[s-cars] To Buy or Not to Buy

Sun Jun 3 19:35:25 EDT 2007

... not to buy

thats my vote, the other guys summed it up pretty well so i'll spare my long
winded keep yourS rant.

On 6/3/07, Theodore Chen <tedebearp at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> 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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>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
worldpeace, //brian