Should I sell my b6 a4 and buy b5 s4???

[D33PU]

What are the pro's and con's. I have a b6 1.8T quattro. No power seats, nav or leather. Runs real nice. I could get the b5 S4 or upgrade the a4 turbo.

Thanx for the help in the decision.

[kwimberly]

would you be picking up high miles?

[Overboostin]

get the s4. specially, you should get this s4: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=215097

[BlkdoutS4]

S4! i just sold my a4 for an S

[audikid66]

b5 s4s r outdated looking IMO..interior and exterior... and the engines r very undependable and expensive wen something goes wrong...buttt if you want a very tuneable and easy to make fast car... then i'd say go for it

[Overboostin]

b5 s4s r outdated looking IMO..interior and exterior... and the engines r very undependable and expensive wen something goes wrong...buttt if you want a very tuneable and easy to make fast car... then i'd say go for it

undependable eh? You mean not dependable? Unreliable, perhaps? Tell that to my 120k engine thats given me NO problems .

Proper maintenance is where it's at.

so is proper grammar

[CARTEL]

S4 all the way. They're awesome... and fast! I'm looking to pick up a B5 S4 Avant for my next project.

[bavaria75]

Go for the S4, quicker ride and full of options. Make sure you get the cold weather package (Heated Seats) where you live.
And get ready for quite higher repair cost on parts and labor if somethink breaks. This what got me into a B6 A4 instead of a B5 S4.

[A4TL]

join the dark side :)

[sean1.8t]

b5 s4s r outdated looking IMO..interior and exterior... and the engines r very undependable and expensive wen something goes wrong...buttt if you want a very tuneable and easy to make fast car... then i'd say go for it

outdated looking? really? so any car that is over 6 years old is outdated?

have you ever heard of the words, timeless? classic? beautiful?

those are the words that i would use to describe the B5 body

and yes, you always hear about the ones that need big $$$ to maintain and repair. but you never hear about the ones with 100+k miles on them and running great on original turbo's(like 2 of my personal friends)..

it's all about how you treat the car

[sean1.8t]

oh, and btw, i'd get the S!

my next Audi will undoubtedly be a B5 S4

[A4ringedONE8T]

I was thinking about picking up a B5 S4 about 6 months ago, I just couldnt trade for an older car with more miles, didnt make sense to me. As people have said, some have a ton of problems and some have none, its all in how the car was cared for and driven prior to you! Good luck, they can make plenty of power, thats for sure!

[Ill 3.0]

it's all about how you treat the car

yes and no. friend of mine has a Stage III S4 with fairly low miles (60k), went Stage III almost two years ago. He has been the only owner and is very meticulous about maintenance, yet has had to do some pretty extensive work to keep it going. Bottom line, even with the best care these cars tend to have expensive problems that may or may not be suitable for someone as a daily driver.

[D33PU]

My b6 a4 has 225,000 km's. I got it at 205,000 km's. Also my cuzin has a audi/volkswagon shop. So I think I'm gonna go for the S4. Now just to look for the perfect one. Thanks for the comments.

[jrau13]

S4 all the way. They're awesome... and fast! I'm looking to pick up a B5 S4 Avant for my next project.

Great minds think a like That's what I would love to do next.

[Mikef5000]

The two people I know with B5 S4's are getting nickle and dimed TO DEATH now that the cars are over 80k miles. It is rediculous! It seems once a week they add something to the "need to replace" list.

[Mikef5000]

outdated looking? really? so any car that is over 6 years old is outdated?

No. Some cars are outdated looking when they are new... that doesn't mean ALL new cars are outdated.

I much prefer the smooth lines of the B6. But no one can deny the fun of that 2.7T motor... when it's running.

[sean1.8t]

yes and no. friend of mine has a Stage III S4 with fairly low miles (60k), went Stage III almost two years ago. He has been the only owner and is very meticulous about maintenance, yet has had to do some pretty extensive work to keep it going. Bottom line, even with the best care these cars tend to have expensive problems that may or may not be suitable for someone as a daily driver.

yes, but those are probably problems you will generally just see with any B5(a4 or s4).

things like ABS modules, transmission, suspension, etc.. not really things that are 2.7t related..

[sean1.8t]

I much prefer the smooth lines of the B6.

i owned a B5. and i now own a B6

trust me, the B5 had a lot more "smooth lines" than the B6 ever will

[Tinman]

the B6 is a much tighter car. It's lighter, and a better design in terms of structural rigidity. The B5 will indeed be faster, but it'll feel older when you drive it. There's also the impending doom of the turbos that comes from owning a B5 S4. And most in-engine repairs and forms of maintenance are more of a PITA and cost more at a shop. If you're prepared for all of those things, then go for the faster car.

no matter what turbo you put on the B6A4, it'll never be an S4!


