Buying advise and what are the "must haves"?

[Tom Pearce]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a b7 rs4 avant soon, but am starting to contradict myself with what I want.

My original plan was to get something more fun for the daily but still refined enough to not be embarrassed by. I started off with thinking of a cheap and cheerfully hot hatch - that was soon dismissed, then it was between a b7 rs4, b8 s4 and 335d......I think that we all know what will win my heart tho.


To that end, I need to decide on a spec to look for. It needs to be an avant and i cant decide on a colour. I like the idea of ceramics, but are they worth the extra outlay? Other things I'd like are ss+ and buckets. Are there any other niceties that I should be looking for?

I'd also like 1 that I'm not likely to go over 100k in the next couple of years. It seems like at 100k, they take a nose dive in value?

Thanks for any input. Tom

[Ranger Rico]

These are all very personal choices.
I love my misano red RS4 but some think its the least favourable.
Ceramic brakes are extremely expensive, do you really need them?
Buckets and a Flat bottomed steering wheel are absolute musts, but if your a big fella they may not be what you want.
SS+? meh, I don't really see it as a necessity but then I don't have it.
You say you don't want to go over 100k over the next couple of years but that depends on how much you drive! Mine is at 53k and I only do 2-3 a year max
You haven't mentioned your budget, seems you can get a cat D for sub 13k, and a pristine 20k miler for 35k
Its all personal dude, but im a stickler for standard, the RS4 is close to perfection as it is, although I would be very tempted to get a stage2 remap at MRC if I wasn't so far away
Good luck.

[Tom Pearce]

Thanks for your reply.

Budget wise, I'm looking around the 20k mark, plus minus a bit either way.

I don't really need the ceramics, but they are a nice bit of brake porn to look at!

I do about 10k a year so ideally sub 80k, unless my worry about the 100k slum is built on false research?

I'd definitely like buckets and a flat bottom steering wheel but are there any any other desirables that I might not have necessarily thought about?

Tom

[Ozzyz]

If i was in the market for a well looked after avant i would be all over this :

viewtopic.php?f=63&t=116103

It has the very rare ceramics plus has had MRC treatment in the form of carbon clean and a stage 2 map.

[coldo]

I was in a similar position to you a couple of years ago when i got mine.

My 'must haves' were;

Sprint Blue
Buckets
Carbon Inlays
Flat bottom steering wheel

Got all but the FBSW, i compromised on that for a quality car otherwise, in good order with good history and well specced (Sunroof, centre armrest etc...) I always said i'd get round to adding the FBSW but 2 years on and I haven't yet! Doesn't bother me too much now.

Really, i would only consider buckets to be 'must have'... comforts are pretty poor and bring the value of the car down due to the buckets being so desirable.

I wouldn't run from a 100k car but i think you are correct in saying they take a dip in value at this mark, alot of the car buyers are scared of a 100k car.

Ceramics would be lovely, we'd all like them but they are expensive and i don't think i ever use my car beyond the capabilities of my standard brake set up so ceramics would be overkill - still love a set though!

Good luck in finding the right car.

[Ian_C]

Buckets
Carbon Inlays
Flat bottom steering wheel

I think thats most peoples top three. Its worth noting if you are tall, the comfort seats just never seem to go low enough. Comforts are great seats, but I was more comfortable sat 'in' our A3 TDi sport seats than sat 'on' my V8 S4 Recaros

However above all else I would buy on condition and history. Clutch and dual mass flywheel is 2k etc etc. Buy one thats been run on the cheap and it could be very very expensive indeed. New set of tyres, wheel refurb, front discs and pads, sparkplugs, clutch + flywheel, oil cooler pipes, aux rads...... things that WILL need doing at somepoint on every single B7 RS4 out there, that list alone is 5-6 grand!

[Surrey Sam]

I'm lucky to have pretty much most options on mine now.

Must have spec for me is:

SS+
Full Leather
Bucket Seats
FBSW
Auto lights, Auto Wipers and Dimming Rear View Mirror - Comes as one option
Sat Nav - most RS4's have this option
Centre Armrest
No OEM phone cradle
Black headlining

I'd then retrofit 2010+ RNS-e and Bluetooth. Most spec items can be retrofitted anyway but it usually costs to do so. If you really want Ceramics (I love them) then you must be able to compromise on everything else, as they're very rare to find. From what you've mentioned, your budget is a fraction light and needs to be more around £22-24k mark.

