jimcol711

anyone have any experience or knowledge of these things??? the prices are very low on these now. theres a few around here for 24k with approx 50k miles and in great shape, including 100k warranty....im not really familiar with Audi though, anyone care to shed some light on these cars?

Crazy Bimmer

S4s arent reliable at all but if you have the cash and time, then its worth it.

I tried to find a used S4 but every one i drove or looked at had somthing wrong with it. I gave up after the 5th S4 being fucked. I dont have the cash to pay for maintance on it. I mean for me i would have modded it so the warrnety would have done no good to me. Also dont get a Auto cuz they are boring.

It would be one hell of a project car though

jimcol711

i keep seeing them listed (most are down by you actually) for around 24k-27k and most include a 100k warranty. i mean if i did actually do it, all id do is throw in a chip. i wouldnt go crazy modding, as id want the warranty intact. can you hide the fact that you have a chip? or can you easily remove it if it needs to go in for warranty work?

Crazy Bimmer

yea you can buy a stock ecu to swap in and out if you need warranty work done. Doesnt seem hard.


I found the perfect s4 when i was shopping... it had 28k miles and they wanted 27k for it. It was at a dealer and came with the warranty. Well i drove it and the oil light came on.. ok fine. I asked they get it fixed. Of course they said they will.... So i wanted that car and was set on it. So i told them i will come by 4 days later to get it. (was waiting for my insurance check). 4 days later go by and they call me in the morning to tell me they cant get the oil light off. WTF? They had 4 days to fix that. I just thought i would say that cuz i really wanted that S4. So i guess im just venting.


Like i said, if you have the time for one then do it!

cusdaddy

My friend has a 2001 S4 and another friend had a 2000 S4. The pre-2001 models had many turbo problems, and my friend's 2001 had his transmission replaced, headlight controls changed, radio changed and his suspension is now squeaking.

All was replaced under warranty, but the only way I'd own this car is new, as I don't trust it's long-term reliability

Crazy Bimmer

yea i forgot to say the 2002s seem to have the least problems.

jimcol711

2002's price themselves out of my realistic grasp....thats why im flirting with the 2000-2001 idea. everyone seems to have concerns about reliability, however, out of about 30 online consumer reviews ive read, maybe 2 had any issues of any major concern, the rest flat out love it....

Scrib

Tired of the hickup truck, Jim?


I agree with the others... I've heard of issues with the pre-'02 models.

gto2050

They are low for a reason. Audi's suck on resale value because of all the little niggling problems. Move on, there's nothing to see here.

LegendC

My co-worker has a 2001 and his rear differential went out @52,000 miles. Audi would not goodwill it, because he was 2000 miles over his agreement. They wanted $4000 to fix it

360

Ya My freind has an 97 A4, and we have an 99 A4 and we both have had a lot of problems with both cars and most fixed under warranty, but now they are out of warranty he sold his and we have already she'lled out $600 bucks on the repairs. the cars are fun to drive but not reliable. (Unfortunaly) If it has ext war and its from a good company it might be worth it but be ready to have it in the shop alot.

Bulldog01

Ray Khan has a '00 A4...he'll chime in sooner or later.

cusdaddy

Audi's are great cars to lease or own until their great warrenty expires. After that, you are risking paying a lot for repairs IMO. You may luck out, but I don't think the risk is worth it

Crazy Bimmer

extended warranty are a must on any german cars.

ChadT

Audis are wonderful cars. If you can fix cars and enjoy it they can be economical as well. I've heard the same stories about the turbos on the earlier ones (2000). Something to do with the oiling. One good thing about them is the depreciation and the fact that after a certain amount of miles most of the problems will have been fixed. The Audi 01E (manual trans) doesn't like it when you get the wheels spinning and then hit a dry patch. Makes first gear real noisy. (I've changed 3 it's not a lot of fun and costs a bunch to have somebody do it). Audis are fairly sturdy but it seems like there is always something. At least that's how mine was but I had an original 5cyl S4.

ferizzo

Pre-2001s I think had hose issues which is why they were seen blowing some turbos I believe. One thing to consider jim is that an s4 with 50k miles might be due for new turbos.

