[s-cars] Am I crazy ? Aero to S4

[Jack Gagnon]

Taka,

I feel your pain! Having to drive 33 years and 336k in a nissan, mazda and
subaru.  In my opinion 1 year in an audi S4 is worth at least 5 years in a
subaru!

The point is that in my opinion, the increased maintenance is a trade off
that is worth it.

Jack

5 years and 85k in a S4 = 25 years and 425K of percieved enjoyment in a
subaru.

-----Original Message-----
From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com
[mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com]On Behalf Of Taka Mizutani
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 6:42 PM
To: calvinlc at earthlink.net
Cc: s-car-list at audifans.com
Subject: Re: [s-cars] Am I crazy ? Aero to S4


Calvin-
I understand your issues, but it sounds to me more like you're having
problems with
the dealership fixing your car correctly- the ECU issue and the headlamp
aiming issue
should be no-brainers if the techs actually know what they're doing.

The most reliable car that I or my family has ever owned was probably our
'92 Nissan
Maxima- there was only one issue in 7 years and 100k, everything else was
simple maintenance
stuff- tires, brake pads, alignment, oil changes, scheduled periodic
maintenance, etc.

No european car we've owned has been all that reliable- two VWs, four Audis
and a Volvo- a combined
22 years and 255k miles on them. Except for the Volvo, every single car has
cost quite a bit
to maintain ('85 Jetta GLI, '01 New Beetle, '85 4000S, '86 5ktq, '91 200q,
'99 A4 1.8T, '04 V70R).

Two Nissans, two Mazdas and one Subaru, all have been trouble-free with a
combined 33 years
and 365k miles on them. ('87 Pathfinder SE, '92 Maxima SE, '79 GLC, '90
Miata, '04 STi)

The Volvo and the Nissan dealerships have been the best to deal with, the VW
and the Audi dealerships (all 7 of them)
have been the worst to deal with.

My '91 200q was the best European car besides the Volvo- I spent more on
upgrades than maintenance, although I did
have to do a fair amount of maintenance (replaced alternator and radiators
unexpectedly, failed temp sensor, failed temp
gauge, failed instrument cluster, altitude sensor, bypass valves- everything
else was routine- brake pads, tires, timing belt, etc).

I think the cars these days are simply too complex- there are a million
things to go wrong, very difficult to fix a wiring fault, for
instance. The appeal of a car like the Miata (it has A/C and power steering,
but no auto climate control, manual windows and
locks, no ABS, no traction control, no power seats w/ memory or heaters or
ventilation, nothing but the basics and thus very
easy to service.

Taka


On 7/11/06, calvinlc at earthlink.net <calvinlc at earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> I slightly disagree with Taka, since over the last 2 years I have owned an
> A6 2.7T with less than 50k on it (28-46k) and a 1992 S4, with between 125k
> and 160k on it...the A6 spent more time in the shop.  Two repairs on the
> S4
> in that same period of time, a CV joint and a radiator temp sensor.  The
> A6,
> on the other hand, I had to fight with the stealer to gte an updated flash
> on my ECU because the damn thing stumbled when you first got on the gas
> before about 30 seconds of driving...numerous other 2.7Ts had the same
> issue
> and the stealer told me to put in mid-grade instead of premium...after he
> figured out I wasn't going away they finally agreed to re-flash the
> ECU...why in the hell they didn't do that first I don't know, since that's
> what I suggested to them.  The Xenon headlights still don't work right;
> after multiple trips to the stealer they still point down after a few
> minutes of use to where they look like Audi 200 US Headlights.  Climate
> control issues as well.  The '92 S4 that I have owned between 80k and 160k
> has been far and away the most reliable car I have ever owned.
> --Calvin
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com
> [mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com]On Behalf Of Taka Mizutani
> Sent: Monday, July 10, 2006 8:39 PM
> To: Quattrohead
> Cc: s-car-list at audifans.com
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] Am I crazy ? Aero to S4
>
>
> Yes and no on ditching the '01 Saab 9-5 Aero and getting a '93 S4.
>
> Yes, you should ditch the Saab.
>
> No, you shouldn't get a '93 S4- you've mentioned a critical piece of info-
> you say you don't have much time, even though you're capable of doing a
> lot
> of the service of the car. You will spend quite a bit on labor if you have
> to ask
> someone else to do the work for you- my mechanic is $75/hr., dealership
> is around $100/hr.
>
> I would personally look for something newer if it is going to be your only
> car
> and you don't have time to maintain it, fix all the little stuff and keep
> up
> with
> the maintenance.
>
> My suggestion- '00-03 A6 2.7T 6-speed with sport package. Beautiful
> interior
> (my favorite combos are Vanilla/Navy or Vanilla/Onyx two-tone, black being
> the second choice), very good power, potential for a lot more (RS4 bits
> will
> yield 380-420hp, depending on how far you want to go). I say '00-03
> because
> the '04 only came as a slushbox in S-line form.
>
> No, the engine is not as bulletproof as the I-5, but a much more modern
> car
> and more sensible unless you're a fanatic. :-)
>
> With RS4 turbos, intercoolers, airbox, injectors and software, you have a
> ready 380+
> hp. With H&R or equivalent coilovers, you have an excellent suspension
> setup.
> With BIRA system 6 or ECS stage III, you have an excellent front brake
> setup. RS4
> or similar clutch to handle the additional torque. 17x8 wheels to fit
> 245/255s and
> that's quite a package. Euro-spec bixenon projectors would be the icing on
> the cake.
>
> Taka
> _______________________________________________
> S-CAR-List mailing list
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>
>
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