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hi all,

i've recently finished my apprenticeship and have decided to treat myself to a new (new to me) car. i was reading the buyer guide for the s4 biturbo in an issue of PPC and thought that they looked like a great compromise between speed, comfort and very sleeperish. the problem is that i'm having a bit of a job on trying to find one that is both local (within 100 miles of tyneside) and at a reasonable price.

so i then thought of the s2 as an option also as they seem (more or less) just as quick, slightly cheaper and around they same for insureance (1500) but am a little put off buy reliability issues.


any help or advice would be appreciated

thanx

The sort of money that would get you a decent S4 would buy you an awesome S2. For both, I would consider spending a lot of time (and travelling a lot of miles) to find the right car. However, both Cumbria and Northumberland are good search areas and are well within your 100 mile limit.

In terms of reliability, probably not much to choose between them. I would guess that the S4 is more complex and therefore more hassle should something go wrong. S2 has more space under the bonnet and more straightforward electronics (climate control, etc). For servicing or repairing an S4, a trip to Fife or Oxfordshire would be wise as they are also likely to rectify faults you never knew were there.

Hope this helps.

I went from an S2 to an RS4. I would go for the S4 for it's increased space, newer, tunable, etc.... On the other hand, a throaty 5 pot does sound lurvley

a mate took me out in his S2 recently and i dont know if i drive like a girl or sommat but his felt quicker, rawer, more fun. having said that, im getting on a bit and like the old mans car!!!

Hi

I had a late S2 Avant for over 6 years and it was one fantastic car! I believe the car to be every bit as tunable as an S4, as with everything, it's just a matter of money. I would argue, that the 5 pot is even more reliable as the strength of the 5 pot is legendary. The S2 ABY engine from 1992 onwards is the last and best incarnation of this very well developed engine that started life back in 1985 with the short wheelbase Sport quattro.

There's a guy on S2central forum called Paul Nugent (forum name:"S2central")who used to do a fantastic "Homefry" Chip for this car. Gives about 280-290bhp and 430nm. I had mine done by him and it was brilliant - very cheap too. A Miltek Cat-Back is about £475 that sounds awesome on the 5-pot.

Take a trip over to S2central.com forum, it's the best source of S2 info on the planet.

The 2 most common things to look out for on the S2 (but all cheap fixes):-

1. Boost leaks (Performance is heavily affected by this) from the Intercooler "o" ring seal and other various pipes.

2. MAF's (Air Flow Sensor)

Of course, I love the S4 too!

PhilT wrote:I went from an S2 to an RS4. I would go for the S4 for it's increased space, newer, tunable, etc.... On the other hand, a throaty 5 pot does sound lurvley

Hi Phil

The S2 with a standard exhaust is quite "muted" on the S2 IMHO - nothing like a 10 valve ur quattro! Much better with a Miltek though.

Norrs2 wrote:

PhilT wrote:I went from an S2 to an RS4. I would go for the S4 for it's increased space, newer, tunable, etc.... On the other hand, a throaty 5 pot does sound lurvley

Hi Phil

The S2 with a standard exhaust is quite "muted" on the S2 IMHO - nothing like a 10 valve ur quattro! Much better with a Miltek though.

I had a hand made exhaust, and an RS2 engine upgrade. It was around the 315bhp mark when I sold it to Doug (MRC).

What about this one

http://rs246.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB ... ic&t=73421