Would you pay more for a properly upgraded, low mileage '01.5 S4?

[thejimrose]

absolutely not. i saw far too many b5s4 repair tags at stasis to ever
want to buy one of my own.

the b5 s4 is, at this point, an old car. i'm in the market for
something new [replacing a b5 a4] and was tempted by the b5.. i love
the look, the size, mph and mpg, it was truly a genius car in its
time. however there's no escaping that these cars will cost a fortune
to run from 100 to 200k  miles [given they all have at least 100k at
this point] no matter how well looked after. its a heavy, high hp car
that is hard on everything - control arms, brakes, motor/trans mounts,
axles, propshaft, transmission, clutch, turbos, etc etc etc will all
need doing at around 100k.

low mileage cars wouldn't make me any less nervous. they're not
unreliable, but they are hideously complex and are very expensive to
repair when things need servicing. the mods thing is a crapshoot..
even the best stuff adds an element of dodgyness to the car. modded
cars will ALWAYS be less reliable than stock. even with 'good' parts
[they never are], installed by competent professionals [usually not
the case] and driven like it's made of glass [it never is].

if you have nothing better to do w/ your weekends than spend them
under a b5, go for it. as for me i have no idea what i'll buy. i want
to spend around 20k for something nice but reliable. probably will
resist the temptation to get a b6s4 and will get an 09 gti..

jim