Does getting an S4 make sense for me?

[malibuboats91]

Hi everyone...I have been in the VW/Audi world for about 9 years now. I had a pretty heavily modded Jetta 2.0t and after graduating from college bought a 2015 GLI SEL that's stage 2, full exhaust, lowered, etc. My plan was to keep it for 4-5 years then get an S4 or 340xi. Unfortunately I have been having a lot of issues with my GLI and I'm looking to trade it in on something that won't need to be at the dealer a few days every month.

My first choice has always been a tie between the 335i/340i and the s4. I've been watching for a CPO 335i or S4 with low miles and 6MT for almost two years now and they're downright hard to find! Recently I rent and test drove a 2016 STI and I liked the 'raw' feeling but am concerned about how I'd like the stiff suspension after I get over the honeymoon phase. This brought me back to the S4... I have driven a few B8 and B8.5's and loved them all. If I want a 6MT it looks like I need to order a 2016 premium plus without any options. Would you recommend me to get something different? Any opinions/thoughts would be much appreciated!

[Johnnycash]

buy a used s4 if you must, let someone else take the hit on depreciation on a new car purchase.

if i was your friend and or someone advocating for your best interest, i would tell you to dump the euro trash [audi, vw, bmw, etc] and buy a japanese car and put your money towards something worthwhile, so after you get established and off of your parents teet, you can spend your disposable monies on non-sensical stuff.

and yes its a cliche and not flattering to live at home with mommy and daddy and drive a 60k car, it screams douche.

my 2cents

[blackfunk]

You're asking the equivalent of 'should you like fat girls or boys' - this is the new age so I have to include both sexes. Either way I'm not sure if theres a 'right' answer for you. Only you truly know you're finances so only you can honestly answer that question.

[14S4GWM]

You sound like you're in a good spot in your life right now. It's time to man up and move the eff outta your parents house.

You can't order an S4 in manual anymore anyways.

[vwblackb5]

Orders for 2016 6MT ended 9/15 and if you're living at home and want to be callous with finances (as an accountant you shouldn't but #yolo) go straight to F80 M3/M4 or used 911 or CPO Cayman

[bizzy]

If you can afford it, I say go for it. I bought my S4 in 2014 when I was 28 and have no regrets. Moving out on your own should be a bigger priority though lol, I probably would have killed myself if I had to live at home past 18.

[malibuboats91]

I'm pretty tight with my family so it's not bad. I also work 60-80 hours a week so I'm not home all that often.

[14S4GWM]

Keep the car and let VW pay for the problems. Save that extra cash and you'll be out sooner. The more you save the quicker you get out. Save,Save,Save. A nice STI isn't much cheaper then a nice CPO S4 anyhow.

[The Fat Kid]

Orders for 2016 6MT ended 9/15 and if you're living at home and want to be callous with finances (as an accountant you shouldn't but #yolo) go straight to F80 M3/M4 or used 911 or CPO Cayman

+1 on the #yolo! Honestly, I would not buy the S4 (I own a B8.5 S4) if I were 25. I would probably go with a CPO Cayman S or E92 M3, or maybe a 997.1 911S. F80 M3s are still pretty expensive.

Bottom line: Get the sports car BEFORE you have to worry about rear-facing infant seats. Trust me!

[agorich]

do what makes you happy, sir. this is not going to be your first car and it won't be your last car. Since you're only 24 and starting out, you will likely move up in car from here. I would suggest not pulling the trigger on any large purchase BEFORE you decide on what your living arrangements will be. Unless you are paying for whatever you buy out right, your monthly disposable income will decrease the amount of your car expenses (monthly/ins/gas/etc) and that will have an impact on what you can afford in regards to where you want to live. There are plenty of people you probably know who can't afford the nice car they want because they have the nice house they want. Or others who don't care for a nice car or a car at all and live some place they can walk to everything.

What I did was determine what was important to me first and then I purchased my car. that was, engagement, wedding, house, renovate the house and now the car I want. it meant driving around in my paid of f150 for about 3 years longer than I wanted to but no car payment made everything else that much easier to get squared away more quickly.

I have a finance background but have worked in an engineering role for a while. I suggest you speak to a financial planner either through your work or find one you like. you're so young that deciding what you want by 30 will be so great to do now. Maybe pass up on the real nice car, save up for a monster down payment on a home, have a low mortgage payment that will allow you to buy your dream car. make a list of your priorities....they will likely change in a few years but try to think where you want to be financially at certain points in your life. Once you have a game plan for that, you can do whatever you want within that plan. good luck! and great job on being a good saver.

