I'm not technically a newbie as I've had my S4 since March, but I've never got around to posting on here despite lurking for quite a while. I thought it was about time I said Hello and joined in the fun (and I see there are a few familiar 'faces' on here too!)
My S4 is a November 2003 '53' plate saloon in Metallic Silver. It has the full silver silk Nappa leather interior, black headlining and aluminium trim inlays. In addition to the standard S4 spec it has the following:
Heated front seats
Centre armrest
Cruise control
Interior light pack (although I think this might be standard on S4s (?))
RNS-E Navigation Plus
BOSE
Rear park assist
Storage pack (again not sure if this is standard)
Cool box in glovebox
Ski through-load
In addition to the above it came with a Milltek cat-back exhaust, which was fitted by the previous owner and was an unexpected and very welcome bonus. I fitted the aluminium trim inlays myself, as when the car arrived it had 'Grey Birchwood' inserts which clashed with the silver Nappa IMO. The car originally had the CD based Navigation and Symphony II, but these have recently been replaced by the latest RNS-E DVD Navigation Plus. The only things it lacks which I wish it had are the auto-dimming and folding mirrors. Tyres are Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3s.
When I got the car it had just over 23k miles on the clock, and it's now covered about 28400. During every single one of those miles I have had a big silly grin on my face - what a machine! It's way faster than I am and I still marvel at the way it revs so eagerly and keeps pulling like a train all the way up to the redline in every gear - sublime. The sound from the V8 and Millteks is to die for, as I'm sure you all know. Yes, things like the RS4 are even more extreme, but as one magazine review put it "the performance potential of the S4 is so great that one can only nibble at the edges of it in this country..". After eight months of ownership I can wholeheartedly agree; I've had more than my fair share of 'oh sh1t' moments when I've found myself going A LOT faster than I thought I was! Its pace can be very deceptive as the power delivery is so smooth and linear.
I've been a passenger in it doing an indicated 153 (km/h of course, and on a private road...) and we ran out of road before the S4 showed any sign of reaching its limit.
The only problem I've had with the car was the infamous pulley tensioner whine, which was rectified under warranty without any hassle by Swindon Audi. I am keeping a watchful eye on the auxiliary rads, as my warranty is out next March.
Fuel consumption has averaged out at 21.9mpg on the DIS; I have seen as much as 28mpg on long steady runs, and it's been down into almost single figures during hard driving.
This car is not my daily driver as I also have a 1998 B5 A4 1.9TDi quattro Sport which is my workhorse, but when it does come out it gets enjoyed to the full. I'm also a bit of a detailing fanatic, and the car managed to bag the runner-up spot in the 'Standard' class at this year's Audi Driver International Concours.
Here are a few pics - I need to take some more recent ones of the interior, which I'll post up later.



Cheers
John