[s-cars] To Buy or Not to Buy

Sun Jun 3 13:48:21 EDT 2007

calvin,

for what it's worth, i went through this a few years ago when the
alternator died on my '92 and left me stranded on the shoulder of a
busy freeway (a $35 voltage regulator with new brushes from NAPA fixed
the problem).  i bought an '01 S4 avant, ostensibly for my wife but
intending to replace the '92 eventually.  the wife refuses to drive a
wagon and now has a 330i, but we've kept the avant because it's a nice
car and it's so handy to have a wagon.  the avant has a tiptronic,
which is a major negative in my mind and at least for a while, was the
main reason why i didn't replace the UrS4.

but now, i realize that even if the avant were a stick, i'd have a hard
time parting with the UrS4.  it has 147k miles on it.  it has made many 
trips to lake tahoe in the snow with four adults and all their ski 
equipment, and those heated seats are heavenly after a long cold day.
the turbo was recently upgraded to a GT2871, and the brakes have already
been changed to porsche 996 brakes from BIRA.  the turbo upgrade makes
the car even more fun to drive, and i plan to upgrade the software from
MTM 2+ (same as 1+ but with RS2 EM) to an RS2 chipset after installing RS2
injectors.  the car needs new shocks and possibly front control arms as well.
i just replaced the motor mounts and transmission mounts (the passenger side
mounts were completely torn, and the driver side mounts were halfway there),
and the difference is noticeable - the car doesn't vibrate any more, and
the shifter doesn't move.

i love the ease and relatively low cost of upgrading the UrS4.  many people
have gone before you, so there's a large body of knowledge and support
available.  i tell people it's the 5.0 mustang of luxury sport sedans.
the UrS4 isn't worth much, maybe $7k or $8k on a good day.  that's a
bargain for an AWD luxury sedan that can cruise at 150+ mph all day with
four adults in comfort.  my wife likes the UrS4, too.  last night, as we 
walked back to the car after leaving a party, she said "this car has 
presence".

the CPO warranty on the S4 avant is running out soon, and i'm getting a
few things fixed on it - namely, a whine that could be a boost leak or a
dying turbo, and (i think) a bad master cylinder that leaves me with a
soft pedal no matter how much i flush the brakes using VAG-COM to run the ABS.
there's also a little squeak from the steering wheel.  after the warranty
runs out, i'll start upgrading.  i'm hoping the turbos need replacement now
because then i'll try to figure out how to get K04s in.

back to the UrS4.  the issues you mention are minor, IMHO.  i don't know if
the cruise control works on my car, and i don't care because i never use it
anyway.  one side of my front bumper cover is zip-tied in place, and if it
really annoyed me, i'd use the opportunity to get an RS2 piece to get more
room for a FMIC.  my car had badly deteriorating clear coat on the roof and
the hood had a zillion rock chips as well.  i hate to admit this, but i
paid earl scheib $400 to spray the roof, hood, front bumper, and a couple
of body panels.  the car isn't worth much, and i didn't want to sink $4k into
paint.  the paint is the factory color, and i couldn't even paint the car
myself for that price, due to the cost of materials.  the result is about
a 6-footer.  there's some orange peel and splotches now, but i plan to go 
over it with 2000 grit sandpaper, rubbing compound, and polishing compound.
the car is dirty most of the time anyway, as it's my daily driver.

i was in costa rica on vacation last week, and my ride was a daihatsu terios.
it's built the way japanese used to build cars in the 80s, and i mean early 
to mid 80s.  it's the kind of car that makes you appreciate your audi.  when 
i got back, i picked up the avant at the airport and drove home.  it was such 
a wonderful car, it brought a smile to my face.  the next morning, i drove 
the UrS4 to work.  i hit the S-curve in the freeway on-ramp at WOT, and 
blasted onto the freeway at highly illegal speeds with a big grin on my 
face.  it's a car for people who enjoy driving.

and that's why i'm keeping the car.

-teddy

--- Fred Munro <munrof at sympatico.ca> wrote:

> It's a personal decision, Calvin. Something new is always attractive. You
> know the faults of the old car but see the advantages of the new one. You
> don't know it's faults yet.
> 
> It sounds like the problems with your '92 are mostly minor issues, but they
> all take money and time to fix. The new car will eventually have similar
> issues. I guess one question is which car you'd rather have with a screwed
> up bumper cover, inoperable cruise control and seat memory, peeling paint,
> etc.
> 
> I just went through the same decision process. My '94 S4 was the best car
> I'd ever owned - rock solid reliable, safe, great performance, reasonably
> easy to work on, only a few known trouble areas. I used it for my daily 150
> km commute, it had 275k km on it, the clear coat was failing, but it was in
> great mechanical condition. I did replace it - with a '97 S6. Nothing else
> really appealed to me, probably because I wasn't willing to take a chance
> that another make/model would be worse than the UrS. I figure the chances of
> getting one with more basic issues are greater than finding one that's more
> reliable, safer, easier to work on and better performing. Besides, I hate
> that drive-by-wire crap. I don't need my car telling me what my throttle
> position should be.  Again, it's a personal choice.
> 
> Good luck in your decision. The neuS4 sounds like a great car. You can't go
> wrong either way. All cars get old and wear out, so the idea that the newer,
> low mileage one is somehow better than rebuilding an old one is mostly
> illusion. Ten years down the road both the "new" one and the old rebuilt one
> will be old, high mileage, and have a low resale value unless the older one
> turns into a "classic".
> 
> Just my rambling thoughts on a rainy Sunday morning.
> 
> Fred Munro
> '94 S4 (gone but not forgotten)
> '97 S6
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com
> [mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com]On Behalf Of
> calvinlc at earthlink.net
> Sent: June 3, 2007 2:00 AM
> To: s-car-list at audifans.com
> Subject: [s-cars] To Buy or Not to Buy
> 
> 
> I don't know how I could be contemplating this but I am thinking about
> replacing the best car I have ever owned - my '92 UrS.
> 
> The following items need work on my present car:
> 
> Clear coat is starting to suffer in two places
> Front bumper cover is screwed on due to the normal plastic pieces breaking
> Door trim pieces - uppers are coming off due to plastic bits
> Cruise control doesn't work - I have personally spent hours on this one and
> replaced all the usual culprits, had a mechanic spend hours on it and he
> couldn't find anything either...
> 165k miles with a couple of squeeks here and there
> Overboost issue that doesn't look like it is going to be simple to track
> down
> Memory seat settings not working correctly
> 
> Replacement possibility:
> 2001 S4 - Sportec stage 3 installed by Autosport Werks with the usual -
> K04's, RS4 intercoolers, injectors, exhuast, downpipe, etc  H&R coilovers,
> stoptech 332mm up front, two sets of wheels/tires (18s/17s), aftermrket
> swaybar, Euro HIDs, RS4 bumper, RS4 clutch and t-belt service done 23k miles
> ago, one owner 88k miles.  The thing drives perfect.
> 
> Rationale:
> To get the UrS into tip top shape we are talking about 6k, best guess.  I
> can either put this money into the UrS or buy this other car, and reset the
> clock so to speak.  I just don't know if I am prepared to dump 6k into a 15
> year old car, but how can I give up the best darn car I ever owned.  Any
> advice?  Thanks!
> 
> --Calvin
> 
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