Goodbye S4 and hello dealer cock up !!
Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 10:04 am
After 5 years ownership I've said goodbye to my B6 S4 AMD stage 3 saloon.
I absolutely loved it to bits but with one 3 year old kid and another on the way, it's time to update the car and go sensible. Additionally I had an issue with the car so don't buy it !! "S4 ETC" (more another time!)
I'd been waiting on delivery of an A4 Avant 2.0T S-line quattro as I was disappointed with what you got on the S4 for the money i.e. engine/brake upgrade (of course) and electic seats but no luxuries....not even a glove box light it seems!!!! To me this made it too expensive to justify. Add in the expected depreciation of S models and it didn't make a lot of sense in my situation.
The track days, the 'ring trips, the "enthusiatic" driving, the European tours and the family mundane stuff have all been handled very well. After all this time I still love the sound of the full Milltek system and if I never own a V8 again then I can always look back at these 5 years with very fond memories.
I'll probably still pop in on here but for now I'm saying goodbye to "S" ownership... even though the new car looks exactly like one!
The good news for your guys is I'll be sticking some mods and stuff in the classifieds section.
I'm getting my kicks from motorbikes and bike trackdays now so I'm buying the car just for road use and not looking for a car to do track/'ring etc. TBH I think I got all the fun I could on track from my S4. I was finding I was looking for more from it than was available i.e. I really need a Caterham!!
Since I don't commute by car I don't rack up many miles on it and when at home I normally have the family in it so I simply don't get the chance to exploit the power of an S or RS so they'd simply be wasted.
It may be me turning 40
or the imminent arrival of kid #2 that's made me go all sensible. Either way I'm happy with the decision. I hope I don't regret in the long run.
Now for the funny/ cock up thing :
I collected the new Avant and due to the sales guy running late and Audi Insurance losing the policy, it was a reasonably quick inspection. The salesman said he'd checked off all the options so I concentrated on the condition of the paint, wheels etc.
On the gentle drive home I knew something was up but it was only when I got home I realised that the badges on the glove box, grill and tail were missing i.e. the ones that should say quattro!!
I looked under the car and the rear wheels had small black plastic blanking plates instead of drive shafts. I quick spin around the block (now less gently than previously) proved that it was a FWD car. I also found that the front and rear parking sensors are missing.
So why's this huge cock up funny??
Well they've just announced the 2010 spec which means the replacement car they order will feature 3G MMI, LED tail lights, new mirrors, start/stop technology on the engine etc etc.
Ultimately they've done me a favour plus I get to drive a brand new car for free for a few months.
I'm missing the sounds of the V8 but not the fuel consumption. I didn't realise cars could go do far between fill up!
I absolutely loved it to bits but with one 3 year old kid and another on the way, it's time to update the car and go sensible. Additionally I had an issue with the car so don't buy it !! "S4 ETC" (more another time!)
I'd been waiting on delivery of an A4 Avant 2.0T S-line quattro as I was disappointed with what you got on the S4 for the money i.e. engine/brake upgrade (of course) and electic seats but no luxuries....not even a glove box light it seems!!!! To me this made it too expensive to justify. Add in the expected depreciation of S models and it didn't make a lot of sense in my situation.
The track days, the 'ring trips, the "enthusiatic" driving, the European tours and the family mundane stuff have all been handled very well. After all this time I still love the sound of the full Milltek system and if I never own a V8 again then I can always look back at these 5 years with very fond memories.
I'll probably still pop in on here but for now I'm saying goodbye to "S" ownership... even though the new car looks exactly like one!
The good news for your guys is I'll be sticking some mods and stuff in the classifieds section.
I'm getting my kicks from motorbikes and bike trackdays now so I'm buying the car just for road use and not looking for a car to do track/'ring etc. TBH I think I got all the fun I could on track from my S4. I was finding I was looking for more from it than was available i.e. I really need a Caterham!!
Since I don't commute by car I don't rack up many miles on it and when at home I normally have the family in it so I simply don't get the chance to exploit the power of an S or RS so they'd simply be wasted.
It may be me turning 40
Now for the funny/ cock up thing :
I collected the new Avant and due to the sales guy running late and Audi Insurance losing the policy, it was a reasonably quick inspection. The salesman said he'd checked off all the options so I concentrated on the condition of the paint, wheels etc.
On the gentle drive home I knew something was up but it was only when I got home I realised that the badges on the glove box, grill and tail were missing i.e. the ones that should say quattro!!
I looked under the car and the rear wheels had small black plastic blanking plates instead of drive shafts. I quick spin around the block (now less gently than previously) proved that it was a FWD car. I also found that the front and rear parking sensors are missing.
So why's this huge cock up funny??
Well they've just announced the 2010 spec which means the replacement car they order will feature 3G MMI, LED tail lights, new mirrors, start/stop technology on the engine etc etc.
Ultimately they've done me a favour plus I get to drive a brand new car for free for a few months.
I'm missing the sounds of the V8 but not the fuel consumption. I didn't realise cars could go do far between fill up!