B5 S4 High School

[WEEKENDWARRIORZ]

I'm currently in high school and have saved up money for a stock Used B5 S4, I am fully aware of the maintenance costs, nightmares, timing belt replacing, K03 turbos blowing, valve cover gaskets, etc. That being said I have saved the extra money in the case of anything that will need to be changed/replaced. Problem is my parents will not let me buy an S4, keeping in mind that I will be paying for maintenance, insurance, and fuel costs and doing mostly DIY work they are still completely opposed to it. Any thoughts on things I can say or do?

Much appreciated.

[xalents23]

I say your parents are very wise. Not much you can do to change your parents perspective on the S4. They are just being parents and giving you advice. I wish my parents told me that when I was younger. Good luck.

[WEEKENDWARRIORZ]

At what age did you buy your B5?

[aysix]

I got into the game the summer after graduation. I vote you buy an S4.

[hotshot32890]

I sent you a message. get in touch

[S4tech2]

Your parents are always going to be right no matter what. They have more sense then a high school student, I see that now that I have turned 24 I wish I would have listened to my dad more. If you really want a b5 then get an a4, insurance is cheaper, the car isn't as fast stock but can get rather rowdy with turbo upgrade and the 1.8 is much easier to work (you don't have to drop the engine to due turbos)

[i96wh33lman]

I don't remember who on here said it but this is the mind set you need to have: Unless your buying your s4 new, it really is best served as a week end only car not a daily driver. When I bought my s4 it was right after high school and I never had money for anything else, don't get me wrong I made more than most my age at that time but still, the s4 especially if you plan to mod it will leave you broke as a joke.

Also think about how long you plan to have the car for, say in 4 years you are ready to sell and get something else keep in mind you'll be selling a 20 year old car, not gonna get much for it even with mods.

I could do alot more to sell you on reasons NOT to buy the s4 which I won't put forth that amount of effort. Wish someone had done it for me but then again I learned a valuable lesson the path I took. Sometimes no matter how much someone tells you something, you can only learn by making your own mistakes; like your parents telling you not to buy it.

To each his own..

[xalents23]

34 and I have own many different types of cars. And to me the Audi was the most difficult to work on.

[MarlinFoundNemo]

Got my B5 S4 for my first car when I turned 16. 18 now, and I love it even more. I'll never not have a B5 and honestly despite what people say, its quite reliable. If you take care of it. I say buy it. Also if you're 18 its not like they can really stop you.

[DieselElectric]

Why won't your parents let you get an S4?

Honestly an S4 is a lot of car for a new driver. Especially when you know the first thing you'll do is get it tuned.

[CJ_]

Got mine junior year of college.. Knowing what I know now, I wish I got into Audis sooner. I drove WRXs through high school

[88ninety9]

The maintenance costs aren't that much if you diy. The best you can do is show them that properly maintained they can last 300k+

[rollerton]

I think they should let you do it. I've owned over 115 cars in 25 years (I'm 41 now), probably 3/4 of them were vintage and I restored and fixed and flipped them, but that was back when old cars were just in the way. I'm no jeenyus but I've done okay, taken a decade or more of college and went through 3 or 4 majors where I settled on Physics. I've had 5 or 6 really good jobs that were educational, valuable to society, and typically made pretty okay money. Everything from Wildland Firefighter to mapping the genetic code of powdery mildew that infects grapes grown for wine making.
My first job was lowly shop-boy at a really shitty VW repair shop. I share lead position in MRI now at the largest medical facility in the city I live in.
I know- get to the point: the MOST VALUABLE SKILL I POSSESS is the ability to diagnose and repair cars. That knowledge has both profited me the most and saved me the most money in my entire life.

Your angle for this is that learning a skill YOURSELF is incredibly valuable. Especially auto mechanics. The B5 Chassis is a good place to start- it can be a headache and hard to work on, but it's both somewhat modern (OBDII) and not so technical that it can't be figured out and understood. NEW parts aren't super cheap, but there are a million cars being parted out. They're safe cars also. If you decide you like the car then it's a hobby that keeps you straight and off the streets and most of the time you get introduced to a decent crowd. And they're pretty damn safe cars.
Negotiate with them since they are ultimately in charge. Don't demand. Don't throw a fit. Be a grownup and ask them what you have to do to make it happen and stick to it.

[CJ_]

^ That is a great post.

