I have owned a B5 S4 6MT since 2008. I bought it with 62,000 miles and I'm the second owner. It currently has 142,589 miles on it. I have had the clutch replaced at 65K miles, timing belt done at 80K miles, tensioner arm pulley done at 80K miles, upper and lower front control arms, linkages, and bushings done at 120K miles. Other than that the car has been pristine and has had no issues. The labor and parts were very expensive though.
Now, for my 2 cents... every German car is different. It’s a 50/50 chance you'll get a good one that will have no issues or you'll get a bad one that will be money pit. It's just a risk that you will have to be willing to take if you want to have an amazing, all wheel drive, luxury car, that will always put a smile on your face when you drive it, pending you get one that wont have issues. A bad one will be a huge let down for you. My buddy experienced this when purchasing his M6. Also, getting the "Oh, you drive an Audi!?" when you go places can be cool too. Mine may not be a B7, but I can attest for Audi in saying that they are wonderful to drive and own. The interior is by far better than BMW and Mercedes, IMO. As for power, it was easy to get gains being a boosted car. I’m a member of some Audi forums and a lot of the V8 S4 guys complain about not being able to get power gains without spending tons of money. If you could swing the cash go for the B8 or find a pristine B5 if power is what you’re after. Not that the B7 is slow, it’s just harder/more expensive to get more power.
|