I was just offered the deal of the century for an '01 Audi S4. Reflex Silver, black interior. 6speed. BiTurbo, 60,000 miles, all for $13,000. Should I dump the CL-S for the S4? I'm slightly partial to the CL-S, and am not sure if I should jump on it or not. Everybody's opinions are welcome.

 

60,000 a turbo... dunno is audi a good lasting car?

 

Its just a glorified VW.. Not that Acura isnt the Honda upgrade, But I hear the resale value isnt the best as well I was told by the dealer that its not a long lasting vehichle after like 60-70k miles...

 

Make no mistake the Audi S4 is a great car. However many people have dumped those cars due to reliablity problems. There was a thread in car talk awhile back from someone looking into an S4. If you find that you will get alot of good info.

 

I would not trust an Audi with 60K miles....
Is it still under warranty???

The repairs are expensive!!!!

But if it's still under warranty I would think about it!!

 

audi's are NOT bad cars, thats a good deal, just check for basics to make sure it really is in good shape. also make sure you can get some maint records if you can.

 

LOL this is the last place id ask

but hey, if you're into it go for it

 

He's the original owner, and he's extremely anal about all of his vehicles. So I figured that'd be cool.

 

I wouldn't do it but thats me.

 

They are nice cars however I wouldn't do especially since its 5 years old. No warranty and they expensive as hell. I don't believe audi offers an extended warranty so I know its probably out of warranty. Good luck either way.

 

Audi its not even half reliable as Honda/Acura, especially turbo, same goes to Bmw's, and VW

 

My CL-S is 5 years old, too. It's also out of warranty.....

 

Why is that, good sir?

 

I have a friend with an 02S4, hands down nice car, but I'm not a huge fan of Audi. Thing is 60K miles isn't a ton, but do you really want to trade your CL-S for the S4? You also have to remember, the only reason your tempted is because it's something new and your anxious, you've had the CL a while.

 

after having heard what you've said about the owner's maintenance, reading some threads off of an Audi forum (hopefully with low amount of problems) and a BS-free reason for getting rid of a car, i would still be unsure about going along with it. cos if he's your friend and he's trying to sell you a lemon, he's fucked up. i don't know what to tell you other than get ready to shell out some cash if something in your electrical system is messing up.

i thought you were about to do another poll thread.

 

your point? ...was your car under warranty when you got it? I dont think the s4 would be under warranty when you get it. Again, big difference in prices for parts on an audi compared to an acura if you have issues.

 

I'd be afraid, personally. Audi and parent company VW do not have stellar reliability records. Then again, depending on your mileage, you might end up paying for a transmission sooner or later. The S4 would likely be faster and more fun, but it will also be more to work on and probably require it more frequently. Consider your decision carefully, and let us know what you decide. Money-wise, that's a very good deal on the S4, by the way.

 

put it this way.. Put a picture of the audi next to a pic of ur cls.. I know there will be no discusion after that.. They audi is nice and probably real quick, but the ac will dominate in almost every other category.. If u do make the trade, you will be back on this site bitchin after a month or two.. My bro has a A4.. trust me.. the acura blows them out the water.. Your choice tho.. Choose wisely young jedi.. The force is strong with you...

 

Can you afford the possible maintnence?

With the early S4s, some had the turbos fail which cost around 7-8k to get replaced at the dealer.

They are great cars. Very quick and handle very well, but reliability is not great and they cost a pretty penny to repair. Plus, by me they get stolen a lot, it may not be that bad by you though, don't know .

 

The A4 and S4 are very different animals. The CL-S is a nice car, but to say it completely dominates and S4 is strongly biased. The CL-S clearly dominates in one area: reliability.

Looks, both inside and out, are purely subjective.

 

Have you ever even rode in an S4?

 

I have not rode in an s4 but I have been around and in many audis throughout my mere 31 years.. I have also owned 6 different acuras. My opinion is based on these experiences and I still stand strong with my opinion that acuras, on the whole, dominate the audi products.. You have to judge on the whole experience, not just bits and pieces.. My bro has owned 2 audi's and three acs.. If need be, I can have him post his opinion.. He agrees with me as strongly, if not more so.. If the audi is what you want, go for it!! Each to his own.. But, acuras are way more superior in each category and each equal comparative model.. Drive one after the other, then answer my stance.. Im confident on what your opinion will be,, Ac's rule...

