Hi guys, Looking to buy an Audi S4.
Discussion
Hi guys, i've been a keen lurker for about 2 years now(albeit with out an account) and this seems the best place to ask for some advice.
Now i've been pondering for over a year on what car to get next, i want to move up and away from fwd cars as ive had my fun with hot hatches.
I've always got on better with a bigger car and as i'm into mountain biking it suits a bit better to have space for kit and equipment.
I've got around !0k give or take a thousand if its something special. An S4(b5) has been at the top of the list for a while as it ticks all the right boxes for me, but is there any other car which i have missed that could compete for the amount of car for the money?
What i want:
Relatively quick.
Good road holding.
A nice ride thats not to crashy or hard.
A good motorway cruiser.
No 3 doors.
Preferably RWD or 4-Wheel drive.
Thank guys
Now i've been pondering for over a year on what car to get next, i want to move up and away from fwd cars as ive had my fun with hot hatches.
I've always got on better with a bigger car and as i'm into mountain biking it suits a bit better to have space for kit and equipment.
I've got around !0k give or take a thousand if its something special. An S4(b5) has been at the top of the list for a while as it ticks all the right boxes for me, but is there any other car which i have missed that could compete for the amount of car for the money?
What i want:
Relatively quick.
Good road holding.
A nice ride thats not to crashy or hard.
A good motorway cruiser.
No 3 doors.
Preferably RWD or 4-Wheel drive.
Thank guys
With admiral.
From when i started driving i have never had insurance over £1200.
My first car was a 1.6 fiesta which cost £900 to insure.
Then when i was 18 i bought myself a reasonably fiddled Ibiza Cupra which cost me £1200 to insure, and now im on a 206 gti 180 which costs me £1000.
I'm either doing something right, or something terribly wrong! I've checked over my policy hundreds of times and its all fine. They must like me..
From when i started driving i have never had insurance over £1200.
My first car was a 1.6 fiesta which cost £900 to insure.
Then when i was 18 i bought myself a reasonably fiddled Ibiza Cupra which cost me £1200 to insure, and now im on a 206 gti 180 which costs me £1000.
I'm either doing something right, or something terribly wrong! I've checked over my policy hundreds of times and its all fine. They must like me..
Seez said:
are you sure on insurance, my b5 rs4 was less to insure than a b5 s4 when i got mine, the rs4!
i am not doubting you are telling the trush but that makes no sense, perhaps an insurance company blunder?the rs4 is a fair bit quicker and more powerful and more expensive to repair in the event of an accident.
dont know what the reason was, but it was on confused.com with a fair few insurers.
I checked as i was going to get an s4 and then thought i wonder...
Happened to me many years ago also on s2/20v quattro coupe.
Maybe the rs4 was cheaper because the owners are more likely to be careful with the car due to it being more of an enthusiasts car.
Not sure really, but iam fair bit older than op so maybe that has something to do with it.
I checked as i was going to get an s4 and then thought i wonder...
Happened to me many years ago also on s2/20v quattro coupe.
Maybe the rs4 was cheaper because the owners are more likely to be careful with the car due to it being more of an enthusiasts car.
Not sure really, but iam fair bit older than op so maybe that has something to do with it.
Hi, i bought a B5 S4 last June - and it's probably the best car i've ever had. Drives really nice, doesn't mind being pushed hard and mid range is fantastic. Will perform and handle as good as most cars out there including your evo, scoobies etc.
Comfortable, classy and still very modern looking for a 10+ year car. I have the avant and was looking for the niagro blue or silver. I saw an Imola yellow one that ticked all the boxes and i'm glad i went for this colour now. I have noticed that the S4 and RS4 have climbed in price by a few grand in the last 6 months. I had seen a few S4 with under 100k miles starting from about £5k, alot seem to be £6-£8k now.
Here is a picture of mine on a Scottish P/Heads run last October.
Comfortable, classy and still very modern looking for a 10+ year car. I have the avant and was looking for the niagro blue or silver. I saw an Imola yellow one that ticked all the boxes and i'm glad i went for this colour now. I have noticed that the S4 and RS4 have climbed in price by a few grand in the last 6 months. I had seen a few S4 with under 100k miles starting from about £5k, alot seem to be £6-£8k now.
Here is a picture of mine on a Scottish P/Heads run last October.
kmm said:
Will perform and handle as good as most cars out there including your evo, scoobies etc.
i like s4`s, my dads is very nice indeed and pretty quick but it definately does`nt handle as well as my impreza or any evo i have ever been in, i think you will find the motoring press articles all back that up. though it is better in other departments like ride quality and interior, and would be a better car to be sat on the motorway in.they are lovely cars but "handles like an subaru or evo" ? please.
rb5230 said:
kmm said:
Will perform and handle as good as most cars out there including your evo, scoobies etc.
i like s4`s, my dads is very nice indeed and pretty quick but it definately does`nt handle as well as my impreza or any evo i have ever been in, i think you will find the motoring press articles all back that up. though it is better in other departments like ride quality and interior, and would be a better car to be sat on the motorway in.they are lovely cars but "handles like an subaru or evo" ? please.
Tyres, suspension etc and how good a driver you are make a difference to how your car handles/drives. Unless an evo or impreza has a track set up and/or 400bhp+ - on most occasions it won't leave my S4(in theory & my opinion). You may be an amazing driver or a complete idiot then in which case i probably wouldn't keep up. You welcome to come up in your Impreza to our next Scottish P/Heads run and sample some cracken roads and test out your opinion that the S4 is only good on motorways.
