Hey Fellas,

As I mentioned a while back, I totaled my 01 6spd S4 and am currently in the market for another.

I always used to look at Avants and say to myself "Why the hell would anyone buy a sports car wagon"? Well, the more I think about it, I might have some interest in an Avant but I wanted to get your opinions. Do you think avants are lame? Has anyone driven both the sedan and the avant and can you comment on the differences in speed/handling?

I have a bigger dog and it would be nice to have some room to put the dog in the back, plus the additional "sleeper" effect from a sporty wagon is appealing.

Let me know what you think, I found a nice Nogaro 01.5 6spd, heated seats with Alcantera suede seats, sport/premium package. 48k miles for $15k at a dealer, I assume I can talk him down a bit on the price. Thanks in advance.

 

hey is this the one that was just posted on autotrader in chicago? It has a salvage and then rebuilt title you do know that correct?

 

The handleing and speed are essentially the exact same. Your dog would have plenty of room to chill out. I think Avants are pretty BA, but i have a sedan for a reason.

 

Hey thanks for pointing that out, I haven't run a carfax yet and didn't know that about the title. It seemed a little too good to be true. Anyhow, I'm still contemplating an avant if I find the right deal.

 

yeah it is actually a "rebuilt" Title meaning it has been restored to factory condition and inspected so i wouldn't rule it out completely, iI went and test drove this car today and asked many questions, no maintenance history, and i asked them what the rebuild title was for and they told me it was rear end damage, I was interested in the extent of damage and what was replaced so they called the previous owner but he wasn't available. On the positive side, the car seems to be 100 percent unmodified, not sure if mods were taken off but it was purchased from a middle aged gentlemen... . Interior is 9/10 and exterior is 9/10 also, missing the badge on the rear, most likely from having trunk replaced. Drove great, shifted very smoothly, no clutch slippage what so ever, wasn't used to stock-length shifter haha but all together drove very nicely, turbo's sounded almost non-existent (no dentist drill). Would've liked them to have had an engine detail before but other than that this wagon is VERY nice, 01.5, checked trunk and rearbumper, fitment seems perfect and no latch problems. I'll be curious to see what the extent of the damage before "rebuild" was, i can let you know when i find out!

 

Hey thanks for the info Pauly. I'm not too keen on the idea of picking up a car that's been through a salvage title, but it sounds like it's pretty clean so far. The fact that it hasn't been modified is pretty appealing. I'm not too concerned about rear end damage if it has been rebuilt well. Sounds like the engine/tranny are working well, any grinding going into 2nd gear?

You thinking of buying this avant or are you just out test driving? I'm definitely interested in the damage report, that would be awesome if you can relay any information you gather. Thanks a lot!

 

I already have a 01.5 laser red sedan with the same mileage... but before i knew about the rebuilt title i was planning on snatching it and re-selling to make a buck cause if that car had a clean title it'd be worth 20-21 easy. but no absolutely no grinding into any gear... shifted smoother than my own car. and the engine, belts, etc sounded great. No rust on anything. interior is really flawless, and the turbos sounded and pulled strong. I was turned off by rebuilt title at first but if i was in the market i really think this would not be a bad find. Rear end damage is always better than front on these cars. No creaks in suspension or anything. I will definitely investigate the history more, at least figure out the cost of repairs to the rear end which would give some estimate of the damage caused.

 

The most sold version here in Holland is the Avant....and the most value one also
A S4 sedan for instance is cheaper than a Avant from the same year with the same specs.

I have a S4 Avant en never had any regrets!!

 

Avant all the way my friend! I recently upgraded from 2001.5 s4 sedan to 01.5 s4 avant and have been loving every mile of it! The Avant drives just as well as its sedan counterpart (its an Audi afterall!) and you will not be regretting an avant purchase

 

yeah i have two big dogs a huskey and german shep, i wish i would have got a avant, but got a good deal on a sedan. The back seat is always down and they just hang out the rear windows, kind of tight for them.