Advice for S and RS Ownership

[Tango-Echo-Delta]

I would like to own an 'S' or an 'RS' and have narrowed it down to four potential cars, but can't really decide on what one.

The car in question will only be used at the weekends and I would prefer something that has a sense of occasion, the power to actually make you want to drive it any chance you get with a track day or two per year and travelling around Europe in it.

My budget is £15, 000 and it has to have more than 4 cylinders

The Audis' in question are as follows:

A4 S4 B7 4.2 I first considered the B6, but the B7 can be had for as little as £10k with less than 100k miles on and with 40/60 torque split between axles.
Would have to be an Avant for looks

A5 S5 8T3 I like the exterior and interior design compared to the B7 S4.
Don't need the practicality of a 4 door and if my facts are correct the V8, though similar has FSI technology and is susceptible to coking.
Sub 100k for 11k

A4 RS4 B7 Prices start at 15k for 110k example.
RS4 for the price of a B8 S4? 420 Bhp from a V8? I like the sound of that!
What does concern me is the fact that when they were sold they were sought after by tea leaves. Is that still the case now with them or have other, newer cars become the target of their fixation?
I am aware of the issues with DRC, coking and replacing brakes. Did I miss anything out?

A4 S4 B8 15k For a supercharged V6, faster and from what I read a better all-round car than the B6/7 and better looking... but misses the V8 growl.

A6 S6 C6 5.2 V10, well-equipped and rather fetching in Avant form.
Going by the size, weight and the fact that it only comes in Tip-tronic form, does this take away from the driving experience and is it any less fun to drive than the above?


I know each car has their problems, what car doesn't, but which would potentially offer me the most fun and not worry about where I leave it.
I live a flat with a shared car park of 40 spaces in the centre with a barrier... though I'm dubious about leaving it there as some people park pretty close to my current car and I have seen someone open their car door into mine because of this

Any advice would be appreciated as it's doing me head in!

[S4WON]

Out of that lot, the B7 RS4 is the stand out, but i'm afraid that 15k will likely get you a dog or one that requires work. If you are pushing yourself already, i think its out of your reach.

2nd up is B8 S4 but again, you will need to get very lucky to find a non ragged to <beep>, busted gearbox one for 15k.

Honestly, I wouldnt bother with the other 2. Just not special enough for 5k, let alone 15.

Wait 6 months, get to 20k and get a sorted RS. You will not regret it

[chunky79]

FON and welcome along.

What about a C5 RS6? Faster than all the above, cheaper to purchase leaving money for repairs.

[Shoppinit]

S's dont really have a sense of occasion, IMO. RS is what you want.

Like Chunk said, RS6 is a lot of car for the money. Otherwise, try and find a good RS4 in your budget.

Or get a nice e46 M3.

[JCviggen]

What about a C5 RS6? Faster than all the above, cheaper to purchase leaving money for repairs.

The C5 does have a nice sense of occasion. Cheaper to buy, check, but things can get expensive fast with these. I certainly spent a lot more money during my C5's first 2 years of ownership than the B7.

C5 isn't faster, it does feel it though depending on the situation. The B7 gets off the spot a lot quicker with the manual gearbox compared to the old slushbox, the C5 has the edge in the mid range then at the top it's even stevens. My modified stg2 C5 was also about equal to my modified stg2 B7 now, in terms of 60-130mph time etc.

B7 and certainly B8 are a huge leap forward over C5 in terms of feeling modern-ish, obviously.

Given the budget constraints I might actually suggest the S5 V8 from that lot. The B7 S4s are rather known for cam chain issues. The S5 is reasonably modern, sounds good, and should be a less obvious money pit than a bottom of the barrel RS.

[matt-jones]

Re the B7 RS let me add my input. Having recently just got one myself I looked at 7 before settling on the right one. One of the ones I saw was a £15k example and it was cheap for a reason, once the owner had confessed what it needed it would have cost £4-5k to sort and would still have been a dog. Sorry to rain on your parade but if your budget is £15k then I'd steer clear or wait a bit longer and increase your budget. I paid good money but got a thoroughly sorted car, it's not worth trying to do it on the cheap.

[John Johnson]

Out of that lot, the B7 RS4 is the stand out, but i'm afraid that 15k will likely get you a dog or one that requires work. If you are pushing yourself already, i think its out of your reach.

2nd up is B8 S4 but again, you will need to get very lucky to find a non ragged to <beep>, busted gearbox one for 15k.

Honestly, I wouldnt bother with the other 2. Just not special enough for 5k, let alone 15.

Wait 6 months, get to 20k and get a sorted RS. You will not regret it

This ^^^ .... a cheap rs4 WILL bite you on the arse somewhere down the line , an rs6 would provide the sense of occasion as mentioned but choose wisely again if your budget is fairly fixed

[Tango-Echo-Delta]

I've heard about the issues with the B7 timing chains, but thought it was more common on engines in the US and cars that do show symptoms have a rattle on startup for several seconds.
I remember reading somewhere that using thicker viscosity oil would eliminate the noise.

As for the RS4, I can expand my budget, but my main concern is the attention it will draw as it will be left in the parking lot 5 days of the week.
If I was looking for a decent example, what price range would you recommend?
I see most of the Autotrader RS4's have mileages in excess of 100k, though I know milage is irrespective of the condition of the vehicle.