My dad's evo 9 handles far superior to his subaru sti version v type R, but does that mean that all evo 9 drivers will be able to out drive/handle sti's?? I think a few subaru drivers would have something to say about that.
To summaries: The S4 on the road does handle very well in the dry or the wet. If you have owned a subaru, evo or similar then i don't think that you will be disappointed. I have owned a subaru and currently have an S4, so from memory, i can give you my opinion on them. The S4 is a better all round car, is quicker and the handling on the road is just as good.
Deanf, I hope this helps you when making your decision on buying an S4. Any other questions you can post them up or pm me.
Cheers
Kenny.
i have driven a few s4`s and as i said i do like them but the 200kgs extra they weigh over a subaru/evo of the same vintage makes itself very visible, they also have a lack or steering feedback and braking feedback but then this is because it is not built as a full on speed machine but a more luxurious deal. if they were built for handling rather than luxury they would have lost a considerable amount of weight.
there are plenty of motoring articles that will back up my opinion 100% if you really want me to post a few links.
your dad keeping up with you in an evo is hardly suprising as they are very similarly powered cars but i am talking about handling and getting at the pure physics of it and that is the weight differencial which allows a lighter car to handle better. i never said s4`s are only good for motorways i said it is better for that sort of driving and actually it is for most everyday driving, but is is definately less fun when you want to play.
how many people take audi s4`s rallying or to time attack events? and it is nothing to do with the s4 not being mega tunable as the turbo version most certainly is.
http://www.timeattack.co.uk/
there are plenty of motoring articles that will back up my opinion 100% if you really want me to post a few links.
your dad keeping up with you in an evo is hardly suprising as they are very similarly powered cars but i am talking about handling and getting at the pure physics of it and that is the weight differencial which allows a lighter car to handle better. i never said s4`s are only good for motorways i said it is better for that sort of driving and actually it is for most everyday driving, but is is definately less fun when you want to play.
how many people take audi s4`s rallying or to time attack events? and it is nothing to do with the s4 not being mega tunable as the turbo version most certainly is.
http://www.timeattack.co.uk/
Deanf said:
What i want:
Relatively quick.
Good road holding.
A nice ride thats not to crashy or hard.
A good motorway cruiser.
No 3 doors.
Preferably RWD or 4-Wheel drive.
Oh I can resolve this one quickly. Nope no time attack request there... Relatively quick.
Good road holding.
A nice ride thats not to crashy or hard.
A good motorway cruiser.
No 3 doors.
Preferably RWD or 4-Wheel drive.
The B5 S4 or RS4 would tick all those boxes nicely.
I have a B5 S4 with a few tweaks 
currently running just under 450bhp, with 490lbs/ft of torque.
They seem to punch hugely above their weight, and are easily tuneable. Mine is running RS4 turbos amongst other mods, all done at MRC. I've certainly never been troubled by any scoobs or evos. Mine does a 12.2 1/4 mile, and that's not even the cars forte. Once it gets going mid range the torque and power delivery from the 2.7 twin turbo lump is unreal.
Just to give you an idea, my friend has an E36 M3 (320bhp) and another friend has a scoob Sti running 310bhp. When they are both completely flat out in front of me giving it balls out acceleration, i can sit behind them confortably changing gear at 4500rpm just cruising. Performance is supercar territory. 180mph comes around scarily fast.
Mine is also lowered on adjustable coilovers and handles ok, it get's nowhere near a french hatch or the likes for twisty corners etc, but the grip coming out of a bend is phenomenal. I would highly recommend one. i sold my supercharged elise to get my S4 and i don't regret it for a second. There's one on the classifieds at the moment with 500bhp for 7k!!!
currently running just under 450bhp, with 490lbs/ft of torque.They seem to punch hugely above their weight, and are easily tuneable. Mine is running RS4 turbos amongst other mods, all done at MRC. I've certainly never been troubled by any scoobs or evos. Mine does a 12.2 1/4 mile, and that's not even the cars forte. Once it gets going mid range the torque and power delivery from the 2.7 twin turbo lump is unreal.
Just to give you an idea, my friend has an E36 M3 (320bhp) and another friend has a scoob Sti running 310bhp. When they are both completely flat out in front of me giving it balls out acceleration, i can sit behind them confortably changing gear at 4500rpm just cruising. Performance is supercar territory. 180mph comes around scarily fast.
Mine is also lowered on adjustable coilovers and handles ok, it get's nowhere near a french hatch or the likes for twisty corners etc, but the grip coming out of a bend is phenomenal. I would highly recommend one. i sold my supercharged elise to get my S4 and i don't regret it for a second. There's one on the classifieds at the moment with 500bhp for 7k!!!
Edited by nick s on Thursday 4th February 11:26
Hi Dean,
I had an S4 for a couple of years and I think one would tick all of your boxes.
Your £10k budget falls somewhere above what you'd have to pay for a very good S4. There may be something else you could get that's newer perhaps.
Or get an S4 for £6k - £8k and have cash in your pocket for when either you want to modify, or when the car decides that it needs something.
They were expensive, costly, cars when new and do cost a little to maintain properly.
I had an S4 for a couple of years and I think one would tick all of your boxes.
Your £10k budget falls somewhere above what you'd have to pay for a very good S4. There may be something else you could get that's newer perhaps.
Or get an S4 for £6k - £8k and have cash in your pocket for when either you want to modify, or when the car decides that it needs something.
They were expensive, costly, cars when new and do cost a little to maintain properly.
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