I've got a b7 s4. Should I upgrade to an rs4?

[ricje]

Hello all!

Been a while since I posted, sold my a3 3.2 v6 for a m3 e46. M3 was immense. If a little mental now and then.

So.. I bought a b7 S4 4.2. Great car, much more comfortable than the M3. Still prefer mechanical scream of M3 to the v8 purr.. And it's slower no doubt.

Simple question for those in the know! Should I upgrade to an RS4. No doubt it's better looking than the new e92 m3 but is it a big step up from the s4? I know all the mechanical differences. Is it worth the extra 10K or should I just go for the e92 m3....(which is now in same price range as a mint b7 rs4).

Sure this has been done to death... But still I need opinions.

Cheers.

 

[PetrolDave]

I went from a B6 S4 to a B7 RS4 - is it a big step up?

What's the difference between a soft boulevard cruiser and a proper performance car?

The S4 kept me smiling for 3 months (at most) and then just became something I drove, I've had the RS4 coming up to 6 years and it still makes me grin like a Cheshire Cat every time I drive it.

 

[ricje]

Just the answer I was after. Cheers. It will be done!

 

[CarrG]

Hate to say it Mate but make sure you test drive the M3 also before making your mind up.

 

[PetrolDave]

Hate to say it Mate but make sure you test drive the M3 also before making your mind up.

Preferably on a really wet or icy day...

The M3 is a car for those rare dry sunny days, but the RS4 is a car for every day.

 

[hades-]

E92 M3

 

[Dane]

The m3 is an excellent performance car, but come winter it's rs4 all day long surely.

Dave just seen you have an avant and everything, good man! I'd like to own a b7 one day but it might need a supercharger ....

 

[PetrolDave]

I'd like to own a b7 one day but it might need a supercharger ....

I'd love a supercharger too - but the kits cost around £15,000 so it's not on the agenda at the moment!

 

[longp2]

Hello all!

Been a while since I posted, sold my a3 3.2 v6 for a m3 e46. M3 was immense. If a little mental now and then.

So.. I bought a b7 S4 4.2. Great car, much more comfortable than the M3. Still prefer mechanical scream of M3 to the v8 purr.. And it's slower no doubt.

Simple question for those in the know! Should I upgrade to an RS4. No doubt it's better looking than the new e92 m3 but is it a big step up from the s4? I know all the mechanical differences. Is it worth the extra 10K or should I just go for the e92 m3....(which is now in same price range as a mint b7 rs4).

Sure this has been done to death... But still I need opinions.

Cheers.

B8 S4 with ADS and sport diff. Before anyone starts screaming I'm not saying it's better than a B7 RS but it's another option!

 

[ricje]

Confused again. Have only tried dct m3 not manual yet. Consider s4 but it's a lot more £££ than the other two... Still think rs4, missed out on Daytona grey one I was after so still looking..

 

[ricje]

Ok tried m3. It's now between rs4 and b8 s4 (as they are cheaper than I thought!) is the new s4 as good! Test drive tomorrow 09 model

 

[PetrolDave]

It's now between rs4 and b8 s4l

Completely different character cars - and V8 vs. supercharged V6 (V8 noise wins every time in my book).

 

[gareth_oau]

you cant do this in a supercharged 6




yes, they are fun, especially a manual with a short-shifter!


Arguably the E92 M3 is marginally better as a drivers's car, but these conclusions are usually reached by professional drivers on race tracks, and most car owners will never tell or exploit the difference.

I fell special sitting in a very classy RS4 - the seats, the steering wheel, the carbon fibre trim. I felt like a taxi driver sitting in the M3

 

[ricje]

well still have not taken the plunge. Annoying.

As to RS4 sound. Heres my S4 noise (stock). Not much better! s4 july sound - YouTube. Still sounds good!!!

Just put off by so many people whinging about carbon build up/Dynamic ride issues. Sure its not everyone but the few rs4s i have tried (apart from the one i was sold on) seem iffy. So still looking. S4 was a great ride, had fancy diff. Just now decided it looks guff.

 

[hades-]

well still have not taken the plunge. Annoying.

As to RS4 sound. Heres my S4 noise (stock). Not much better! s4 july sound - YouTube. Still sounds good!!!