[Senseless]

When I was your age, I bought a brand new sports car instead of a small house I was also looking at. I have regretted that choice ever since and would advise against it.

[jimrobbington]

Absolutely no point in purchasing a brand new S4. Buy a used one. I got almost $1 off per mile when I purchased my 3 year old S4 with 27k miles for $20k off sticker price.

If you must have brand new, you will get a much better deal leasing a 335 IMO.

[vwblackb5]

+1 on the #yolo! Honestly, I would not buy the S4 (I own a B8.5 S4) if I were 25. I would probably go with a CPO Cayman S or E92 M3, or maybe a 997.1 911S. F80 M3s are still pretty expensive.

Bottom line: Get the sports car BEFORE you have to worry about rear-facing infant seats. Trust me!

In retrospect, I always wondered what if... What if i lived at home still but had a Porsche 911 (big kid salary with no additional liabilities) top that with JEDI level Tinder/Snapchat game..I'd be bagging 9/10's all day and making it rain at the club

[rota92]

Trade GLI in on a used Civic Si. Drive it for a few years while stacking cash, get your own pad, and slay girls from Wisconsin U daily.



Don't zoom in, it will make you want to buy the Audi and forget about slaying.

[malibuboats91]

Trade GLI in on a used Civic Si. Drive it for a few years while stacking cash, get your own pad, and slay girls from Wisconsin U daily.



Don't zoom in, it will make you want to buy the Audi and forget about slaying.

Hahaha I went to the University of Wisconsin so I know what's up. If I leave my hometown I'm going back to Madison....I miss it so much.


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[B-Time]

Kinda defeats the purpose of living with your parents. As an accountant, you should understand the impact $50K at a young age could have on future wealth.

[s4buckeye]

nice job on the trolling. no way this is real.









/thread

[shoe3k]

This is almost as good as listening to a stripper justifying their profession. Anyway, if you are having any type of doubt then just skip the S4 and focus on saving your cash. Get a house, wait a few years, save tax return money, and profit on nice down payment on an S4 or even better car.

[saxon]

why not look at a golf R or a used s3, both are a bit cheaper and will give a more raw feeling than an s4

the s4 is a great car and its easier to compare it to an m3 than a 335/340

[malibuboats91]

why not look at a golf R or a used s3, both are a bit cheaper and will give a more raw feeling than an s4

the s4 is a great car and its easier to compare it to an m3 than a 335/340

Well I want manual which is the issue. I'd get a 335i m-sport if I wanted auto but it just doesn't have the fun feeling my tuned dubs have. I know first hand that the S4 and STI give me that feeling plus some. The R comes in manual but I think the look like old man cars and all the women I know hate them. I can't be rolling around in a car that women don't like. I'm single as f so I need everyt if I can get.


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[The Fat Kid]

I really appreciate the advice! It's a constant struggle between the car enthusiast side of me and the frugal accountant....I'd rather eat ramen and have a nice car than eat steak every meal and roll in a Chevy haha. It's like right now my expenses are low so I could pay off a $50k Audi in two years or I could save an ass load and have a nice cushion. My GLI is a pretty nice car but it drives me nuts

Check out the 987 Cayman S. You can get one in good shape for ~$35k. Buy a set of winter wheels/tires and a roof box to make it "practical".

This former Economist, and current father of a 10-month-old kid, is the little devil on your shoulder

In retrospect, I always wondered what if... What if i lived at home still but had a Porsche 911 (big kid salary with no additional liabilities) top that with JEDI level Tinder/Snapchat game..I'd be bagging 9/10's all day and making it rain at the club

I would rather wonder what it is like to hit a mega lottery. My mother is great, but I can't imagine living under the same roof again

[DannyDeez]

It's possible that I've had more than a few beers this evening, but my car situation is driving me nuts. I need to calm my shit and be satisfied with what I have. I think the likelihood of getting a black on black 6mt base s4 is going to be pretty slim anyways if I can't order one.


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Why would you even want a base model S4? As others said get a pre owned. Pick up a 2012. Get one thats loaded. The interiors are the same and you won't have to deal with the horrible steering on the 2013+. Or if you're dead set on the facelift, then just get a 2013. Either way, id advise against getting a new one right now. Especially base. Get options.

[MerkurRS]

Kinda defeats the purpose of living with your parents. As an accountant, you should understand the impact $50K at a young age could have on future wealth.

Agreed-
As a banker, father of 4 daughters and owner of an old house in constant need of something, common sense prevailed and I bought a used S4 when I turned 50. I saved close to $20k off MSRP for a well-equipped Prestige with <25k miles. If you had lots of disposable income (own home or mortgage covered easily, kids grown up and gone...) buy new. You however are in no position to do that- if the accountant in you doesn't convince you, perhaps your parents should. Stop teasing yourself with luxuries, make a list of real priorities and work towards that. I bought new vehicles at age 18 and 24 and can honestly regret them now.