 

woe.. Holy long post BATMAN.. sorry bout that.. didnt know I was ranting that long.. Just have a strong opinion on the subject..

 

yeah man..there were serious issues with that turbo and cost a grip to get it fixed. In order for you to really keep it running is to upgrade the turbo , I think to a K04 setup if I remember correctly. I'm sure it's out of warranty though. I would ask the fellas over at audizine or audiworld. I was gonna check out an A6 2.7 turbo before I bought the TL and went asked those guys and they told me not to get it because of electrical issues.

 

Keep looking for a 6spd... You know you want one...

 

PM this guy, he might know something about audis...

https://acurazine.com/forums/members/2001audis4-12405/

 

I was looking for 2001.5 S4's when I was looking for a new car. Did some research on them and their reliability isn't great but my friend's been pretty lucky with his S4. He's had no problems with it ever since he got it brand new in 2001. Great car, not so great reliability like most people have said. The price is pretty good but I suggest looking around on the audizine forums for members who are selling theirs (more likely to be better maintained, etc.) There's other cars to switch to but all I can say is AWD is the shit and not having to worry about a ticking time bomb tranny while driving long distances is definitely worth it. My CL-S tranny blew on me 200 miles out in the middle of nowhere, paid 420 to get it towed back and spent a 4 hour trip back in the tow truck listening to some hick radio... Good luck.

 

the S4 has problems with the turbos. If you're gonna upgrade the turbos immediately then fine, if not then id say stay away. My friend has an S4 and he had to get the damn turbos replaced twice before he decided to finally upgrade them, now all he deals with is electrical issues which come up once in a while (still costly to maintain)

 

www.carfax.com

But in all seriousness...i've always wanted an S4...but in Imola Yellow...

 

Hey All Mine... well you have an 01. I don't know how much mileage you have on your 01, but if it's hitting close to 100K, it's time to think of switching.

Reliability-wise, the S4 sucks, hands down... and its poor resale value is an indication of that. Much like our CLS' high depreciation due to auto tranny issues.

There's a few main things to look out for on S4. As has been mentionned, the stock turbo's are known to fail (might cost 7K @ the dealer to place, or not, but it's certainly cheaper to go aftermarket and make more power). There's other typical things to look out for on S4's but you won't find accurate information about the S4 on an Acura board. Check out the S4 boards.

To those here who think S4's are inferior to a CLS... y'all smoke some whacked out sh!t. Stock vs. stock, an S4 will take a CLS (even M6) in every performance comparison with the exception of perhaps top-end (60+ mph runs). And let's not even talk about "potential". Twin-turbo AWD vs. N/A FWD. Nuff said.

Nevertheless, they're very unreliable cars - and parts are very expensive to fix. One local guy had a ball joint (or something like that) break on him. A part that usually costs a few dozen bucks on most cars! Guess how much it cost him for the S4? Over a grand. Appearently, the ball joint assembly on S4's is a one-piece design integrated into the control arm (not a mechanic here - I'm explaining this the best way I can).

Good luck with your decision!

 

Audi Reliability=Shitty

 

Like a lot of people said S4's are nice cars but you got to look at the reliability issues in the near future.

1)AUDI $13,000+$7000est.(Turbos)+OTHER PROBLEMS=$$$$$$

OR

2)ACURA CL SIX SPEED $20,000(good condition)+$0=

 

Only catch is, FWD can get pretty boring. I sigh in disgust whenever I spin off the line in the snow and my friends driving EVOs and WRXs are already hitting 50mph.

Oh, and I'd say get something else. As people have already said.

 

German cars are tempramental (sp?). They like to break at the worst times. AND, they'll break to the point where they'll leave you stranded. Same as a VW, although, I must admit, this is coming from a true die-hard VW fan. Mostly air-cooled but I still love the water pumpers too. Every german car I've owned has left me stranded except my '74 Karmann. Oh, and ELECTRICAL, ELECTRICAL, ELECTRICAL! Germans should stick to engines and and let the Japanese do the wiring!

 

keep looking for your 6speed, then add your turbo kit. Problem solved

 

Execpt for the FWD part. Other than that, yeah.