Hello and Some questions from a newbie

[S4ben]

Just wanted to say hello to everyone on the forum and introduce myself and ask a few questions about the S4

Im looking to purchase an S4 over the coming months within the region of 9000-12,000

I currently own an 98 Integra Type R and wanted something with a bit more torque and luxury, but before i go diving in and buying the car i wanted to know whether i can afford to run the beast as im sure it aint cheap. If this has been covered before sorry.

So how much does it cost to fill up and how many miles are you looking at?
What is servicing like?
How often do they go wron and when they do what are the costs like?

I know these are very broad questions and are difficult to answer if your coz it depends on driving style etc, but i want to just get a feel for bills that i am going to see. Also any adivce i should know in looking for a used S4 of that price range.

Any advice would be appreciated look forward to your replies.

[ChipHazzard]

Hi Ben and welcome to the boards

I've had my 99 fl S4 for 9 months now and not had a single problem with it. in answer to your questions and I'm sure some of the more long term owners will correct me if i go wrong

It is a 60 litre tank so about £45 - £50 to fill up once the petrol light comes on

Servicing I would say is personal preferance wether you use a stealer or good specialist, if it hasnt already been done then get the cambelt and waterpump changed

Like any cars they have their weak points and can be costly (queue a more learned member to elaborate) but when it comes to replacing things eg turbo's you can always go for the upgrade route for a few more quid than std replacement parts

[andy123]

Hi mate. The car that I had before the s4 was a civic type r so i know firsthand the differences. Ive not had mine that long so i dont know it that well yet but my experience is:
First off petrol is going to cost you more without a doubt. The main advantage of the s4 tho is that you dont have to get above 6000 rpm for the vtec to come on, and you dont need to keep the revs up to get from a to b.you could spend all day pottering around without having to go above 3000 rpm, so if your sensible it shouldnt cost that much more.My fuel bills havent changed that much, but when I had my type R i used to hammer it daily. Servicing can be dear through Audi main dealers but there is a load of very good specialist that will carry out work to the same standard for a lot less, and be passionate about the job whilst doing it. You have to understand that they are a more complex car then the type r, so there is more to break, but as long as you buy one which has been looked after it shouldnt cause you any major probs. It seems like you get what you pay for with these as i looked at a few before getting mine, and the cheaper ones really werent much cop.hope thats some help!!

[S4ben]

thanks Chip, Since Posting i have read some info so sorry if this a typical newbie post but you gotta start somewhere.

I havent driven one yet, but i have driven the new S4 and damm i Loved it lots of power built amazing and sounded very tasty with the miltek exhaust system, if only i was 20,000 richer.

Id loved to take try some of the tuned S4's on this site the ones which have over 400lb of Torque must be amazing fun

[andy123]

Hi mate. The car that I had before the s4 was a civic type r so i know firsthand the differences. Ive not had mine that long so i dont know it that well yet but my experience is:
First off petrol is going to cost you more without a doubt. The main advantage of the s4 tho is that you dont have to get above 6000 rpm for the vtec to come on, and you dont need to keep the revs up to get from a to b.you could spend all day pottering around without having to go above 3000 rpm, so if your sensible it shouldnt cost that much more.My fuel bills havent changed that much, but when I had my type R i used to hammer it daily. Servicing can be dear through Audi main dealers but there is a load of very good specialist that will carry out work to the same standard for a lot less, and be passionate about the job whilst doing it. You have to understand that they are a more complex car then the type r, so there is more to break, but as long as you buy one which has been looked after it shouldnt cause you any major probs. It seems like you get what you pay for with these as i looked at a few before getting mine, and the cheaper ones really werent much cop.hope thats some help!!

[Dippy]

For mid speed driving (i.e. mostly around 40-50mph) and nominal amounts of fun (like not using full boost when you don't need it!), the S4 should get around 20-24 mpg on average. If you do a lot of higher speed cruising, this can in fact go a lot higher, unless that higher speed is above 90 mph in which case you'll start using a lot more fuel. For low speed driving & heavy traffic, your mpg usually equates to your average speed (how do I know this???).

So when I used to get around 23-24mpg on average my range was around 300 miles per tank. Now I'm lucky to get 250 miles.

IF nothing goes wrong with the car then servicing is cheap. There is really not much to do every 20K, and the 40K just adds plugs, air filter etc. The big one at 80K for the cambelt. Then the interim service (nominally 10K) is only an oil change which you can do yourself for around 60 quid if you use the right oil. (Note that others like me change it every 5K).

So unless you do a lot of miles, your annual service bill should only be a few hundred quid.

BUT the big risk is indeed if anything major goes wrong. Have a good read here and you'll find out about the heatshield problem and possible turbo failure. These are two cases of engine out and a bill of several grand.

Also look for a recent post about a guy in the US who bought a car off e-bay. Had transmission problems and cost him several grand.

[S4ben]

cheers guys and thanks for the info, nice and detailed so i apprecitte that any more comments like the above especially if there are any pre Type R owners thatd be great,

There is one on autotrader from a dealer at 9500 or 9799 if i remember correctly FASH, 55,000, silver, Immac Condition, most of the main toys and looks very clean looking from the pics, Low mileage looks cheap to me, although id like to buy now but gotta sort my funds out a bit as probably wont be buying until April. BUt 4 any1 out there looking might be worth a look,

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in short buy the best one you can