Hey. I'm new to this board. Considering purchasing an '04 S4 manual tranny.

My main questions are regarding how reliable this car is, what key problem areas it has, whether all of you have found this car's cost of maintenance to be reasonable (yes, I know that's a relative thing). What sort of major things have you guys seen crop up -- at 30k, 40k, 50k, 60k? I'd be looking at cars in the upper 20k mi to mid 30k mileage range.

Also, have you folks found a good aftermarket warrantee that's comprehensive, doesn't exclude coverage on key things, and can be used at Indie Audi mechanics (versus CPO, which is dealer-only coverage)?

Last question:

Thanks for any advice you can provide!

--Peter in Atlanta

 

Some independent mechanics will sell you aftermarket insurance policies. I'm looking to get a lot insured on my new S4.

 

There really to new to have a lot of "normal" problems, and most are still under warranty.
So far B6's in general seam to have much fewer problems then the b5.

Give it another 2-3years, and all the evil Demons will start to show up.

 

that v8 is very reliable. just stay on top of the maintenenance. the most common problem ive seen is with second gear synchro. its not really the cars fault but operator error. speed shifting with that many ponies will always be bad if you mis clutch.