RE: Audi RS4 (B7): Spotted

RE: Audi RS4 (B7): Spotted

Sunday 14th October 2018

Audi RS4 (B7): Spotted

Probably the finest RS4 there ever was isn't going to get cheaper - move now!



In our world of eagle-eyed policemen and wanton thuggery, the idea of a Q car has a lot of appeal. However much we like the idea of showing off, discreet speed is often better than waving your knickers in the air, and if your car looks unexciting then fewer people will want to vandalise or steal it. The premise is: have more than you show, speak less than you know.

Now I know we peddle out the old clichés when it comes to buying used cars from our classifieds - and we've all read hundreds of times about that wonderful old Maserati or Lotus you can buy for the price of a new Qashqai - but just occasionally you find a car that seems to offer so much bang for the buck that it does make you stop and wonder, especially if it offers that discreet speed we're after.


I mean this immaculate RS4 B7 is up for £16,495 which, if spent on a new car, would buy you next to no performance in the real world, other than an Up GTI perhaps, and yet this humdinger of a four-door saloon will get you from 0 to 62mph in 4.8 seconds and sprint with eager ferocity up to its limited top speed of 155mph. This one's not too old and not too knackered, and it hasn't been stolen, as far as I can tell, all of which makes it great value. True, its enormous and attractive alloys do hint at its performance potential, and those sills and skirts don't help its Q-car capabilities, but to the casual observer it's still a boring old A4 in style and substance, and you could always debadge it for maximum under-the-radar motoring.   

Under the bonnet is that luscious 420hp naturally aspirated 4.2-litre V8, good for 8,250rpm. There's a six-speed manual gearbox, with a usefully positive action and well-chosen ratios, and Quattro-drive to all four wheels. That performance is not only easily accessible it's also truly phenomenal, with instant power available at almost any point in the car's speed envelope. The boundless grip and superb handling are equally impressive as well - the four-wheel drive system pushed 60 per cent of the power to the rear wheels, unless it was needed more urgently elsewhere.


You really do ride a wave of responsiveness, power and aural pleasure piloting an RS4. It's an agile, subtle and delightfully well-balanced driver's car, and if you can afford to fuel it and insure it - both of which will admittedly cost you a lot - you'll have tremendous fun with it. All without drawing too much unwanted attention.


SPECIFICATION - AUDI RS4

Engine: 4,163cc V8,
Transmission: Six-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 420@7,800rpm
Torque (lb ft): 317 @5,500rpm
MPG: 20.9
CO2: 322g/km
First registered: 2006
Recorded mileage: 72,000
Price new: £50,730
Yours for: £16,495

See the full ad here.

Mark Pearson




 

Author
Discussion

Iamnotkloot

Original Poster:

1,395 posts

146 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
Always had a hankering for one of these. This one looks tasty too; I know about the coking problem they have, and it’ll never be cheap to run, but it’s a yes from me.

tim-jxv5n

238 posts

95 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
These still look great, I'm in the market for something soon and should my new job be a short commute these are a strong contender.

Avant or saloon for best investment? I'm thinking saloon as all the others have been avant only

ChickenvanGuy

322 posts

170 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
Advert "withdrawn by Pistonheads"?

What went on there, then?

big_rob_sydney

3,394 posts

193 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
Good luck de-badging those 2 drain pipes.

And the pumped guards don't exactly disappear either.

I like the idea of stealth, but this is not it.

Sammyp123

73 posts

79 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
I had one a few years ago, but coming from turbo’d cars I found it very uneventful when driving. Also may be due to the fact that the build quality made it feel like you was doing 30mph, when actually you was going considerably quicker.

Never threw up massive bills, just a number of stupid smaller ones, like the detector for the tyre pressure sensor behind the bumper... £200.

Murph7355

37,651 posts

255 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
tim-jxv5n said:
These still look great, I'm in the market for something soon and should my new job be a short commute these are a strong contender.

Avant or saloon for best investment? I'm thinking saloon as all the others have been avant only
Short commutes are not good for any car, especially these. IMO the coking issues are largely due to cars not being given their head often enough.

An RS4 has to be an Avant...and Sprint Blue ones are the fastest. Flat bottomed steering wheel and wing backed buckets are essential. As are carbon inlays etc IMO.

