Hi All.... Happy Thanksgiving. (edit.... I meant to write "Intro" not "Into") sucks to do that on the first post!

I am new to this forum as I'm looking to buy my first Audi. I'm 36 and I've owned mostly coupes for the last 20 years but we just had our second child and I cannot pull it off anymore! The last car I owned (just sold it) was an '07 335i which as you probably know is a twin turbo. I had the ECU flash and several other small mods that were getting me 340whp on 93 octane. I love the ease of modifying turbocharged cars so the logical choice would have been to pick up a 335i sedan.... however, I don't really like the look of the sedan, but I've always loved the lines of the Audi sedans and I think the Audi interior is much better looking than the BMW's.

Also, I recently moved so my daily commute to the office has been cut down to just 6 miles round trip! I always bought low mileage cars because I commuted over 40-50 miles daily but since I now have a minimal commute, I can justify buying something with higher mileage (i.e. 50k to 75k).

With all that said, I've decided to keep my budget to under $20k and keep the rest of the cash from the 335i.

With that budget, I'm looking for a 2004 A6, which I understand is the best year of the C5 platform. I'm also looking at a 2004-05 S4, which is a bit smaller but it is a 4-door and I can find plenty $20k.

My question about the A6 is whether I should get a 2.7T or a 4.2L. I like the fender flares on the 4.2L but I'm limited on mods. On the other hand, I only have a 6 mile daily drive with no highways so mods are not that crucial.

With the S4, I'm getting a fantastic car but then again the mods are limited.... and it's a little smaller.... would the A6 4.2L be a better choice?

Thank you for reading my long-winded intro and I hope to get some feedback.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Is the S4 a better car than an A6? That is a question that has so many dependencies that only you can answer the question. Neither are particularly reliable. Both cost an arm and a leg to maintain. The A6 has more room than the S4 but the S4 should retain its value better and is more fun to drive. For commuting, either will do. For family trips, go with the A6. I would go with the V8 and save the extra money for repairs.

Good luck,

Bob

 

Bob, thanks for the feedback. I take it from your response that the 4.2 V8 is a more reliable engine... is that right? I like the V8 idea so in the meantime, I've researched a little more... what about an A8? I found several '04s for under $20k and I even found a 2002 S8 with 60k miles for only $12,000. The larger sedan is a better choice for me..... my wife drives a 2010 CR-V because she loves that car and at this point, this is our "family car" but I hate driving it..... it's fully loaded and nice but no power at all. I think a larger sedan makes more sense.... so let me rule out the S4 at this point. So, now we're talking about A6 (2.7T or 4.2) or A8/S8. Where can I find good information about these cars with regards to reliability.... and speaking of that, what Audi is actually reliable???

 

A6 Reliability
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A8 Reliability

A8 Concerns - posted by an Audi mechanic, who's one of the pillars of this forum.
Welcome to the forum.

 

If you are looking for power, the 4.2 and a stage 1 2.7T are about the same. Based on your comment about a 6 mile commute, I think the shorter trips will be harder on a higher mileage 2.7T and it will be more prone to turbo failure (giving you an excuse for a stage 2-3 upgrade, of course). Turbos need to be warmed up and cooled down as you probably know from your 335i. On the other hand, I just turned 180k on my original turbos, but most of my driving is high speed long distance highway.

The A6 is a roomy vehicle and I easily fit 4-5 for trips. The A4, not so much so, but it is a nice form factor for a single commuter and you have your Caddy for trips. My daughter has a 2003 A4 3.0 and in some ways I like the size more than my A6.

Whatever Audi you decide to buy, get it checked out real well by someone who services Audis and knows what to look for.

 

Thank you.... this is very good information. I've been reading more and more about reliability of the A6 & A8 and I'm finding really interesting stuff... the problem is that this will be my first Audi and given my needs I am buying a high-end Audi (i.e. A8). My first BMW was a 1995 M3 so it was not expensive to begin with and it was cheap to fix. On the other hand, an A8 is a different story and if something goes wrong then I'm looking at significant repair bills. A warranty would protect me but it's about $4,000 for a decent one that covers all the electrical components that are prone to failure. Adding $4,000 to the purchase price at $20k makes no sense as that represents 20%!

Any thoughs? I'm wondering if there is a buyer's guide that tells me what to look for when it comes to buying these cars.