Questions about future car(?)

[JoshAvery9]

Hello all!

I currently drive a 2013 Audi A3 2.0 TDI which I've had for coming up to 4 years. Since then I've done all of the responsible things you do when you're in your early 20s (save money, buy a house etc) and now I am looking to upgrade the car. The car I have my eye on is a B9 S4 3.0 TFSI and while the car looks excellent on paper, and in photos, I'm aware they will be expensive to own due to what they are.

Can anyone give me a bit of help of what I'm looking at financially from owning an S4 in terms of service interval costs, road tax costs (I've found some people saying its £150 and others say its +£400 a year) and the general running costs? Any help would be appreciated as I am a massive fan of these cars but want to know the full picture before purchasing.

Thanks
Josh

 

[elpeterol]

Over the 5 year ownership of my B8.5 S4 I reckon servicing averaged out at about £200 per annum at the main dealer, tyres around 16-18000 miles and fuel economy about 30mpg ( mid 30s motorway mid 20s town and don’t ask if pressing on). Ignoring depreciation etc I found it a relatively cheap car to run. Road tax pre 2017 would £330 (I think) after that it gets complicated as if the list value was more than £40k there is a premium to pay over the first 4 or 5 years the DVLA web site explains it.
lovely car so just go for it

 

[JoshAvery9]

Over the 5 year ownership of my B8.5 S4 I reckon servicing averaged out at about £200 per annum at the main dealer, tyres around 16-18000 miles and fuel economy about 30mpg ( mid 30s motorway mid 20s town and don’t ask if pressing on). Ignoring depreciation etc I found it a relatively cheap car to run. Road tax pre 2017 would £330 (I think) after that it gets complicated as if the list value was more than £40k there is a premium to pay over the first 4 or 5 years the DVLA web site explains it.
lovely car so just go for it

That's great to know, thank you for that!

I've been changing my mind about what car over the last year but I'm pretty much set on getting one now!

 

[hellodave]

Over the 5 year ownership of my B8.5 S4 I reckon servicing averaged out at about £200 per annum at the main dealer, tyres around 16-18000 miles and fuel economy about 30mpg ( mid 30s motorway mid 20s town and don’t ask if pressing on). Ignoring depreciation etc I found it a relatively cheap car to run. Road tax pre 2017 would £330 (I think) after that it gets complicated as if the list value was more than £40k there is a premium to pay over the first 4 or 5 years the DVLA web site explains it.
lovely car so just go for it

I'd say allow £300/year servicing at a main dealer - some years will be more some less.

As said, post the (2017?) £40k+ rule change, vehicle tax carries a £310 "because we can" premium for 5 years after first registration (making it £475-ish), then it drops down to normal from year 6.

The S4 isn't a cheap car to run compared to a diesel A3, but it's not horrific either, and you don't buy one for economy! The fuel costs will be fairly high, but how many miles you do will determine how much it bothers you. FWIW, my B9 S4 averages mid 20s mpg, sub 20 in traffic and above 30 on a gentle run. The biggest shock for me was the range - after a diesel, sub 300 miles to a tank is a pain!

 

[JoshAvery9]

I'd say allow £300/year servicing at a main dealer - some years will be more some less.

As said, post the (2017?) £40k+ rule change, vehicle tax carries a £310 "because we can" premium for 5 years after first registration (making it £475-ish), then it drops down to normal from year 6.

The S4 isn't a cheap car to run compared to a diesel A3, but it's not horrific either, and you don't buy one for economy! The fuel costs will be fairly high, but how many miles you do will determine how much it bothers you. FWIW, my B9 S4 averages mid 20s mpg, sub 20 in traffic and above 30 on a gentle run. The biggest shock for me was the range - after a diesel, sub 300 miles to a tank is a pain!

Thanks for giving me some info on your experience!

The tax is a right chew on but just one of those things that I’ll have to deal with since that’s the car I want!

I’m definitely not wanting one for the fuel economy but 20/30mpg isn’t as bad as I was expecting, with my working from home at the moment and my work being 10 miles away via motorway normally that definitely won’t be an issue.

Giving myself 6 months to find ‘the one’, hopefully it’s sooner haha.


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