Just put off by so many people whinging about carbon build up/Dynamic ride issues. Sure its not everyone but the few rs4s i have tried (apart from the one i was sold on) seem iffy. So still looking. S4 was a great ride, had fancy diff. Just now decided it looks guff.

i wouldnt say people are whinging about the build up and dynamin problems
there ****** off with the build quailty the carbon build up is quite a big problem with the RS4 owners
iv owned 2 had both problems and i know of 4 others that have had the problems
theres no cure for the build and can be quite costley when it needs doing
and your bang on about them been iffy i dont think iv seen a bang stright 1 yet there nealy all hammerd

 

[ricje]

Plus the word Whinge maybe strong. But if I had spent 30K and ha such issues I would Whinge!!

 

[ricje]

Plus the word Whinge maybe strong. But if I had spent 30K and ha such issues I would Whinge!! But still a great vehicle. Sorry if I annoyed I'm only after advice and not an expert on the b7 rs4.

 

[hades-]

Plus the word Whinge maybe strong. But if I had spent 30K and ha such issues I would Whinge!! But still a great vehicle. Sorry if I annoyed I'm only after advice and not an expert on the b7 rs4.

but you wouldnt whinge cos you have done your homework on the car you want
some ppl just in feet 1st then complain about faults that everyone else knows about
as you say they are nice cars try to find 1 that has had the suspension changed for a quailty set and just had the carbon cleaned
should be good for another 20K ish b4 it needs doing again

 

[dave a c]

i have had the pleasure of driving both B7 rs4 and the B8 S4 both cars are great or at least i thought they were! if it was my money i would deffo go for the B8 s4 it just seemed more fun somehow and they can be easily tuned:thumbsup:mind you i'm probbarbly wrong because i drive a B5 rs4! either way the Beemer does nothing for me at all.

 

[ricje]

Maybe I'm making a fuss. Just realise this is my last fast car before family life kicks in! So a lot of thinking. Dave did you drive the s4 with the drive select? One I drive didnt. Didn't have v8 growl but still felt like a weapon

 

[ricje]

And much nicer dash than the rs4. Just needed that steering wheel and those cobra seats!!

 

[PetrolDave]

Just had a B8 A4 S-line as a courtesy car while my B7 RS4 was being serviced.

I have to say I struggled to find anything I liked about the B8 - it felt large and ungainly, the sat nav screen was fuzzy and had dull colours, the electric handbrake was a total PITA, but worst of all was that when driving along roads with deep puddles much of the water came over the bonnet onto the windscreen totally blinding me for several seconds (that didn't happen on the same road in my B7). IMHO that's verging on dangerous.

Sorry but Audi can keep the B8, and I'll keep my B7.

 

[dave a c]

it was the one with the paddles on the wheel thats all i could tell you,it did make a nice blip of the throttle on down shifts too!

 

[longp2]

Just had a B8 A4 S-line as a courtesy car while my B7 RS4 was being serviced.

I have to say I struggled to find anything I liked about the B8 - it felt large and ungainly, the sat nav screen was fuzzy and had dull colours, the electric handbrake was a total PITA, but worst of all was that when driving along roads with deep puddles much of the water came over the bonnet onto the windscreen totally blinding me for several seconds (that didn't happen on the same road in my B7). IMHO that's verging on dangerous.

Sorry but Audi can keep the B8, and I'll keep my B7.

F. Me Dave, how deep was that puddle!
The sat nav must have been the DVD based one as the HDD nav has a high def screen and is crystal clear, the handbrake does take a bit of getting used to (and yes I'd prefer a proper one) but you soon forget about it. Not sure how much larger the B8 is but my S4 definitely doesn't feel ungainly and is a nicer place to sit in and drive than my B7 S4.
I think that the main problem with the B8 ( especially with the S and RS) is that you need to spec it properly, for instance the S4 is totally different to drive with the ADS and Diff than it is without, the interior can also feel a bit low rent without a bit of leather and upgraded inserts, unfortunately this pushes the price right up so a lot of people do without them - this was not the case with the B7 RS4 as it came with everything you needed to make it drive great and feel great.
Try a well spec'd B8 in any guise and you may change your mind - or maybe not!

 

[PetrolDave]

F. Me Dave, how deep was that puddle!

It wasn't a one off - it happened at least a dozen times on the A342 going to Devizes.

The sat nav must have been the DVD based one

Dunno what it was but it was really slow at responding to user input (MUCH slower than my RNS-E) and the screen was truly horrid.

the handbrake does take a bit of getting used to (and yes I'd prefer a proper one) but you soon forget about it.

Not sure I could ever get used to it.

Not sure how much larger the B8 is but my S4 definitely doesn't feel ungainly and is a nicer place to sit in and drive than my B7 S4.

