I've been without my B5 A4 for about 2 years now and I really miss driving an Audi! I got my new business up and running in that time and while I'm not exactly getting rich yet, I am making a few bucks and am ready to buy another car. For the last couple years, I've been driving my 2001 Chevy Astro van around for everything, work and play and while its a great vehicle for everything work-related, its not exactly the vehicle you want to have for picking up a date or going out at night! I've owned all sorts of cars and really loved that Audi. No, it wasn't as good as the Acuras I've owned as far as reliability goes, but it wasn't that bad and I knew going in that I could expect a few hiccups here and there. It was a really cool car and fun to drive too!

I'd like to find something like a B7 A4. I like the looks and they're within my budget. While I was looking through ads for A4's, I came across what looks to be a decent deal on an S4, its not that much more than the comparable A4's I've been seeing in the ads. I sent an email to the dealer last night asking if they have service records for the car, if they don't, that's likely a deal breaker though.

I'm wondering what you S4 owners have experienced in terms of usual costs of owning an S4, that would be different than owning an A4. I was trying to think of where the pitfalls might be and I can't think of much, off the top of my head. With any A4, you already need the synthetic oil changes, so that's not going any higher for owning an S4. Obviously, gas mileage will be at least somewhat better with the A4. According to the EPA, the combined mileage rating for the A4 is 24/21 MPG (1.8T/V6) while the S4 is 16 MPG. I'll still be using the van for work every day, only driving the Audi for fun, so I'd guess I'd be putting 10k miles a year max on the Audi, maybe less. They all take premium gas too, so no savings there either.

I guess I'm wondering about any other hidden "zingers" out there as far as costs go, like going to get new brake pads and finding out that the S4 needs some special "super pads" that are $150 each or something like that?

Any other thoughts on the differences between the two would be appreciated as well! I'd say that the only driving complaint I had with my B5 A4 was the lack of power (I had a 2000 1.8T-so 150 measly hp!) it was rather annoying at times when I'd want to pass someone and even if I floored the damn thing it would still take forever to pick up speed-honestly my Astro van would blow it away! I know that they upped the 1.8T to 200hp or whatever a few years later, but I still wonder how even that one goes? I do know that with a 340hp V8 in there it would be doing just fine!

 

s4 enough said i own both b5 a4 1.8t quattro and the b6 s4 v8 love the v8 end of story.

my b5 has had the engine rebuild blown 2 heads 1 because of oil sludge 2nd because the cam gear broke how idk, burned gaskets like crazy no blown turbos yet got the car for like $3000 have spend on it like $3k in 2 years mods and repair included.

b6 s4 cost me 10k cash 05 b6 s4 used, had minor issue vaccum leak fix it heater core hose broke because it was old already fixed it cost me $12 nothing else wrong i might change clutch soon should cost me like 400 500 for a good clutch even installing down pipes was not hard at all walk at the park.

bottom line i stick with the all motor forget force induction for now but!

if you dont do your own work and need to take it to a shop lol for any little thing then stick with the a4 end of story and even then they might rape you on price quotes. good luck just my opinion on the subject.

 

The S4 4.2 takes 9.5 liters of synthetic oil... 5W/40 to be exact.

fixed that for ya...

I bought my S4 6 months ago and I love the **** out of it. Even if a power steering line decided to bust a hour away from home last weekend. It is the only car I've ever owned that I looked forward to the drive every day. Take one for a test drive and you will be grinning ear to ear. If you're only going 10K a year, might as well love ever mile of it.

 

i know right lol? same here i love the s4 dint think it would be that fun to drive its smooth rides clean and to be honest mpg is great for a v8 i get 20 21 all the time unless i run it hard than yea its low but over all i love it.

 

I average 15.7 city/highway mixed... but I have a lead foot.

 

sounds about right with a heavy foot, max i done highway is 22mpg and 19mpg on the city but i live on the desert no traffic nothing all flat road.

 

In advance, sorry if I step on any toes in the comments above me. I saw this thread a day or two ago and just jumped in to address what I saw. Don't take just my word for it, look at the other comments as well. Learn from the masses.

Hands Down, S4 will be more FUN than an A4. A4 most definitely friendlier on the wallet.

If you found a B7 S4 for the same price of the average A4, I'd say something may be wrong with it... HOWEVER, that being said, no service records should not be a deal breaker. There are other things to be concerned about with these cars. You should get a PPI done by a trusted mechanic. In Utah, at least, the average S4 is sitting $18-19k. A4s are looking to be about 12-13k. So if you see and S4 for much less than the average, sometimes that's telling you something... like run away. Sometimes it's telling you something else, like buy it right away, because it's a killer deal.

Pitfalls
A4: Timing belt. I would bet you could get it done for a thousand bucks if it hasn't been done yet. But depends on mileage of the car, whether or not it needs it right away. Or maybe it's already been done? Turbo going out... These aren't cheap if they go bad. So listen for any noises indicating wear on the turbo. If you had a B5 with a turbo, you know the feel of it, you should be able to recognize if it's not working properly.

S4: Timing chain. Depending on the car, and it is wildly unpredictable, the timing chain guides and adjusters could be going bad... If this business needs to be replaced, you're looking about 4 grand to have done at a shop. On top of that, the cylinder walls can score over time, leading to major oil burnoff. Some have had over a quart every thousand miles. No repair can fix this, only replacing the block.

As I said above, get a PPI done, on any car. They can identify these issues for you. Make sure they do a compression test. If you're looking at an S4, see if the chain has been addressed. If not, you're listening for rattling/grinding/clanking upon start up of the engine. Any more than 1 second of this and you'll very likely be paying for the job in the near future.

Gas mileage... The little turbo A4 will do better on mileage than the S4, no questions asked. Depending on how you drive, you might get numbers like the EPA states... However, if you have a lead foot, be prepared to pay a ton more in the S4. I've seen forum members with vanity plates on their S4s that read "IEETGAS". They aren't kidding around. If you're driving with spirit, expect more like 12-15MPG. With the A4, I usually got about 16-19MPG when I was driving heavy.

Above you said you're used to doing the full synth changes on the A4, you need to realize the S4 uses almost 10 qts of oil! And unlike the A4, you'll want to change the oil a bit more frequently(helps with the timing chain issues).

And brake pads: S4, Yes, you are looking nearly $150 for pads. Can definitely be found cheaper, but just doing a quick search led me to $100-150 depending on brand/quality. In comparison, the A4 quick search yielded 60-120 for pads. (all prices for front only)

I've owned a B5 and B6 A4, now B7 S4.

Both A4s felt under powered to me. With a tune and bigger turbo you could get decent power. But it's going to be found in the upper RPM range.

An S4 with the V8 will provide HP and torque throughout the full power-band. So getting on an on-ramp, you'll look at your speedo and be very surprised to see that you're already going 80. It's deceivingly quick.

Overall, if you must have the power, and have the ability to pay a maintenance premium, get the S4. If you are trying to be conservative and save a couple bucks, get the A4 for sure. Just whatever you do, have the car thoroughly checked beforehand to find any hidden issues, or big things that might come up on you quick.

Good luck finding something you love.

 

Check out this from audizine. Much more comprehensive community over there of S4 owners. The forum is actually broken up into different sub categories to filter out the B5, B6/B7, B8 guys.

Here's good info for the S4.

Post for new members. Faq over view. PLEASE READ.