Thats one of the reasons why I've stuck with this car. I figure if shit ever hits the fan, you can almost always find a complete parts car for less than $3k
I also have to say, the B5 has taught me more than almost all of my past cars combined. (I'm 22 and have had 12-15 cars)
Im also not afraid of a motor pull anymore

[s_mitocky]

Your parents are probably right, when I first got my license I had saved up enough money to buy a b5 s4 but my parents wouldnt let me either, so I did what some others just recommended and bought a b5 a4. Not quite as fast as an s4 but still a kickass first car compared to other kids, thats the car I learned to work on. After 1.5 years of owning it I took it from completely stock to gt28 stg3, it was fun, but I still wanted an s4. So one day I managed to get enough courage to post it on craigslist, I sold it pretty quick and took that money plus some I had saved up and bought an s4 with it. This happened just before my junior year of highschool and somehow my parents didnt mind it as much, I think because I already had my a4 and they knew I was capable of handling myself with it. Im 19 now and still have the car, its been pretty reliable for me and I'm actually building an engine that Im planning to swap in and single turbo. I havent had anything other than these cars so I might be biased on the reliability part, but I'm 19 and Ive managed to keep my cars in good shape since 16 so it is do-able, its just gonna suck alot of money! with that being said, I wouldnt trade my car for anything, so thats the decision you're gonna have to make

[Schtug]

I think your parents are pretty smart and have your best interests in mind. They don't want to see you blow your hard earned money on an old sports car when in a few years you'll probably be looking at moving out on your own. For the record I'm only 22 and I'm glad my parents didn't let me buy one when I was 17.

These cars are money pits, no two ways about it. If you don't have a good steady income, which I assume you don't if you're in high school, you probably should not be looking at buying old german sports cars in general.

I'm pretty confident your parents aren't going to budge on the s4 so if I were you and I desperately wanted to get into a b5 chassis I'd be lobbying for 1.8t a4. Still an audi, can be made to look like an s4, still awd, still turbocharged, still manual trans if that's what you're after. I think the a4 would be much more sellable to your parents.

The question you should be asking yourself (in my opinion at least), is: if you were living on your own and had real bills, rent, water, electric, cable/internet, cell phone, food, health insurance, car insurance, ect, could you still afford the s4? Not in the sense of could you buy it, but could you still afford to run it and fix it?

Let me ask you a couple questions that the answers to are absolutely none of my business. How much have you saved up to buy the s4? If your answer is anything less than $6000 then you haven't put enough thought into the situation. Sure you can find them for as little as $3000, but they're beat to hell and poorly maintained, if you're lucky you'll be putting another $2000 - $3000 into it right off the bat to get it up to par mechanically. How much extra have you saved to fix it when it breaks? $3000+ I would hope. How much do you have left after that? You definitely don't want your savings account to be your repair fund.

If I could do it all over again I'd buy a mid 90's bone stock civic and leave it stock. Cheap to buy, cheap to insure, cheap on gas, cheap to fix, rock solid reliability. Then just bank as much money as I could while I was still living with my parents.

[zillarob]

I would agree with the parental units.

See if they will compromise and let you get a b5a4 1.8t. I think this is a much better car for somebody in school with more important things they should be focusing on.

Much less expensive, lots of stuff you can do to mod for power, and way easier to work on.
You dont have to pull the engine every other week to work on it

[Gotwake424]

I was 22 when I got my s4. My parents were gracious enough to understand that it is my money and at the end of the day i'm the one paying the bills. They were pretty cool with it.

Now when i brought my first motorcycle home my mom didnt talk to me for 2 weeks. She eventually got over it after bringing the 3rd bike home haha

So i say tell them you want a motorcycle instead then "settle" on the car.

[tico]

Listen to your parents and talk to them too. Why do you want an old B5 S4? what is it that you have heard or read about the b5 S4s that is making you feel you must have one?

Would you buy this car? http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...05987522&Log=0

[getslideways]

if you convince them, may I be placed in your will, and can you pm me your full name so I can finish filing out this life insurance policy...

In all honesty. I had friends whose parents were very well off, and they had a B5S4 in high school, and tuned A4s and never got into any trouble. Other friends had b2200 pickups and wrecked them. So its a case by case basis.

you could always get something cheap that will hold its value, and rock that for a year to prove your responsibility to your parents. That way you will have even more saved up.