I stick by my opinion that my B7 RS4 is a much nicer place to be - I've just done the same trip today in my B7 RS4 and got home smiling rather than wanting to kill someone!

I think that the main problem with the B8 ( especially with the S and RS) is that you need to spec it properly

And then you will need a massive mortgage to pay for it. My B7 RS4 cost me £53k new, I've spec'd up a B8 RS4 to an equivalent spec and it came out at £76k. I'm sorry, that's a stupid price.

 

[longp2]

The new RS is very expensive, I wonder what the uptake for them has been like?

 

[N8]

The B8 RS4 looks epic IMO. But like everything prices and time, they all go up. A 997 Turbo was around £100k when it came out or late 90s, and now its £140k+.

 

[longp2]

The B8 RS4 looks epic IMO. But like everything prices and time, they all go up. A 997 Turbo was around £100k when it came out or late 90s, and now its £140k+.

I agree, i also think it looks great and When you put it like that I suppose we need to accept that prices do go up - our food shopping bill, for instance!

 

[PetrolDave]

The B8 RS4 looks epic IMO.

That's not the opinion of the majority of B7 RS4 owners - who think it's not aggressive enough compared to a B8 S4 or A4, over-priced and under-spec'd. Looks to me like it will sell to non-RS owners but won't attract many current RS owners to upgrade.

 

[gareth_oau]

and the RS buckets seem to be an expensive option.

for me, manual is a huge thing and so the new RS4 or RS5 aren't on my wish list

 

[Av4nt]

Ill never be lucky enough to fund an RS4, or an S4 I wuldnt think. but If I had the option to have either of them it would most definately be a B7 version of! The B7 RS4 looks better than any other audi out there imo.

 

[N8]

That's not the opinion of the majority of B7 RS4 owners

I find it REALLY REALLY hard, not to like this:

 

[P_G]

I find it REALLY REALLY hard, not to like this:

Sepang is one of the two colours the B8 looks good in having seen 5 variants on Saturday but regardless of colour when you see one of these in your rear view mirror it just looks like another B8 A4. A B7 would make you move out of the way. And I am fortunate enough to own a B7 and have driven B8 RS4's

As to the OP's question, I upgraded from a heavily modified B6 S4 to a B7 RS4 and never looked back. If I were in a B7 S4 would I upgrade to a B8 Rs4.... when they have lost £20-25k's worth of depreciation yes but would buy a B7 in the meantime.

 

[P_G]

i wouldnt say people are whinging about the build up and dynamin problems
there ****** off with the build quailty the carbon build up is quite a big problem with the RS4 owners
iv owned 2 had both problems and i know of 4 others that have had the problems
theres no cure for the build and can be quite costley when it needs doing
and your bang on about them been iffy i dont think iv seen a bang stright 1 yet there nealy all hammerd

To even up that argument I've had my B7 for 5 years and 83,000 miles and not had any issues; PD has had his longer IIRC and would report the same. Amazing how the ones with issues are always more public. There is no cure for carbon because it is a byproduct of FSi and because of the V8 valve overlap but a decoke can be correctly done for £5-700 every few years.

If the car has got Gen III DRC on it then you should have no issues and the uprated B7 RS4 DRC has had no reported faults and it is sublime when it works. You just have to do your homework on the car you buy. And RS4's are a little exceptional in that they are built to be driven so low mileage ones tend to have more issues.

 

[PetrolDave]

PD has had his longer IIRC and would report the same.

+1

I've had my B7 RS4 from new in July 2006 and have done approx 56k miles, and I still record the same 3k-8k rpm times (within 0.5 second) - so it's still in fine health and I've not had anything done other than normal servicing, service campaigns and maintenance (DRC under warranty, front discs and pads, offside aux radiator, rear wiper motor).

 

[N8]

I'm glad we've got lots of happy RS owners on this forum

 

[MartayMcFly]

I can't WAIT to get into a B7 RS4! If anyone ever has the chance, go for it.

 

[ricje]

Been a long time decision ( a lot of cash for me)

Going for this:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201246492235965?atmobcid=soc3

Thoughts???

 

[MartayMcFly]

Seems a lot for the miles... that's what I paid for mine with 42k on it.

 

[Avantsline]

That one has been up for a while now. I sold my a4 avant yesterday and the chap asked what i was after next, when i said a b7 rs4, he warned me off this one but i am after an avant anyway.

Worth a look though as long as figures are right, looks clean!