May have just bought a 2003 S4 Avant. Lots of questions!!

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rich1

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Hi,
Haven't been on here for a while but been looking to buy a S4 for a while.

I was originally looking for a B7 S4 but seems they are abit too far out of my budget etc.

I found an avant on ebay with 134k on it up for £5500. States that the service book has FASH upto 93k but nothing after that.
Am I mad to even consider it? For what I can get it for, I can spend a few quid on a decent service etc... Would this help just incase?

The current owner has only had it a few months but then again, I've had 28 cars in 7 years. Haha.

Thoughts?
 
do your research on s4,s before buying one , it could be an expensive mistake if you do not
most s4,s have had a few owners by now as people only tend to keep them a few years (i must be the exception as ive had mine nearly 9 years now )
you need to look at the car before buying and listen to the engine on cold start up as that is absolutely the most important thing about an s4

have a look through previous threads i have mentioned a few of the things you need to look for when buying an s4
 
Age & mileage aren't really a big issue on most VAG cars, but a verified history is essential. Buying a S4 with an unknown last 40k is very risky indeed. I would only consider it if was a really good price, in very good condition & I could afford a full major service straight off. Seen sub 100k FASH S4 B6 Avants going for under £6000 recently.
Here's one Audi S4 B6 Avant 2003 53 Plate 4.2 litre V8 344BHP | eBay
 
Just make sure the chain only makes a noise for the first second on start up, valve covers leak so they will want checking, the paint on the valve covers flakes off aswell as the b6,s came with painted aluminium covers, a lot of people in the US have them removed and sand blasted to prevent paint contaminating the oil system. Any vibrations under acceleration will be front axles or engine mounts, Appart from that change the oil frequently and enjoy the v8
 
Thanks for the replies.
The offer he accepted is £4700 (providing the car is exactly as described)
I'm hoping as it's full Audi history that it's been looked after and maybe the previous owner serviced it himself.

If I don't hear any chain rattle and buy it, if I was to get a major service would that be a massive benefit from a prevention point of view for the chains?
 
Mine has 120k on the clock and I love the car. It gets a reg oil change, full service every service.

I keep it maintained very well and it's a joy, I won't sell until I find an RS4 in the right spec.
 
dont buy an s4 based on price
..buy it based on condition and how its been looked after
no evidence of service of service history would be worrying to me but it may just be a case of it not being done at the dealer
which i can perfectly understand , i have serviced my car since owning it and would never take it to a main dealer unless absolutely necessary
 
dualmono21 said:
dont buy an s4 based on price
..buy it based on condition and how its been looked after
no evidence of service of service history would be worrying to me but it may just be a case of it not being done at the dealer
which i can perfectly understand , i have serviced my car since owning it and would never take it to a main dealer unless absolutely necessary
Click to expand...
Can you prove it has been serviced tho?
 
yes
i have the receipts for all the materials which are used in the service
as opposed to a stamp in a book which tells you exactly nothing
 
dualmono21 said:
yes
i have the receipts for all the materials which are used in the service
as opposed to a stamp in a book which tells you exactly nothing
Click to expand...

See, that's good. This car has nothing (as far as I'm aware).

It can't have gone 6 years since it was last serviced. Audi can only tell me that it's been serviced, not any recalls/repair work etc which is annoying.
 
in that case unless there was some evidence of it being serviced since then in all honesty i would simply walk away
this is not a car you can afford to cut corners on servicing wise ... as many owners have found to there peril
 
it must be worth a fair few £££ in parts (worse case scenario) I'd say at that price it's worth a punt.....

As said if it's not as described then walk away
 
There is a S4 needing a new engine for similar money. Not that it will sell at that.

Will update when my mate has been to see it.
 
That's not too far from me

How long has the current owner had it for?
Has it the rattle at start up for a second

Surely you can tell if its running on poor oil or filters need doing if majorly dirty

At the price worth a punt

Is it on 19s
 
the most valauble parts on these cars are

engine
interior
gearbox (especially the tiptronic) (same as rs6)

you would still have to sell a lot of parts to get upto £5000
 
dualmono21 said:
the most valauble parts on these cars are

engine
interior
gearbox (especially the tiptronic) (same as rs6)

you would still have to sell a lot of parts to get upto £5000
Click to expand...

Same gearbox as rs6?

Stick a newer vag 2.0t engine in it if it went wrong :)
 
yes

the tiptronic gearbox in the s4 is the same one used in the rs6

Stick a newer vag 2.0t engine in it if it went wrong
thats like having your ******** cut off and replacing them with a a marble
 
So why doesn't the S4 have the massive issues with the gearbox like the rs6?
 
rich1 said:
So why doesn't the S4 have the massive issues with the gearbox like the rs6?
Click to expand...

Probably because the S4 is na at 344BHp whereas the RS is twin turbo with well over 400, plus most have been *chipped*, much bigger torque and lower down the rev range as well…….. so the box gets a LOT more abuse….
 
I think the bottom line here is if you cant prove the last 6 years servicing then walk away, there are loads out there with full history for simular money, its not worth risking in my opinion.

Mine turned up on my doorstep from a family member who bought it with Full histoy but could not afford to run it. It wouldn't have been my 1st choice if I was searching for one as its a saloon and had a number of items missing from my ideal spec but I could not turn it down after driving it and looking at the condition.