[blakemorgs]

I currently have a stage 3 s4 and i am in high school, that being said the easiest way to do it would be to find one thats been really well maintained, you don't want to be buying that is just beaten up like most of the stock ones out there. If i were you and you can make it fit your budget look into the ones that are stage 2 or stage 3 that have been maintained well, in my area almost everything that was stock was beaten up and not anywhere near worth the money. My parents really don't really mind me having one because i do almost all the work on it myself and if you don't do the work yourself you'll get charged way to much to have work done to it. Just make sure you find one that has been VERY WELL maintained!

Although I love my car, if i were to go back again and redo it at this point I would have probably bought something more like an a4 that i wasn't so worried to push hard even though it has yet to let me down I am very early in ownership and having a faster sports car while still in high school really isn't as fun as it seems to be or at least it isn't if your like me and babies the car almost everywhere you go.

Its also a good idea to take into account if its your first car you might not want something that's worth a decent amount of money. I used to think I was the safest and best driver ever and what did I do? Totaled my first audi by rear ending someone. Not saying you will do the same but it is a good idea to take into account that you might not want a super nice car as your first car until you've had a car for awhile.

[sxC]

I bought mine when I was 20, in my 3rd year of college.


Maybe promise them that you'll leave it stock for a year or two until you graduate? I'd definitely spend some time getting to know the car and researching exactly what you want to do with it. I spent a good two years browsing on Audizine and the other forums and read literally every single build thread on here before I tore the engine apart for a build. That being said, I did take the car to the track 2 weeks after I bought it and locked up 1st and 2nd collar, cost me 1600 and weeks doing the work myself in the garage, literally right after I bought it. There's no guarantee that something won't happen even if you take care of it. But it sounds like you're already planning for that. My advice is to go for it, but take it easy on the mods and do things sensibly.

As far as trying to convince your parents, I can think of two things:

1) The insurance on a B5 S4 is actually not a bad deal for younger guys like ourselves, because it's a 4 door and its over 15 years old. Displacement is also relatively low. I think insurance was only 120-130 a month, even with my dozen or so speeding tickets.
2) You could buy any Audi, old or new and face high costs for repairs. For example, the 1.8t B6 A4 is notorious for electrical problems. The B5 has way more potential than some of the other options in that price range with the same risk to break. And even if it does, the resources available online for this car are insane. You can literally google any problem you could possibly have, and someone somewhere has a thread that will help you out. The community is fantastic, you'll never be on your own as you learn. Might as well get your money's worth.

Hope you find some way to convince them, I plan on keeping my S4 for the rest of my life, its that good.

Good luck!

[auditrackspeed]

Do it , i am forever grateful when i bought my own in highschool 2001.5 Santorin Tip . Thing needed so much work and me and my father did it all it was the funnest thing ever . Since ive had 4 b5 s4 since highschool 21 now.


Biggest thing make sure you do 90% of the work yourself or you will be in the hole and in bad ways .

[cinimod25461]

I bought my S4 the summer after high school. I didn't know anything about S4's at the time and I just liked the way they looked lol. I was really lucky that I ended up with a well sorted and maintained car which was mostly stock.

I am also lucky to have pretty chill parents. They pretty much let me get any car as long as I pay for it and understand that anything I do to it comes out of my pocket (except for insurance).

I believe that if you know what you are getting into, and you have your heart set on the S4, then you will find a way to convince your parents. Just show them how much you want this car, and when you find one, be absolutely 150% sure it's the right one and not a shitbox. You don't want your parents to give you the "I told you so".

[Audi9]

How much have you actually put aside? You're going to need at least $5-10k to buy the car and another 3-5k to make it somewhat safe/reliable (after all it is a 15 year old car). Then shortly after shit will break which means more $$$$ and of course the whole "I want racecar" thoughts start popping into your head which again means $$$$.

So to be honest with you being a HS student and having a very limited income I would highly suggest getting a different car.

[das4]

I'm gonna guess he's in bed for school tomorrow. that being said, the practical thing to do is listen to what your parents and most others are saying on here. financially, rationally, practicality, the car doesn't make sense for a high school student who's using his (or her I guess), income to pay for all things "S4".

the thing about cars, especially niche ones like the B5 S4: this is an emotional buy. his heart wants what it wants. we ALL had dreams of buying that special car that lit us up inside. I've not owned 115 like the very experienced member above, but I've owned a substantial amount of cars. some I hated, others I liked, and only the B5 do I love as I've owned 8. I cared for all of them and learned an incredible amount of lessons not only by learning how to wrench on cars, but other non tangibles. if you're that passionate about it, get it.

just know, you'll be sacrificing the ability to do many other things throughout your high school, and college years if you keep it that long. time. money. probably miss out on building relationships because this bi*** of a car will lock you down like the girlfriend that won't let you hangout with your friends. if you are able to convince your folks, enjoy the ride and all that comes with it.

