[Closed] Project 2017 - RS4 Avant

I was almost in K57's position this year, money burning a hole and feeling like I deserved a flash car, at least for a while. RS4 was a potential, as was some kind of BMW M. The M3 somehow didn't excite, the M5 / M6 with the V10 seem quite cheap.... for a reason 😕 Getting stolen put me off the Audi a bit and general stories of repair bills on all of them were a bit horrific. Not the general consumables, more the opportunity for a sudden few £k out of the blue at semi-regular intervals. I even tried a Vantage (not as fast, but classier than a souped-up 3-Series / A4 IMO), but I'm too tall to fit in the cabin !

So I decided to stick with what I've already got. I've had it five years, it's been pretty cheap to run, it's certainly more capable than I am and [url= ]it's even quite practical too.[/url]

But, if I had the money and the time, and in similar circumstances to the ones I'm in now, I'd consider an RS2. They are rarer, more special, will appreciate over time, and is the original Audi/Porsche estate

Agree, or the B5, try finding a good one though!

I'd consider an RS2.

Just the one on Auto trader [url= http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?make=AUDI&model=RS2&postcode=kt233jn&radius=1500&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&search-target=usedcars&is-quick-search=true&quicksearch=true ]here[/url]

It sounds like a good idea, but compare the quality of a £26.5k 100 + miles RS2 and the same priced RS4 and its chalk and cheese. Plus, its a 22 year old car which means things will go wrong year after year and become increasingly expensive. For that reason....I'm out!

Just for balance, and K57 obvz..

Nice bottom..

[img] [/img]

I replaced my RS4 (B7) with an S4 (B8). If you want an RS4, don't get talked into an S4. The S4 is nice, and better 97% of the time, but it doesn't excite.

WOW this has progressed in the last few hours!
Ask the same question on piston heads or an Audi forum I bet you get different answer! As a petrolhead I still say go for it just go with your eyes open!

As a petrolhead I still say go for it just go [b]with your eyes open[/b]!

The very point of the thread. 🙂 Thanks for your contributions so far.

I did this exact thing a few years ago and bought a lovely 911. Always wanted one and enjoyed it immensely for a year then got bored and sold it. I've now been there and done that but it's good to get it out of your system.

I still say go for it just go with your eyes open!

Won't this be your work vehicle as well- doing how many miles a year? 20mpg at how many pence per mile?
This would be the deal breaker for me- high mileage, and a highly strung car, 10 years old = extremely high running costs. Didn't you have an acceptability issue once before running an older car for work?

Completely different story if it's just a weekend wagon/garage queen, but I wouldn't be spending my own maintaining something like that if most of the time it's used to get to and from clients...

The only two things you really need to know are:
1-I want one.
2-I hate you.

3-I don't really.....you're just a very lucky man.

I miss that V8!
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I had an 07 b7 rs4 avant for a number of years, was second owner and got it from audi with 22,000kms on it. Avus silver. Utter beast of a thing, tootling around in it sounded like the transmission was trying to eat itself. It was like a rabid dog on a leash. But for an open road machine it was amazing to drive. Not efficient in any way but on a good open road cruise it would do a decent mpg unless you spent too long on the loud pedal with the S button activated. I remapped mine for better throttle response and also to smooth the torque curve in the bands I generally drive it, it also made it a lot more efficient.
But they can be a touch fragile and parts are not cheap, drc is one issue, carbon coking another, active engine mounts as well. But the noise and that engine, amazing thing, handled well, i tracked mine every time it needed new tyres or brakes. Ah yes brakes, not cheap.
Honestly get one, but get a nice one, I looked last year and the 4 I looked at were all rough. That's the problem with a sub 20k supercar performance hatchback.

My old boss had a 07 reg salon. went like stink ( yes he let me drive it around )
Brakes £1000 discs and pads, tyres £200 - £300 each, iirc they are super soft compound so have BB date and dont last very long.
He had issues with the adjustable inlet tracts stopping working. Ran ok, just down on power.
Big alloys easy to kerb
The driving expereince is right up there
There is a go fast button that tightens the wing backed Recaros and fastens up the throttle response.
I dont think they will go much cheaper , might bottom out at £11/£12k but then they become affordable / desirable to so many more people the price goes up

You wont be going orienteering in Epping any more , unless you carry a map to get you home as your car wont be there when you get back.

Its still a lump of metal that gets you from A to B
You can only go as fast as the car in front , and there is always a car in front.
Filing up every 3 days soon becomes tiresome.

So why not follow my advice on your other "ponce-mobile" thread? Stop looking for happiness in acquisitions, cut your outgoings and look to "spend more time with the family"

Sanctimonious jealousy.

Hang on, I haven't had a chance to catch up fully on both threads but (and correct me if I'm wrong) you've went from upgrading your 120 to a 320 to considering an RS4 in fairly short order?! Is this correct??

