B5 A4 Vs B6 S4

**banger2392t1** · 12-01-2008 06:08 PM

I just sold my 1998 a6 and iam going tp upgrade to either car soon. I know this is biast being on the a4 section but i wanted to see peoples comments on the a4 and why it would be better. Whats your say?

**onceover** · 12-01-2008 06:09 PM

uh? so either a 97-01 A4 or a 2003-05 S4?

S4 for sure...

**A4ringedONE8T** · 12-01-2008 06:11 PM

I take it you meant the B6 variant of each? If that is indeed true, 1.8T A4 if you plan to mod, S4 if you plan to keep it stock

**Charlescrs6** · 12-01-2008 06:12 PM

I'm assuming he means B5 S4 or a B6 A4, and my answer to you will be if you want SLOW with better reliability get a B6, if you want something fast, tunable, and unreliable go with the B5.

**banger2392t1** · 12-01-2008 06:24 PM

I am deciding between an 02/03 B6 A4 or an 01/02 B5 S4

**djwimbo** · 12-01-2008 06:29 PM

Note my response in the B5 S4 forum. I'm probably getting bashed by them right now...

**Howard Hughes** · 12-01-2008 06:34 PM

Better for what? what's your criteria?

**tdn** · 12-01-2008 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by banger2392t1

I am deciding between an 02/03 B6 A4 or an 01/02 B5 S4

If you don't want to go stage 3 with the b5 s4, get an a4. You can achieve s4 stage 2+ power out of a 1.8t easily with an eliminator and be more reliable imo.

If you plan on keeping both stock, maybe have some minor engine mods to the 1.8t, I'd go with a well cared for, relatively low miles, b5 s4.

If you want the one that will most likely cost you the least amount of money in the long run (insurance, gas, repairs), go I'd go with a b6 a4.

It's kind of hard helping you decide, I'm with Howard, whats your criteria?

**banger2392t1** · 12-01-2008 10:26 PM

im planning on chipping either car and some minor mods.... can i get the same hp with an a4 but not spending too much money?

**onceover** · 12-01-2008 10:52 PM

^no.

**JMRQuattro** · 12-02-2008 02:04 AM

do some searches on turbo and engine builds. There are a ton. And they are all VERY expensive. It's really not wise to try and put the hp into the a4 to match the b5 s4 if you're thinking cheap. It's not gonna happen.

But if you are tech savvy and like to DIY then i would suggest the a4 if you're not concerned about the money. Cause it has more options and would be a lot more fun to work with. Plus like everyone has said, more reliable.

I went with the a4 cause i love the look of it. Much better IMO than the B5. And if i ever want to i can upgrade the power and have some fun and still maintain better gas mileage than the S4 for the same amount of power.

**B6Lovin** · 12-02-2008 02:13 AM

^its also not wise to get a b5s4 at all if you're thinking cheap.

maintanence will catch up with you...

b6 is newer (get one with lower miles if you can)
b6 may be slower with basic mods, but can also still be fun
b6 is more reliable
b6 is cheaper to fix when it does break
its possible for a normal person (not necessarily mechanically inclined) to work on a b6 1.8T... not so much with the b5s4.

that's basically my reasnoning... stage one for stage one, penny for penny - the s4 wins the performance battle though. (unless you're going to go further than that... then it's a judgement call of what kind of power you want)

oh, better milage and should be cheaper insurance in the b6 1.8T too

**banger2392t1** · 12-03-2008 09:58 AM

Hey thanks for your input everyone...i think i got the answer i was looking for

**MaxBoostB6** · 12-03-2008 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by B6Lovin

^its also not wise to get a b5s4 at all if you're thinking cheap.

maintanence will catch up with you...

b6 is newer (get one with lower miles if you can)
b6 may be slower with basic mods, but can also still be fun
b6 is more reliable
b6 is cheaper to fix when it does break
its possible for a normal person (not necessarily mechanically inclined) to work on a b6 1.8T... not so much with the b5s4.

that's basically my reasnoning... stage one for stage one, penny for penny - the s4 wins the performance battle though. (unless you're going to go further than that... then it's a judgement call of what kind of power you want)

oh, better milage and should be cheaper insurance in the b6 1.8T too

Originally Posted by banger2392t1

Hey thanks for your input everyone...i think i got the answer i was looking for

I was making this same decision less than 3 weeks ago ( B5 S4 vs B6 A4 ), I went with the B6 A4 because it is newer and to me the bodystyle looks better in factory form also it's wayyyyyyy cheaper to maintain and less expensive to fix... so really it boiled down to cost of ownership (gas, insurance, repair, maintanance, etc ), B6 A4 wins hands down... although i still dream about owning a B5 S4