Looking at a S4

[Burnham]

Hello all,

I'm looking at a 2003 (B6?) S4 Saloon on Saturday. Its a 41000 miler black/grey priced at £23,000.

I've got a Carrera S (993) currently that will be going to make way for the S4. I've had it for 4 years, 62000 miles but due to a house purchase I cant afford to drop £££ on it now if something was to break.

The S4 makes sense as it means cash my way initally with the benefit of cheaper insurance (!?) and running costs (fuel, tyres, servicing). Its a far newer car too so I would hope it wont need money spent on maintenance for a while...and I'm hoping that depreciation wont be too bad otherwise this could turn out to be a false economy. The 993 has held its value well but the fear of big bills in the future is driving this decision.

Is there anythign I should be aware of (Cam chain rings a bell) or anythign specific I should check for on Saturday?

Should I be concerned that its just outside of its dealer warranty, and would it be worth paying for extended Audi Warranty or is this not worth it?

Thanks in advance!

[Scotty]

S4's are not a low depreciating car and there is the fear of big bills. I wouldn't own one without warranty cover.

I don't think many people buy own as a way of saving money.

[Pete.S]

Interestingly, if you scroll back through the B6/7 forum, there are few, if any, posts about major mechanical faults, which speaks volumes for the reliability of this model. I'm approaching 80k with only a faulty window lift switch on the problem list thus far, so if you're gonna be doing average mileage I'd say you'd be fine for a couple of years. The only common moan is the timing chain noise, which is more of an annoyance rather than a fatal flaw (and has been cured on mine).

Last time I looked however, retained value on the S4 is commonly listed at just over 50% after 3 years, whereas your current motor is, what, 70-ish%? Servicing costs are quite steep (so much oil!), but there is no cam belt change required, it's not a particularly frugal car....dunno, it's a difficult one. If it's simply to save money, you don't do too many miles, and you like your current car, I'd look at a newer 993? Wouldn't have thought there'd be much difference fuel/tyres/insurance-wise either?

[Burnham]

Cheers for the reponse guys.

Scotty - I'll look into Audi Warranty then. Im not making the change just to save money (though coming from a 993, the S4 will almost certainly be cheaper to run!), its also the peace of mind of having a newer car. If anything big goes wrong I dont have the disposable income I used to have to drop into the car. As its nearly 10 years old now its not easy to get a good comprehensive aftermarket warranty for it either.

Pete - I did take a quick look at previous posts and I could'nt find any nightmare stories...thats German engineering for you You are right, its a difficult one as I cant predict whether there will be any big issues if I keep the 993. I did consider another 993 but they stopped making them in 97/98 so even the youngest is still going to be getting on (and low milage examples are circa £33k). My role at work has also changed and I need a less 'in yer face' car when I visit clients. I like the wolf in sheeps clothing S4.

I currently get 19mpg at most, £600 for a set of rear tyres (285/40/18 p-Zeros) and pay £1,600 for insurance (I got a quote on the S4 of £850!).

Thanks again

[Merlot]

My experience of S4s is that they don't really go that wrong. My oldest one is an 03 which is just about to go out of warranty and I'm not prepared to pay the £1600 pa to extend the warranty.

Scotty is correct in that they are not low depreciating. If you but the saloon for £22k retail it will be worth c£12k trade in two years time.

They are brilliant cars but I can't see how it will cheaper, all in, than a 993 over the next two years.

[Burnham]

Cheers Merlot, I can see what you are saying - I didnt anticipate it would drop by that high an amount. I'm not the kind of person who swaps and changes every couple of years and would look to keep my next car for 4 years at least....I'd guess the depreciation would level out a little over that term - I can't imagine it being worth only £2k in 4 years time!

I appreciate your last statement ("I can't see how it will cheaper, all in, than a 993 over the next two years")...but this brings me full circle on the reason for doing this - I can't quantify an unknown. I could have a significant bill if I had any major problems with the Porsche. Right now its down to cash flow I suppose, I can maybe live with a little faster depreciation on an S4 whereas I dont want to face having to fork out £5k on the 993 for a rebuild for example.

I'm certain that over the next couple of years a 3yr old S4 will be more reliable than a 10 year old 993.

Oh well, I have one more night to sleep on it.

Cheers

[Merlot]

I would have thought that a seven year old S4 would trade at £7-8k so the loss is £3.5k pa which is not too bad. The 993 does feel pretty old to sit in these days and its performance is no better in a straight line than an S4 so hopefully you will find the change enjoyable.

[Burnham]

So I took out a S4 at the weekend, WOW!! I've certainly made my mind up that its the car for me. The power delivery is sooo different to the 993 but no less awesome (I didnt think it was getting anywhere quickly until I looked down at the Speedo!). Its far more comfortable, so quiet and the missus also liked it....she'll be happier driving the S4 than the 993 for certain.

Unfortunately the dealer and I couldnt work a deal out (I was looking for £5k my way and he would only offer £4k)...but there are more cars out there and I may try to sell the 993 privately at £29k and see how I get on).

Cant wait!

[Scotty]

The power delivery is sooo different to the 993 but no less awesome (I didnt think it was getting anywhere quickly until I looked down at the Speedo!)

Thats actually what I thought may put you off. You get no surge or feeling of speed. It's excellant to get from A to B quickly but it is effortless.

[Burnham]

Hhaha, well I'm 30 now so maybe I need something that feels a bit more sedate. Maybe I'll narrow down my search to automatic tansmission only (Joke). I'm quite looking forward to the effortless driving - long distnces in the 993 can be tiresome with the noise and front wheels feeling for every groove in the road.

[Scotty]

It sounds like you may have found something that fits the bill then.

[ashleyadam]

Hi I have just changed my 996 carrera 4 53/04 for a new s4 cab, you have made a smart choice due to the problem with porsche residuals. I had to changed firstly because of new baby and also fed up of unexpected bills. Driving a porsche down the road is a great feeling but you cant fit a pram for a new born and never know if you will come home in car after a day out.

[gjcknocker]

I bought ( £40k)a 55 reg S4 this Feb and was swapped from a Porsche Carrera 2. From what I can see it's value has dropped by at least a £1k per month, so depreciation is fierce however I still have 2 yrs warranty and the 1st service is not due for a further 12 months. I do like the understated look of the S4 whereas the Porsche attracted boy racers every time I took it out.

[gjcknocker]

I bought ( £40k)a 55 reg S4 this Feb and was swapped from a Porsche Carrera 2. From what I can see it's value has dropped by at least a £1k per month, so depreciation is fierce however I still have 2 yrs warranty and the 1st service is not due for a further 12 months. I do like the understated look of the S4 whereas the Porsche attracted boy racers every time I took it out.

[FastShow]

From what I can see it's value has dropped by at least a £1k per month, so depreciation is fierce...

Wow, when you actually put it down in writing like that, it's pretty scary. I'm currently looking at a 15 month old S4 for ~£28k (in fact, I'm meant to be picking it up tomorrow or Monday) which is pretty bang on your figure when you take the extras into account - it doesn't exactly inspire confidence in my choice of car! Hopefully it'll level off a bit after the first couple of years, otherwise when I get rid of it 2 or 3 years down the line, I'm going to have to pay someone to take it away!