L8

[LampyB]

The B5 S4 is an amazing car and once I can afford the maintenance I plan on getting one. The problem lies in how much you're going to have to shell out just to keep up on maintenance...

take for example my 2001 B5 A4, here's what I had to put into the car within 6 months of purchase @ 75K miles:

Timing Belt Job: $915
02 Sensors: $250
MAF: $150
Spark Plugs: $8
3 Wheel Bearings: $1000
All Vacuum Lines: $10
Coolant Temp. Sensor: $25

Total: $2,358 by around 87K and 6 months into ownership

BTW the turbo was going bad ($700 w/no labor) AND the Cam Chain Tensioner needed to be replaced (around $1500 for the job with labor). I was lucky to have a very solid suspension still, otherwise it was getting to be time to replace that as well. There was a serious idle issue involving the throttle body too. I sold the car before even doing any of these items.

So take the S4. There are two of everything, and you can't really work on the motor yourself unless you know your sh*t. So figure in a ton more $ into labor.

I love the B5 S4, and will definitely have one some day. But first I need to make a lot more money in order to have the cash on hand for mods, maintenance, AND repairs!

[dougyfresh]

S4 all the way. They're awesome... and fast! I'm looking to pick up a B5 S4 Avant for my next project.

You and me, both, my friend.

I want to build a 3.0L twin-GT28RS B5 S4 AVant as my next vehicle to add to the collection.

[sean1.8t]

the B6 is a much tighter car. It's lighter, and a better design in terms of structural rigidity. The B5 will indeed be faster, but it'll feel older when you drive it.


L8

have you actually owned a B5?

or driven one that is not stock?

probably not on both eh?

so many forum car testers out there it's ridiculous

[AudiBama]

honestly, i think the b5's look old too...but damn a nice S4 is fun to drive...tough decision....it comes down to looks or speed

[Tinman]

have you actually owned a B5?

or driven one that is not stock?

probably not on both eh?

so many forum car testers out there it's ridiculous

I did. I actually had the option of a pristine black 2001 B5S4 at the dealership when I went to buy my B6. I drove them back-to-back, actually. The B5 is an older car, both in amenities and in feel. You can tell that there's extra weight, too.

I liked the B5S4, don't get me wrong, but I decided to buy the car designed for 2002, over the one made for 1996.


L8

[ewytt]

Turbo Lady sings

[lfloodt]

i had the same choice about 6 months ago, after owning 2 black b5 a4's. i almost bought an '01 S4 that was black too so i was even going to be able to easily swap my exterior mods onto it(rs4 kit, cf hood, etc...) but i hesitated to buy another b5, and then someone bought the one i was looking at and i decided to get a b6 avant instead. it's obviously not fast like the s4 but after owning the b5's for a while i'm not sorry with my choice, i'm lovin the b6 avant.....

[paranoia]

get an S4.

[hachirokukid]

short answer to a ez question...

yes

[A4TL]

yeah i'm afraid to say i saw blacked out s4 (B6) and it was sick. i saw a decent b5 S4 and while i appreciate the butt (best car-butt evar) the sides and front are severely dated looking.

i went looking for various 2.7TT cars (allroad,a6,s4) and about 80% of them had issues.

Tons of salvage, plenty of cars with codes reset (no readiness), smoking from one side or the other.

Go find an extended warrant for that motor. Let me know how much you can get one for . please. if you can find me one for 2years (from today) and 24K miles. let me know.

[Overboostin]

^^ continental warranty

[A4TL]

can you scan in the warranty. showing the car having more than 50K miles, how long it will last (7 years from delivery or activation) and total mileage for the 2.7TT bi-turbo all wheel drive?

or a phone #?

Everyone i talked to said "EXOTIC MOTOR NO WAY!".

My audi was near flawless during its 7year/100K warranty then went to all heck at 104K. I will say for a german car that is subpar compared to my 1990 corrado but i guess thats how cost cutting works.

[smithm5]

first car was a B6 A4. loved it. lots of tech, speed, fun, luxury for the money.

now i have a B5 S4, and i would buy another in a heart beat!!! even if they are the same money.

if reliability is a concern, buy a beater civic to get around and an S4

[sleeperwagon]

its a personal call. I JUST went through the same question along with cancelling my new M3 order. I also think the B5 looks and feels old but its fast. My B6 USP Avant gets thumbs up everywhere. Its slow so I spent some money on it (still thinking of garrett turbo). I am going to keep my B6 as a daily driver and think I am going to turbo a 2000 BMW M Coupe, I think that is a "classic, timeless look".