I occasionally toy with getting a later version RS4 (there's no other car at present that fits the bill properly)....but the B7 is that bit smaller outside and the controls across the board are just so good.

Mine's done 95k mile or so now. Yes they cost a chunk to run, but there are few better all weather semi-practical (the wing back buckets mean near no room in the back if the driver's over 6ft) cars out there at any price.

drgoatboy

1,611 posts

206 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
A friend of mine bought one of these a few years for a little more money than this, but a lot less miles, so prices seemed to have stayed pretty static.

He was very pleased with it and spent a little more money getting the suspension refreshed (don't these have some special active suspension or something?). then parked it on his drive. Next morning he got up and the car was gone, no sign of any disturbance, no broken glass, keys still in the house, nothing out of place at all. Just gone, never to be seen again.

Apparently its quite a common phenomenon with these, additional security measures are well advised if you buy one.

craig2003

1,206 posts

205 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
I owned my B7 avant for almost 5 years and only sold it earlier this year.
I have to say that it was the most unreliable car I have ever owned and also the most expensive to fix. A screw holding one of the flaps in the manifold worked its way loose and ended up in the bottom end scoring the cylinder beyond repair so a brand new engine was fitted, along with the clutch and flywheel as well as a new manifold. Audi contributed £10k towards the £22k bill.
The DRC went as most do, headlight, window switches, oil cooler, radiator fans, stereo, driveshaft, propshaft and a raft of other things failed.
The customer service from my local Audi dealership in the Highlands was abysmal.
I never looked back when I traded it in for a RWD Mercedes but may end up eating my words on the snowy days this winter.

On the plus side the noise was incredible, it handled brilliantly even in snow and was a great car for a family of four
Go in to it with your eyes open if you do intend to purchase, they are not cheap cars to maintain.

jas xjr

11,309 posts

238 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
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The standard of written English is really getting bad if I can not I e it.
Really off putting

s m

23,164 posts

202 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
Always think of the Leo Houlding race in the Gorges du Verdon when I see these

jason61c

5,978 posts

173 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
I don't get all this 'wont get any cheaper', there's cheaper ones out there for sale.

Earl of Petrol

485 posts

121 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
I have vowed never to buy anything with four rings ever again (apart from maybe, just maybe, a mint UR Quattro). A4tdi bought brand new with my own money. Worst car I’ve ever had for quality and reliability local dealer was rubbish too. And my ownership history includes 6 Alfa Romeo’s.
This I’m afraid is no q car and looks thuggish. It’s a no from me.

AC43

11,435 posts

207 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
A mate of mine had one just like to replace his 996 C4 when kids came along. Awesome thing.

Another mate had the earlier B6 Avant which really was stealthy. His missus did a lot of short trips in that one, though, which resulted in a huge bill for some sort of top-end rebuild so he got shot of it in the end which was a real shame.

Alucidnation

16,810 posts

169 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
B6 would have been an s4

Still good cars though.

Algarve

2,102 posts

80 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
My mum and my sister won't understand its a fast car, but they won't be interested in stealing it or vandalising it so who cares what they think?

The scrotes delibarately looking for one will know exactly what it is and it being in black and debadged won't stop you waking up with them at the end of your bed wanting your car keys.

loose cannon

6,029 posts

240 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
most of the ones I have seen floating about remind me of xr3i’s the amount of blue smoke they punt out, same goes for v8 r8’s

blade7

11,311 posts

215 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
Look and sound nice, but really expensive to fix when things go wrong or wear out. And having to rev a 4.2 V8 hard to go fast doesn't float my boat in a saloon/estate.

Edited by blade7 on Sunday 14th October 13:50

Mothersruin

8,573 posts

98 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
Why the silver wing mirrors?

JaredVannett

1,561 posts

142 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all

B.J.W

5,782 posts

214 months

Sunday 14th October 2018
quotequote all
Loved my misano red saloon. I fitted a Milltek exhaust and this improved the rather subdued effort that the factory system produced.
I (foolishly) traded it in 12 months later and got bummed to the tune of over £10,000. Point to point it was devastating.
I recall at the time that it was a toss up between the RS4 and a beautiful Maserati Gran Sport. I probably did too much research because I got cold feet with the Maserati worrying about reliability and repair bills. In hindsight the Maserati would have been a pretty good place to put my money (it was up for £27,000 and I paid £37,000 of the RS4!