Is supercharging worth it?

[DazN]

A very open ended question and not something I'm thinking of just yet, however:-

In 12 months my car is paid for, £10-12k pot would get this done with all other bits required, clutch etc. I'd have a mega car for not a massive amount of cash.

I know my car, know it runs very well, know its history, have spent loads getting it how i want it, servicing etc, etc

On the downside...

It's a 57 plate with 60k on the clock, it's possibly going to look outdated in a few years, compared to the B8 possibly not but compared to a GT-R it already is.

I'd never recoup the outlay if I sold it in years to come.

Would something like a newer GT-R be a better option?

Comments / suggestions??!!

[bam_bam]

Yes.

[davectr]

I keep thinking along the same lines mate, can't decide what to do.

Sensible head - never recoup any of the cost (unless its removed and sold seperately), god knows how much insurance will cost

Petrolhead - What a car, fun fun fun! Saw Danny's at the RS meet last year - WOW!

[DavidRS4]

Have you watched the supercharged RS4 vids on YouTube, insane and I would be addicted to the noise and the rush.

But having said that I would rather save for a Porsche 911 (997) GT3 and sell the RS4. The RS4 is a hard car to beat though, let alone a supercharged one!

Tough decision, I think what you would use the car as has a lot to do with it.

[lengster1]

Ive thrown a fair chunk at mine to raise 460ps and it would maybe pull 1k more come resale,but.......ive thoroughly enjoyed having a responsive car that you have to think about giving full beans in certain conditions compared to standard which could be driven flat out by any muppet,charging a b7 is going to be comparable to stomaching depreciation on the new Rs4 when it arrives but i think a charged b7 would be a much more impressive machine,im going to wait and see what the new one offers in the handling department as the Rs5 left me glad to get back in mine.Maybe danny will sell me his set up cheap?

[P_G]

For me if the insurance is reasonable then it is a viable option to buying a newer RS model or something else and throw the money away in depreciation. To charge it will cost less than what the depreciation on a newer car.

I'd love an R8 V10 but with a 3 and 5 year old it is some time before I will not need a family car so to keep the RS which will be paid off in 12 months time and then save to supercharge it makes more sense the longer time goes by nd I don't see any new cars that I think will replace the RS4 in trems of performace and usability for its size. Even the prospect of a C6 RS6, it is still going to lose a lot of money over the coming years, the RS4 is just about at the bottom of massive depreciation losses.

[DazN]

That's it, depreciation on a new £60k RS4 would be a lot more than the outlay for a supercharger. Then again a GT-R has already lost 50% or so and is newer, oh the dilemma !!

[wrekka]

If I didn't have family I'd go gtr, my mate has a 600bhp version and it is awesome! but I do have family so for me in the future it is either:
1) RS6 C6 Saloon MRC'd
2) Supercharge or Turbo the RS4 (hopefully the prices will have come down a bit)
3) B8 S4 MRc'd

My concerns with supercharging are problems down the line with other parts of the car. How long can diffs, gears, driveshafts etc cope with 600+ bhp?

[22B]

Its a good question and one that I have gave a lot of thought to before I committed to buying my supercharger. To be honest before I got it, my thoughts were that it costs far too much money to buy and install a supercharger and that I probably never have one. Lets face it 16k is a shedload of money to spend on any car, let alone a 4-5 year old Audi worth @ 25k. However, I was extremely fortunate to pick up a very rare second hand one for a pretty decent price recently, which is allowing me to experience a complete transformation in my RS4's performance and character without spending a mountain of cash. In short, its absolutely fantastic in every way,it now has the sort of performance I always wanted in this car. The combination of the RS4's levels of handling,braking, grip etc with a supercharger(even with 'only' 524ps) will blow away virtually anything you will ever meet on the road.

For me if the insurance is reasonable then it is a viable option to buying a newer RS model or something else and throw the money away in depreciation. To charge it will cost less than what the depreciation on a newer car.

."....then save to supercharge it makes more sense the longer time goes by nd I don't see any new cars that I think will replace the RS4 in trems of performace and usability for its size. Even the prospect of a C6 RS6, it is still going to lose a lot of money over the coming years, the RS4 is just about at the bottom of massive depreciation losses.

Spot on as always P_G. Insurance only cost me an extra £25 for the 3 months remaining, yes £25!! It was weighing up the depreciation factor that finally swayed it for me and convinced me it was the way to go. I have no intention of selling my car for a long time yet as I do not see anything remotely interesting on the horizon that interests me as an RS4 replacement. I'm so much loving it now that I will probably go the whole hog now and get a TTS charger later this year. Similar torque but Its got another 100ps!

[DazN]

If I didn't have family I'd go gtr, my mate has a 600bhp version and it is awesome! but I do have family so for me in the future it is either:
1) RS6 C6 Saloon MRC'd
2) Supercharge or Turbo the RS4 (hopefully the prices will have come down a bit)
3) B8 S4 MRc'd

My concerns with supercharging are problems down the line with other parts of the car. How long can diffs, gears, driveshafts etc cope with 600+ bhp?

Option 3 is on my list too, smaller engine but of course newer car and already supercharged so perhaps a bit more scope for upgrades...?

[ShaneyB]

B7 has legendary looks and a great point-to-point car.

B8 looks like an Everest Windows sales rep car and whoever designed it should be burnt alive and then be given a season ticket at The Stadium Of Light - knob!

[wrekka]

If I didn't have family I'd go gtr, my mate has a 600bhp version and it is awesome! but I do have family so for me in the future it is either:
1) RS6 C6 Saloon MRC'd
2) Supercharge or Turbo the RS4 (hopefully the prices will have come down a bit)
3) B8 S4 MRc'd

My concerns with supercharging are problems down the line with other parts of the car. How long can diffs, gears, driveshafts etc cope with 600+ bhp?

Option 3 is on my list too, smaller engine but of course newer car and already supercharged so perhaps a bit more scope for upgrades...?

I have seen some interesting you tube vids of tweaked B8 S4's that sound really good and go well - I think it could be a very capable car, especially with some styling tweaks

[Rick_RS4]

buy a bike

[S14]

Ive just bought a GTR and for outright performance its unbeatable..on a completely different level to most cars..I haven't had a chance to really test it out, but one thing i've noticed is the amount of attention it gets when your driving!

As for the Op's question, i would save the cash and enjoy the car for what it is..there is no point spending that much money and then coming across a GTR!

I really miss my RS4 and have promised myself i will get one again as a keeper in the future..

[klauster]

I just dont get what the fuss is about with the GTR, yes its fast, but the styling is abit... well... jap and the running costs are in a completely different league to the RS

Not forgetting its pretty much a 2 seater...

I know lots have left the RS4 for a GTR but I think they are all mental... id rather supercharge then drive one of them!