Using an S4 as an everyday car

[DaveJ]

More Pipes and More Noise

[UBM]

I remember hearing DHA's B7 S4 when he "droppped by".

The whole estate heard!

[Sparky]

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Let me know how you get on. My dealership (York) are great, but they are having a blinding couple of months so their deals are not as sharp as they could be at the moment. Ill PM you my number incase you want me to do some check prices.

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Many thanks, Jim!

I'll see what I get from Huddersfield, but York isn't that far away either

[rjgreen4]

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It's got a big V8 - no turbo required with that level of torque. With certain notable exceptions (i.e. RS6, big Merc's) turbo's are normally fitted to small 4 pot engines to give bigger performance, with better economy!! Only it doesn't seem to work too well as my mate's Impreza goes like my S4 and drinks like it too!!

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Yeh, but an Impreza will do 30mpg+ if you really back off whereas the S4 will struggle to get above 26mpg.

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nonense - http://www.tyresmoke.net/attachments/830467-picture.jpg

[rjgreen4]

sorry about the spelling , stella has taken over, time for bed

[JamesB]

If you don't like haggling, just get someone else to go in and buy the car. I've done this for people at work and saved them a good wodge of cash.

Ultimately you should view the bartering as good fun. I'm not an in-your-face sales type person normally but I just love playing the role once I'm in a dealership.

Final comment - have you thought outside of Audi? If it's performance you're after, you could get more for the money.

<font color="#666666"> Mentally prepares for burning at stake for reasons of Audi heresy </font>

[Sparky]

Any ideas?

I've been taken with the Leon FR (200) and the Cupra isn't far off (240?), but I'd probably be ridiculed for wanting those judging by the response I got getting the Leon Sport.

Not into BMW's at all. Or Scoobys. Nothing French either.

[J_C]

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Ok S4 lads, to help Sparky out;

Company...... Pictures....OUT!

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Righto!

Apologies in advance Jim!

[JamesB]

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Any ideas?

I've been taken with the Leon FR (200) and the Cupra isn't far off (240?), but I'd probably be ridiculed for wanting those judging by the response I got getting the Leon Sport.

Not into BMW's at all. Or Scoobys. Nothing French either.

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I guess it boils down to what exactly you're looking for. Does it need to have four seats? Does it need to be below a certain mileage? How important is reliability?

[gizze]

There are B7 S4's on autotrader for just over £30k now, bet you could run one of them for 2 years and get £20k back on it.

A new B7 2.0T would loose more than that, and you would only be saving about 7mpg over the V8.

[PetrolDave]

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Well I must say Milo, the S4 is up against the A4 2.0T 220 SE, as I can now bleedin' spec it on the Audi website, and for £25k, I can get quite a lot, although not the V8 soundtrack!

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And for me, it's the soundtrack that makes it all worthwhile.

I've wanted a V8 ever since I heard my first one (I think I was 6 years old at the time), and it's not been a disappointment. After a cr*p day at work the V8 soundtrack has got me in a good mood by the time I'm home. Add to that the look on chavs faces as quattro traction and 4.2 V8 power/torque lets you leave them in your wake when the lights go green (they've been blipping the throttle while I just sit there at idle, then they drop the clutch at zillions of rpm while I just pull away from tickover and then floor it) - and life is GOOD!

The RS4 is going to be a real hoot!

[Milo]

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There are B7 S4's on autotrader for just over £30k now, bet you could run one of them for 2 years and get £20k back on it.

A new B7 2.0T would loose more than that, and you would only be saving about 7mpg over the V8.

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I seriously doubt you would only lose £10k over 2 years if you bought a 1 year old, £30k/£31k S4. I did loads of research into the costs and book values of S4s before making my decision and it was more like £12k-£14k (assuming we are talking about p/exing it).

With a list price of over £28k, I paid less than £25k for mine and expect to get around £12k back after 3 years and around 25,000 miles (again assuming we are talking about p/exing it) if I keep it that long.

So basically it was lose the same amount on both but with the S4 it would have been over 2 years rather than 3 making it a lot more costly to run.

