Opinions on an S4 please

[GW]

Hello all,

I'm looking at buying an S4 and came across what looks like a decent spec S4 for reasonable money :-

1999 AUDI S4 2.7 Bi-Turbo,
face-lift model, special factory order, cost new approx £47,000 - (£10,000 over list price), met silver, 1 owner from new (Company Director) extras are sat nav, through load ski bag, rear blind, full RS4 recaro sports black Nappa leather interior with carbon finish, Bose sound, 6 stack CD stereo, heated electric seats, electric glass sunroof, Xenon headlights, Avus alloys, remote Audi alarm immobiliser with total closure, private plate (T2 TUR) etc., etc. (265 bhp) 6 speed manual, genuine 52,000 miles with full Audi s/h, 12 mths MoT, taxed, immaculate car, superb value, p/x, warranty. £11,995.

Anyone know anything about this car or perhaps been to see it? It's over an hours ride for me to go and see it, so don't want to waste my time/petrol if it's a pup.

If no one's seen it - sound good for the money?

Many thanks in advance,
Gavin.

[dazzer]

Gav,

If the description is accurate then it's a no brainer for me. Do the usual checks beforehand to minimise the dissapointment of a wasted trip.

Providing it's not been caned and the turbos have been treated with respect then you should have no bother with it.

I reckon it's the best example on autotrader by a country mile. Only lacks cruise. Other than that you can buy mine and I will have enough money to get it.

cheers
Dazzer

[CliveH]

Hi Gavin,
Apart from the private number plate not doing much for me, and many of the items being standard (such as xenon headlights and "through load ski bag"), this is a high spec car but nothing like £10k of extras! Without seeing it, the price seems very good.
I paid £16,250 for mine 6 months ago - similar spec (few more extras) but 2000 model and only 24,000 miles.
You must go and see it and do the usual checks (HPI, etc) before you consider buying.
Good luck,
Clive

[eatthis]

Hello all,

I'm looking at buying an S4 and came across what looks like a decent spec S4 for reasonable money :-

1999 AUDI S4 2.7 Bi-Turbo,
face-lift model, special factory order, cost new approx £47,000 - (£10,000 over list price), met silver, 1 owner from new (Company Director) extras are sat nav, through load ski bag, rear blind, full RS4 recaro sports black Nappa leather interior with carbon finish, Bose sound, 6 stack CD stereo, heated electric seats, electric glass sunroof, Xenon headlights, Avus alloys, remote Audi alarm immobiliser with total closure, private plate (T2 TUR) etc., etc. (265 bhp) 6 speed manual, genuine 52,000 miles with full Audi s/h, 12 mths MoT, taxed, immaculate car, superb value, p/x, warranty. £11,995.

Anyone know anything about this car or perhaps been to see it? It's over an hours ride for me to go and see it, so don't want to waste my time/petrol if it's a pup.

If no one's seen it - sound good for the money?

Many thanks in advance,
Gavin.

u bar stewerd that sounds FANTASITC im very jelous and wish i had the £££ go for it mate

[KayGee]

Mine was 43K new without Recaro, Bose and Sat Nav options, silver is nice colour. RS4 was intro'd in 2001, so not RS4 seats if so not factory fit.

[GW]

Thanks for the advice guys, gonna ring up today and see if he still has it and go take a look tomorrow if he has.

When it says Sat Nav - is this likely to be a LCD in the console, or is it just basic directions on the drivers info display? Been looking on the net and couldn't see a definitive answer to what it should be like.

I'm not sure that plate is anything to brag about either, certainly doesn't mean anything to me, must have been the guys initials or something...

I've not driven a manual for 3 years (currently driving a Mitsubishi FTO Tip), so this could be quite interesting

Also, believe it or not, I've never been in an A4/S4 before - how is the drivers seat size wise for lanky people like me? I'm 6'5" and a guy at work reckons I might struggle to drive an S4? Don't want to get all the way down there and find I can't even get in the thing!

[Mc-BigE]

excellent looking car, when test driving put the windows down and listen out for any rattle noises when acclerating, if there is , your exhaust manifold heatshield could be on the way out (£2500 +vat to fix) but facelift models dont seem to be as bad as eariler 99 models (LIKE MINE!)

check front suspension also listen out for sweaks and knocks.

best of luck.

[GW]

Ok thanks, should be able to recognise that noise, as I think it's on the way out on my FTO, definite metallic rattle when accelerating!

What's the best way to check the suspension?

[Mc-BigE]

First obvious thing to do is push down on all four corners, listen for sweaks and at the same you can see if the shocks need replacing.

You should really jack the car up and grip wheel at 9 and 3 o'clock and look out for too much travel when rocked from side to side,
also do same at 12 and 6 o'clock. but this probably won't be practicable
during test drive.

Drive the car over dumpy roads at slow speeds, listen for knocks and sweaks, windows up probably.

Also check for receipts of service history, timing belt, w/pump, any turbo problems, heat shields on down pipes(over the turbos), heat shield on exhaust manifolds. check if all recalls were done, if any.

good luck.

[GW]

Ahh damn, it's been sold - guess I'll have to keep looking

[Dippy]

Hi Gavin,
Apart from the private number plate not doing much for me, and many of the items being standard (such as xenon headlights and "through load ski bag"), this is a high spec car but nothing like £10k of extras! Without seeing it, the price seems very good.
I paid £16,250 for mine 6 months ago - similar spec (few more extras) but 2000 model and only 24,000 miles.
You must go and see it and do the usual checks (HPI, etc) before you consider buying.
Good luck,
Clive

Don't have the price list to hand, but it certainly would have been around £47K new. IIRC full Recaro was not offered for the S4, just the front seats. Audi certainly would have charged for it.

When I calculated the equivalent UK price of my avant (Recaro front seats, Cruise, Bose and SatNav3 but no sunroof), it came to £42K. Fortunately I only paid £33K (the wonders of personal import).

[ajsl]

My S4 has a full Recaro factory interior (fronts + rears) So it was offered at some stage.

[SimonS4MTM]

My S4 has a full Recaro factory interior (fronts + rears) So it was offered at some stage.

So does mine

[gavsteryoung]

Snap - So does mine - in Silver

[Dippy]

I take it back then!

In Germany only Recaro front seats were offered as a no-cost option, which is why I don't have a Recaro rear seat.