[MarlinFoundNemo]

How much have you actually put aside? You're going to need at least $5-10k to buy the car and another 3-5k to make it somewhat safe/reliable (after all it is a 15 year old car). Then shortly after shit will break which means more $$$$ and of course the whole "I want racecar" thoughts start popping into your head which again means $$$$.

So to be honest with you being a HS student and having a very limited income I would highly suggest getting a different car.

I haven't had an actual job since I've gotten my S4. Got it at 16, 18 now but I'll have a job starting January (finally). I've managed to, quite well, maintain and afford this car with just odd job, bday/xmas, and summer work money. That's literally it. And I'll still have money left over to go have fun with friends or go to meets, etc. BUT, I read the shit into this car, and I'm still learning more everyday. Hell today I just learned you can turn the LCD display off with a button under the wiper blade toggle! I'm no where near learning everything about the car though. If you have the dedication for this car, you can do it.

[auditrackspeed]

As long as your doing all the work yourself your good ....

[Audi_From_Hell]

Spend your money on a cheap suv so you pocket the rest of your cash and slay pussy the rest of the days. Chicks don't care what car you drive, they just care that you have a car.

[Wagonholic]

I bought mine when I had turned 16, my junior year of high school. I'm only 18 now, and I'm driving her at Stage 3 specs, but I do all the work myself, and I fund it myself. I'd say if you are prepared, make smart decisions, and are willing to learn, then it's not as bad as people make it out to be. For the record, even though I drove a 400+ whp car throughout high school (and now in college), I've never been in an at-fault accident or have ever been pulled over for speeding/reckless driving. I have a clean driving record.

But, let me make it clear: EDUCATION/SCHOOL commitments come first, before your car. Ever. It can wait.

I will also mention that I'm a bit biased, because I grew up in a family of cars, and have been working on cars with my dad almost my entire life (E30s, boosted M3, 911s, etc.). So I did have a headstart. If you're willing to learn, and are committed, then a B5 S4 would be no problem.

[KeatS4]

My mom owns a B5S4 so when I wanted to get one it was pretty accepted. My dad even found it for sale for me at a "mom and pop" shop haha.

Pros is that it's a very safe car and my insurance was actually cheaper then my ford truck. AWD is great for wet roads and snow, it has bigger brakes, f&r side airbags, and when the stock suspension is in good condition it is very controllable. 250hp does seem steep for a new driver, but there are cars out there with my power that plenty of new drivers are getting that their parents don't notice. Try asking about other cars with similar power and let them know if they agree to any; it'll make the s4 seem a lot less race inspired

[Peter1.8t]

This thread is going way better than I thought it would be. The b5s4 section has really tamed down as of late. I remember a different time when a kid asking the same question would have been laughed out of here.

I bought my first b5 when I was 17. It was a cheap highmilage a4, but I did some mods that made it more fun. Then some asshole totaled it. So I bought another one and went a little deeper with the mods. Then some drunk hit it and totaled that. So I finally got an s4 because why not.

They are fun cars, but not for everyone. Learning how to wrench and having the proper tools is necessary to owning and maintaining one of these. Unless you have really deep pockets and are paying a mechanic to do it. They are relatively simple cars to work on after a few times of tearing it all apart.

Just don't be one of those guys that buys one of these, thinks it's the fastest thing on the planet, be overly confident and wrap it around a telephone pole. Been around here long enough to see that cycle repeat itself a few times. Respect the car. They are not outrageously quick, however, they are quick enough to hurt yourself and others.

[auditrackspeed]

Spend your money on a cheap suv so you pocket the rest of your cash and slay pussy the rest of the days. Chicks don't care what car you drive, they just care that you have a car.

+1

[WEEKENDWARRIORZ]

Thanks for the replies everyone, didn't think it would spark out this much.! I wouldn't consider the B5 A4 as an option because of the 1.8T and just the money you'd take to make it up to par with the S4, I would most likely want to keep the car stock and eventually go Stage 2/3 in a few years but I'm still looking at other options. Oh and mostly all the work would be DIY'ing. My trip to school isn't too far and I wouldn't be tracking the car ever, but just looking for something that I can have fun with on weekends and get my hands a little dirty when something goes wrong.