Ray's car has had some issues here and there but his is modded to high hell. Overall it has been a reliable car in my opinion. Most, if not all his issues have been related to some mod. He'll know more though because he hangs out alot at audiworld.

jimcol711

thanks for all the input guys, still tossing around the idea. the one im looking at in particular is a silver 2000 S4 with 67k miles and a 100k warranty. asking price is 24,750. havent driven it yet, but it looks to be in fantastic shape. its not modded at all, which gives some encouragement and hope that it hasnt been driven into the ground

Bluto

I'd search for a deal on a new 1.8T 6-speed quattro. Maybe find an 03 on the lot. I think the B6 is a big improvement over the B5 platform.

It is not an S4, but factor in the free maintenance and full bumper to bumper waranty.


If you want performance, EVOs can be had near invoice.

jimcol711

i hear ya but that 1.8 is dog slow compared to a 2000-2002 S4, especially with one of those APR chips for the S4, jesus christ...it gives something like 60 hp and 100 ft lbs with just a chip! thats hard to dismiss. im gonna go drive one of these older S4's and see how they are.

the evo's are beasts no doubt, a buddy of mine's dad bought one as a "fun/weekend car" i wouldnt want it as a daily driver, its just not my image, a bit to ricey looking.

CLean

I had a 2000 A4 2.8 quattro that I leased for 39 months before my CL. I Never had an ounce of problems with my car. It was always reliable and Audi paid for every thing that the car needed as far as maint.

But you never know what you are going to get. My dad had Audi's since 1985. Each car was awsome. HE got a new one every 2 years. But the last one we had (an Audi 100, early 90's), had everything go wrong with it. Trany to brakes to the speedo. But my 2000 was flawless.. Guess you never know what you are gonna get...

pimpscls

audis break down so easy my moms 2002 a6 has been serviced 6-7 times

Crazy Bimmer

There are 1.8t that are into the 12s... so they are capable of being quick.

quikcls

with mucho $$, anything can be in the 12's
plus a 12 sec audi just means even less reliability!!

ferizzo

Maybe so, but you didn't have a turbo...meaning adding a turbo adds more parts that can break and need maintaining. That was an issue with S4s was blown turbos.

SleekSilver

Ive been looking to trade my CL in on a S4 for a while, they are great cars and much more fun and involving than the CL. I believe it was 2001 where they began to run more oil to the turbos for reliability. There aren't very many turbo failures on stock S4s, the problems come when you chip them. The chip is asking too much from the stock turbos.
Oh and Ive never heard of a A4 1.8t running in the 12's without well over 5K of motor work. Thats a much easier task with a GTI 1.8

yoonny

i had 97 1.8T for over 6 years and drove over 106K mi. The car was great and mostly reliable but the turbo started to go around 80K. I repalced w/ 01 CLS b/c it will cost a lot of money to maintain a German car with such a high mileage.

Just be careful, there is a big THEFT problem with S4s in NJ.

Crazy Bimmer

Theres a guy on our chicago club who ran a 12.8 with his 1.8t. He has a stage 3 from APR which costs $4500

Thanks.

ferizzo

I agree and I don't believe there is any "engine" work done to the car either. the A4 1.8ts are pretty solid engines and don't need work to handle some good power.

SleekSilver

No doubt the 1.8 is a strong motor. But the A4 weighs a lot, Im sure you can get on into the 12's but it would take a lot more money compared to the GTI which isn't quite as heavy...

While we are on this topic, did any of you consider the S4 before buying your CL???

ChadT

I got rid of my 1993 S4 to get my CL 6 speed. It's totally different than the 2000-2001 models. I just spent a lot of time fixing dumb shit on it and was ready for another Honda. I had a '92 Prelude before the Audi and it was trouble free for 6 years. When Acura put the 6 speed in the CL I really wanted one. Didn't get a newer S4 because I new it would be a money pit simply due to the mods available. I also wanted a brand new car for once. Audis are really cool though. THe engine in the '92-'97 S4/S6 has been known to go well over 200k miles on the original turbo.