Never driven a B7 RS4 (or any RS4) but I do like them a lot. However, with any car like this out of warranty I just couldn't sleep at night not knowing when it was about to rinse me for many £k's.

Anyway, If you end up back on M135s I've got one of them so feel free to pick my brains..

C63. Come on OP - spend yourself happy.

Trouble is it will always be an Audi. I'd go with the BMW or get another spec b legacy and spend my money of bikes.

The B7 is brilliant; two people in my family have had one. One saloon and one estate.

Compared to modern cars they're dinky inside and the sat nav dates them a lot but it's more than made up for with some of the coolest looking seats ever (which are often stolen). They make a fan noise and handle very well, breaking the Audi stereotype. Did I mention the noise? Doubt you'll see much more than 20mpg. One of the owners said that if he drove like a dick he saw 17mpg and if like saint he saw 18mpg. He swapped if for a V10 RS6 but I preferred the RS4 (the RS6 had mental running costs).

The estate owner had his a while and said maintenance wasn't too bad but it was stolen from his drive but recovered. The ignored his 993's and just took the RS4.

Maintaining it would be my worry now; the suspension is expensive when it goes and sorting out the coking issue isn't cheap. Buy a good one and go into ownership with your eye open and you'll have a future classic.

C63. Come on OP - spend yourself happy.

There is a limit.

Nickewen - yes. I can trade up to a M135i on my PCP now which is tempting, but winters here... it might try to kill me.

I'd be tempted by the C63 just because it sounds like utter filth (in a good way). Cold start up is amazeballs.

There's a nice approved estate for £26k... The interior is more modern than the RS4's but you need to be careful with the spec so they don't look too gangster.

The RS4 is probably a prettier car; to me the B7 is well proportioned, it looks proper but without being too OTT.

Everyone does what they want with their hard earned. I've always wanted a Ford RS and was seriously tempted by the latest Focus.

I could afford the payments etc but, where I live, it will get nicked. They will follow me home. I will be broken into for the keys. I will get carjacked at the lights.

Not being paranoid, being realistic. Saw a bloke with an RS put a Disklok on it just when he nipped into Morrisons the other day.

Bloke I'm acquainted to has Ferraris and he keeps them in a location 6 miles from his home and always takes the long way there.

[quote=angeldust ]So why not follow my advice on your other "ponce-mobile" thread? Stop looking for happiness in acquisitions, cut your outgoings and look to "spend more time with the family"
Sanctimonious jealousy.
Ha ha.

While I'm sure there are many on here for whom Kryton57 is some sport of aspirational zenith, I can assure you I'm not amongst them. I was merely proferring some advice.

You could probably get a set of winter tyres for the 18's on an M135 for the price of an RS4 front disc.. But avoid the auto if winter is a concern. If ordering new (but I guess that would be an M140) and you're really wanting to get into the dynamics of the vehicle tick the LSD box.. I tried but apparently parking sensors etc. Are more important (we both drive each other's cars)... You can imagine the discussion in the dealership!

The only thing that niggles me a little about the 135 is the road noise on long journeys - it's just not as quiet and refined in the cabin as it should be. It's potentially no different to your 120 M sport but just a heads up. Maybe I got too used to my 325i SE saloon on balloon tyres.. Other than that it is an absolute peach.

There will be many opinions on this for you OP.

Some will say it's great. Some will say it's pants. Many, who have never driven one, will say the handling is rubbish. Some will tell you to get something else etc etc etc.

Go and try one.

I had a fast Audi many years ago when I had money (my children ensure I am poor now) and I can tell you it was great fun. Great engine, the quattro system is fantastic!, handling was great for such a large and heavy car.

My advice is simply to go and try one. But be aware of the bills that will come with it.
Fuel is okay, I never did mind that at all.
Suspension is a swine! And it costs a fortune! The suspension works very well but the bugger will need rebuilt to remove the knocks and movement that will innevitably happen at some point.
Parts are expensive, labour too. But you only live once and it's all about having fun

🙂

aspirational zenith

Those that know me on here will have pissed themselves laughing at that statement.

😆

Interesting reading. Had a colleague who bought one after a 911, loved both cars in a different way. Older performance cars are like yachts, it's not the purchase price which will get you but the running costs. OP if you have the itch just scratch it 🙂 yup tyres, discs, ved etc will be pricey but that's the cost of ownership.

Apologies if it's been done but check out T4 Transformations, they blended a T5 with an RS4 for the ultimate bikewagen

I'd be tempted by the C63 just because it sounds like utter filth (in a good way). Cold start up is amazeballs.

[IMG] [/IMG]

Did I mention that engine sound?
Given a lottery win, I'd dearly love an RS6, more practical than a C63, although the Merc is fabulous, but I'd never, ever have a BMW.

Those that know me on here will have pissed themselves laughing at that statement.

Oh I dunno. When we first met I remember thinking the way you matched your shorts, helmet and shoes was pretty darn cool...