I also do come from a Family of cars, (Uncle has ESS E92 M3, Dad sold 2000 E39 M5 & 745li when I was younger)

[demonmk2]

Unless the s4 is stage 3 it does not take as much money to be up to par or surpass
But it'll still be an A4...lol
If you like the looks you can always do an exterior clone.

[WEEKENDWARRIORZ]

I was 22 when I got my s4. My parents were gracious enough to understand that it is my money and at the end of the day i'm the one paying the bills. They were pretty cool with it.

Now when i brought my first motorcycle home my mom didnt talk to me for 2 weeks. She eventually got over it after bringing the 3rd bike home haha

So i say tell them you want a motorcycle instead then "settle" on the car.

Hahahahahaha I used to race dirt bikes when I was younger so that wont work.

[QuinnsterKID]

I understand where your parents come from in terms of the car. I was shut down on a lot of cars I wanted when I was younger. At the time I was upset about it and did not understand why I could not have the cars I wanted. I worked full time my junior and senior years of high school, went to college full time, while still working full time and just always kept busy and out of trouble. As long as I was under their roof they were the final decision. My first car was a 1989 5.0 which I have owned since 2005. Since I could not own the newer faster cars I just took my hard earned money and modded it little by little. When I first got my license and was able to drive I went a little crazy cause it was new to me and I loved the power it had at the time. It was 16 years old (close to what B5's are now) and I would slide around every corner and just drive like a mad man most of the time. Looking back on it I did some really stupid things in that mustang and also had a lot of good times. I do not regret a thing, even after all the tickets and costs of repairs (currently going single turbo). I would not have it any other way. The car helped me to better my driving skills and sharpen my knowledge about cars. That being said...I feel like a stock B5 S4 is comparable to my first car. Just be level headed with them and IF you do get the car, show them that you can be responsible and abide by the laws. Pay your bills on time and maintain the car, showing them you can take care of your belongings. We all hope they let you get one, but if not just be patient and know that good things come in time. If all else fails just get a mustang and just go nuts with it

[Wagonholic]

Thanks for the replies everyone, didn't think it would spark out this much.! I wouldn't consider the B5 A4 as an option because of the 1.8T and just the money you'd take to make it up to par with the S4, I would most likely want to keep the car stock and eventually go Stage 2/3 in a few years but I'm still looking at other options. Oh and mostly all the work would be DIY'ing. My trip to school isn't too far and I wouldn't be tracking the car ever, but just looking for something that I can have fun with on weekends and get my hands a little dirty when something goes wrong.

I also do come from a Family of cars, (Uncle has ESS E92 M3, Dad sold 2000 E39 M5 & 745li when I was younger)

Haha, sounds like me. Funny thing is, whenever anyone in my family buys a car, reliability isn't that big of a deciding factor. The "is it fun" and "is it fast" questions usually get asked first. My family's fleet of cars isn't exactly what you'd call reliable.

I did almost all the work myself, daily drove the car, and drove the crap out of it. I never babied it, but I took great care of it. Yes, they aren't the most reliable car in the world, but considering the circumstances (15 years old, pushing over double factory horsepower at stage 3 levels, AWD twin turbo, and "amazing" German engineering), it's not that bad. I wouldn't hesitate to take my car on a long road trip (which I have done).

But even then, I was used to it already, and I did have a head start. If you're willing to learn and be hands on with your car, go for it.

Just remember, school/family comes first. No exceptions. Remember, in the end (and although I do love my car), it's just a car, and it can wait.

If you have any questions, or would like to know about my experience driving/owning a B5 S4 since high school, please don't hesitate to ask or send me a PM

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[aysix]

i do vote skip the 1.8t

My car senior year was an 04 1.8T passat. I shoulda just bought a C5 or B5 from the beginning.

[AudiSport12]

My dad was Service Manager at an Audi dealer when I was in the market for a first car. He wouldn't even think about handing me the keys to a S4 being that young- because racecar. He saw and knew what the S4 could do. Wound up with an A4 and he made me keep it 100% stock (other than suspension and wheels) for the first year. He knew anything with more power than the 1.8t was trouble. Looking back on it, I'm glad because the 1.8t was a super easy and basic platform to learn to wrench on. This was 10 years ago though lol