Also, the mpg difference is more like 9 mpg. I get poor mpg because I do a lot of urban miles. This would have affected the mpg of an S4 just the same. Both A4s I've had get about 78% of the claimed combined figure. Applying this logic to the S4s figures and I would be about 9 mpg worse off than I am now

I know the attraction of a V8 is enough for a lot of people and rightly so. I'm just saying if it's going to used as an everyday driver, be aware of the potential costs

Like I've said previously, for me it wasn't to be. Doing what I did means I have money to spare and the option of chopping in the 220PS SE s-line long before 3 years are up.

It doesn't have the V8 rumble etc etc but it can still shift believe me

[Tizzy]

Yeh, but an Impreza will do 30mpg+ if you really back off whereas the S4 will struggle to get above 26mpg.

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Who the hell drives an Impreza gently, if you don't get the turbo spooling they've got no go at all! My mate's STi's average consumption is no better than my S4's and frequently worse.

Back on thread - Sparkly - drive an S4, those of us who are lucky enough to have one get to enjoy the experience everyday - but first hand experience is the best way to sell it to yourself. I remember the first time I drove one as a lease company demo. I had a company A4 1.8T Q S-Line then, which I thought was a good car (it was!), although a little tame performance wise compared to the Boxster S I also had then. The S4 takes all the really good bits about the A4 and adds Porsche style performance & sounds, but still looks almost like an A4! Part of the fun is that it is so unassunming - just ask the driver of the 2.7 Boxster that tried to outrun what he clearly thought was an A4 last night near Lincoln. He knows it wasn't an A4 now

[Sparky]

I am sooooo in two minds now. Thanks to you all for this advice so far, it's really helping me. I know a lot of you would be "just fecking buy it", but there's been a fair few to warn me that servicing isn't cheap and that you're supposed to replace 4 tyres at once.

How have you found servicing/tyres etc? I don't hang about now, and only manage 12k out of my fronts (fwd) so I know I'll be worse in an S4. Or does Quattro save the fronts a little?

[lottiefox]

Sparky, you don't have to replace all four tyres at once - just replace them in pairs on the same axle and make sure the tread difference isn't too vast rear to front and vice versa or else the car gets confused. On the TT my fronts lasted 13K miles and the rears are good for another 5K I reckon. I've replaced the fronts only and its fine. But the TT has the Haldex and I reckon the S4 may help with front tyre wear a little as its got grown up Quattro.

If you buy from a main dealer you might be able to haggle some free servicing - I've got two years free with the QS. I could always ask Shorty for you!!

[Sparky]

I doubt I'd get free servicing on an S4, unless it was new though?

Good to know about the tyres though

[lottiefox]

The QS wasn't officially new - it was an approved car as Listers had pre bought it in, alhtough it only had 35 miles on the clock. The free servicing is just a scheme they offer from the look of the paperwork, and can apply to new or used, and might be a haggling tool.

You know you want to. Go on........

[gizze]

2005 55 plate (December 2005)

Audi S4 4.2 quattro

4 Doors, Manual, Saloon, Petrol, 3,600 miles, Silver Metallic, ABS,Front, side & Sideguard head air bags,Air conditioning,Remote alarm & immobiliser,18in 'avus' alloy wheels,Remote central locking,Dual electronic climate controls,Electric/heated folding polished aluminium door mirrors,Electric windows,Three rear head rests with 3 point seat belts,Servotronic steering,ESP,Storage pack,Drivers information system (dis),Front fog lights,DVD satellite navigation system,Recaro sports front seats with electric lumbar support,Xenon headlamps with power washers,Acoustic front & rear parking sensors,3-spoke sports leather steering wheel,Isofix,Sports suspension,Carbon fibre fascia & door inlays,Interior light pack,Electric rear & manual side blinds,Auto opening boot lid,alcantara/leather interior 4WD. Includes Audi warranty/roadside assistance until 07/12/2008 or 60000 miles. £30,995.

