tiptronic but the guy for ease traded in for £6k apparently

Just seem to get more car with the S for about a grand more or offset by mileage

[crispyshark]

If you are only paying £5-6k for one, the first question you should be asking is "why is the car that cheap?" And secondly are you realistically taking into account running costs and whether anything goes wrong.

£5-6k gets you a over 100k miler B5 with decent mods/work done.....think you need to stick another £3k on your budget for a B6.

[p1tse]

There are traders selling b6 s4 at £6k so private i would imagine is about bang on the money

[p1tse]

Spotted one with the following replies from seller:
-Any MOT advisories? Nearside front suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement.
Imperfections:
-Small area of rust on bonnet
Mark on one of the front silver pillars
Very Slight dent on passenger side front door panel
Small tear in roof - this was repair by an ex-audi mechanic
The roof box in the put cannot be raise used the lever, to create more boot spare. This has no impact on soft top roof itself

Don't quite understand last comment so have asked more detail.
But how much is it to change suspension arm bushes?
Guess rust on bonnet could be fixed not too much?
Dents got to be expected for a 10 yr old car
Tear in roof and fix scares me a bit?

[Snowboy]

In the boot of the a4/s4 there is a 'case' that holds the folded roof.
When the roof is up the case is empty, and you can pull a never which folds the case flat into the top of the boot.

This seems to be broken so the case stays down.

The boot is fairly big anyway, I rarely close the case on mine so you probably won't notice it as a problem.

[p1tse]

Ah right I see

Should it be automatic that the case should fold up if the too is up?

Any ideas on roof and bushes?

[Cupramax]

Front suspension arms are a consumable part on A4 cabs, i had 3 in 5 years on mine, the roof is more serious, i'd find one without a damaged roof and save future hassle when it goes again.... And again the roof box mechanism, just find one that it works!

[p1tse]

Thanks
I'm thinking of walking, but its in the colour I like and low mileage, but I don't think he will drop the price that much to compensate and there's always a silly buyer out there which I'm not going to compete with

But out of curiosity what's the cost of the bushes replaced and is it a tell tell sign for other things to go like wishbone etc.?

[andymc]

very cheap to replace

[Snowboy]

The roof box isn't automatic - it's a manual lever.

In terms of the suspension.
It's an older car, bushes are worn, chances are the shocks are too and the handling will be rubbish compared to a new one.
If I was in your situation I'd want to budget an extra £500-£1000 for a full geo/alignment and replacement of bushes arms and dampers where needed.

If tyres are compared to shoes, then suspension is knees and hips.
This car might have the power of Usain Bolt, but he's had his achilies tendon cut and his acl is torn.

[p1tse]

thanks
I think by the sounds of it the roof case mechanism is broken, so finding out if it can still be closed to create more space.

i've just been sent some pics of the imperfections:

roof fix: doesn't look attractive fix, what can be done




pillar mark: can a dent/ mark be fixed?




rust spot and I think a bit more around the edge:
can't get picture up, but what can be done with say a 1pence size rust spot?

[p1tse]

Managed to get rust pic although not great

I don't expect a used car to be perfect, but would like these things considered

[Snowboy]

It's unlikely the screen surround can be fixed. It's a lump of structural metal, not a body panel.

Frankly, that one looks shabby.
You might save £1000 on buying it compared to a different purchase, but you might need to spend £1500 on it.

Unless you really know your way round a workshop then buy a decent car to begin with.
Don't buy a cheap tatty one as it WILL cost you more in the long run.

Then again.
That's a mistake that everyone makes at least once.