I have been happy with it ever since, its been a great car and puts a smile on my face every day. I got it with 89k on the clock and in 18 mths its now has 121k on the clock.

As I said before in a previous post, I am now going to spend the next 6 mths looking for the right RS4 and that's the only thing that will make ne give up the S4......the hunt begins.

There are loads to choose from, look around and pick something that will give you better peace of mind and remove the doubt.


p.s 344 ps not bhp
 
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jbcalvin said:
Probably because the S4 is na at 344BHp whereas the RS is twin turbo with well over 400, plus most have been *chipped*, much bigger torque and lower down the rev range as well…….. so the box gets a LOT more abuse….
Click to expand...

that's exactly why it doesn't suffer like the rs6 (a chipped rs6 is around 525 bhp) ... in the s4 its perfect for the power plant and can take the grunt without stressing it too much
the rs6 needed a box which was a little more robust so as when people mess and play with the engine the gearbox doesn't **** itself
 
UPDATE!!!

My friend has just sent me this...
Greetings. f**k me what a palava that was....

I eventually got there and the bloke is minted beyond minted! lol Turns out we have a few mutual friends and since I saw the car, I've done some digging on him and they tell me he's a genuine bloke, the car is genuine and he just buys and sells a few cars on the side as he gets bored easily like you.

The car looks better in the flesh than in the pictures.

Bad bits;
Both front sills are crushed. Presumably from some chump jacking it up with a cheap trolley jack. Not noticeable unless you lay on the floor though as they're very deep sills.
Tracking is ever so slightly out.
A couple of very minor rust scabs but he said you knew about those.
Rear bumper underneath is scuffed, drivers side.
Rear pads are low
All 4 discs are lipped but look like they've got life left in them.
I only saw one key
Duplicate service book with dates and mileages written in but no info on what was done.
Engine sounds ever so mildly 'tappy' at the top. I rang a mate that's into audis and he said that's normal on the V8.
Front tyres are new but are cheap. Kenda Radials whatever they are.
I couldn't check the CD player as neither of us had a CD.
The whole interior creaks, but every Audi of that age i've ever been in does it.
Logbook not in his name as he's a registered trader apparently.


Good bits;
Goes well.
Very tidy overall.
Everything electrical works as does the aircon
Doesn't look to have had any major paint but then it was getting dark and I was on a farm....
All the dash works, no pixel break up.
No flat spots, drives lovely, brakes are spot on, gearbox is perfect up and down the box.
Clutch operates fine, no slipping.
Glovebox not broken.


Is there anything else you want to know? I'm trying to do 3 things at once so I may have missed a few bits off.
Click to expand...
 
Too many wrong things to live with and to sort out say budget £1k
You might as well buy a different one
 
...
It wasn't stone cold when I got there. I asked for it to be, but it wasn't. It was barely warm so it had been stood for a fair time I imagine.

Its just very faintly tappy. Doesn't sound like chain slap that's for sure. The oil is black and hasn't been changed for a long time by the looks of it so a good flush and change would make a good difference I expect.

Interior was creaky, but then I had no fans on and no radio on and I asked him to stop talking so I imagine with the air con on, radio on and jacob in the back shouting, it would be no worse than any other 11 year old car.

With a little bit of spend tidying up the paint, it will make a ****** lovely car. Interior is very very nice. I was expecting it to look old and worn but it isn't at all.
Click to expand...
 
so he asked for the car to be clock cold so he could check the chain slap
and the car was luke warm

you need to hear the car CLOCK COLD or you do not know what your buying
 
What's your thoughts
Are you still planning to buy at £4.7k
What budget have you got for immediate spend?

There are others on face of it looks quite good around the £5.5k on autotrader
 
Told him last night I'm not going to buy it. He then sent me a ****ty text afterwards saying he knew I was a messer from the start and I shouldn't buy cars I can't afford.

There is a couple I have seen that need to look into (I'll post the links shortly) I ideally don't want to spend more than £6k and if it is £6k, I will have to wait until I sell my A6.
The only reason I was looking at the original one was that I could afford to buy it straight away.
 
the silver one on Strathclyde is the nicest looking (avant + colour combination ) black with black leather is like a funeral car
and it has a milltek on it

after seeing his description of the engine work and what was done i think i can put 2+2 together and say possibly why it was done
the power steering pump is run directly off the passenger side chain bank
there have been a couple of failures of the timing chain guides which resulted in the drive gear for the power steering either damaged or not working correctly
 
The exhaust looks terrible. I will have to wait and see if it's still available when mine sells.
If anybody wants a PX with a 2005 Audi A6 3.0tdi Quattro S line, let me know. ;)
 
the exhausts are correct but they have not been fitted properly
they should not stick out from the car at all , the tailpipes are actually matched to the shape of the bumper curve
fit them properly and they look superb

if it would have been another 6 months you would have been welcome to have a look at mine
 
I have a 3.0 V6 2003 Avant and love it.

It had 80k on the clock when I got it Nov 2012 and now has 100k but runs like a dream... I reckon this engine will easily do over 300k

Would love the 4.2 V8 though!

Ben
 
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