Stansted Audi

Tel: (0845) 0581756

Price: £30,995

You would get that for £30k no problem, and after 2.5 years and less than 40k miles on it it would get £18k in a private sale in a matter of days.

That would be a lot of car for under £20k even at 3 years old.

Now if you bought the 2.0T for £25k at 3 years old I reckon you would get £13k back on it, so very little difference in loss.

Obviously petrol would be about £60 a month more, and you may pay an extra £150 a year for servicing, but surely that is a small price to pay to have a car like that?

[lottiefox]

That is whole lot of car for that money.

I might have to pop to Stansted.....

Come on Sparky....get on that M1....

[Sparky]

Gizze/Milo, just so you know (since you're talking figures ), the S4 may last a while, but the 2.0T SE would only be used until the B8 platform was around - it's sort of a stop-gap car. So, figures probably should be based on 2 years, rather than 3? (assuming B8 is around 2007/8)

However, the S4 would probably not tempt me into a B8

[P_G]

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I am sooooo in two minds now. Thanks to you all for this advice so far, it's really helping me. I know a lot of you would be "just fecking buy it", but there's been a fair few to warn me that servicing isn't cheap and that you're supposed to replace 4 tyres at once.

How have you found servicing/tyres etc? I don't hang about now, and only manage 12k out of my fronts (fwd) so I know I'll be worse in an S4. Or does Quattro save the fronts a little?

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My first AVS service was at 18,000 miles and damaged my credit card by a mere £313.00. In that time I had also used 3 litres on oil and approx. £12 per bottle.

Tyres wise you'll get more out of your tyres in an S4 than what you do now quoting the figures you have. My Conti's, which were awful, gave me just over 16,000 miles without rotating and the F1 GSD3's I have now I have rotated twice and with nearing 27,000 on the clock still have 2.5 - 2.7 mm left on them, so good for another 4000 miles? And I'm not easy on them as TSN NE members will testify.

I do change mine all at the same time however to do so cost me £500 including fitting and balancing, so no real hardship.

Put it this was Sparky, I don't earn a three figure salary, in fact nearer half that I'm nowhere near the bread line at the end of every month even taking into accout putting between £200-250 per month in of Optimax.

As for B6 vs B7, most B6's would have taken a fair deal of their depreciation already whereas B7's have some way to go, although I understand some people like the B7 look and stock exhaust is good. Saying all that, I wouldn't swap mine and £1000 spent on a full exhaust system and getting nearer the end of the 3 year warranty with the age of a B6 will allow you to remap should you ever, however unlikely, get bored with the current power available in the S4.

[P_G]

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Graeme, what took you?

Reference pic No 4, your nearside tailpipe seems to be drooping a tad!!

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Has been rectified free of charge by our friend in Lemington soon after that pic was taken.

[UBM]

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That is whole lot of car for that money.

I might have to pop to Stansted.....

Come on Sparky....get on that M1....

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I'm about 25 miles away!

[gizze]

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That is whole lot of car for that money.

I might have to pop to Stansted.....

Come on Sparky....get on that M1....

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I'm about 25 miles away!

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How far away are you now UBM?

[Milo]

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You would get that for £30k no problem, and after 2.5 years and less than 40k miles on it it would get £18k in a private sale in a matter of days.

That would be a lot of car for under £20k even at 3 years old.

Now if you bought the 2.0T for £25k at 3 years old I reckon you would get £13k back on it, so very little difference in loss.

Obviously petrol would be about £60 a month more, and you may pay an extra £150 a year for servicing, but surely that is a small price to pay to have a car like that?

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That's what I said

As far as losing money, you'll lose the same amount but in the S4, over 2 years rather than 3 hence that's why I said it's an extra £150+ per month, every month.

I do 8000 miles a year and reckoned the fuel bill (had I been paying for it myself) was an extra £65/month.

Add onto that the extra £42/month insurance and say an extra £10/month for servicing and it was going to be an extra £270+ per month for used S4 ownwership vs new SE s-line.

I'm like Sparky; I am waiting for the B8 to emerge and should I be tempted, I can chop in the B7 well before it's planned 3rd birthday