[s-cars] Double the trouble, double the fun.....

Fri Mar 17 07:02:55 EST 2006

Thanks Jeff :)

I debated a bit about buying another S-car; primarily to convince myself it
was the right thing to do. In my experience they are well built, reliable,
durable, comfortable, and have exceptional performance potential with
minimal capital outlay. On the downside, they are an aging platform and the
relatively low numbers imported have, as you pointed out, lead to a
declining number on the market. Of course the aging platform also has an
upside - no troublesome multilink suspension, no Canbus system, no
throttle-by-wire. What really clinched it was when I searched the online
Autotrader to see what else was available for the same price. What a pile of
garbage - old Chevs & Buicks, mid-90's Volvos, you couldn't even get a newer
Jetta TDI for that price. There was no doubt the the S6 was the most car for
the money.

Your point on reliability issues is interesting. I wonder if it depends on
the perspective of the owner? If you do your own work on the car, some of
the known issues you handle as a routine. "Hmm, the brake light is staying
on for 30 seconds again. I guess I'll flush the hydraulic system this
weekend when I change the oil". If you don't do your own work, it's another
expensive trip to the shop. One thing I like about these cars is that there
are a few well known issues with them and everything else is rock solid. IMO
this list is a key part of S-car ownership; it makes the issues and
solutions known and disseminates that knowledge worldwide. Membership in the
list should come with every S-car sale :)

And it is a lot more fun when both are running :)

Fred

-----Original Message-----
From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com
[mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com]On Behalf Of Postupack, Jeff
Sent: March 16, 2006 11:13 AM
To: s-car-list at audifans.com
Subject: [s-cars] Double the trouble, double the fun.....

Fred:
You are the one dedicated maniac who could handle 2 S-cars. You gotta
keep both Fred  you're in another place.
That 1997 will only be more valuable with time.
Lord knows Dave Forgie would petition any '97's heading south !

There's a declining population of great C4- S cars examples on the
market these days. I think the manual controls and analog gauges are
really key in the driver position.
No drop down cascading menus and MMI's!
(Your experience with that dealer is exceptional
And lucky for that dealer, you are giving great references here on the
Internet!)
I have had a similar nearly trouble free experience with my 1993 S4,
which seduced me into buying another one owner Black/Black 95.5.
That S6 is now my garage queen until fair weather hits the lower '48,
the mildly modded S4 is the all weather model!
Vehicle stability/reliability varies widely.  I know of many owners who
have all kinds of maintenance troubles and recursive visits to the shop,
not me at all.
Why is this?
One such friend wrote to me after I joined the XM broadcast with B.
Armstead of how his S car is really troublesome to the point of lost
interest.
I wanna know when the "Fecal matter is going to hit the cyclic
Rotisserie for me?
My big mental debate is to MOD or NOT to Mod, that is the S6 question.
I think I'll  bring the S6 to S Fest 2006 as a bone stock 2nd owner car.
just to tease everyone about it.
" Oh Posto you gotta add the GT3071 and the suspension is TOO All Road
and.. the FMIC Bar and Tube will let it breathe and  yadda On and on.
While I grin like the cherish cat knowing .. why have one S-car when you
can have 2 and debate the virtues of mod or sales or whatever.
It's a lot of fun now, because they're RUNNING.

Posto

Message: 9
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 09:05:48 -0500
From: captmagu at aol.com
Subject: Re: [s-cars] Double the trouble, double the fun.....
To: munrof at sympatico.ca, s-car-list at audifans.com,
	SOS-cars at yahoogroups.com,	quattro at audifans.com
Message-ID: <8C81719DC5EE369-A2C-5E53 at FWM-M19.sysops.aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Fred

Sounds like a great car and a greater buying experience. Could the car
have an RS2 urbo and thus cause the lag at shift issue???

Hap, wit dakine tubo Q not from Evahboost, Maguire

-----Original Message-----
From: Fred Munro <munrof at sympatico.ca>
To: s-car-list at audifans.com; SOS-cars at yahoogroups.com;
quattro at audifans.com
Sent: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 08:03:47 -0500
Subject: [s-cars] Double the trouble, double the fun.....

I've been feeling kind of left out of all the fun since my '94 S4 has
been
so rock-solid over the years and isn't entertaining me with mysterious
misses, coil failures, hydraulic shenanigans or the like. In a fit of
madness I bought a sleek black on black '97 S6 this weekend. At 145k km
it's
nice and tight and oh so quiet. Now I own two of these beasts - what are
the
chances they'll both remain trouble-free? :)

I usually buy my cars privately but I bought the S6 through a used car
dealer in Toronto. It's been an interesting and unusual experience. I
first
viewed the car a month ago, took it for a test drive, had them put it up
on
a lift, and listed all the things I saw that needed repairing. The
dealer
said "Right, we'll get that sorted for you". He called back a week later
and
said it needed a new MAF to fix the power delivery problem and that
would
take some time to get in, so he was taking the car off the market until
it
was sorted out and I had a chance to come back down to see it and decide
whether I wanted it. He replaced the fuel lines, rear diff seals, MTFS,
MAF,
front shocks, and freed up the trunk lock cylinder. When I test drove it
this weekend I thought there was still a bit of a lag after a shift
change,
so he replaced the BOV and cleaned the throttle body and ISV. Not what I
would typically expect from a used car dealer - my past experience has
been
what you see is what you get unless it prevented the car from getting a
safety certificate. This guy seems very up-front and seemed to want to
make
sure the car was in good condition before it was sold. The dealer was
Lang
Motorcars in Toronto - he sells European makes, primarily Audi, Saab,
Jaguar, and Land Rover from what I saw on the lot. I'd have no
hesitation
about buying another car from him.

The car passed the MIL and wife test with flying colours. I almost gave
the
FIL heart failure when I did a WOT second gear pull on Lakeshore during
the
test drive - it's a real beast when the power comes on, I'm wondering if
it's chipped. The dealer's mechanic was wondering the same thing but I
never
did get around to checking to see if the carpet was cut. I'm still not
completely satisfied that the lag issue after an upshift is resolved but
I
guess that will entertain me for a bit getting it sorted out.

In a massive act of self-denial I've parked it in a garage for the rest
of
the winter - I've got to get some use out of the new clutch I put into
the
'94 last month. Now I have to decide whether to sell the '94 or use it
for a
winter beater....decisions, decisions...

:) :)

Fred Munro
'94 S4 270k
'96 S6 145k

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