The C5 RS6, whilst cheaper lacks a manual gearbox as Audi couldn't make one that could handle the power at the time.
And it seems to have a long list of problems

Suspension: Leaks, needs special tools to recharge. Can go to coilovers but makes an already jittery ride more so. Loses the DRC's roll control too.
MAF/airflow meters - they wear out, easy to change and ~£130 each IIRC.
Suspension bushes, particularly top arms - hard life and they split.
Track rods - seize up solid, usually need new arms.
brakes - discs and pads on the front are a grand fitted.
Thermostats - fail, do it at the same time as the...
Cam-belt - 5yrs/60k. £1200 job, more at a main dealer.
Gearbox - go whenever they feel like it. Regular oil changes can improve its life.
Lambdas - technically engine out and they do fail. Can be done in situ (just) but it's no fun.
Intercoolers - star leaking, the hoses are crap too.
Alternator - fail, absolute arse to get to.
Tyres - nom nom nom more please
Fuel - nom nom nom more please

Not sure about the Cambelt though. Thought the 4.2's were all chain-driven, or is that the B6/7 and 8T3?

[Shoppinit]

That's not a very impartial list. Let me fix it for you:

Suspension: Leaks, needs special tools to recharge. Can go to coilovers but makes an already jittery ride more so. Loses the DRC's roll control too. Just like the RS4 B7 and every other Audi that they decided to put the God-forsaken DRC on.
MAF/airflow meters - they wear out, easy to change and ~£130 each IIRC. Just like every other car in the world.
Suspension bushes, particularly top arms - hard life and they split. Just like every other car in the world, and probably less than most.
Track rods - seize up solid, usually need new arms. Just like every other car in the world, and probably less than most.
brakes - discs and pads on the front are a grand fitted. Or buy them for 350 quid a pair, just like any other performance car brake budget
Thermostats - fail, do it at the same time as the... Like with all VAG cars. Some genius at VAG found a great way to milk the customer again and again
Cam-belt - 5yrs/60k. £1200 job, more at a main dealer. Just like any car with a cambelt
Gearbox - go whenever they feel like it. Regular oil changes can improve its life.
Lambdas - technically engine out and they do fail. Can be done in situ (just) but it's no fun. life of 80k+ miles
Intercoolers - star leaking, the hoses are crap too. Nothing wrong with the hoses. Even if you don't like them they are about £100 to swap for silicone ones. The IC are complete <beep>, this is true.
Alternator - fail, absolute arse to get to. No biggy to change. Lots of people do it themselves.
Tyres - nom nom nom more please I have honestly never heard this criticism before
Fuel - nom nom nom more please Yup. But what did you expect from a 450bhp 2 ton barge?

[chunky79]

Shopp's nailed it again.
It'd be good for a list of the RS4 faults to be put up too, there's plenty of them!

[chunky79]

What about a C5 RS6? Faster than all the above, cheaper to purchase leaving money for repairs.

The C5 does have a nice sense of occasion. Cheaper to buy, check, but things can get expensive fast with these. I certainly spent a lot more money during my C5's first 2 years of ownership than the B7.

C5 isn't faster, it does feel it though depending on the situation. The B7 gets off the spot a lot quicker with the manual gearbox compared to the old slushbox, the C5 has the edge in the mid range then at the top it's even stevens. My modified stg2 C5 was also about equal to my modified stg2 B7 now, in terms of 60-130mph time etc.

I must have been against one that hadn't been carbon cleaned then.

[Shoppinit]

I must have been against one that hadn't been carbon cleaned then.

I could easily keep up with my mate's carbonated B7 RS4 in the M3. It didn't dyno very well either. And the RS6 is *much* quicker than the M3.

It was pretty much neck and neck with my C5 and another mate's clean and healthy RS4. I did a mini-review on the differences a while back.

My other mate's RS4, decoked, air-intake mod, zorsts and MRC map was pretty quick. Didn't compare it with the C5 but it was much quicker than the M3 on the track.

/end broscience.

[JCviggen]

The difference between a poorly performing stock B7 RS4 and a well running tuned one can be as much as 100 horsepower... mine with the JHM exhaust and tune is easily quicker than a stock E9x M3 now.

[jaysrs4]

My advice stops here... Why buy a car you're going to be paranoid leaving parked up in a 'parking lot' 5 days a week?

I couldn't stand living like that, wondering if it'll still be there when I come to drive it. 100% I wouldn't have mine if it wasn't garaged. After you've jumped that hurdle then you can make an informed decision from the experts.

[Harris.]

My advice stops here... Why buy a car you're going to be paranoid leaving parked up in a 'parking lot' 5 days a week?

I couldn't stand living like that, wondering if it'll still be there when I come to drive it. 100% I wouldn't have mine if it wasn't garaged. After you've jumped that hurdle then you can make an informed decision from the experts.

+1. Depending where you live , but if I'm honest I wouldn't want to leave a RS4 sitting in a car park all week ,it will get bashed about ,bits taken off it or stolen .


And not all 15k RS4's are dogs . I can vouch for this

Mines not had any problems and I've owned it over 2 years . If a car needs Discs + pads don't let it put your off As once you have replaced at least YOU know there new, same with the drc . Bin it and fit coilovers . I've replaced the multi functional steering wheel for a TT RS item which imo is better as its kept all the controls and the standard RS4 FBSW don't have this.

If your worried regarding the cost of brakes etc then you can't afford a RS4

If the bodys nice and straight and HPI clear I can't see a problem ,after all replacing bits is wear and tear not abuse .

Good luck