[Ellis]

As well as everything already covered above, non-tango/facelift headlights were a must have when I was buying.

I had to accept a phone cradle to get my spec which was the only trade-off.

[Tom Pearce]

If i was in the market for a well looked after avant i would be all over this :

viewtopic.php?f=63&t=116103

It has the very rare ceramics plus has had MRC treatment in the form of carbon clean and a stage 2 map.

I must admit, that this car is well and truly on my radar - I'm just not sure on the colour though.

There is also a nicely specced blue 1 for sale, but that has my millage worry.

Thanks for all of the other comments, that has given me some more bits and bobs to put on the wish list. Being 5.10" and 1st, I should fit into buckets....my race car has medium buckets so I consider myself pretty average in size.

[coffey555]

Buy a well looked after car with high mileage and put the money you saved towards future servicing?

I bought mine at 92,000, still going strong at 138,000 four years later.

Granted, it has had quite a lot of things needing replaced but you will probably need to do that with any car you buy if you are keeping it 2 to 3 years.

And if you never sell it does not matter what it is worth......

[Tom Pearce]

Buy a well looked after car with high mileage and put the money you saved towards future servicing?

I bought mine at 92,000, still going strong at 138,000 four years later.

Granted, it has had quite a lot of things needing replaced but you will probably need to do that with any car you buy if you are keeping it 2 to 3 years.

And if you never sell it does not matter what it is worth......

This thought has crossed my mind. It's a similar situation with cat d cars. You buy them for next to nothing so you can't technically afford to sell the equally as cheaply.

I'm not put completely off by higher milage, just lower would be a bit nicer.

[coffey555]

Buy a well looked after car with high mileage and put the money you saved towards future servicing?

I bought mine at 92,000, still going strong at 138,000 four years later.

Granted, it has had quite a lot of things needing replaced but you will probably need to do that with any car you buy if you are keeping it 2 to 3 years.

And if you never sell it does not matter what it is worth......

This thought has crossed my mind. It's a similar situation with cat d cars. You buy them for next to nothing so you can't technically afford to sell the equally as cheaply.

I'm not put completely off by higher milage, just lower would be a bit nicer.

As long as it has a folder full of receipts and the car is in good condition, I would not worry too much about how many numbers are on the clock.

And the higher the mileage is the more likely you are to just drive the thing rather than fretting about future values (RangerRico..... 2-3k a year?!!!!)

Only the really, really low mileage ones will be worth big money anyway.

[Tom Pearce]

I'm lucky to have pretty much most options on mine now.

Must have spec for me is:

SS+
Full Leather
Bucket Seats
FBSW
Auto lights, Auto Wipers and Dimming Rear View Mirror - Comes as one option
Sat Nav - most RS4's have this option
Centre Armrest
No OEM phone cradle
Black headlining

I'd then retrofit 2010+ RNS-e and Bluetooth. Most spec items can be retrofitted anyway but it usually costs to do so. If you really want Ceramics (I love them) then you must be able to compromise on everything else, as they're very rare to find. From what you've mentioned, your budget is a fraction light and needs to be more around £22-24k mark.

Going off what you've said there, I think the spec list I'll be looking is pretty much what you've said. Your sig looks pretty much bang on the money also!

If the right car comes along I'll be prepared to pay those figures. In my opinion, once you're talking that kind of money, a few extra 1000 for the right car is worth it in the long run.

[Surrey Sam]

Going off what you've said there, I think the spec list I'll be looking is pretty much what you've said. Your sig looks pretty much bang on the money also!

If the right car comes along I'll be prepared to pay those figures. In my opinion, once you're talking that kind of money, a few extra 1000 for the right car is worth it in the long run.

That list will see you with a solid, desirable base spec to start enjoying RS4 ownership

Regarding mine. In 5 years of looking at RS4's, there's only 2 Avant’s I'm aware off with a similar spec - one is heavily modified in the way of a Supercharger and the other has been pointed out to you ( Stu's grey one). You're more than welcome to join the waiting list for mine; I'm really struggling with finding something desirable enough to make me replace it though.

[Tom Pearce]

If Stu still has his for sale next month, when I should have some time to go see it etc, then I will certainly be in contact.

Unfortunately, I doubt this will be the case though. Hopefully another 1 comes up not too long after, although I will probably have missed the boat.