[malibuboats91]

Agreed-
As a banker, father of 4 daughters and owner of an old house in constant need of something, common sense prevailed and I bought a used S4 when I turned 50. I saved close to $20k off MSRP for a well-equipped Prestige with <25k miles. If you had lots of disposable income (own home or mortgage covered easily, kids grown up and gone...) buy new. You however are in no position to do that- if the accountant in you doesn't convince you, perhaps your parents should. Stop teasing yourself with luxuries, make a list of real priorities and work towards that. I bought new vehicles at age 18 and 24 and can honestly regret them now.

I've actually never bought a used car before. My parents bought me my first car which was new and my last two I bought new. My parents typically drive cars 5-7 years but buy new so that's what I'm accustom to.


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[Dazman63]

Getting your own place should be your first priority. Keep the VW and then buy the car you really want once you're established.

[chaos2984]

Depending on how you feel and if you want your own place then I would do that first. Owning your own place or living by yourself out of your parents home does not compare to a nice car. Sure the car is nice but it doesn't compare to being able to do what the F you want to do in your own home. Walking about naked is awesome are freeing lol. I would get a place of your own and see where your finances are then and if there is room for a S4 then get one. But if it doesn't then many a used one might fit in your budget. The 2 debts all people should or do have is a house and a car payment.

I have a friend that still lives at him when he's 31 and he has no plans to move out and i keep trying to convince him to buy a porsche. he has plenty of money just doesn't want to move out at all. He's been driving a beat ass 97 honda since high school. He had to buy something new because it died and bought a base model mazda 6. I told him get something fun lol. He's just a little different than most. And he has 0 street smarts.

[chaos2984]

Lol yeah I do miss living on my own but it's not that bad living at home.

When I bought my dub I made sure that it aligned with all the car buying 'rules' as far as total expenses not being more than 10-15% of my income, etc. Now I want a different car and it will be quite a bit higher


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Honestly these days with the area you live in. You have to throw all the normal RULES out the window. They don't every work. My wife and I live in the Baltimore/Washington metro area and its super expensive to live here. If you want a decent home that you don't really have to fix up. You have to spend above 300K. And you almost have to have 2 incomes to survive here. We got lucky and got the steal of the century on a brand home. All my neighbors are pissed when they found out what i paid. But we had no car payment at all and just the house and we decided that we were making the old house payment just fine before with 2 car payments that totaled 600 bux. So once we got rid of the one and paid off the other we had room for the S4. And we had some room for a new house. I wanted a garage and such and something i didn't have to keep updating and fixing up. So we found this crazy deal and the builder did everything they promised to us. We have all the space we ever need. only down side is its a townhouse and small yard. But I'm ok with it. Everything else is nice. And with prices around 400K for these style homes we have good upstanding neighbors no deadbeats or riff raf.

Just sit down and see what housing costs around your area and estimate what it would cost you for a month house payment. and see what that leaves you with and budget for everything else. And if that works then you can get the car now. But i will tell you right now with loans. If you can afford to put 20% down do that if not do atleast 5% and get Lender paid PMI. its like how old PMI use to be not that much a month. But with Lender paid PMI its all rolled into the interest rate. They increase your base rate whatever you lock in at by about .25-.5% higher to cover the MI

[sangaroo]

Buy a duplex and lease half of it out or lease out the whole thing and pay for your car from the money you make being an awesome landlord. Well, if that works there.

[Seattle996]

You're asking the equivalent of 'should you like fat girls or boys' - this is the new age so I have to include both sexes. Either way I'm not sure if theres a 'right' answer for you. Only you truly know you're finances so only you can honestly answer that question.

hahahaha

[MrFunk]

You sound like you're in a good spot in your life right now. It's time to man up and move the eff outta your parents house.

You can't order an S4 in manual anymore anyways.

^^
This.

If you are still living at home in your 20's then you should make moving out a priority, not buying a 60k sports sedan.

[malibuboats91]

Thanks for the help everyone! I'm going to put together a nice excel spreadsheet this evening after work to see where I stand for finances. I have a pretty good nest egg saved up but I guess I should continue to heavily invest vs spend on a car. The best option would be if I could find a car that fits my wants (AWD, ~300hp, manual) for spring $35k or less. I have to account for the $8-10k loss I'll take on my current car.


