Im looking for some input on my next Audi purchase. Right now I drive a 98 2.8 Quattro 5spd...i know i didnt do my research. Anyways my buddy is buying an E36 M3 sedan and obviously I need to counter! Im sticking with Audi and wont spend more than 20k it needs to be reliable but also beat the bimmer. I was thinking either UrS4/S6 a certified 05 1.8T or whatever you guys can come up with. What do you think?

 

you can buy a 2000-2002 S4 that has 250 chp stock and then chip it to get it over 300 chp but they might not be as reliable as you want.

i say get a 1.8T, a used one for cheap, and spend the extra money putting a bt setup in there with a gt2871r turbo to get around 350whp.

theres a lot more options though, u can read the newbie section about turbo setups, so if u decide to get an A4, then that guide will help u a lot.

 

So other than the typical B5 problems and the turbo's what other reliablity issues would there be with the B5 S4?

 

S4 pretty much has all the same problems (i think) except for the fact there are 2 turbo's and you have to remove the engine to replace them. The fact is its so much more cramped that fixing things just costs more even if the part is the same or the same price. I would still go for the S4 though for that kind of money you could just about get it upgrade to K04 and tune for it and have 350+ hp and more torque then you would know what to do with. I can get 01-02 S4's with under 70k miles for less then 9k through the dealer.

 

yes that seems to be the way im leaning. found one for around $7k and could invest in decent suspension/brakes/and an RS4 type setup. just wondering if i would run more than 20lb on some K04's would it be worth lowering the compression...would it make the car more reliable?

 

You got a long way to go. First of all, 2871r won't get to 350Whp.
Next, a K04 A4 still won't beat a chipped S4. Not even a race! I had a 2.7 with Vast downpipes, 104 race fuel file, exhaust blah blah blah... all except turbo's were upgraded and believe that it was a fkn rocket. But twice the turbo's are twice as fast and twice as expensive. I spent more than $8,000 w/o built internals and stock K03's. And don't spend your life trying to have something better than your fellow workers, classmates, friends etc. You'll never be satisfied and always miserable because someone will always have a nicer car, more $, hotter g/f, etc etc. Just be happy what your hard work gets you and what you truly want. Just moral advise.

A $7,000 S4 is either wrecked or very high miled. If you want to push over 20psi on K04's and having an engine over 100,000 miles your in for some gutting. This will all cost more than $20,000. Add every possible item you'll need to upgrade and you'll realise that going Stage 3 in anything is very expensive. To properly do a stage 3 on an A4 from scratch and reach 350whp it'll take over $10,000 in parts NOT including labor, which unless you can custom machine pistons and blueprint the entire engine, over bore etc etc you won't DIY

 

If you can really get an S4 6MT for under $9,000 please let me know. I'll throw that down cash and give you a fat comission. LMK I'm in IL.

 

a proper gt2871r setup can hit 350 whp pretty easy actually.

$5,000 can buy you a nice setup, no labor of course.

 

2871r can get somewhat close with very extensive tuning (custom logs, not REVO or APR files which are very well researched and still get you into 300whp max), very well-composed hardware and supporting mods (no Precision cores, not even 700's) and built internals. Because of course they'll cut a new exit through your block at over 300tq if you viciously hit WOT . 2871r's at 350 are almost unheard of and not efficient. 3071rs barely make it up there without some hardcore builds. They do easily make it, done right! Not with a small budget.

Please link me to an A4 owner that reached 350whp and a full build (I said from scratch so I'm talking bout EVERY supporting mod) with $5,000. Please do so.

 

apr stage 3 kit uses a gt28r and pushes 280 whp, if you used a gt2871r setup with a unitronics 630cc tune you would make 350 whp. sean1.8t(a moderator on the site) has a gt28rs setup hitting around 320-330 whp.