Want a RS4 but.......

[wantars4]

Have been lusting after a V8 for a while, started looking at Lexus ISF - reliability, etc......but after one test drive I realised quickly I wanted a manual. Somehow I bought a E46 M3 instead, as always wanted one and a fantastic example came up, however I didn't quite bond with it - it was a convertible, and felt very wobbly from a chassis point of view.

So I have sold my E46 M3 and was set on purchasing the E92 M3, but after 2 test drives I was quite disappointed.....it didn't feel or sound special, yes you can wound it up and then it's a bit better but.....I just didn't fall in love with it.

Had a look at a Monaro but just couldn't bring myself to like the exterior, even though they sound awesome.

So finally I have turned to looking at RS4, I have always discounted Audi RS4 due to many of the reviews/forum posts made on pistonheads/m3cutter in addition to the bits that break which seem to cost an absolute bomb! In addition, I had test driven S3, S4, S5, TTRS, TT and they all disappointed me.

Cue a recent test drive - I am blown away. It sounds great and I really, really liked it.

So I decided to spend some more time researching it, to my dismay it has quite a theft problem!! Especially in relation to the wingback seats. One poor chap from M3cutter this year had his RS4 for barely two days and it was taken off his drive!

So my question is:

1. Would a car with comfort seats be less of a target?
2. I normally buy a car in the best condition with low miles and don't mind paying a premium for it. But in this instance to minimize potential loss, maybe I would be better served to buy a high mileage (and well sorted car) at a lower price. Hope I make some sense here.

[pule333]

1. Yes and cheaper. I would say still go for wingback but upgrade the alarm.
2. Nearly makes no difference of the mileage. These are getting old. So as long as essential work has been done I wouldn't worry. But personally would stay away from 120k+ models.

[Jon_J]

Agree, upgrade the alarm. If it's a challenge they won't bother with it.


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[rs user]

the one on cutters was probably due to a key being available for the car-they are hard to steal,however easy to break into[alarm is woefully quiet]
i would say the comfort seats option should reduce the chance of it being broken into,and they are better to use daily too
i have had several m3 e46,they are simply too old and rusty to make sense for me now,i would have an e9x 3 v8 but they seem to have an appetite for big end shells and they dont do an estate,and i really like the rs4 b7
rs4 repair costs can be eye watering,things to look for are clutch-2k plus fitted,oil cooler,1k ish with pipes,aux rads weeping[one can be bypassed,the other you need.drc issues[replace with quality coilovers+ most fit uprated arbs too]
things you cant see which can cost time/money are seized front caliper pins[they can literally fuse themselves ito the caliper] seized suspension pinch bolts-can cost a fair whack of labour plus a new bearing carrier/upright to fix-also the now well known cost of front and rear discs,without pads you are looking at £1000 plus even if you Shop around -make sure vacuum pipes are fine on engine,fresh fuel filter and premium fuel used to get the most of the engines performance-you may lose a little power with the carbon issue but not the biggie as its bad press suggests,the cars which dyno badly have been run on council fuel mostly[95ron] and/ or have other issues retarded timing ,vac probs so show low on a dyno,fixing the basic issues restores the rude health of the engine back to where it should be

[dougle_turbo]

I agree with Pule on the buckets - I find them incredibly comfortable there is no way I'd want the comfort option.

[rs user]

I agree with Pule on the buckets - I find them incredibly comfortable there is no way I'd want the comfort option.

i found them comfy once in,but bit of a pest clambering in and out-but i"m 50 not a youngster,comfort option suits me,but they certainly dont look as good as the buckets

[RS4B8LYF]

No car is cheap to run really....costs go up as the quality does. You will find it hard to find someone who regretted buying one. B8's are more the complete package but B7's are the most genuine RS4 in terms of "drivers car" no auto option. Since I've had mine I've itched about swapping out but I just can't find anything that does it all so well for the price! Don't forget to post your pics as you'll be the owner of one soon hahahaha!


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[RS4B8LYF]

The reason I itched was I've gone through 6 cars in two years so it was more habitual than need, I'm very happy to report it's staying with me!!!


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[dsgray16]

I'm continually amazing that theft is such a rampant issues in Europe that people actually consider not having nice things to counter it.. is this everywhere or just in less than desirable areas? Do people not garages in Europe?

Cars get stolen in the US but usually it's Honda civics and other easy to steal examples..

Also curious to know what you read on other forums that was so negative and expensive to repair on the RS4? Aside from the DRC suspension, which can and should be swapped for a set of Bilsteins or KW coilovers, they are quite solid cars. Perform a carbon clean on the intake ports every 20k miles or so, and you should be good. Beyond that its standard maintenance for a performance car.

Dive in.

[rs user]

re theft-car theft in the uk now is normally by stealing the keys first[with the exception of the bmw,ford obd tamper thefts-which i am sure happen wherever these cars are marketed]
general crime -housebreaking etc in the uk is also at a very high level,along with it the key thefts
cars nowadays are hard to steal without keys or a hiab/towtruck etc

[dougle_turbo]

Not sure that I'd agree that house burglary in the U.K. is at a high level. I believe the domestic burglary rate has been dropping for a few years now. But I guess it depends where you live.

[rs user]

yes they say its down 71% scince 1995 but they have changed the way in which it is reported....so anybodys guess really
as a 50 year old anybody who says crime/burglary etc is down in general is deffo fudging the figures lol its a very different world

[HYFR]

If you say wingback again you will be banned.

Can we please add this to the rules


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[rs user]

sadly most folk[probably with the exception of the owners] refer to the seats as wingbacks lol
bloke i bought this rs4 from referred to them as the "big seats"?

[Jon_J]

sadly most folk[probably with the exception of the owners] refer to the seats as wingbacks lol
bloke i bought this rs4 from referred to them as the "big seats"?

He meant the proper seats.


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