S4 B6 owners (past and present), how was/is your experience?

[JamieOS]

I just want to know what its like owning one. Was it a mechanical dream or nightmare (and maybe how good you are with solving mechanical stuff)? Did you use it as an everyday driver, or a weekend cruiser?

An S4 is one of the cars I'd love to own at some point in the future. I'd like to hear a few peoples opinions on them and what they are like to own.

Thanks lads.

 

[Spin140]

I have a 2004 cabriolet with 87K and 2 owners. Running costs are not excessive but then again only use it for weekend/occasional driving. I am a complete OCD freak so I have probably spent too much on mine making it as fresh as possible. Mpg and insurance are more than reasonable for my estimated 4K per year. Mines a manual and had a new clutch/flywheel before I bought it at a cost of £1,300 and I have to say its a lovely drive, good positive shift and nice light clutch action. The overall performance and driving experience is pretty good if not exceptional in this modern world of lighter and powerful turbo charged alternatives. Having said that the lazy torque filled drive or high revving aural pleasure make ownership worthwhile. Handling is secure and again very good for what is a heavy car. the interior and body feel like its made with no budget in mind as the quality is excellent. The sound is beautiful but if having to be honest and critical the pedestrians get to appreciate it more than the driver due to the usual high standards of Audi build quality from this era. The car feels like it could cross continents and go on forever. It has not been completely trouble free with a new ABS module and 'small' condenser fitted but I believe these are all 'age' related items that age dependant may well have been sorted on any potential purchase. Mine's now for sale but only because I can't justify having 2 cabriolets on the drive (just bought a new S3) despite my best efforts!

Ideally I'd hang on to mine so that should give you an idea of how good/bad they are. Go for it whilst there are still some good ones out there at reasonable money

 

[JamieOS]

I have a 2004 cabriolet with 87K and 2 owners. Running costs are not excessive but then again only use it for weekend/occasional driving. I am a complete OCD freak so I have probably spent too much on mine making it as fresh as possible. Mpg and insurance are more than reasonable for my estimated 4K per year. Mines a manual and had a new clutch/flywheel before I bought it at a cost of £1,300 and I have to say its a lovely drive, good positive shift and nice light clutch action. The overall performance and driving experience is pretty good if not exceptional in this modern world of lighter and powerful turbo charged alternatives. Having said that the lazy torque filled drive or high revving aural pleasure make ownership worthwhile. Handling is secure and again very good for what is a heavy car. the interior and body feel like its made with no budget in mind as the quality is excellent. The sound is beautiful but if having to be honest and critical the pedestrians get to appreciate it more than the driver due to the usual high standards of Audi build quality from this era. The car feels like it could cross continents and go on forever. It has not been completely trouble free with a new ABS module and 'small' condenser fitted but I believe these are all 'age' related items that age dependant may well have been sorted on any potential purchase. Mine's now for sale but only because I can't justify having 2 cabriolets on the drive (just bought a new S3) despite my best efforts!

Ideally I'd hang on to mine so that should give you an idea of how good/bad they are. Go for it whilst there are still some good ones out there at reasonable money

Thanks for the reply. I don't know if one would ever replace a tdi as my daily driver, but it would certainly be a nice car to have for short drives and just having a bit of fun with. Something close to the spec I want seems to be pretty scarce here in Ireland. There was one for sale a while ago that was almost exactly what I wanted, but there is no way at my age that I'd be able to get insurance on one for a while. If I had the money to spare, I'd have grabbed it and kept it garaged for a few years, but I'd hate to leave it sitting there. I'm just hoping that there is still a decent choice of good ones left by the time I get around to buying one (and that the price doesn't suddenly skyrocket or something).

EDIT: Oh, and how could I forget to mention. The sound of that V8 is just something else. Judging by the sound of the B7 RS4 I heard a few weeks ago, I'd probably slap on a Milltek catback exhaust onto it. I know its not always the best thing to go off of, but they sure sound sweet in YouTube videos on B6s.

 

[adamss24]

As above, they are not trouble free but are very rewarding to drive cars. I had mine for over 3 years now and to be honest i would only upgrade to a b5 rs4 as it has much more tuning potential. Get a cat/precats delete and a 3" straight trough exhaust and you won't look back ! Mine got the usual upgrades: JHM remap, rs4 coilpacks, full 3" dual exhaust (kept stock back boxes), K&N cone filter (it was on the car when i bought it), rs4 front brakes and 20" forged s8 alloys. It looks stock and goes like clappers ! By far one of the most rewarding cars you can get for about 5k nowadays !
I use mine every day since petrol got cheap a few months ago however 200-250 miles on a full tank is painful, if you want fuel economy then get a diesel as a daily !