Hey all, I have the chance for a good deal on a 2000 S4, and so I've been bouncing around some Audi forums for advice. It seems like these cars can be (WILL be) expensive to maintain, but would any of you call them unreliable? I would be getting the car from a close family member who is very well connected in the used car industry, and he's offered me a very extensive bumper to bumper warranty for like a grand. He also said that these cars hold value well in certain circles (like all of you!) so if I kept the car in good shape, and didn't mod it, he would buy it back from me in 3 years or so for what I paid. Seems risk-free, and I know he wouldn't screw me, but will this car be in the shop constantly? Here's the details;
2000 Audi S4 (completely stock)
70,000 mi
price ~$9,000
warranty ~$1,000
Questions:
If maintenance was free, would you recommend this car?
How often do they need fixing (not incl. mod's)?
How well do they hold their value?
What tends to break down around this mileage?
Thanks for the help, and I'd love to post new car pics for you guys soon!!!

 

The 2.7T's spend a lot of time in the shop. I went with a 4.2L S4 and the only things I've had to repair over a years time are a broken speaker grill and loose dash vents. Not one drive train issue and I doubt I'll have an issue for years. When I was working sales at an Audi dealership I'd push people to the 4.2 just because they are almost bullet-proof... I'd only see my 4.2 customers when they needed an oil change or if they needed to fix a door ding!

The 2.7T S4s have been ranging from $7-11k for the last couple years depending on condition, mileage and owner pride. Easy to mod and fast as f*** but I wouldn't own one. (NO OFFENSE I just don't have the time to deal with all the problems!) I prefer the 2004+ body styles anyway but the 4.2 sealed the deal for me.

Hell it's been 100 times more reliable than my wife's NEW '09 3.2 A4 and my 4.2 S4's 4 years old. NOT ONE ENGINE ISSUE for 40k!