Hi Guys. I'm doing some research and found this forum. I have been considering an S4. I will be buying used so I am looking for the usual info relating to that. I read the sticky at the top of the forum page. I am looking at cars between 1999 and 2001. Some questions I have are;
What years are better/worse than others?
What areas to pay close attention to during inspections?
Any known issues with high mileage cars?
How difficult/easy are they to work on?
Any mods oncars to avoid?

I am confident in my mechanical abilities and have owned and worked on many German cars (GTI's, Golf's, Jetta's, Passat VR6, Porsche 911). My wife and I currently owna '96 Golf 1.8 (my commuter car), a '95 Passat VR6 (wifes daily driver with over 300000 Kms), an '01 Dodge Ram 15004X4and finally a '72 Porsche 911T 2.4 that I do all maintenance on.
The two VW's and the Ram are going to go. I will be using the car for commuting to work and my drive is 160 Km's (100 miles)one way. I put in an average of 660 Km's (400 miles) each week. Living in Canada, at leastfour months of the year are winter driving. Based on the above info, is the S4 a good choice? I love the VR6 and it's performance, so I am sure I would like the S4. I am also thinking about the A4 butfeel the S4 is more my style and would prefer the peformance. That being said I don't want to get into weekly major maintenance issues or high fuel consumption. The mileage will help the Turbo's last but will take a toll on other components, which are also pricey (17" tires, timing belt changes, brakes, tie rod ends etc). Would I be better off with the A4 and it's relatively lower maintenance costs?
We have two young kids so we need the rear seat room of a four door which is one of the reasons I am looking at Audis. I just feel like a change from VW's as well.
Please let me know any info you have on these cars, both the S4 and A4. I have resolved to the S4 but don't want to make te wrong choice. I will be buying from the US in all likelyhood so rust issues shouldn't be a problem until I get up here to the great white north.
Sorry for the long post.
Mike

 

Not to sound mean but this is all answered in the FAQ at the top it is a sticky so you cant miss it
please read cause other wise you will just get flamed

 

not trying to burst your bubble but this car might not be for you. With the amount of miles u put on a week your car is going to be under the knife a lot. If you plan on staying stock if might be for you but otherwise i would look into a cpo. As for working on them it's pretty easy. Just need some extra tools and some time. Parts are very expensive also.

here are common problems...
-bpv's blow
-tbb's blow
-k03's blow
-instrument cluster info/clock display abnormalities
-radio screen cuts out while driving
-radio screen doesn't show audio adjustments
-intercoolers leak
-MAF sensors die (2000 Bosch)
-paint easily chipped
-parking brake handle pops off with normal use
-seats clunk back and forth
-headrests clunk
-moonroof clunks when in the up setting
-lifting jack is flimsy and causes cars to fall down
-secondary water pumps fail
-washer pump housings crack
-2000 Model year Throttle body failures
-warped rotors that AoA insists on resurfacing instead of replacing (nyet, poor guy)
-wheel bearings die early
-coolant reservoir tanks crack with heat
-tie rods
-control arms
-abs modules
-trans syncros
-sticky buttons
-cv's rip

 

If you read the first line of my post you will see I read the sticky but had some further questions. I am more interested in what other owners know about usage. As mentioned I might be putting some high miles on the car and was wondering if that was a good idea.
I realize some of my questions may have been answered but still had some curiosity.
Thanks 2000Sforce, "you" were a big help!