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[cb4rings]

I agree with the majority of the advice posted... Save your cash, buy used and get a house. Am I the only one thinking he is full of BS? How is VW paying for warranty work on what he admits is a heavily modded GLI? Shenanigans..!!!!... you just want a cooler car and you are trying to justify it...

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[cb4rings]

I hate to say this but a used infinity g35xs checks all those boxes... to bad they are so plastic- e on the inside and look like they are floating 2 feet off the ground

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[cb4rings]

Wow when I was your age I lemon lawed a Jetta too... good stuff but I stuck with VAG.. since 2000 !! When the engine was cast there where residual air bubbles which created a porous section on the block... leaked a quart a week. Get the S4 used so you can scratch the itch but be more diligent with your investing.

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[malibuboats91]

Wow when I was your age I lemon lawed a Jetta too... good stuff but I stuck with VAG.. since 2000 !! When the engine was cast there where residual air bubbles which created a porous section on the block... leaked a quart a week. Get the S4 used so you can scratch the itch but be more diligent with your investing.

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Yeah I'm less than pleased. I love my car but I can't have it in the shop every month. I don't have time or the patience to deal with that. My concern with a used S4 is that I'd be going from a new car with warranty of one without. Would that be a legit concern? How are the clutches? VWs clutches suck...so I always budget for a new one with my mods.


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[14S4GWM]

Get A CPO that is a couple years old. You will get a warranty with that. Research Audi CPO to answer your questions, 6Yrs or 100k miles from inservice date.

[Dr GP]

Stay in your parents house until you decide whether you want to continue to live in the same area or move to the big city. If you are a car guy, I can understand why you might want a nicer car. When comparing the S4 to the 335i (XI) , the S4 is just the better car. Go onto autotrader.com and search for a 6MT S4 with color combo and options that meet your needs. There are 6MTs out there , but only 20% of all s4s built were 6MTs. Don't worry if it is CPO or not since you can buy an extended warranty when needed. According to autotrader,com, there are only 3 2016s with 6MTS left for sale in the US . RIP Audis with MTs!

[administerturbo]

Car payments suck. Pay cash for a used S4... only if you can. The S4 is a luxury item and should not induce financial stress or limit your travel, house plans, or time with friends. At 25, focus on a little investing and spend as much time with your friends as possible.

One of the wisest things that I did when I was 29 was buy a used B6 A4 for $13k cash. Immediately started saving and did all of the maintenance myself. That car only depreciated about $1k a year and was able to turn around and buy a '13 S4 in 2015 with cash no regrets.

[doctorjoejoe]

First of all, you shouldn't be asking us, we all are over-paying and over-modifying for a car. I hope this is just one of the forums of discussion because a forum in finances would be better (it helped me a lot more). if you don't feel 100% comfortable about affordability, don't do it. wait until you get settled with a home first. if you can barely pay for a prestige plus without options, you probably shouldn't. maintenance and mods will give you a lot of unplanned costs on audis.

btw, you know that rule of thumb 25% is for independent adults with house payments, bills, etc right? you can't just live off someone and say, "oh, technically i still got 25% left for a car". if you can pay rent, bills, etc and still have enough for car payment, you're def fine but if you have to modify the circumstances to fit your budget... well you know the answer.

we all feel you but we gotta give you honest and financially sound advice. i was in the same boat not too long ago... wish you the best!

[malibuboats91]

First of all, you shouldn't be asking us, we all are over-paying and over-modifying for a car. I hope this is just one of the forums of discussion because a forum in finances would be better (it helped me a lot more). if you don't feel 100% comfortable about affordability, don't do it. wait until you get settled with a home first. if you can barely pay for a prestige plus without options, you probably shouldn't. maintenance and mods will give you a lot of unplanned costs on audis.

btw, you know that rule of thumb 25% is for independent adults with house payments, bills, etc right? you can't just live off someone and say, "oh, technically i still got 25% left for a car". if you can pay rent, bills, etc and still have enough for car payment, you're def fine but if you have to modify the circumstances to fit your budget... well you know the answer.

we all feel you but we gotta give you honest and financially sound advice. i was in the same boat not too long ago... wish you the best!

I appreciate the feedback. I wasn't really looking for financial advice, I more so wanted advice on the car. I ran the numbers and if I put 25% of my income towards a house payment, utilities, etc I can still contribute heavily to my retirement accounts and own an Audi/BMW. Most of my coworkers drive $50k trucks, Hummers, Denalis and a few have Escalades, but again I'm pretty frugal.

It all comes down to the fact that I'm frugal with everything except cars....yes I can comfortably afford to have everything I want, but they are WANTS not needs. I guess that's something only I can answer but I really appreciate all the feedback I've gotten!


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