S4 Soft tops

[Turkster]

I was toying with going for a B6 Soft top / convertable but TBH for the money they go for and the insurance for me at 39 years old, there insn't much in the buying cost and the insurance for me, so should i really be looking at the S4 ? do you know of any thing that i should be made aware of apart from the petrol costs ?

 

[Turkster]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...ostcode/nn54el/radius/1500/model/s4?logcode=p

 

[adamss24]

Chain stretching and chain guides wearing is a common issue on the v8 s4, i would make sure the car is left overnight and if there's rattle for more than a sec then run away ! It's a ticking time bomb ! What's your budget ? Also be ware that the auto versions are quite slow for a big v8, i drove a few before and even one with 30k on the clock and I wasn't too impressed, my old a6 would have gave it a run for the money- no problem !
I have a b6 s4 saloon if you want to take for a test drive, 370 Bhp and it does ok however 200 miles on a tank with a light foot is a bit too much so i only drive it at weekends ! Overall is a beautiful car, poised and the noise the engine makes is sublime...

 

[p1tse]

I had one
Same thinking as you
You get a lot of car for your money

I didn't keep mine for long, mainly of low mpg on a daily commute was getting to me and if I was to keep it, was going to be a money pit as it needs an aftermarket exhaust and some wear and tear items will need looking at to keep it in tip top condition

I disagree with the above on auto being slow. It's not blistering pace but the tiptronic is matted well with the 4.2v8. The gearing in the manual means you'll be using 2nd. 4th, 6th on normal drives, but the transmission is a personal preference

The hood was good, no issues.

Any specific questions I'll try to help with my opinion

 

[adamss24]

Gearing in the manual means less shifting on motorway and the engine is big enough to pull in higher gear the car satisfactory ! However i find even my JHM mapped s4 dog slow due to the NA power delivery- just too boring ! My old diesel was an animal, it would puff and throw you about in a 2 tonne barge and the 8 pot calipers could barely stop her ! That's what you get from a boosted diesel with 7-800 Nm of torque from tickover and 330+ Bhp !

 

[dualmono21]

again dont discount tiptronics

when in sport mode the tiptronics only have 5 gears not 6 and are shorted geared than the manuals
there is about 40kg differance between manual and auto because of the torque convertor
and when tested back to back the tiptronics are actually faster than the manuals
thats probably the reason why the fastest 1/4 mile times are all tiptronics not manuals

the 6th gear on a tiptronic is actually longer geared than a manual so actually better for fuel economy than a manual

i would advise to drive both and see which you prefer

 

[p1tse]

Gearing in the manual means less shifting on motorway and the engine is big enough to pull in higher gear the car satisfactory ! However i find even my JHM mapped s4 dog slow due to the NA power delivery- just too boring ! My old diesel was an animal, it would puff and throw you about in a 2 tonne barge and the 8 pot calipers could barely stop her ! That's what you get from a boosted diesel with 7-800 Nm of torque from tickover and 330+ Bhp !

You're kind of right there, it was never exciting. I too had a diesel pushing those figures at the time from a BMW 35d remapped
Saying that it's not all about power figures, as more doesn't mean more fun

S4 for me was never engaging

 

[p1tse]

again dont discount tiptronics

when in sport mode the tiptronics only have 5 gears not 6 and are shorted geared than the manuals
there is about 40kg differance between manual and auto because of the torque convertor
and when tested back to back the tiptronics are actually faster than the manuals
thats probably the reason why the fastest 1/4 mile times are all tiptronics not manuals

the 6th gear on a tiptronic is actually longer geared than a manual so actually better for fuel economy than a manual

i would advise to drive both and see which you prefer

That's a good call
I didn't realise sport mode was 5 gears only when I started with playing with the paddles

Personally tiptronic worked well on this car and would imagine if I had in manual I would have got on with it even less

 

[adamss24]

You're kind of right there, it was never exciting. I too had a diesel pushing those figures at the time from a BMW 35d remapped
Saying that it's not all about power figures, as more doesn't mean more fun

S4 for me was never engaging

Diesel returned 400-500 miles on a tank, s4 returns 200 miles with a light foot ! Driven the same, the diesel was 3 times cheaper to run and more smiles per mile ! The s4 is very, vey clinical, it CAN be used as a daily driver but it's costly !

 

[p1tse]

Clinical is a good word to describe the s4 now I feel

But that's personal opinion
And depends what you have experienced before

Please OP don't let this put you off, try one. The guy I sold mine too loved it on an hour+ test drive. He was only going to use it at weekend though as he lives in London

 

[dualmono21]

get around 300 to a tank in mine and most of that is driving round town motorway its nearer 400
ive had it nine years and used it as a daily driver
simply the best car ive ever owned

 

[rjm180]

Ive had mine for 5 years, love it to bits. Yes it can be costly to run and expensive to fix. I wouldn't like to think what i've spent on it in those 5 years so If you're not going to be prepared for the occasional big repair bill then I would suggest you should try something else.
I really wouldn't be without mine though and if you can find a really good one then i'm sure you'll love it too.

 

[Turkster]

Well I'm still looking at the S4, TBH it would be my summer fun car, Mostly locked away in the winter under a cover, I'm keeping my 2.5TDi Quattro Sport as my winter everyday car, i just can get my head around why such a beast is not worth any money nowadays seeings as its had so so much cash spent on it to keep it as good as the day i got it back in 2006,