Well having driven both an MX5 (Mk 1 and 2) and an RS4 I prefer the RS4 hands down. The MX5 whils a great little car on the right road, for general use felt under powered, noisy, and not really very practical for an everyday proposition if you actually need to carry anything.

I repeat again, depends what you want from a car. If you want power, and are happy with that and just being a passenger then the RS4 will be great. If you want a car you can take to the limit and beyond safely then an MX5 is way better than RS4.

I was suggesting OP look at a Mondeo estate for the practical side, and then get a weekend car.

However OP's comment about a 135i in winter, kind of makes me think he just wants power, not a car he can drive so the RS4 would be ideal.

I'd go for the M135 or new M2 and get a set of winter tyres. No need for new wheel set, you'll only be changing them twice on a car like that 😉

a mate had the RS4 Avant (B7 version) back in 2006..it was in his fleet of luxury hire cars that included a Ferrari 360 Modena, Several M3's, a Mercedes CLS and a few Range Rover Sports...he used to charge silly money for hiring them out...but it was a major ballache running the business
i drove the RS4 once...so fast i nearly shit myself

I had a B7 a couple of years ago, awesome machine, still miss having it to this day. Full res miltek exhaust on it so incredible sound but for day to day use could literally give you a headache. Running costs as expected fuel, tax, insurance. Consumables are pretty pricey. Engines are pretty bullet proof (if serviced). As mentioned they can get coked up a bit so budget for a full carbon clean, about £1k+ if it hasn't been done already. If not that 420bhp headline figure will be closer to 300. I sh1t you not.
A lot were written off due to the bucket seats being stolen (and put into r32's). Thieves would smash window, rip out alarm sensor in roof console by interior light and proceed to unbolt seats whilst hanging out the window. Seat was removed through the window as well so not even a need to try break into the door. The seats cost £19k from Audi as they're not made anymore so it's an instant write off. It's a 10 year old car so it pretty dated interior but that's not what you buy it for. Value will hold pretty steady if you spend a little bit more for decent example with lowish miles. Your £20k will get you that. RS246.com has buyers guides a plenty for all the things to look out for.

You only live once so if it's what you want, go for it, but make sure you have your eyes open. I've had various similar things over the years (never a B7 though but have driven a few and they are lovely) but did get tired of the running costs (about 12 years ago I had an M3 which i tracked quite a lot and it probably cost £3k a year to keep in tip top shape). Time is my most precious commodity now so I've been lazy for the past 6 or 7 years and had new cars and accepted depreciation or lease costs instead of maintenance. Suspension and brakes on heavy fast cars take a real pounding so you could easily spend £5k+ on a £20k RS4 just getting it driving the way it was meant to.

Favourite car I've owned was an F10 M5 - whatever anyone say's, there's something about the way BMWs drive (especially M cars) that Audi and Merc just never quite match. Changed that for an S8 which is magnificent in a very different kind of way, but it just lacks any sparkle. I'd take an M135i/M140i over a B7 RS4 all day long.

C63 is pretty compelling. A mate of mine changes his cars more often than his pants and currently has a Cayman GT4 amongst other things. His C63 is the car he misses the most and he's had almost everything.

Having now watched the chipped S4 vs RS4 Harris video on page 2, I'd say definitely go S4. Loads cheaper to run and just as good 99% of the time.
"But it's not an RS" - so what?

shifter - Member
Having now watched the chipped S4 vs RS4 Harris video on page 2, I'd say definitely go S4. Loads cheaper to run and just as good 99% of the time.
"But it's not an RS" - so what?

I've not driven an S4, but TBH, the reason you buy cars like this, is for that 1% or 5% of the time when you want it to set your pants on fire! When I had my M5 I got so bored of people telling me I should have bought a 535D as it was just as good 99% of the time and drank less than half the fuel. What cars like the C63, M5 and B7 RS4 (to a lesser extent IMHO at least) have, is such character that even at 30mph you can feel that they are something special and it's that Jekyll and Hyde character that makes them so exciting to own.

Hmmm

I re-read the thread in its entirety, seems there's quite a lot to the ownership of an RS4. Not helped by the fact that the dealer that sold me the 120d just called with an "offer" on an Estoril Blue 330D Touring Msport, dripping with optional kit for 24k. He's running the PCP swap numbers as I type. 260bhp and 540nm... 😕

Not the actual one but:

[img] [/img]

but

Dunno, RS4 ownership seems quite simple based on this thread.
Buy it and don't worry about maintenance as it'll be stolen inside a year 🙂

That's a worry for me.

All this talk of being follow home and threatened for the keys. I've two kids, I don't want that kind of attention near my house.

3 series touring is lovely. Wifey has a 335d x drive (in estoril blue!) coming in December. Great cars for 99% of the time... 😉

I've never even thought about it until I read this thread. 😕

Is this a good time to throw an Insignia diesel into the mix?

It's quick, carries stuff, is cheap to run and nobody will break in and threaten to bum your labradoodle for the keys.