Any of you guys have an opinion on the 06 S4 Avant MT? Same engine as my wife's 04 V8 Touareg but in a much smaller (and lighter) body. Got about $5K over KBB on my 04 VR MT so need to get a quick replacement! Any info would be much appreciated!
2006 B7 S4 Wagon MT
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They are cool cars but many of the v8s can be extremely costly to maintain and have issues. I know bc my friend loves them but didnt buy one bc he said the issues can be in 3-5k range.I dont remember the specifics but im sure a google search will help. As always do some thorough research
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Man, great job selling the V70R!
I will just leave this here:
http://jalopnik.com/here-s-why-the-v8-audi-s4-is-an-awful-used-car-1676466510
Take it is a minor grain of salt, but I think there is a lot of truth in there.
I personally love the S4 Avant, but I am not sure I would ever buy one. If they made the Avant in the S4 with the TT-V6, that may be a different story.
No luck finding a good 535 wagon?
I will just leave this here:
http://jalopnik.com/here-s-why-the-v8-audi-s4-is-an-awful-used-car-1676466510
Take it is a minor grain of salt, but I think there is a lot of truth in there.
I personally love the S4 Avant, but I am not sure I would ever buy one. If they made the Avant in the S4 with the TT-V6, that may be a different story.
No luck finding a good 535 wagon?
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NO
My friend just bought one, timing chain just came around 5k later.... yea.
My friend just bought one, timing chain just came around 5k later.... yea.
I wanted one so badly in Nogaro, Avant and Stick form until I read that article!
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I know, really depressing. That and the e46 M3 are two cars I have wanted since they came out nearly 15 years ago.
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Unless its coming with a carmax warranty like my friends 06 S4 avant. I wouldn't buy it.
I called my mechanic and he said that as long as you expect to pay a pretty penny each time the car breaks down, the 4.2 V8 isn't any different than the V6 or the I4. In fact, he said he sees and works on the turbocharged I4's much more than the V8's. As I've only owned European cars, I know how expensive they are to maintain and will take the jalopnik article with a grain of salt. I mean, who would have said that in 35K+ miles I would have spent less than $500 on repairs for a 04 VR? Thanks though, haven't pulled the trigger yet but these S4 MT's are hard to find!
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I don;t think the issue is "normal" maintenance costs, it's the idea that if you drive the car for a while at high mileages, you have a significant probability of having a $5-10k timing chain repair. Who knows how really prevalent it is, but I am not sure it is a risk I would take. Maybe you could find one that had the service performed in the recent past?
It's seems kind of like the regular failure of the BMW e90 water pumps, but many times costlier.
It's seems kind of like the regular failure of the BMW e90 water pumps, but many times costlier.
Is a 2004 VR any more reliable than a 2006 S4 with 5,000 less miles on it (it has 71K)? And will a shop be able to tell me prior to buying if the timing chain is about to go?
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Based on my research here and elsewhere, and a buddy who's a European (mainly German) auto tech, yes. A VR should be more reliable than Audi
MAN - looks like I'm going to walk away from this unicorn
Totally bummed but after talking to a few techs, and post here and throughout, they all said stay away from the 4.2L V8. Ugh.
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Guys, if you can get a good deal then it's worth. My friend picked one up for around 8k mint know the timing chain would come up soon. He bought the parts and had a shop do it all professionally for 4800 cash. Now he has a reliable DD but for a price obviously... oh his starter just went out though (175$). I like the car but they are alot to maintain, definitely more so than the R. The R is know for suspension stuff not engine (Even though we do have awd issue at high milage). All in all the R is alot cheaper, this is between me an my friend doing compare an contrast. Given, his has 118k and mine has 83k but his is completely clean, where as mine has been in accident. All that said I've spent around 3500 for EVERYTHING, front suspension rebuild (Struts, Arms, tops, etc), K&N, Cat-back, Insanely high end Lighting, braces, alignments, oil changes, aoc an haldex + transfluid.
He just spent 5K just on a timing chain and now the starter. You have to REALLY crunch numbers when buying these cars. Everything said... if you guys want to play with big money in cars try an FD Rx7. It's more expensive then a mistress and a wife.
He just spent 5K just on a timing chain and now the starter. You have to REALLY crunch numbers when buying these cars. Everything said... if you guys want to play with big money in cars try an FD Rx7. It's more expensive then a mistress and a wife.
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The non-turbo BMW inline 6 has been around for many years and is a great engine. You may be a bit disappointed in the torque, but it is a lively engine as you get the RPMs up. I had a 2008 128i manual and loved the car (nominally the same engine); I wish it had the 330 engine in it though to make it a little more torquey. Definitely drive one to see how you like it, but both my BMWs (128i, 335i) I preferred the driving dynamics to the R. Maybe try to avoid "active steering" if you can; my 335 has it and its fine but hurts the feel a bit and is not necessary.
One thing that typically will fail is the (electric) water pump; it seems like 75% fail before 100k miles.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=807187
Not sure what else to look for. I have had my 2007 335i since 50k miles, now at about 70k, and have only had a VANOS solenoid and a coil pack fail. Both easy fixes.
LOL from the Jalopnik article
HoonTheMoon
Great article Doug. I test drove a few of these and ultimately went with and S60R instead because of the timing chain issue among other things. It has it's own set of problems, but not $8k problems!
Doug DeMuro
Very true. When you're considering a car that makes an S60R look dependable, you know you need to run away fast!!
HoonTheMoon
Great article Doug. I test drove a few of these and ultimately went with and S60R instead because of the timing chain issue among other things. It has it's own set of problems, but not $8k problems!
Doug DeMuro
Very true. When you're considering a car that makes an S60R look dependable, you know you need to run away fast!!
The guys over at Audizine hate this article and claim the assumptions are outrageous. Expensive to maintain, yes, but not at the rate they talk about. Anyway it gives me some perspective. I read horror stories about the VR too and in 35K miles over 4 years, I've have exactly ZERO unforeseen maintenance issues.
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