Project 2017 – RS4 Avant

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:

but

it’s not an RS4

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.

M Sport package for 3 series seems bit silly to me, mostly about showy stuff and only thing I’d want from it is the steering wheel as in other models it feels too much like cheap plastic. Big alloys are not very practical and xdrives come with slightly lowered suspension anyway.

Big alloys not at all practical, but do make you smile every time you look at your car

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?

But the S4 is only a V6, not the V8 of the RS4. Boring cars with silly engines are a dying breed so if you’ve got the chance to buy one, do it!

M Sport package for 3 series seems bit silly to me, mostly about showy stuff and only thing I’d want from it is the steering wheel as in other models it feels too much like cheap plastic. Big alloys are not very practical and xdrives come with slightly lowered suspension anyway.

The standard suspension is woeful on the current F30’s; it’s really wallowy. The MSport suspension is actually really good. The 330d I had was way better riding than the E90 330 before it even on 19’s. The x drive cars ( even M Sport ones) sit a fair bit higher than the two wheel drive jobbies.

Kryton – the 330d is a stonkingly good car and bloody quick too. It’ll cost less in repairs than an RS4 and in fuel (although if you drive it hard, it’ll drink at an alarming rate), be nicer inside (seats aside) with better tech but you can’t really compare them. The 330d still sounds like a tractor and loses a lot of the drama that you get with the Audi (mainly the noise which is amazing). The RS4 does have a cult following and are pretty rare these days (B7’s).

There’s plenty of horror stories with BM’s being nicked too, although I think the F series cars fix the massive black spot in the alarm that made the E series cars all too easy to steal.

That 330 in the photo looks bloody lovely

There’s plenty of horror stories with BM’s being nicked too, although I think the F series cars fix the massive black spot in the alarm that made the E series cars all too easy to steal.

Personally, I’d rather wake up and find my easily stolen car gone than wake up and see a gang of robbers demanding the keys with a knife to my wife’s throat.

My colleague had a c63

Most brutal car I’ve ever been a passenger in.

Great fun.

He now drives a Nissan leaf.

current 330/335d are great cars for the real world, using them everyday, but you’d never take one for a drive just for the fun of it…….

(they are also utterly ruined by the X drive nonsense, added for the 7 people who actually live in the alps and drive in real snow, and now foisted onto the rest of use by default by BMW….)

Before RS4 world, I was holding out for an Xdrive. I then realised that taking a car 4″ off the ground to a Gorrick event would be pointless even if it did have 4WD.

The one I’m looking at is standard Msport with 19’s not 20’s but has a spec list from the Dictionary of BMW Cliches:

Rear and folding head restraints
Electric front seats with driver memory
Split-folding rear seats
BMW Online services
Headlight power wash
BMW Professional navigation system
Matt aluminium roof rails
Loudspeaker system – harman/kardon surround
M Sport braking system
Storage compartment package
BMW Apps interface
Heated front seats
Extended interior light package
M Sport Plus package
Sun protection glass
19″ M Star-spoke style light alloy wheels
Exterior Mirrors – folding with anti-daz
Panoramic glass sunroof
Black panel display – full
Concierge Service
Xenon headlights
Front armrest with sliding adjustment
Real time traffic information
BMW TeleServices.Interior comfort package
Media package – Professional
BMW Emergency call
Remote Services

🙄 😀

I noted the M Sport brakes mean no Mr Winter Wheels for this one.

^^ those alloys on the blue bimmmer look painful. Imagine hitting the expansion joints on the M25 and/or driving on the concrete sections.

😯

Been reading this with interest and I must say that having had a 6 cylinder BMW diesel the engines are great fun and very economical.

335d is only available in 4wd where as the 330d can be had in both 2wd and 4wd.

Neither compare to a V8 though so it really depends on what you want. A friend of mine has just got rid of his RS4 Avant for a 3.0d XF Jaguar and in is words ‘it isn’t an RS4’

However the XF manages nearly 40mpg whereas the RS4 used to show 7mpg if stuck in traffic.

You either want a near supercar performance family car with huge running costs or you want a cheap to run but fast and practical estate with near 80’s supercar performance.

Take your pick but I know that my next car will be a 330 and not an RS4 or M3 just because of the miles that I do.

Take your pick but I know that my next car will be a 330 and not an RS4 or M3 just because of the miles that I do.

Sensibility says I should head in that direction. However…

This is me pushing outside my preconceived lifestyle box in order to test the boundaries and explore life a little

Dude it’s a car 😀

I know its not an RS4 – but what about a Golf R estate? I think pretty much as quick and will be alot cheaper to run plus probably less easily stolen.

Concierge Service

Is that a special BMW guy who magically appears to open the door for you and valets it when you go to the shops?

, I don’t want that kind of attention near my house.

Wot… Not even in a gated community? Surely the man at the gate will see them off…

It might be costly, there are faster cars out there for less money, there are newer cars out there with less problems for the same price. Jees there’s even diesels out there with so much torque they’d give it a run for its money. But there aren’t many cars out there with a NA V8 engine. With a manual gearbox. And there won’t be again. It’s a thing to behold. Test drive one then try to convince yourself that you don’t want it in your life. One of the greatest engines ever made said a certain Mr Clarkson.

Much as I like diesels (I have a pretty quick diesel) reving a petrol to 7500rpm is more fun.

Try 8250rpm for the rs4 😀

Ha, I bought a 335d to replace the S4, I am not at all disappointed, it is quicker than the S4 (actually quicker than the old RS6 and RS4, and is also the quickest diesel you can buy!) it will do 0-60 in 4.5s and I get 38mpg out of it driving it the same way as I drove the S4 when I was getting 19mpg!
If a 335d is an option I would recommend it, if you are buying it on finance you should look at a new one as a decent bit of haggeling can get you about 18% off the list price!!
I do still miss the V8 though.

I noted the M Sport brakes mean no Mr Winter Wheels for this one.
You can get 18″ wheels over the blue M brakes.

BMW: Personally I hate the look of those alloys and ultra low profile tyres and the ride must be horrible. I am sure the dealer will swap them out if you ask. It certainly seems a lot of car for £26k, how old / miles / maint costs ?

As I posted before you could have Cayman S and a Bike car / Van for £26k

Quick coast to coast example of the discounts you can get £33788 with no options but you get a lot as it is an msport as standard.

I had a cayman S after the rs4. Doesn’t even compare.

End of the day if you want an RS4 and have always wanted one then don’t let anyone else tell you that something else will do because it won’t. A BMW 335d whilst a nice quick car with character and more than enough power for the real world, is, at the end of the day just an every-day 3 Series that happens to have a big engine. The RS4 is a limited run model built completely separately from the main A4 production line and as a result will feel special just sat in traffic.

A nearly new 335d will probably loose you £5-6k a year in depreciation. The depreciation on an RS4 will be minimal (the B5’s are now appreciating), yet it will probably cost you £3-4K a year in extra fuel and servicing compared to the 335d. Man maths says get the RS4!

There might be one for sale in Glasgow

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-38064803