[s-cars] To Buy or Not to Buy
Douglas Fifield
douglas.fifield at gmail.com
Mon Jun 4 11:35:46 EDT 2007
Calvin,
The others have said it all. I just wanted to through one thought in
on the cruise control problem. Mine quit working a while back and
nothing showed up on the diagnostics. My problem is that the actuator
diaphragm that controls the throttle lost its mounting nut and
therefore is no longer connected to the bracket which is bolted to the
block under the intake manifold. I have a replacement nut but can't
get to the threaded rod on the back of the diaphragm without taking a
bunch of stuff off the engine. So, no cruise for now. See if your
actuator is still fastened to the bracket.
D.
On 6/3/07, calvinlc at earthlink.net <calvinlc at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Thanks to all you guys for your inputs. I am at least goint to push the
> decision off for a few days, as I have a business trip to go on, so it will
> probably be gone when I get back anyway. I don't like to be wishy washy on
> spending $20k so I have to be able to make a firm decision if I am going to
> spend it and right now this doesn't quite make the cut...although in a few
> days who knows :) Thanks again.
> --Calvin
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: brian hoeft [mailto:qweblog at gmail.com]
> Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2007 5:35 PM
> To: Theodore Chen
> Cc: Fred Munro; calvinlc at earthlink.net; s-car-list at audifans.com
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] To Buy or Not to Buy
>
>
> ... 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
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--
Douglas in MN
95.5 Audi S//6 Avant
73 BMW R60/5 mit Toaster Tank
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